Early fall road trip. Where to?

[Frwinkley]

I'm an elementary school teacher retiring in a little over 2 months. This will be our first year taking a vacation when we want. I'm looking to plan something for early fall with maybe a 2 week maxium. We really enjoy flying into a city and then exploring from there. I'd like to be able to stay at least 2 nights in one location (3 would be even better). With stops, I'd like to limit the driving amount to about 8 hours each day.

We love the outdoors, are avid photographers and enjoy hiking. At the same time, we like walkable towns with restaurants, coffee shop, etc. Having grown up on the east coast, I'm less interested in that area of the country.

We've already done the following from Denver (on 2 separate trips during the summer):
Tellruride, Durango
The 5 Utah National Parks.

From Phoenix, we've done Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

From Las Vegas, we've done Yosemite, driven to Lake Tahoe, onto San Francisco and have flown back home from there (We are in Pittsburgh).

We've also done the Canadian Rockies flying in and out of Calgary.

We've also done Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City as a driving trip directly from Pittsburgh. Canada is especially easy to get to from where we live and we might be interested in exploring parts beyond Toronto.

This past summer we did Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria.

On my radar are the following:
Yellowstone, Grand Teton
Glacier National Park
The Dakotas, including the Badland and Mt. Rushmore.

I'd love to hear any suggestions!

Thanks very much.

 

[ambula603]

We did Yellowstone, Grand Teton, AND Glacier in one 11 day trip. Fly into Jackson Hole and rent a car, then leave it when you fly out of Kalispell. It was a wonderful trip, if you want more specifics let me know.

 

[Frwinkley]

We did Yellowstone, Grand Teton, AND Glacier in one 11 day trip. Fly into Jackson Hole and rent a car, then leave it when you fly out of Kalispell. It was a wonderful trip, if you want more specifics let me know.

That sounds wonderful! I'd love to know how you split up your time.

Were car rental drop off charges crazy?

 

[Travel60]

Fly into Portland, OR and drive to Pacific coast. Several lovely coastal towns - Seaside, Gearhart, Astoria (read the book first), see the Haystack rocks, visit Tillamook Creamery. (2 days).

Drive back to Portland, stay a day or two if you wish or, continue on the Columbia River road to. Bridge of the Gods, Multnomah Falls (and others).

Turn south and visit Mt. Hood (good hiking) then continue to Bend - a lovely town with a hippie vibe (2 days). Continue to Crater Lake - full day, hiking opportunities.

From here you could loop back north toward Portland through Willamette Valley or continue south to California and the Redwoods. Drive down California coast until you need to fly back.

Lots of variability with the above depending on your research and what you want to do.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Canadian Maritimes!

 

[Sondra Sunflowers]

This past October, we flew into Boston and drove up to Bar Harbor, Maine. Acadia is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Hiking was great. Took 100's of photos.

 

[barkley]

fly into seattle but drive to leavenworth-stunning in the fall, walkable, great restaurants and shops. drive to the eastern side of washington and spend some time in spokane (the moose are very photogenic). down the road a bit is couer d'alene (crazy walkable touristy downtown area) and for absolute beauty and a once in a lifetime walking/photo opportunity-the hiawatha trail in wallace idhao (open till mid september)-15 miles long, 10 train tunnels, 7 skyhigh trestles.

the trees and foilage are stunning during the fall (weather is very nice as well).

if you want to avoid seattle alltogether you could just fly into spokane but leavenworth in the fall is soooooooo nice (and delicious).

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We've been to all of the places on your radar. In fact, we've combined them in a couple of cases.

Our girl's first Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip was a big loop. We started in Billings, MT...visited Little Bighorn NM on Day 1...drove to the Devils Tower area in WY on that same day...after seeing that NM, we drove to the Mt Rushmore area and visited Mt. Rushmore, Badlands NP, and Crazy Horse...drove to Yellowstone after that for a week between YNP and GTNP...ended back in Billings. Canyon was the only area where I could find lodging in Yellowstone during this trip. Oh yea...we also spent a night in Cody, WY on this trip which was kind of fun.

We returned to the Rapid City, SD area last summer. We had been in the Denver area for softball, but spent a few days visiting Mt. Rushmore and Badlands again, along with trips to Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, Deadwood, Sturgis, and Wall Drug. I wish we had more time to work in Jewel Cave NM.

Ages ago, DH and I spent nearly 2 weeks just visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We focused a lot more on Yellowstone and stayed in different areas of the park for several nights. The first few nights were in the Lake area, then the next few nights in the Mammoth area, another few nights in the Old Faithful area, and then the last chunk of nights in the Canyon area. This trip started just after Labor Day, making it a little easier to snag lodging. We also experienced snow several times during this trip. Grand Teton and Jackson are a pretty easy drive from YNP. I know people like staying in the Jenny Lake area if they add in GTNP, but last time my parents were there, they just stayed in Jackson and did day trips into the park.

Glacier was part of a big 6,500 mile road trip that covered a lot of the country. That being said, we spent about 5 days in the Glacier area. We stayed in East Glacier, which put us closer to areas like Two Medicine, St. Mary and Many Glacier. I say closer because everything is a real drive. Lodging in and around Glacier can be really hard to come by and even if you find good lodging, getting to other parts of the area can mean a couple of hours of driving. I wish I could have gotten a room at St. Mary's Village as that part of Going-to-the-Sun was our favorite access point. The only in-park option I ever saw open up was at Rising Sun and it wasn't a room that would handle our family. We headed down to Yellowstone afterwards for 3 days. This was the first time we stayed outside of the park (stayed in West Yellowstone). I didn't mind staying outside of the park as the little extra bits of civilization were kind of nice, but I think I'd opt for Gardiner next time we do this. While it was the next leg of the trip, Craters of the Moon NM and Shoshone Falls in ID aren't a bad day drive from West Yellowstone.

I will say that winter can come early to all of these places, so be ready for it. Closing dates for lodging will also reflect when too much winter is known to happen to make it possible for most visitors. OK I've probably rambled on for too long

 

[ambula603]

We've been to all of the places on your radar. In fact, we've combined them in a couple of cases.

Our girl's first Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip was a big loop. We started in Billings, MT...visited Little Bighorn NM on Day 1...drove to the Devils Tower area in WY on that same day...after seeing that NM, we drove to the Mt Rushmore area and visited Mt. Rushmore, Badlands NP, and Crazy Horse...drove to Yellowstone after that for a week between YNP and GTNP...ended back in Billings. Canyon was the only area where I could find lodging in Yellowstone during this trip. Oh yea...we also spent a night in Cody, WY on this trip which was kind of fun.

We returned to the Rapid City, SD area last summer. We had been in the Denver area for softball, but spent a few days visiting Mt. Rushmore and Badlands again, along with trips to Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, Deadwood, Sturgis, and Wall Drug. I wish we had more time to work in Jewel Cave NM.

Ages ago, DH and I spent nearly 2 weeks just visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We focused a lot more on Yellowstone and stayed in different areas of the park for several nights. The first few nights were in the Lake area, then the next few nights in the Mammoth area, another few nights in the Old Faithful area, and then the last chunk of nights in the Canyon area. This trip started just after Labor Day, making it a little easier to snag lodging. We also experienced snow several times during this trip. Grand Teton and Jackson are a pretty easy drive from YNP. I know people like staying in the Jenny Lake area if they add in GTNP, but last time my parents were there, they just stayed in Jackson and did day trips into the park.

Glacier was part of a big 6,500 mile road trip that covered a lot of the country. That being said, we spent about 5 days in the Glacier area. We stayed in East Glacier, which put us closer to areas like Two Medicine, St. Mary and Many Glacier. I say closer because everything is a real drive. Lodging in and around Glacier can be really hard to come by and even if you find good lodging, getting to other parts of the area can mean a couple of hours of driving. I wish I could have gotten a room at St. Mary's Village as that part of Going-to-the-Sun was our favorite access point. The only in-park option I ever saw open up was at Rising Sun and it wasn't a room that would handle our family. We headed down to Yellowstone afterwards for 3 days. This was the first time we stayed outside of the park (stayed in West Yellowstone). I didn't mind staying outside of the park as the little extra bits of civilization were kind of nice, but I think I'd opt for Gardiner next time we do this. While it was the next leg of the trip, Craters of the Moon NM and Shoshone Falls in ID aren't a bad day drive from West Yellowstone.

I will say that winter can come early to all of these places, so be ready for it. Closing dates for lodging will also reflect when too much winter is known to happen to make it possible for most visitors. OK I've probably rambled on for too long

This is all great advice! I am going to attach my very detailed itinerary (just because that is what I can find on my computer) but it gives you an idea of how much time we spent each place. We are currently planning a Pacific Northwest trip starting in Portland, driving the Oregon coast and staying in Astoria, then visiting Olympic NP, North Cascades NP, Leavenworth, Mt Rainier NP, and finishing at the Columbia River Gorge. We LOVE long trips like this but it takes extensive prep and planning and isn't for everyone, as you know! We don't find the rental fees to be an issue, but it is something to consider when budgeting.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sEa9JSjdlhcve8j3YTyYtATRFX7cKoUigHFBe8A7qt8/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Frwinkley]

This is all great advice! I am going to attach my very detailed itinerary (just because that is what I can find on my computer) but it gives you an idea of how much time we spent each place. We are currently planning a Pacific Northwest trip starting in Portland, driving the Oregon coast and staying in Astoria, then visiting Olympic NP, North Cascades NP, Leavenworth, Mt Rainier NP, and finishing at the Columbia River Gorge. We LOVE long trips like this but it takes extensive prep and planning and isn't for everyone, as you know! We don't find the rental fees to be an issue, but it is something to consider when budgeting.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sEa9JSjdlhcve8j3YTyYtATRFX7cKoUigHFBe8A7qt8/edit?usp=sharing

I would love to see your itinerary, but it says I need to be granted access.

I love planning long trips, but sometimes it can get tricky!

 

[GreatLakes]

Fall makes me think of New England. Fly into Boston and see the leave change in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. I'd make sure to spend the most time at Acadia NP if it were me.

 

[TippyThomas]

The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful that time of year. It would have many of the options you listed as likes as well. The Appalachian trail runs through and along side much of it.

 

[Frwinkley]

I would love to see your itinerary, but it says I need to be granted access.

I love planning long trips, but sometimes it can get tricky!

Got your detailed plans! Spectacular! Thank for sharing.

 

[ambula603]

I would love to see your itinerary, but it says I need to be granted access.

I love planning long trips, but sometimes it can get tricky!

Edited-Glad it came through!

 

[TeamRiley]

You should do Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. Definitely worth the trip. Grand Teton as well.

 

[leebee]

It's fall; come to New England! Fly into Portland, Maine, and branch out from there. Bar Harbor is about a 3 hour drive, Boston is about 90-ish minutes. There's Salem, MA (DON"T stay in that area in October- hotel prices are stupid- but it's definitely an experience). You can go west into NH/VT, too. Lots of amazing scenery New England, and yes, we also have Acadia!

In mid to late October, the leaves are going to be incredible! I've lived in upstate NY, MI, and PA, and yes, they have pretty leaves, but New England has reds, oranges, and yellows like you've never imagined. I really is amazing.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

This is all great advice! I am going to attach my very detailed itinerary (just because that is what I can find on my computer) but it gives you an idea of how much time we spent each place. We are currently planning a Pacific Northwest trip starting in Portland, driving the Oregon coast and staying in Astoria, then visiting Olympic NP, North Cascades NP, Leavenworth, Mt Rainier NP, and finishing at the Columbia River Gorge. We LOVE long trips like this but it takes extensive prep and planning and isn't for everyone, as you know! We don't find the rental fees to be an issue, but it is something to consider when budgeting.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sEa9JSjdlhcve8j3YTyYtATRFX7cKoUigHFBe8A7qt8/edit?usp=sharing

I'm also still getting access denied.

I was hoping to do a trip that involved some of that last summer, but travel ball is going to be our lives for a while. So, I'm going to have to table the idea for now. I think the planning is part of the fun, but like you said...it isn't for everyone. Olympic was the top goal, so I mapped out a basic route from home and started picking things along the way to make it an interesting journey. I think I was going to opt for the route that took us through Albuquerque, Moab, Salt Lake City, and Twin Falls before making the push towards Olympic NP. We've already seen a lot of those spots, but no harm in seeing things again or finding new things to see in those areas. That's where things went all over the place. North Cascades NP and Mount Rainier NP were a given, but option 1 was to drive north to Vancouver and then east to Banff NP and Calgary, then coming home by way of Glacier NP, the Denver area, etc. Option 2 was to visit as many of the NPs as possible between Olympic and Yosemite before cutting east towards Las Vegas and across various parts of the desert. Still, I'd really like to get up to Alaska. I have a land/air bucket list trip in mind, but it's not happen for quite some time.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I'm an elementary school teacher retiring in a little over 2 months. This will be our first year taking a vacation when we want. I'm looking to plan something for early fall with maybe a 2 week maxium. We really enjoy flying into a city and then exploring from there. I'd like to be able to stay at least 2 nights in one location (3 would be even better). With stops, I'd like to limit the driving amount to about 8 hours each day.

We love the outdoors, are avid photographers and enjoy hiking. At the same time, we like walkable towns with restaurants, coffee shop, etc. Having grown up on the east coast, I'm less interested in that area of the country.

We've already done the following from Denver (on 2 separate trips during the summer):
Tellruride, Durango
The 5 Utah National Parks.

From Phoenix, we've done Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

From Las Vegas, we've done Yosemite, driven to Lake Tahoe, onto San Francisco and have flown back home from there (We are in Pittsburgh).

We've also done the Canadian Rockies flying in and out of Calgary.

We've also done Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City as a driving trip directly from Pittsburgh. Canada is especially easy to get to from where we live and we might be interested in exploring parts beyond Toronto.

This past summer we did Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria.

On my radar are the following:
Yellowstone, Grand Teton
Glacier National Park
The Dakotas, including the Badland and Mt. Rushmore.

I'd love to hear any suggestions!

Thanks very much.

Dallas, LA, and Seattle (they all have nature options near them) would be my picks for the Westcoast. Nashville and the nature parks around that Tennessee area are cool too.

https://www.tnvacation.com/

https://www.traveltexas.com/

https://www.visitcalifornia.com/

https://stateofwatourism.com/

 

[ambula603]

I'm also still getting access denied.

I accepted a few requests - try again if you still want it.

We also do travel ball (soccer and volleyball) so that is why we have to cram so much into the "dead period" in the summer. Some day I will be like OP and be able to travel whenever and wherever...but that is about 11 years away for us!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I accepted a few requests - try again if you still want it.

We also do travel ball (soccer and volleyball) so that is why we have to cram so much into the "dead period" in the summer. Some day I will be like OP and be able to travel whenever and wherever...but that is about 11 years away for us!

I just sent a request.

We're a little bit closer to a time when we'll be doing whatever we want, but it'll be chaos before then. Literally every week of our summer is filled with softball since it's the peak for tournaments and many collegiate camps. We never really get a break. Fall is more travel ball and camps...pretty much on and off until high school ball tryouts happen in January. Our older one will be starting her freshman year in college mid-August, so we're just hoping to get in whatever fun we can. Three of DD15s summer tournaments are in Colorado and California and take up about 3 weeks, so I'm hoping we can rope some fun into the downtime.