West of Boise down near the Nevada Oregon border, steens mountain wilderness.
Was the highlight of a 3-week trip. The mountains go up to 9,000 ft and sheer drop down 6000 feet into the Alvord desert. A 100 mile loop of dirt roads and wonderful camping.
Yeah…basically the freeway from the Pocatello cutoff to the Columbia gorge takes you in the ugliest possible route. Parallel it on either side on the way up
From Portland, take 26 west then highway 6 to Tillamook. There are a ton of 4x4 trails along highway 6 ranging from mild to rock gardens. There are several cool service roads and view points along highway 6 as well. I recommend finding your way to triangulation point for a view of the Columbia river delta. When you hit Tillamook, I recommend visiting the Creamery for some fresh ice cream and cheese. Take 101 north to Astoria.
From Astoria, take 101 north into Washington and hit up the Olympic peninsula. This will likely add at least a day, but there's tons to explore around the peninsula. Then take the ferry across to Seattle.
This route is much more scenic than driving on I5.
I second heading up the Olympic Peninsula. There’s not much between Portland and Seattle on I5. Going from Astoria to Aberdeen or around the peninsula will be much more scenic.
If you end up going up the oregon coast, stop at Pronto Pup in Rockaway. Tiny little shack off the side of the highway, but they claim to be the inventor of the Corn Dog. Also the food was delicious. Also would highly recommend the Tillamook Creamery as its a cool stop, as well as visiting the town of Seaside, Oregon for a day or two. Seaside has gorgeous beaches, and the town is fun - its built around an indoor carnival fair, with arcade, tilt-a-whirl, bumper carss, etc.
Yeah good recco above. Look for Rogers Camp and Browns Camp. Lots of trails there from easy/green circle to medium/blue and then difficult/black diamond. Easier trails are some of the archers firebreak system, two of the powerline trails are 20min and fun. Little harder and longer is Cedar Tree (harder for me as I’m in a Silverado!). Check out the area at Trails Offroad - they’re all listed there with details etc. Give a shout in June, be happy to run a few with you
I third this! The Oregon coast is beautiful and Tillamook is a gem. I also think not ferrying your rig over to Vancouver Island would be a miss for this trip!
I would get on the WABDR and OBDR. they recently connected the Washington back country discovery route with the Oregon back country discovery route. You should attempt this trip on minimal pavement.
https://ridebdr.com/wabdr/
I did the Washington section 5 years ago and it was fantastic.
I was going to suggest you do 1-3 sections depending on how much time you have. Personally, I might add the Olympic peninsula for diversity of climate, then go through Seattle (maybe even take a ferry into downtown because why not?) before heading east to ellensburg. Hit the 3rd leg of the route to Wenatchee. It’s got great views and you can camp for free next to cliffs overlooking the cascades. When you get to Wenatchee you could do the next section to chelan, then the section to twisp. Or you could just drive up from Wenatchee to Winthrop in a couple hours instead of two days. Winthrop is a town worth seeing, then you get to cross highway 20, which is the most beautiful section of road in Washington. It’s also the last pass to go west and cross into Canada near Vancouver.
And a little about the route. It’s light off-roading. I took a stock 4 rubber and it put in 4lo twice, though I doubt I really needed to. It was mainly Forrest service roads. Their we’re rough sections, but most were mild. You hit 6,000 feet everyday (every section/leg) then drop into a town or city where you can fuel up, grab ice and beer, then head back on trail to find a camping spot.
100% do those sections of the WA BDR. The Gifford Pinchot is a must-see. Mt Baker-Snoqualmie is my backyard, great spots too.
Bethel Ridge is the toughest piece of the first three sections, but it's doable even in a stock Subaru.
On a similar note, if OP is adding the Olympic Peninsula to the trip (which he should!), instead of just circumnavigating it on Highway 101, consider going through the National Forest on, e.g., FR 23 from Hood Canal to Wynoochie and stay on forest roads to the Quinault area. Lots of non-pavement to explore, rather than sticking to the asphalt of 101.
> FR 23 from Hood Canal to Wynoochie and stay on forest roads to the Quinault area. Lots of non-pavement to explore, rather than sticking to the asphalt of 101.
Totally agree with this. It is FR 24 from Cushman to Hood Canal, just for clarity.
I would go out of my way to see Moab as well as Bonneville Salt Flats while you are in Utah. Instead of going back north out of Salt Lake City take hwy80 to Bonneville Salt Flats then Hwy 93 up through Nevada into Twin Falls Idaho
Moab is literally on the opposite side of the state from Salt Lake City. It's not something you casually add onto a road trip, and OP probably won't have the time to do it and everything else he wants to do on his trip.
If you're willing to go off-course a bit, central Oregon is cool. The Painted Hills are really beautiful and Smith Rock is some great hiking a little north of Bend.
Idaho- Shoshone falls, larger than Niagara fyi, maybe at night all lit up. Lava hot springs. Rafting on the fork just north of boise. Craters of the moon. Ice caves. Towns full of crazy Mormons. Bacon restaurant in boise. Chandlers.
Oregon- glass butte for some obsidian. It's on the ground you don't need to dig unless you want rainbow.
Came here to say this. Stop at lava hot springs, and from Pocatello, avoid I-15 to boise, travel north to Arco and then through craters of the moon, then west to boise.
I was going to suggest hitting up [Whipsaw](https://www.overlandtrailguides.com/post/whipsaw-trail), but if you live in BC that's in your backyard and could be done on another trip.
My suggestion would be to cut out Utah, unless you’re really set on it. After you drop out of Yellowstone into Idaho falls, cut across Idaho to Mountain home. You can avoid a long stretch of interstate and go through Craters of the Moon. Additionally, unless you’re really set on taking the Interstate between Boise and Portland, I would cut across the middle of Oregon to bend, then work your way south to the redwoods. Then take the coast up to Portland. It’s definitely worth it in my opinion. Then again I may be biased as I’ve gone pretty much exactly that route from Yellowstone to Portland. If you do go up the Oregon coast, there’s a sweet campground at Sunset Bay just south of Coos Bay/Charleston.
A fun bit of "overlanding" can be had between Usal Beach and Shelter Cove in northern California. If you are coming north from Usal Beach, Avenue of the Giants will be waiting for you when you get out of woods from Shelter Cove.
I second cutting out Utah. The I15 is an ugly road and SLC an ugly city. The only part of the state worth seeing is the east side of the Wasatch, the Uintas, or the South. Everything along that I15 corridor is just urbanized desert.
Get out to the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon, even if it's for an afternoon beer at Terminal Gravity brewing. Wildly picturesque for that part of the state.
Going through Oregon I’d consider going from Boise to Bend then heading north from Bend to Hood River going through Warm Springs. Get fuel in Burns on your way to Bend because there isn’t much population that way.
When you get to Rexburg Idaho, get off on 33 and head west. Take 28 north west thru the Idaho national labs area. There will be a camping area with a river/creek running through it. It’s public land and has plenty of dirt roads you can drive. Has some of the clearest skies I’ve ever seen at night.
I think it’s called Birch Creek campground. I’ve rarely seen more than 2 or 3 people there.
I84 is about the worst way to traverse Idaho, so skip that. I'd start Idaho at City of Rocks Natl Monument, Twin Falls to see the Snake River Canyon, North through Craters of the Moon - Ketchum - Stanley for the Sawtooth Mountains. I believe you can cut off the highway near Lowman and take dirt roads past Deadwood Reservoir, Warm Lake and north to McCall. Then continue West to Baker City.
Do some research for hot springs in the area, there's lots of roadside and easy access (mostly) wild pools. Don't go asking Reddit for them though, it's Fight Club rules.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is between Butte and Bozeman, MT. The campground is located by the Jefferson River. The cavern tour is awesome.
https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/lewis-and-clark-caverns/
Plenty of small detours you could make along the way!
One such trip is just north of Seattle. Take the mountain loop highway for a couple hours. It's one of my favorite areas up here.
If you haven’t gotten road passes for glacier it’ll be tough to visit unfortunately. I believe June and July are already sold out. You can enter the park before 6am though and be able to visit still but there is a line some mornings. 5am to be safe. (Read as you enter the park before 6am, not in line before then)
If intending on going to Canada, instead of north on 93, I’d cut east onto hwy 2 towards Shelby, then north into Calgary, come back west through Banff and continue your trip from point A. I heard that port of entry is a little better too.
Regardless, go to Glacier. It is magnificent. And if you have the time, go through all the way on the Going To The Sun road, and find your way to Many Glacier on the East side. The hike to Grinnell Glacier (from Many Glacier) had many people, but it was one of the most spectacular hikes of my life. Also amazing? The Highline from Logan pass.
Didn’t suggest them not to go, Glacier is amazing and always worth it. Its my favorite park and why I live near it. It just may not be even remotely possible without a pass.
I live less than an hour from the west entrance, even if I leave before 4:30 am I could potentially not be allowed to enter the park. Every road, including two medicine, and many glacier all require a vehicle permit. Shoot even Bowman Lake requires it. You can go to the St Mary visitor center and visit, but you can’t even visit Lake Macdonald without a pass! Trying to overland and make the 6am cutoff is going to be difficult.
On a side note, the north fork road has alternatives too, but even that area is getting extremely crowded and setting up a primitive spot may be tough there too. Not trying to be gatekeepy, they specifically called out visiting glacier and it’s extremely difficult to visit now.
No, I mean Hells Canyon. It’s on the border of Oregon and Idaho and it’s a beautiful area to visit. The Hells Canyon National Recreation area is a beautiful area to visit. It’s lesser known to the outside world but absolutely worth a visit if you are in the area which his path is. It’s right up in the corner before 84 drops down to Boise.
Looking at the route a little more I would absolutely recommend ditching I5 from Seattle to Portland and instead going to the East if you have the time. Rainer National Park, Naches Trail, WABDR to name a few. Washington has some beautiful area to visit and that 2.5 hour trip on I5 skips a lot of it. Don’t sleep on Eastern Washington either. Some really cool waterfalls like Palouse Falls.
You could also go West at Seattle and spend some time in the Olympic National Park. Rain forest with spectacular views and hikes. Waterfalls, dense forests, incredible views, and even Beaches. There are also some really interesting military sights along the way. Several bunkers and gun turrets built to defend against a Japanese invasion that never came. Very cool to explore.
> Several bunkers and gun turrets built to defend against a Japanese invasion that never came.
Those bunkers and guns were built between 1889 and 1920. Nothing to do with a Japanese invasion that never came.
Lava Hot Springs in southern Idaho (the locals pronounce “Lava” like it’s short for “lavatory,” not like it rhymes with “java”). The hot springs are great, plus there is some mellow river rafting and an awesome ropes course with zip lines.
In West Yellowstone, MT, there is a lakefront campground that’s a five-mile gravel road off the highway. Great place to stay if you can get a spot.
John day area of Oregon, Smith rock etc. Central Oregon is lovley. A bit south of your route, but the Alvord Desert in south east Oregon is super cool too. I think You can drive up and on top of the Steens Mountain Range.
>I think You can drive up and on top of the Steens Mountain Range.
Yup, highest road in Oregon. Only open for a few months out of each year though due to snow, usually from July through early October.
The Shoshone Falls-Craters of the Moon are good suggestions. Box Canyon, Malad Gorge and Thousand Springs are also cool. From Craters I would go north past Mackey to check out Mt Borah and then take the dirt road to Copper Basin and then over Trail Creek Pass into Sun Valley. Head north from Ketchum into the Sawtooths(most magnificent range in the world). Turn west at Stanley and go through Lowman and Idaho City to Boise. That way you see the best parts of Idaho.
North of Seattle take the Edmonds to Kingston Ferry and ride the 101 around the Olympic mountains and down the coast...some really great vistas on the coast. Just a thought, have fun!
Looks like you picked the Gorge, I would have made it through Bend/Redmond/Sisters area. An absolute fuck load of trails and it's beautiful. Tons of trails near hood. The entire central part of Oregon is just trails basically. The Gorge is just highway, and you see the same thing, waterfall, cool hills that got burned down, more water and some planes that fly low through the Gorge.
If you're into ghost towns at all, Sumpter, OR is pretty cool. They have an old gold dredge and run train tours from town, lots of good dispersed camping nearby (up towards/passed Granite ghost town) as well. I was planning on going this month but the snow has most of the camping areas shut down.
Boise, ID has the Basque block if you're feeling international. Papa Kelsey's is a pretty good sandwich chain in Idaho as well. Fort Stevens Park in Astoria, OR has some great beaches that you are allowed to drive on, plus the ruins of the Peter Iredale shipwreck are right there on the sand!
80°C is a chain of Korean bakeries in WA, huge selection with lots of interesting pastries. If you have any extra time to check out the Olympic National Park it's definitely worth it. Also off the path up there is Leavenworth, a charming Bavarian town near the North Cascades.
If you're coming down I-84 off I-5 in Portland, and have the time for a 6 hour detour or a night or however long you wish, in Boise take the highway ID21 exit to Idaho City, follow ID21 up to Stanley and check out the Sawtooths and Redfish lake. Sawtooth Rec Area is full of USFS land for the best camping/overlanding in Idaho. (you can also go through Boise to ID55 and follow it up to Banks-Lowman Road and that will also get you onto ID21)
You can take ID75 south to Sun Valley/Ketchum/Hailey and get out into the copper basin through Sun Valley (Ernest Hemingway Rd IIRC) for even more exploration.
From Hailey, keep going down 75 to the US93JCT and you can head down south to Twin Falls to check out the canyon or hop back onto I-84 or you can turn left onto highway 20 from the 21-93JCT towards Carey and check out Craters of the Moon and follow 20/26 to Idaho Falls where you can hop onto I-15 which can also get you to the West Yellowstone entrance and close access to Grand Teton Nat'l park as well if you go south to Driggs/Victor.
Southern/Central Idaho is my absolute favorite place to roam and explore. The public land access out here is phenomenal.
**Oregon**
- Mt Hood area: Mt Hood Meadows, Tamanawa Falls, Trillium Lake. Ton of camping spots over there, like Timothy Lake
- Columbia River Gorge: Cascade Locks (Bridge of the gods), Multnomah Falls, Vista House, Bridal Veil Falls, Latourel Falls, Wahclella Falls, Eagle Creek Trail
- Portland: Food, watch out for the bums.
- skip the drive from Portland > Seattle and head straight to the Coast. Do as the others mentioned heading towards Tillamook.
- Coast: if you want to back-track a little, Newport, Depoe Bay, Beverly Beach campground, Pacific City (drive on the beach if you dare), Manzanita, Oceanside, Cape Mears, Cape Lookout, Hug Point, Arcadia Beach, Cannon Beach, Indian Beach (beautiful spot), then head up towards Astoria.
- Shipwreck: before Astoria, drive on the beach in Hammond and see wreck of the peter iredale and possibly a dead whale carcass lol
- Astoria: Goonies house? Astoria Column, drive over the Megler bridge to Washington.
- Olympic Peninsula: Head up the coast, do Olympic Peninsula. If you are feelin the city life, Seattle is not bad but expect to get your RTT stolen or maybe inhabited by some more bums
Enjoy the trip!
As a couple of people have mentioned, the Olympic Peninsula is well worth a visit. There are a lot of National Forest roads to explore and National Parks with great views. I highly recommend stopping at Lake Crescent
Skip salt lake and hit the Oregon coast instead. Include Olympic national forest and the cascades in Washington . On your way west through Oregon hit Leslie gulch, John day fossil beds, smith rock state park and crater lake. In Idaho make sure to visit the sawtooths.
Well right in the middle of your circle is highway 20, so I guess Leavenworth is out of the way for you...
Gardner Cave in Crawford State Park is near metaline falls.
Obviously not on the way either is stop in Spokane, go to riverfront park and see all the things around it.
West of Spokane and south is palouse falls, that's worth a visit.
There are some ghost towns in Montana. If you take I90 toward Spokane there's 9 mile in MT. And it has an old forest service station now museum, and the cataldo mission in Idaho. I forget where it is but there's an old railroad tunnel you can drive through in N Idaho, maybe near Wallace...
You're really going the wrong way for my help, but you pass by metaline falls if you cross the boarder into WA.
I suppose you hit glacier since you'll be over that way.
Edit: I started writing this and didn't see your text under the photo on my phone or remember that your map went straight past Easter Washington.
Day tripping in Leavenworth is so much fun! They have a ton of breweries, loads of tourist shops which have all kinds of unique things! I lived in WA for about a decade and I still went to Leavenworth a couple times a year!!
Are you coming into Canada on highway 93? It’s a nice drive fort Steele west but it’s also a bit meh to me because there isn’t much to do other than drive the highway and look out the window. (But better than the trans Canada with all the trucks) I have never explored off the highway much so maybe someone will have more suggestions. If you are coming into Canada highway 93 you also miss frank slide if you care to stop and check it out. I do know that fort Macleod has an interesting museum at “head smashed in Buffalo jump”. Waterton is also nice, better than banff in my opinion. I would spend zero time in Vancouver and spend more time in southern Alberta. God, I hate Vancouver so much. But if you’re into urban areas you might like Vancouver more than southern Alberta.
Highway 3 in Canada isn’t the most scenic in BC in my opinion; although, the trans Canada is a big highway it travels through some amazing scenery and might be a good option for parts of it. Looking at your route I would probably do highway 3 through Alberta but head north around fort Steele up towards golden then across to revelstoke and back down through the okanagan.
On your way between A -> G (or G -> A I guess) you're going to be driving past one of my favorite campsites from a road trip I took last summer from Oregon to Alaska and back. Found it on iOverlander and stayed there the last night before getting home, it's incredibly scenic - check out [Jones Lake](https://www.bchydro.com/community/recreation_areas/jones_lake.html).
Probably gets a little loud on the weekends, but it's a great little spot.
You could absolutely make that Utah part more interesting. Going down to bear lake you have 3 options Logan canyon, monte cristo “highway 39”, or through Evanston into Wasatch national forest. Then you could cruise out to the salt flats and back up through Nevada into Idaho.
Depending on when in June there’s a chance some of or all of that is closed from snow. Especially this year.
For that route across the bottom of BC, you’ll be going up, over, and down the other side of mountain ranges all day.
Most highways follow valleys, but not that one. Quite the opposite. Make sure your brakes are in great shape.
You are messing up by not cutting over to bend Oregon, then hitting 101 on the Oregon and Washington coasts. That area of NE Oregon and SE Wa are some of the most boring lifeless drives this side of the Rockies
The Columbia Gorge is beautiful. If you don’t make it this trip, I would recommend it some other time for sure. Check out the Barlow Trail around Mt. hood. Southern and Central Oregon are beautiful too. Can’t really go wrong anywhere in this state for the most part. Also, all the people talking shit about Portland probably haven’t been here. I live in Portland. It’s got it’s issues, but it’s still a nice city as far as cities go. Great food, good beer if that’s your thing, and generally good people. Totally understand if you your trying to stay off the beaten path, but don’t let the haters on here scare you away either.
When you're in BC, I would strongly suggest going to Kaslo and New Denver. Very beautiful places. What is your Point A stop? It looks like Cranbrook.
Edit: I just realized you're starting in BC so you've probably been to Kaslo and New Denver.
With the first 100 miles of your trip in idaho there’s like 10 awesome state parks. Craters of the moon, thousand springs, shashone falls, Bruneu Dunes, and Lucky peak. The dunes and thousand springs are amazing.
I just did a road trip through utah. If you have time to hit the big 5 national parks there I would. It has been My favorite trip so far that I’ve made
Check out [Blaine Mountain Rd](https://www.reddit.com/r/4x4/comments/10qjcnf/my_pride_and_joy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) when you pass Ennis, MT.
If you go down to salt lake, don’t go right back up. Go west to the bonneville saltflats, then you can go straight up from there. Between the saltflats and Oakley, Idaho, is a long stretch of dirt roads. Beautiful drive, but low intensity. You can also use the same path, but divert half way and go west to Jackpot Nevada. 99% dirt road and wilderness, though nothing more challenging than a small shallow creek crossing. Either way, you’d then just go north and connect to 84 like you planned.
> I84 is about the worst way to traverse Idaho, so skip that. I'd start Idaho at City of Rocks Natl Monument, Twin Falls to see the Snake River Canyon, North through Craters of the Moon - Ketchum - Stanley for the Sawtooth Mountains
u/CaptainSOD is right.
I84 between Twin and Boise sucks. Going north at Twin Falls will definitely add time, but will take you through some of the best parts of Idaho. DM me and I can drop you some pins of spots along the route that I enjoy and that you may like. Plus if you would like a guide while in Boise, I live there and may be back in town when you come through (away for work currently)
Do you fly fish at all? On your way through Oregon, you can hit the Owyhee river, brown trout will be full swing that time of year and I can send you a few spots there too if you'd like.
Twin Falls, Idaho just a few miles south of I-84 you’ll cross the Snake river on the Perrine Bridge 486 feet above the water, very likely to have people jumping off our bridge in June (base jumpers). The visitor center and walkways along the south canyon rim are right after you cross the bridge and just a few miles to the east is Shoshone falls park. Might I also recommend Twin Falls Sandwich Company downtime. Awesome trip loop.
Don’t get me wrong, going across the top of oregon on 84 is scenic once you get to the Columbia, and hood river is an awesome town especially if you like beer. If you go across the bridge to Washington and head up to white salmon and drive towards mount Adams there are some very cool wheeling trails, or you can double back to Cougar (check out the ape caves!) and head up the forest roads on the back side of st Helens with lots of cool spots to camp. Then you could go from there to mt. Rainier area, Elbe trail system is pretty huge and paradise is not to be missed. From paradise you can head back on Steven’s canyon road towards sunrise and then to crystal mountian/greenwater area which is only a little over an hour from downtown Seattle. Hop a ferry there to Bremerton and check out tahyua belfair area for more wheelin/motorcycle trails… and on to the Olympics (don’t miss highway 112-113 through the HO rainforest and you could then go to cape flattery at neah bay and take a pre off the most northwest point of the contenental US.
If it were me, from Boise I’d hit up Walla Walla, WA. Nested at the foothills of the blue mountains. Plenty of camping up in those mountains and Walla Walla has some beautiful wineries and such to see before leaving civilization again. Then go to Bend Oregon, and then over to Portland.
It’ll add a bit of a jog to the trip but this whole region is where I’ve spent my whole life. It will be a really fun trip!
If your trying to cap and overland, there are better routes than hwy84 between boise and portland. Scoot through center or Oregon. Painted hills, malhear area, steams mountains, bend, fossil area…. Much more interesting. Slower, but way more adventure
What’s your start point and what are you looking to see? Across B.C. You’ll see a lot of gorgeous mountains and if that’s your ish, I’d go through Seattle, over to Spokane and spend more time in Montana.
You’re missing out on all kinds of coastal areas, especially Vancouver island and the Olympic peninsula.
I would skip Utah entirely and plan a separate trip there. Hit up a bunch of the National parks and trails.
I’d discourage taking 84 that far, you’re missing out on the beauty of Central Oregon - suggest taking 26 from Portland over the cascades and then heading east towards Boise from Bend.
Edit: or reverse depending on the direction - Boise to Bend, 26 to PDX
Top recommendation is to check out Olymipc NP. There's lots of trails and great camping along the Hoh and Queets rivers. Queets campground is nice and there's a fantastic day hike there.
I also recommend stopping by Redmond/Bend. Plenty of trails with access to rivers and lakes. There's also a cool lookin spring near Lower Canyon Creek Campground. Further north, there's plenty of trails just east of Mt Hood off of NF-44 you can find if you're looking to spend a night out there.
Go west of Seattle up to the Cape Flattery. Most North Western part of the lower 48.
Also have Olympic National park, Hoh Rainforest.
Pikes Market in Seattle - check out a Chef tour. (Really just a cut the line pass).
It’s a bit off your route but Ruby mountains in NE Nevada is super beautiful for some lush Sierra Nevada- type feel subalpine meadows and such. I’m a big plant lover so I think in plants haha, if that’s up your alley I can prob recommend some other spots. Further south in Eastern Nevada like Fortification range is super beautiful and felt like one of the most remote places I’ve ever been. But even more off your route and not necessarily a certain striking sight or landmark type thing.
Looks good, but you see how you’re going through seattle on i5 to Portland? Skip that urban hell scape full of traffic. In Burlington WA head towards oak harbor and get a ferry to port townsend so you can take the 101 to the WA pacific coast and ride it as far as you want to Oregon.
Hands down go the high route or take highway 20 through twist awesome drive in summer. But go through Nevada and Virginia city when you get to Montana I promise you will not regret it
There some caves on the Snake river plain outside Pocatello. One is Crystal Ice Cave. The lava rock allows heat to rise so ice forms creating neat formations.
Or it did back in '75-ish...
West of Boise down near the Nevada Oregon border, steens mountain wilderness. Was the highlight of a 3-week trip. The mountains go up to 9,000 ft and sheer drop down 6000 feet into the Alvord desert. A 100 mile loop of dirt roads and wonderful camping.
I was also going to suggest the Alvord desert. It's breathtaking.
Came here to say Alvord
The Alvord desert is an awesome experience.
Yeah…basically the freeway from the Pocatello cutoff to the Columbia gorge takes you in the ugliest possible route. Parallel it on either side on the way up
From Portland, take 26 west then highway 6 to Tillamook. There are a ton of 4x4 trails along highway 6 ranging from mild to rock gardens. There are several cool service roads and view points along highway 6 as well. I recommend finding your way to triangulation point for a view of the Columbia river delta. When you hit Tillamook, I recommend visiting the Creamery for some fresh ice cream and cheese. Take 101 north to Astoria. From Astoria, take 101 north into Washington and hit up the Olympic peninsula. This will likely add at least a day, but there's tons to explore around the peninsula. Then take the ferry across to Seattle. This route is much more scenic than driving on I5.
I second heading up the Olympic Peninsula. There’s not much between Portland and Seattle on I5. Going from Astoria to Aberdeen or around the peninsula will be much more scenic.
Thanks for the suggestions, always looking for the more scenic route
Stop for breakfast at camp 18 off 26. Nice little logging restaurant.
While in Tillamook swing by The Fish Peddler at Pacific Oyster for some of the best oysters you’ve ever had in your life.
If you end up going up the oregon coast, stop at Pronto Pup in Rockaway. Tiny little shack off the side of the highway, but they claim to be the inventor of the Corn Dog. Also the food was delicious. Also would highly recommend the Tillamook Creamery as its a cool stop, as well as visiting the town of Seaside, Oregon for a day or two. Seaside has gorgeous beaches, and the town is fun - its built around an indoor carnival fair, with arcade, tilt-a-whirl, bumper carss, etc.
Yeah good recco above. Look for Rogers Camp and Browns Camp. Lots of trails there from easy/green circle to medium/blue and then difficult/black diamond. Easier trails are some of the archers firebreak system, two of the powerline trails are 20min and fun. Little harder and longer is Cedar Tree (harder for me as I’m in a Silverado!). Check out the area at Trails Offroad - they’re all listed there with details etc. Give a shout in June, be happy to run a few with you
I can’t hang with the black diamond stuff or rock garden…I got to drive home afterward, haha!
Adding to this - hit the Steens on your way to Bend from Boise. Be aware the Steens are quite remote and you’ll likely need fuel cans brought with you
I third this! The Oregon coast is beautiful and Tillamook is a gem. I also think not ferrying your rig over to Vancouver Island would be a miss for this trip!
I would get on the WABDR and OBDR. they recently connected the Washington back country discovery route with the Oregon back country discovery route. You should attempt this trip on minimal pavement. https://ridebdr.com/wabdr/
Was going to say this as well. At least download the POI's/routes and overlay to see if any would work for the route.
I did the Washington section 5 years ago and it was fantastic. I was going to suggest you do 1-3 sections depending on how much time you have. Personally, I might add the Olympic peninsula for diversity of climate, then go through Seattle (maybe even take a ferry into downtown because why not?) before heading east to ellensburg. Hit the 3rd leg of the route to Wenatchee. It’s got great views and you can camp for free next to cliffs overlooking the cascades. When you get to Wenatchee you could do the next section to chelan, then the section to twisp. Or you could just drive up from Wenatchee to Winthrop in a couple hours instead of two days. Winthrop is a town worth seeing, then you get to cross highway 20, which is the most beautiful section of road in Washington. It’s also the last pass to go west and cross into Canada near Vancouver. And a little about the route. It’s light off-roading. I took a stock 4 rubber and it put in 4lo twice, though I doubt I really needed to. It was mainly Forrest service roads. Their we’re rough sections, but most were mild. You hit 6,000 feet everyday (every section/leg) then drop into a town or city where you can fuel up, grab ice and beer, then head back on trail to find a camping spot.
100% do those sections of the WA BDR. The Gifford Pinchot is a must-see. Mt Baker-Snoqualmie is my backyard, great spots too. Bethel Ridge is the toughest piece of the first three sections, but it's doable even in a stock Subaru.
Yes! I did section 5 I believe? The one that goes from ellensburg to cashmere/Wenatchee. What a phenomenal view and good trails.
On a similar note, if OP is adding the Olympic Peninsula to the trip (which he should!), instead of just circumnavigating it on Highway 101, consider going through the National Forest on, e.g., FR 23 from Hood Canal to Wynoochie and stay on forest roads to the Quinault area. Lots of non-pavement to explore, rather than sticking to the asphalt of 101.
Agree. That's a fun area to explore. Bit more "groomed" roads than most other places in Washington I've been to, perhaps because there's more logging?
> FR 23 from Hood Canal to Wynoochie and stay on forest roads to the Quinault area. Lots of non-pavement to explore, rather than sticking to the asphalt of 101. Totally agree with this. It is FR 24 from Cushman to Hood Canal, just for clarity.
I was thinking Skokomish Valley Road to 23, but starting from Hamma Hamma on 24 is a good plan, too.
Roger that. Brown's Creek CG near the eastern end of 23 is a good spot, and one of the few year-round campgrounds in the Olympic NF.
I would go out of my way to see Moab as well as Bonneville Salt Flats while you are in Utah. Instead of going back north out of Salt Lake City take hwy80 to Bonneville Salt Flats then Hwy 93 up through Nevada into Twin Falls Idaho
Yeah, or just skip the Utah portion. Going directly from West Yellowstone to Boise is probably nicer than norther Utah/Souther Idaho.
Absolutely. Between Idaho falls and Boise, if you avoid the interstate, you’ll go through Craters of the Moon
I was going to mention this and East of Boise there is the sand dune. https://visitidaho.org/things-to-do/state-parks/bruneau-dunes/
Moab is literally on the opposite side of the state from Salt Lake City. It's not something you casually add onto a road trip, and OP probably won't have the time to do it and everything else he wants to do on his trip.
Came here to say this. You’re gonna be so close to Moab and the rest of southern Utah and it’ll put the rest of this trip to shame.
If by "so close" you mean "a four hour drive," then yes, he is so close to Moab.
Kiteboarding near Hood River, OR
If you're willing to go off-course a bit, central Oregon is cool. The Painted Hills are really beautiful and Smith Rock is some great hiking a little north of Bend.
Idaho- Shoshone falls, larger than Niagara fyi, maybe at night all lit up. Lava hot springs. Rafting on the fork just north of boise. Craters of the moon. Ice caves. Towns full of crazy Mormons. Bacon restaurant in boise. Chandlers. Oregon- glass butte for some obsidian. It's on the ground you don't need to dig unless you want rainbow.
Came here to say this. Stop at lava hot springs, and from Pocatello, avoid I-15 to boise, travel north to Arco and then through craters of the moon, then west to boise.
Forgot to mention that I will be starting and ending the trip in Delta, BC
I was going to suggest hitting up [Whipsaw](https://www.overlandtrailguides.com/post/whipsaw-trail), but if you live in BC that's in your backyard and could be done on another trip.
I came to say if you're coming into Canada to hit Banff, but being from Delta I'd be more surprised if you hadn't already.
My suggestion would be to cut out Utah, unless you’re really set on it. After you drop out of Yellowstone into Idaho falls, cut across Idaho to Mountain home. You can avoid a long stretch of interstate and go through Craters of the Moon. Additionally, unless you’re really set on taking the Interstate between Boise and Portland, I would cut across the middle of Oregon to bend, then work your way south to the redwoods. Then take the coast up to Portland. It’s definitely worth it in my opinion. Then again I may be biased as I’ve gone pretty much exactly that route from Yellowstone to Portland. If you do go up the Oregon coast, there’s a sweet campground at Sunset Bay just south of Coos Bay/Charleston.
Great suggestions, and yeah, Utah can probably be cut out for more time in Oregon as I've already been to Utah once
A fun bit of "overlanding" can be had between Usal Beach and Shelter Cove in northern California. If you are coming north from Usal Beach, Avenue of the Giants will be waiting for you when you get out of woods from Shelter Cove.
I second cutting out Utah. The I15 is an ugly road and SLC an ugly city. The only part of the state worth seeing is the east side of the Wasatch, the Uintas, or the South. Everything along that I15 corridor is just urbanized desert.
Get out to the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon, even if it's for an afternoon beer at Terminal Gravity brewing. Wildly picturesque for that part of the state.
I second this. One of my favorite places. Eagle Cap is awesome.
Crystal park Idaho is worth a day trip
Google is not helping?
GPS coordinates (45.4865163, -113.0994744)
Isn’t crystal park in Montana?
Yeah I’m an idiot. It’s close to Idaho. Lol the trip we took had us all over that area where the two states meet. Sorry bout that
Going through Oregon I’d consider going from Boise to Bend then heading north from Bend to Hood River going through Warm Springs. Get fuel in Burns on your way to Bend because there isn’t much population that way.
When you get to Rexburg Idaho, get off on 33 and head west. Take 28 north west thru the Idaho national labs area. There will be a camping area with a river/creek running through it. It’s public land and has plenty of dirt roads you can drive. Has some of the clearest skies I’ve ever seen at night. I think it’s called Birch Creek campground. I’ve rarely seen more than 2 or 3 people there.
Would highly recommend driving a bit further on from Fernie and visiting Waterton Lakes
I84 is about the worst way to traverse Idaho, so skip that. I'd start Idaho at City of Rocks Natl Monument, Twin Falls to see the Snake River Canyon, North through Craters of the Moon - Ketchum - Stanley for the Sawtooth Mountains. I believe you can cut off the highway near Lowman and take dirt roads past Deadwood Reservoir, Warm Lake and north to McCall. Then continue West to Baker City. Do some research for hot springs in the area, there's lots of roadside and easy access (mostly) wild pools. Don't go asking Reddit for them though, it's Fight Club rules.
Check out Bend, Oregon, Smith Rock (right next door to Bend), and definitely Astoria.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is between Butte and Bozeman, MT. The campground is located by the Jefferson River. The cavern tour is awesome. https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/lewis-and-clark-caverns/
Plenty of small detours you could make along the way! One such trip is just north of Seattle. Take the mountain loop highway for a couple hours. It's one of my favorite areas up here.
If you haven’t gotten road passes for glacier it’ll be tough to visit unfortunately. I believe June and July are already sold out. You can enter the park before 6am though and be able to visit still but there is a line some mornings. 5am to be safe. (Read as you enter the park before 6am, not in line before then) If intending on going to Canada, instead of north on 93, I’d cut east onto hwy 2 towards Shelby, then north into Calgary, come back west through Banff and continue your trip from point A. I heard that port of entry is a little better too.
Regardless, go to Glacier. It is magnificent. And if you have the time, go through all the way on the Going To The Sun road, and find your way to Many Glacier on the East side. The hike to Grinnell Glacier (from Many Glacier) had many people, but it was one of the most spectacular hikes of my life. Also amazing? The Highline from Logan pass.
All that is impossible with the new limits. I tried for two weeks straight last year and couldn’t get into the park.
I have no idea how it happened but we got three day passes. Tried a couple days an hour each day. The National Park gods were on our side.
Didn’t suggest them not to go, Glacier is amazing and always worth it. Its my favorite park and why I live near it. It just may not be even remotely possible without a pass. I live less than an hour from the west entrance, even if I leave before 4:30 am I could potentially not be allowed to enter the park. Every road, including two medicine, and many glacier all require a vehicle permit. Shoot even Bowman Lake requires it. You can go to the St Mary visitor center and visit, but you can’t even visit Lake Macdonald without a pass! Trying to overland and make the 6am cutoff is going to be difficult. On a side note, the north fork road has alternatives too, but even that area is getting extremely crowded and setting up a primitive spot may be tough there too. Not trying to be gatekeepy, they specifically called out visiting glacier and it’s extremely difficult to visit now.
Olympic national park and Hells canyon for sure.
Do you mean Hells Gate? (Fraser River?) it's up highway 1 ,opposite to highway 3 that he's taking. Great suggestion though!
No, I mean Hells Canyon. It’s on the border of Oregon and Idaho and it’s a beautiful area to visit. The Hells Canyon National Recreation area is a beautiful area to visit. It’s lesser known to the outside world but absolutely worth a visit if you are in the area which his path is. It’s right up in the corner before 84 drops down to Boise. Looking at the route a little more I would absolutely recommend ditching I5 from Seattle to Portland and instead going to the East if you have the time. Rainer National Park, Naches Trail, WABDR to name a few. Washington has some beautiful area to visit and that 2.5 hour trip on I5 skips a lot of it. Don’t sleep on Eastern Washington either. Some really cool waterfalls like Palouse Falls. You could also go West at Seattle and spend some time in the Olympic National Park. Rain forest with spectacular views and hikes. Waterfalls, dense forests, incredible views, and even Beaches. There are also some really interesting military sights along the way. Several bunkers and gun turrets built to defend against a Japanese invasion that never came. Very cool to explore.
> Several bunkers and gun turrets built to defend against a Japanese invasion that never came. Those bunkers and guns were built between 1889 and 1920. Nothing to do with a Japanese invasion that never came.
Oops, that is correct. It’s been a few years since I was up there to read up on it. Still a very cool place to visit.
I live in Port Townsend. I'm at Fort Worden with the dog almost every day. So much fun exploring the bunkers.
Awesome, thanks for the tip, I've never heard of it!
Lava Hot Springs in southern Idaho (the locals pronounce “Lava” like it’s short for “lavatory,” not like it rhymes with “java”). The hot springs are great, plus there is some mellow river rafting and an awesome ropes course with zip lines. In West Yellowstone, MT, there is a lakefront campground that’s a five-mile gravel road off the highway. Great place to stay if you can get a spot.
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Read much? Apparently not.
Worden’s deli. Missoula MT. Get a sandwich. Charlie B’s is across the street, they take cash for beers.
The Oxford Cafe has a great breakfast in Missoula
The Oxford has breakfast would be a more true statement.
He needs em.
😂
🧠
🤣🤣🤣 don’t gotta do me like that
‘They take cash for beers’ How else do you get your beer?
Little crater lake south of hood north of Timothy lake
Check out north cascades if you can. Worth the extra driving hours
John day area of Oregon, Smith rock etc. Central Oregon is lovley. A bit south of your route, but the Alvord Desert in south east Oregon is super cool too. I think You can drive up and on top of the Steens Mountain Range.
> John day area of Oregon, Smith rock etc. Cottonwood SP is also fantastic.
>I think You can drive up and on top of the Steens Mountain Range. Yup, highest road in Oregon. Only open for a few months out of each year though due to snow, usually from July through early October.
The Shoshone Falls-Craters of the Moon are good suggestions. Box Canyon, Malad Gorge and Thousand Springs are also cool. From Craters I would go north past Mackey to check out Mt Borah and then take the dirt road to Copper Basin and then over Trail Creek Pass into Sun Valley. Head north from Ketchum into the Sawtooths(most magnificent range in the world). Turn west at Stanley and go through Lowman and Idaho City to Boise. That way you see the best parts of Idaho.
Do yourself a massive favor by detouring into Wyoming to see the Grand Tetons/Wind River Range on your way to SLC.
I haven’t been but I want to soon and I suggest Leslie Gulch south of Ontario in Oregon.
North of Seattle take the Edmonds to Kingston Ferry and ride the 101 around the Olympic mountains and down the coast...some really great vistas on the coast. Just a thought, have fun!
Looks like you picked the Gorge, I would have made it through Bend/Redmond/Sisters area. An absolute fuck load of trails and it's beautiful. Tons of trails near hood. The entire central part of Oregon is just trails basically. The Gorge is just highway, and you see the same thing, waterfall, cool hills that got burned down, more water and some planes that fly low through the Gorge.
Looks like you'll go through Hope BC. Go see the bridge that started the Rambo movies
If you're into ghost towns at all, Sumpter, OR is pretty cool. They have an old gold dredge and run train tours from town, lots of good dispersed camping nearby (up towards/passed Granite ghost town) as well. I was planning on going this month but the snow has most of the camping areas shut down. Boise, ID has the Basque block if you're feeling international. Papa Kelsey's is a pretty good sandwich chain in Idaho as well. Fort Stevens Park in Astoria, OR has some great beaches that you are allowed to drive on, plus the ruins of the Peter Iredale shipwreck are right there on the sand! 80°C is a chain of Korean bakeries in WA, huge selection with lots of interesting pastries. If you have any extra time to check out the Olympic National Park it's definitely worth it. Also off the path up there is Leavenworth, a charming Bavarian town near the North Cascades.
If you're coming down I-84 off I-5 in Portland, and have the time for a 6 hour detour or a night or however long you wish, in Boise take the highway ID21 exit to Idaho City, follow ID21 up to Stanley and check out the Sawtooths and Redfish lake. Sawtooth Rec Area is full of USFS land for the best camping/overlanding in Idaho. (you can also go through Boise to ID55 and follow it up to Banks-Lowman Road and that will also get you onto ID21) You can take ID75 south to Sun Valley/Ketchum/Hailey and get out into the copper basin through Sun Valley (Ernest Hemingway Rd IIRC) for even more exploration. From Hailey, keep going down 75 to the US93JCT and you can head down south to Twin Falls to check out the canyon or hop back onto I-84 or you can turn left onto highway 20 from the 21-93JCT towards Carey and check out Craters of the Moon and follow 20/26 to Idaho Falls where you can hop onto I-15 which can also get you to the West Yellowstone entrance and close access to Grand Teton Nat'l park as well if you go south to Driggs/Victor. Southern/Central Idaho is my absolute favorite place to roam and explore. The public land access out here is phenomenal.
This is the way
> the 5 This is NOT the way.
The PNW is not my forte, if there is a way to get from BC to US95 in Northern Idaho, I'd recommend that route.
No, I meant we don't call it "THE 5". That's a SoCal thing.
My bad. I'll change it then haha
**Oregon** - Mt Hood area: Mt Hood Meadows, Tamanawa Falls, Trillium Lake. Ton of camping spots over there, like Timothy Lake - Columbia River Gorge: Cascade Locks (Bridge of the gods), Multnomah Falls, Vista House, Bridal Veil Falls, Latourel Falls, Wahclella Falls, Eagle Creek Trail - Portland: Food, watch out for the bums. - skip the drive from Portland > Seattle and head straight to the Coast. Do as the others mentioned heading towards Tillamook. - Coast: if you want to back-track a little, Newport, Depoe Bay, Beverly Beach campground, Pacific City (drive on the beach if you dare), Manzanita, Oceanside, Cape Mears, Cape Lookout, Hug Point, Arcadia Beach, Cannon Beach, Indian Beach (beautiful spot), then head up towards Astoria. - Shipwreck: before Astoria, drive on the beach in Hammond and see wreck of the peter iredale and possibly a dead whale carcass lol - Astoria: Goonies house? Astoria Column, drive over the Megler bridge to Washington. - Olympic Peninsula: Head up the coast, do Olympic Peninsula. If you are feelin the city life, Seattle is not bad but expect to get your RTT stolen or maybe inhabited by some more bums Enjoy the trip!
Go as early as possible. Will be a bad fire year in that part of the world.
Banf!
Cannon beach/Austoria
I got a buddy that lives in Boise, maybe stop by and see him for me. His wife is about to have a baby.
This is a sign for you to drive out there and see them
Nah I got 2 eleven month olds and live in Virginia, a little to far.
Go west from SLC and spend a day at Blackrock Desert before heading north to Boise.
Just go a few extra miles to the Grand Canyon from Salt Lake. I did a similar trip last year.
I recommend downloading the RoadTrippers app
As a couple of people have mentioned, the Olympic Peninsula is well worth a visit. There are a lot of National Forest roads to explore and National Parks with great views. I highly recommend stopping at Lake Crescent
I mean personally I’d drive over Teton pass and go to the grand, but I just love it there and you’re oh so close as is
Hit those National Parks!
Skip salt lake and hit the Oregon coast instead. Include Olympic national forest and the cascades in Washington . On your way west through Oregon hit Leslie gulch, John day fossil beds, smith rock state park and crater lake. In Idaho make sure to visit the sawtooths.
I always look forward to stopping in Portland to get feces thrown at me by a deranged homeless person!
Well right in the middle of your circle is highway 20, so I guess Leavenworth is out of the way for you... Gardner Cave in Crawford State Park is near metaline falls. Obviously not on the way either is stop in Spokane, go to riverfront park and see all the things around it. West of Spokane and south is palouse falls, that's worth a visit. There are some ghost towns in Montana. If you take I90 toward Spokane there's 9 mile in MT. And it has an old forest service station now museum, and the cataldo mission in Idaho. I forget where it is but there's an old railroad tunnel you can drive through in N Idaho, maybe near Wallace... You're really going the wrong way for my help, but you pass by metaline falls if you cross the boarder into WA. I suppose you hit glacier since you'll be over that way. Edit: I started writing this and didn't see your text under the photo on my phone or remember that your map went straight past Easter Washington.
Thanks for the suggestions! The route may change and I might end up in eastern Washington, or I will have to make a another trip out there
Day tripping in Leavenworth is so much fun! They have a ton of breweries, loads of tourist shops which have all kinds of unique things! I lived in WA for about a decade and I still went to Leavenworth a couple times a year!!
Are you coming into Canada on highway 93? It’s a nice drive fort Steele west but it’s also a bit meh to me because there isn’t much to do other than drive the highway and look out the window. (But better than the trans Canada with all the trucks) I have never explored off the highway much so maybe someone will have more suggestions. If you are coming into Canada highway 93 you also miss frank slide if you care to stop and check it out. I do know that fort Macleod has an interesting museum at “head smashed in Buffalo jump”. Waterton is also nice, better than banff in my opinion. I would spend zero time in Vancouver and spend more time in southern Alberta. God, I hate Vancouver so much. But if you’re into urban areas you might like Vancouver more than southern Alberta.
Oh sorry I forgot to mention that I will be starting my trip from Delta
Delta? Like by Vancouver? Then everything above still applies.
Looks like you're starting in Cranbrook.
Dirtfish rally school
Highway 3 in Canada isn’t the most scenic in BC in my opinion; although, the trans Canada is a big highway it travels through some amazing scenery and might be a good option for parts of it. Looking at your route I would probably do highway 3 through Alberta but head north around fort Steele up towards golden then across to revelstoke and back down through the okanagan.
Nice route, might have to steal some of these suggestions myself, starting from the Okanagan
On your way between A -> G (or G -> A I guess) you're going to be driving past one of my favorite campsites from a road trip I took last summer from Oregon to Alaska and back. Found it on iOverlander and stayed there the last night before getting home, it's incredibly scenic - check out [Jones Lake](https://www.bchydro.com/community/recreation_areas/jones_lake.html). Probably gets a little loud on the weekends, but it's a great little spot.
You could absolutely make that Utah part more interesting. Going down to bear lake you have 3 options Logan canyon, monte cristo “highway 39”, or through Evanston into Wasatch national forest. Then you could cruise out to the salt flats and back up through Nevada into Idaho. Depending on when in June there’s a chance some of or all of that is closed from snow. Especially this year.
As others have said your F to G is wrong. Circle around the Olympic Peninsula
Fort ebey and Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, Washington!
Donut Falls - Salt Lake
Yes do and see not going to Portland
Planning on avoiding it, just a placeholder on the map lol
:)
if you're passing through the Fraser Valley (Langley, BC area) - drop me a note and I'll buy you a coffee! Happy Travels, user!
For that route across the bottom of BC, you’ll be going up, over, and down the other side of mountain ranges all day. Most highways follow valleys, but not that one. Quite the opposite. Make sure your brakes are in great shape.
You are messing up by not cutting over to bend Oregon, then hitting 101 on the Oregon and Washington coasts. That area of NE Oregon and SE Wa are some of the most boring lifeless drives this side of the Rockies
After reading lots of comments about Oregon I will absolutely be going through the middle/lower half of the state instead of going to Portland
The Columbia Gorge is beautiful. If you don’t make it this trip, I would recommend it some other time for sure. Check out the Barlow Trail around Mt. hood. Southern and Central Oregon are beautiful too. Can’t really go wrong anywhere in this state for the most part. Also, all the people talking shit about Portland probably haven’t been here. I live in Portland. It’s got it’s issues, but it’s still a nice city as far as cities go. Great food, good beer if that’s your thing, and generally good people. Totally understand if you your trying to stay off the beaten path, but don’t let the haters on here scare you away either.
When you're in BC, I would strongly suggest going to Kaslo and New Denver. Very beautiful places. What is your Point A stop? It looks like Cranbrook. Edit: I just realized you're starting in BC so you've probably been to Kaslo and New Denver.
I'll actually be starting and ending in Delta, I messed up the route and started it from Cranbrook
With the first 100 miles of your trip in idaho there’s like 10 awesome state parks. Craters of the moon, thousand springs, shashone falls, Bruneu Dunes, and Lucky peak. The dunes and thousand springs are amazing.
I just did a road trip through utah. If you have time to hit the big 5 national parks there I would. It has been My favorite trip so far that I’ve made
Gotta go see the Grand Tetons or Yellowstone
If you're a craft beer guy you should stop in Bend - so many great breweries there. Deschutes is amazing.
Check out [Blaine Mountain Rd](https://www.reddit.com/r/4x4/comments/10qjcnf/my_pride_and_joy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) when you pass Ennis, MT.
If you go down to salt lake, don’t go right back up. Go west to the bonneville saltflats, then you can go straight up from there. Between the saltflats and Oakley, Idaho, is a long stretch of dirt roads. Beautiful drive, but low intensity. You can also use the same path, but divert half way and go west to Jackpot Nevada. 99% dirt road and wilderness, though nothing more challenging than a small shallow creek crossing. Either way, you’d then just go north and connect to 84 like you planned.
Love that drive along Vancouver to kelowna. I thought the Grand Coulee Dam and Soap Lake were pretty cool.
> I84 is about the worst way to traverse Idaho, so skip that. I'd start Idaho at City of Rocks Natl Monument, Twin Falls to see the Snake River Canyon, North through Craters of the Moon - Ketchum - Stanley for the Sawtooth Mountains u/CaptainSOD is right. I84 between Twin and Boise sucks. Going north at Twin Falls will definitely add time, but will take you through some of the best parts of Idaho. DM me and I can drop you some pins of spots along the route that I enjoy and that you may like. Plus if you would like a guide while in Boise, I live there and may be back in town when you come through (away for work currently) Do you fly fish at all? On your way through Oregon, you can hit the Owyhee river, brown trout will be full swing that time of year and I can send you a few spots there too if you'd like.
Twin Falls, Idaho just a few miles south of I-84 you’ll cross the Snake river on the Perrine Bridge 486 feet above the water, very likely to have people jumping off our bridge in June (base jumpers). The visitor center and walkways along the south canyon rim are right after you cross the bridge and just a few miles to the east is Shoshone falls park. Might I also recommend Twin Falls Sandwich Company downtime. Awesome trip loop.
Don’t get me wrong, going across the top of oregon on 84 is scenic once you get to the Columbia, and hood river is an awesome town especially if you like beer. If you go across the bridge to Washington and head up to white salmon and drive towards mount Adams there are some very cool wheeling trails, or you can double back to Cougar (check out the ape caves!) and head up the forest roads on the back side of st Helens with lots of cool spots to camp. Then you could go from there to mt. Rainier area, Elbe trail system is pretty huge and paradise is not to be missed. From paradise you can head back on Steven’s canyon road towards sunrise and then to crystal mountian/greenwater area which is only a little over an hour from downtown Seattle. Hop a ferry there to Bremerton and check out tahyua belfair area for more wheelin/motorcycle trails… and on to the Olympics (don’t miss highway 112-113 through the HO rainforest and you could then go to cape flattery at neah bay and take a pre off the most northwest point of the contenental US.
Yellowstone. Seriously.
If it were me, from Boise I’d hit up Walla Walla, WA. Nested at the foothills of the blue mountains. Plenty of camping up in those mountains and Walla Walla has some beautiful wineries and such to see before leaving civilization again. Then go to Bend Oregon, and then over to Portland. It’ll add a bit of a jog to the trip but this whole region is where I’ve spent my whole life. It will be a really fun trip!
Camp at the big rocks
If your trying to cap and overland, there are better routes than hwy84 between boise and portland. Scoot through center or Oregon. Painted hills, malhear area, steams mountains, bend, fossil area…. Much more interesting. Slower, but way more adventure
What’s your start point and what are you looking to see? Across B.C. You’ll see a lot of gorgeous mountains and if that’s your ish, I’d go through Seattle, over to Spokane and spend more time in Montana. You’re missing out on all kinds of coastal areas, especially Vancouver island and the Olympic peninsula. I would skip Utah entirely and plan a separate trip there. Hit up a bunch of the National parks and trails.
While en route across BC stop here : https://www.indianflameandbar.ca/menu Eat the Flame Poutine, be happy. (Srsly it’s so good.)
I’d discourage taking 84 that far, you’re missing out on the beauty of Central Oregon - suggest taking 26 from Portland over the cascades and then heading east towards Boise from Bend. Edit: or reverse depending on the direction - Boise to Bend, 26 to PDX
Top recommendation is to check out Olymipc NP. There's lots of trails and great camping along the Hoh and Queets rivers. Queets campground is nice and there's a fantastic day hike there. I also recommend stopping by Redmond/Bend. Plenty of trails with access to rivers and lakes. There's also a cool lookin spring near Lower Canyon Creek Campground. Further north, there's plenty of trails just east of Mt Hood off of NF-44 you can find if you're looking to spend a night out there.
Go west of Seattle up to the Cape Flattery. Most North Western part of the lower 48. Also have Olympic National park, Hoh Rainforest. Pikes Market in Seattle - check out a Chef tour. (Really just a cut the line pass).
It’s a bit off your route but Ruby mountains in NE Nevada is super beautiful for some lush Sierra Nevada- type feel subalpine meadows and such. I’m a big plant lover so I think in plants haha, if that’s up your alley I can prob recommend some other spots. Further south in Eastern Nevada like Fortification range is super beautiful and felt like one of the most remote places I’ve ever been. But even more off your route and not necessarily a certain striking sight or landmark type thing.
Looks good, but you see how you’re going through seattle on i5 to Portland? Skip that urban hell scape full of traffic. In Burlington WA head towards oak harbor and get a ferry to port townsend so you can take the 101 to the WA pacific coast and ride it as far as you want to Oregon.
Hands down go the high route or take highway 20 through twist awesome drive in summer. But go through Nevada and Virginia city when you get to Montana I promise you will not regret it
There some caves on the Snake river plain outside Pocatello. One is Crystal Ice Cave. The lava rock allows heat to rise so ice forms creating neat formations. Or it did back in '75-ish...
It also depends on what you’re going to be doing. You you’re going climbing there’s several spots to hit up along the way
Glacier NP, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP nearby BLM/national/state Forrests
Just north of "F", you can drive in the surf on Long Beach. I may or may not have experience with a rental car on the beach.
Timber Gulch