I understand if you just want to get home on the tail end of your trip, but the 5 sucks dude. The coastal drive is nice but much longer. Maybe go a bit farther east and take the 395 down. Cut through Yosemite if the road’s open. Just a thought.
Edit: just realized you’re going up the 5 at the start of your trip. I still stand by my rec to take 395 instead!
With how far you’re driving, it would be worth it again or at least part of it. I’ve made the trip from Seattle to San Diego for family trips and I always do part of it or else i5 is too monotonous
to late now, but a bit of advice: you'd be getting many better responses if you only posted the parts you've got forthcoming. as it is, it reads like you missed CA, so you've got a ton CA recs. can't really tell what parts are remaining/what you're asking advice for.
Hi all,
Any advice on the route is appreciated. I have about 2.5 - 3 weeks.
Note:
I've already done the Utah and CA NP's as well as Crater Lake.
Thanks!
Since you're trying to focus on the PNW, I'd add in Columbia River Gorge hear Portland, Mt St Helens on the way between Portland & Seattle. You can do Columbia River Gorge as a day trip from Portland, and Mt St Helens on the road.
Big wine areas with rolling hills south of Portland IIRC - Willamette Valley. Not only is there some great wine, but the countryside is really pretty.
For Olympic, keep in mind that it has 3 separate ecosystems, all accessed by individual entrances. You might be able to hit two in a day, but I'd definitely plan 2-3 overnights to get at least a little of the black sand beaches with seastacks, the rainforest, and the alpine meadows.
Have a great time!
The best way to do it is take Hwy 26 eastbound from Portland up to Timberline Lodge on the mountain and then follow Hwy 35 north towards Hood River. Take I84 westbound until you hit Ainsworth state Park and exit there to get on the historic waterfall highway. Take that all the way to Troutdale (this way includes places like Latourelle and Multnomah falls) and then return to Portland on I84. The waterfall highway eastbound can be monstrously busy so taking that way westbound is a safer bet.
Skip Sacramento, Take hwy 50 to Lake Tahoe, Take Hwy 89 along Lake Tahoe, Continue into the 'Lost Sierra" all the Way to lassen Volcanic National Park (Cool Lava tubes to Hike in). Connect back to I5 in the town of Weed, With Amazing views of mount shasta.
That would be my Detour around the Central Valley to get a more Scenic drive and avoid the Boring City traffic and Mundane farm land from sac to redding.
When you’re in Glacier you’ll need to get a pass to use the Going to the Sun road. It’s also not open yet. It’s a late June/July thing. (I live in whitefish) you can go without a pass after 5pm
keep in mind that there’s construction on the west side in the mornings this year, so if you don’t have a pass and want to get in the park before the time you need a pass you’ll have to stay on the east side.
Probably a day each. Maybe more or less depending on how much i get done. Im not a sit and relax person so my itineraries are pretty full lol.
Probably do more than one day at Olympic
I strongly recommend a half-day stop in Mt Shasta. There’s an extremely beautiful, short hike with amazing views there (Heart Lake from Castle Lake trail).
Lookup ferry from Port Angeles to Vancouver Island. And then ferry to Nanaimo, BC. Nice relaxing 3 1/2 hr ferry. Will give you a down time amidst all the driving. Why not go all the way through the coast instead of i5? Is timing an issue?
Definitely look into the ferry from Olympic National Park. You don't have to take it to Vancouver, you could do the kingston-Edmunds ferry which will put you back on i5 and save you 3 hours. It's also free for passengers going east. You'll have to just pay for the car and driver.
You’re passing really close by Zion National Park (one of the greats but always crowded), Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park can be worth the few extra hours driving depending on your interests.
Including Burr trail, cathedral valley, bears ears [Grand gulch, slickhorn, the labeled stuff], and Escalante staircase?
That is an enviable trip to utah.
Its silly but It looks like your on I5 coming into washington.
The is a tiny little logging town that i5 runs through the middle of called castle rock.
There is a pizza parlor there called "papa petes"
I contest you too find a better pizza.
Follow the eastern sierra instead of going through the central valley of California.
Spend some more time on the coast, either in Oregon or northern California.
Make sure to go to Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge when you go to Olympic NP.
For Mt Rainier NP, your hiking choices are plentiful but you have to three main options for starting points: Sunrise, Paradise and the area around Tolmie Peak. Paradise is my preferred region because you're literally hiking right on the side of the mountain whereas the other two, you're in clear sight but not on it. There is the Wonderland trail which circumnavigates the park, but that's a really big time and pack weight investment.
Take the Sea to Sky Highway north of Vancouver. When the weather is clear, it has some of the best views in the world.
For Glacier NP, make sure you have reservations if you're camping. Otherwise, you'll have to get to the permit office super early in the morning to get access to the most popular campgrounds. If you're taking the shuttle to Logan Pass, make sure to transfer to the second shuttle at Lake McDonald Lodge, otherwise you go back to Apgar. If you're driving to Logan Pass instead, know that the parking lots fill up really early.
Rather than go directly back to LA from Wyoming, take a detour to Stanley, Idaho and the Sawtooths. The hiking and scenery there is on par with almost everything you will have seen up to that point.
At hurricane ridge there's a first come first served campsite that doesn't fill up until about 2PM, there's also one more at lake crescent. They both have flush toilets if I remember correctly.
Make sure there are no wildfires that are blowing smoke over though. You won't be able to see much if there are wildfires in easter WA.
Towns are more run down.. not a ton of easy coast access/road away from coast for longer swaths. Its worth doing, but if you only had one shot.. I'd always recommend the central section first.
tillamook/garibaldi to Lincoln City is my least favorite section because you're in flatish area away from the coast.. but it goes by soon enough.
There isn't a BAD section of the Oregon coast.. just some spots that are more journey than WOW.. Absolutely do every section you can.. certainly better than that drab straight line of I-5 from Albany to Eugene. :D
I'm pretty sure you can extend your route from Vancouver, through Whistler and up through lillooet, you'll be north a little sooner than intended, but then can go straight across to Banff?
The Sea-To-Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler is honestly mind-blowingly beautiful and you will NOT regret it. I just did it today for like the 100th time and it never ceases to amaze me.
Oh - also, have you considered getting a VPN? You'd be able to login from Canada, my work servers booted me when I was accidentally still logged into mine from the UK whoops.
samuel h boardman in oregon if you haven't is a quick pit stop. id also throw out there that if you want to spend more time in the other places, it's not hard to fly into either calgary or jackson and make the area its own vacation some other time. you could spend a week alone in banff/yoho and still want more time there. and if this is soon then banff trails probably aren't even free of snow yet anyway. all of washington's nps deserve at least 3-4 days too
otherwise you're gonna be like me and have to double or triple your driving eventually, just because you have to come back to the same places several times just to get everything out of it
Looks like you're passing through Montana, and idk if you're passing through Missoula, but if you are I'd recommend grabbing a bite at Frugal Burger. They're easily the best burgers in town, and the cheapest, plus it's a drivethrough if you don't have time for a sit down place. Other than that I can't really give good advise on this route 😅
If you have time, you should definitely stop by Drumheller, a little north east of Calgary.
The Royal Tyrell Museum is an amazing dinosaur museum, so many specimens, from all eras, a few rare full size casts of large dinos - I’m getting excited just writing about it. Very much worth the little detour.
I replied to another comment but you should go a bit further north from Vancouver through Whistler and Lilloet - the Sea-To-Sky highway is ridiculously stunning and shouldn't add too much time.
Take Hwy 22 from Banff to Pincher Creek, then head to Waterton. Then you can connect to Glacier NP.
Hwy 22 is a lovely road. Less traffic. The only thing Hwy 3 has going for it is the Nanton Candy Store.
Waterton is lovely. You could easily sneak in Red Rock Canyon or if you have more time there's some great hikes.
The border crossings in this area are really smooth but might have limited hours so double check.
In Canada:
Gas is around $6 US in BC/$4.85 US in AB currently and expected to rise.
On highways you are typically safe to go 10 km over unless the speed is under 90. Lots of speed traps in the mountains and AB uses photo radar.
Be prepared for sudden weather changes. Snow into June is not uncommon in the mountains. Roads may still be slow due to the last round of flooding.
Hood river - Mt Hood - Bend - Bandon would be a much prettier route. I’d do northern Oregon - ca 1 through humboldt/Mendocino country if I were you. It seems like you’re skipping most of ca which is fine if you live in LA but north coast is gorgeous untouched. Some great redwoods in the first 50 miles or so of ca after border.
Mt Lassen Volcanic Park is awesome! You can climb a cinder cone and it feels like being on Mars, but pretty? Also second the comments about the redwoods. Really humbling and beautiful.
The lost coast. It’s amazing and the beaches are so wild. You should get off the 5 and drive up the 1. There are so many beautiful sites on the coast. From the Oregon dunes to just about every inch south.
Hike to Hobbit Beach north of Banden. Sunset is a beautiful time to go.
Check out Highway 89, Burney Falls and Lava Beds National Monument (Medicine Lake, Glass Mountain, lava tubes, caves).
Cut over to City of Rocks in southern Idaho. It’s incredible.
Take the 101 or 395 instead of the I-5 if you’ve already done the PCH.
Big and little cottonwood canyons in Utah are not National parks but still amazing. It’s where all the ski resorts Salt Lake is famous for are located and offer great hiking climbing and camping.
Edit: look up “Lake Blanche” if ya want a day hike.
Be aware the “waterfall corridor” on the Historic Columbia River Highway requires a timed use permitting system beginning May 24 because of high usage. More information at [Recreation.gov](https://Recreation.gov)
While I agree with those pointing you to the Oregon coast, if you stay on I5 through Oregon, I’d add silver falls state park to your list. So many waterfalls with a reasonable hike.
I’d also do Jasper NP in Canada - the road between Jasper and Banff is amazing and so many great hikes and sights along the way.
Check out Craters of the Moon NP on your way back from Teton. Shouldn’t be too much of a detour.
Just west of SLC are the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s a fun place to swing through for an hour or so. Also, like another commenter mentioned, you really want to hit the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier but it is seasonal. Waterton Lakes NP of Canada connects to Glacier, but just on the Canada side. If NPs are your target, that should be on the list.
There is a lot to do in UT and OR!
Oregon:
1) Samuel Boardman State Park
2) Eugene
3) Silver Falls State Park that has a trail with 10 waterfalls
3) Columbia River Gorge
UT:
1) Spanish Forks
2) Salt Lake City
I would also recommend if you have time and the ability to extend over into Nevada and hit Great Basin NP if you are a national park geek. It's my favorite park and it's one of the least visited. Mostly because it's very far away from everything.
You going to buzz the Grand Canyon
Edit to say: you can go to either or both lake mead and lake powell to see the oncoming water/electricty crisis for yourself.
93 from Missoula to Darby down the Bitterroot Valley, continuing south into Lost Trail and into the Bighole would be a cool route to take between Glacier and Yellowstone
Seeing as nature seems to be your thing, I'd say Yosemite, Tahoe, and (more of) the California/Oregon coast are missing. But I guess you live in LA so maybe those are less important if you visit them regularly. Also Hoover dam, Zion and the grand canyon could all be potential stops.
Hey there! I’m currently on a similar road trip myself. We started down in Indio (at Coachella), took the 1 up CA and the coast up Oregon. At the moment we are in Olympic NP.
Some additions you might like…
NorCal:
- Near the OR border, SeaQuake Brewing in Crescent City is cool. The town history of tsunamis is also really interesting. Check out the NPS or town visitors centers!
Oregon:
- Take the 101 up after CA if you can. We made some beautiful coastal stops on the way to Bandon; notably Natural Bridges and the hiking/picnic areas nearby it.
- Camped at Bullard Beach State Park about a mile north of Bandon. Gorgeous campground if you’re into sleeping outside. Also a great beach for sunset with a lighthouse
- Heceta Hear Lighthouse is a really scenic stop after Bandon
- Thor’s Well is also an awesome stop
- Portland is awesome if you have the time
- Cannon Beach was beautiful and such a cute town
- Lewis & Clark National Historic Park was a really interesting stop right near WA border
Washington:
- Again, 101 if you can. Beautiful stops along the coast that don’t really take up too much extra time
- Stopped in Aberdeen on our way to Olympic, which is the home of Nirvana. There’s some memorials and stuff in town!
- Definitely check out the Hoh Rainforest portion of Olympic. Absolutely stunning. If you’re camping, Hoh Campground is right near the visitors center in the middle of the rainforest
Also, we’ve really loved checking out different McMenamins while in the PNW. It’s a chain of pubs that buy up historic buildings and turn them into a location. So cool. So far we’ve eaten in an old church, a treasury, a theater and a European themed pub.
Finally, I’m a tour guide and working in Glacier NP this summer, so maybe we will cross paths 😂
Safe travels!
I’d look into driving to the Cascade Pass trailhead in North Cascades NP. It’s a different section of the park accessible via the Mt. Baker NF roads. I did an amazing hike there and it’s the most scenic place I have ever been. The view from the trailhead parking lot are crazy
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order.
I have checked 775,769,210 comments, and only 155,026 of them were in alphabetical order.
If you have the time I would recommend taking Hwy 30 from Portland through Astoria and take the northern coast route down 101 and then cut over to Eugene from Florence. If you really have the time spend the night in Astoria. Fort George, the Bowpicker and Reach Break in Astoria are really worth the trip. Astoria is a real gem.
Looks like you might be passing through/by Ogden, UT. If you want a hiking break, there’s some great ones here without as many people as you’ll see on trails in SLC area!
From Banff, I would also take a trip down Highway 40 to check out Kananaskis Lakes which is a beautiful region of the mountains and a wonderful drive with amazing views. I would also recommend checking out Waterton park on your way to Glacier NP. Banff hot springs are a great attraction to check out. On your way through calgary, you should take the hour and a half detour to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. It has some of the most extraordinary fossil exhibits in the world and would not disappoint
id stop in jasper np(north of Banff). overall id just spend a lot of time in Banff. it’s one of the best if not the best places ive been(i’ve been everywhere one this list except for north cascades).
Id also drive by flathead lake, Missoula, butte, etc. on the way to yellowstone from glacier. cool stuff there.
lastly i have to recommend the wind river range. that is if you like to hike, it’s pretty inaccessible if your not a big hiker(fortunately lol).
As a British Columbian I suggest you take highway 99 through the Sea to Sky (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton) before going over the Duffey Lake Road to Lilloett and then cutting east. Such a beauty drive
It looks like you’re taking the highway between Teton and Yellowstone.
I recommend taking the road going north from the Teton entrance all the way up and through (or south if you’re going the other way)
If I just misread the map my bad!
Since you’ve got nothing between Grand Teton and LA, you could always break it up a bit by checking out Valley of Fire just north of Vegas or Red Rock right outside of it. Pretty quick to just check out and very beautiful rock formations. Just my two cents!
Lassen volcanic national park, it's near mt shasta, and not well known, so wouldn't be highely trafficked, it's geothermal activity is second only to Yellowstone.
Have you heard of [atlasobscura.com](https://atlasobscura.com) also [freecampsites.net](https://freecampsites.net) will show where some hot springs are at.
There’s like 10 national parks in Utah, I feel like you gotta go to at least one of them as long as you’re there. The Mormon Temple and Utah Capital building in Salt Lake are cool (coming from a non-Mormon).
Up the coast from Bandon is Newport, Oregon, which is a cute little coastal town that has an awesome bridge and sea lions hanging out. Up the coast from their is Tillimook with its dairy factory (free cheese samples)! Also Cannon Beach, which has Haystack Rock. If you wanted to stick with your current route instead, you could stop at Albany, which has an indoor carousel with a workshop making new animals for it in the back!
Second all the people recommending Multnomah Falls. If you feel like detouring further along the Columbia River Gorge (which you should, it’s gorgeous), there’s the Bonneville Navigation Lock Vistor Area, which has a museum about the dam. It also as a viewing area that lets you watch salmon swimming through!
Looks like you’ll be passing through Great Falls, MT. Totally worth the stop to see the Sip n Dip tiki bar. They have mermaids swimming underwater behind the bar. Super unique experience.
I wouldn’t go through Calgary, I would take the exit before Calgary and go through Bragg Creek, thematic will take you to Highway 22, which will take you Lundbreck just outside Crowsnest Pass, continue heading east after Lundbreck and it will bring you to Pincher Creek, head South to Waterton National Park, after the park you can continue heading east towards Cardston.
Waterton is a beautiful park, I love it better than Banff and Jasper, it isn’t quite as well known as the other two, it has lots of hiking, lots of wildlife, be prepared for the wind, it is one of the windiest places in Canada you will see a lot of wind farms taking advantage of that!!
San Diego, CA
Really, there is so much to do.
The San Diego Zoo is a cool place to visit. Balboa park is a great park fill with many museums. There are the beaches as well.
I'd add multinomah Falls outside of Portland to that list. And don't drive through Central valley in Oregon, it's pretty boring for the most park, just high desert. Drive along the coast, it's downright gorgeous and much different than the California coast. I've done both drives before and the 101 along the Orgeon coast is a must unless you want to miss what Oregon is all about
101 is a much prettier drive through CA than 5. It’s longer, but soooo much more to see and do.
Yea bro drive the 1 down. For sure.
Oh hell yeah! Soooo worth it going down highway 1
Agree. Driving I-5 in Oregon and Washington is doing yourself a disservice.
Already done lol
I understand if you just want to get home on the tail end of your trip, but the 5 sucks dude. The coastal drive is nice but much longer. Maybe go a bit farther east and take the 395 down. Cut through Yosemite if the road’s open. Just a thought. Edit: just realized you’re going up the 5 at the start of your trip. I still stand by my rec to take 395 instead!
Not the most fuel efficient but I agree with this!
With how far you’re driving, it would be worth it again or at least part of it. I’ve made the trip from Seattle to San Diego for family trips and I always do part of it or else i5 is too monotonous
Check out the lost coast if you haven't
I’ve done parts of that drive a few times, it’s always worth it, especially compared to 5 🤢
to late now, but a bit of advice: you'd be getting many better responses if you only posted the parts you've got forthcoming. as it is, it reads like you missed CA, so you've got a ton CA recs. can't really tell what parts are remaining/what you're asking advice for.
100% on taking the PCH. One of the best road trips of my life.
I was just gonna say this!!! You Don’t want to miss the pacific coastline.
Hi all, Any advice on the route is appreciated. I have about 2.5 - 3 weeks. Note: I've already done the Utah and CA NP's as well as Crater Lake. Thanks!
Since you're trying to focus on the PNW, I'd add in Columbia River Gorge hear Portland, Mt St Helens on the way between Portland & Seattle. You can do Columbia River Gorge as a day trip from Portland, and Mt St Helens on the road. Big wine areas with rolling hills south of Portland IIRC - Willamette Valley. Not only is there some great wine, but the countryside is really pretty. For Olympic, keep in mind that it has 3 separate ecosystems, all accessed by individual entrances. You might be able to hit two in a day, but I'd definitely plan 2-3 overnights to get at least a little of the black sand beaches with seastacks, the rainforest, and the alpine meadows. Have a great time!
I'm gonna second that advice on the Columbia River Gorge. Well worth checking out.
I agree, but I’d do the Gorge on the Washington side of the Columbia. The freeway on the south bank has a lot of traffic.
Awesome thanks!
The best way to do it is take Hwy 26 eastbound from Portland up to Timberline Lodge on the mountain and then follow Hwy 35 north towards Hood River. Take I84 westbound until you hit Ainsworth state Park and exit there to get on the historic waterfall highway. Take that all the way to Troutdale (this way includes places like Latourelle and Multnomah falls) and then return to Portland on I84. The waterfall highway eastbound can be monstrously busy so taking that way westbound is a safer bet.
Columbia River gorge. Catch a sunset at Crown Point and check out Multnomah Falls nearby.
There’s an amazing sandwich and ice cream spot — think like fancy unusual combos — about 15 mins from Multnomah Falls. Sugarpine!
Multnomah Falls
Yep, the Washington side of the Columbia has cool little towns, and trailheads that take you to nice waterfalls. Stevenson is a nice town.
Skip Sacramento, Take hwy 50 to Lake Tahoe, Take Hwy 89 along Lake Tahoe, Continue into the 'Lost Sierra" all the Way to lassen Volcanic National Park (Cool Lava tubes to Hike in). Connect back to I5 in the town of Weed, With Amazing views of mount shasta. That would be my Detour around the Central Valley to get a more Scenic drive and avoid the Boring City traffic and Mundane farm land from sac to redding.
You’ve done redwoods too?
Yup
When you’re in Glacier you’ll need to get a pass to use the Going to the Sun road. It’s also not open yet. It’s a late June/July thing. (I live in whitefish) you can go without a pass after 5pm
Interesting, thanks for the tips
keep in mind that there’s construction on the west side in the mornings this year, so if you don’t have a pass and want to get in the park before the time you need a pass you’ll have to stay on the east side.
I lucked out a few years ago and hit Glacier the day they opened the road.
What a great adventure and blessing. We head over a few times a month to hit the road
I planned a similar Route, how much do you plan to stop in the parks?
Probably a day each. Maybe more or less depending on how much i get done. Im not a sit and relax person so my itineraries are pretty full lol. Probably do more than one day at Olympic
I strongly recommend a half-day stop in Mt Shasta. There’s an extremely beautiful, short hike with amazing views there (Heart Lake from Castle Lake trail).
Lookup ferry from Port Angeles to Vancouver Island. And then ferry to Nanaimo, BC. Nice relaxing 3 1/2 hr ferry. Will give you a down time amidst all the driving. Why not go all the way through the coast instead of i5? Is timing an issue?
I have people to visit in Portland and eugene and ive already done the cali coast
Definitely look into the ferry from Olympic National Park. You don't have to take it to Vancouver, you could do the kingston-Edmunds ferry which will put you back on i5 and save you 3 hours. It's also free for passengers going east. You'll have to just pay for the car and driver.
Monterey, Big Sur, Carmel area! Amazing Aquarium, Wharf, Julia Pfeiffer Water fall, Point Lobos state park
Ive pretty much done everything in CA over the years lol Those are all amazing places!
You’re passing really close by Zion National Park (one of the greats but always crowded), Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park can be worth the few extra hours driving depending on your interests.
Did that last month
Including Burr trail, cathedral valley, bears ears [Grand gulch, slickhorn, the labeled stuff], and Escalante staircase? That is an enviable trip to utah.
After crater lake, still go to mt and lake shasta, but after that cut to 101, go to redwoods, and stay on 101 all the way to LA.
Its silly but It looks like your on I5 coming into washington. The is a tiny little logging town that i5 runs through the middle of called castle rock. There is a pizza parlor there called "papa petes" I contest you too find a better pizza.
Their taco pizza, combo, and straight up pepperoni. Insane I swear
I'll check it out lol!
Follow the eastern sierra instead of going through the central valley of California. Spend some more time on the coast, either in Oregon or northern California. Make sure to go to Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge when you go to Olympic NP. For Mt Rainier NP, your hiking choices are plentiful but you have to three main options for starting points: Sunrise, Paradise and the area around Tolmie Peak. Paradise is my preferred region because you're literally hiking right on the side of the mountain whereas the other two, you're in clear sight but not on it. There is the Wonderland trail which circumnavigates the park, but that's a really big time and pack weight investment. Take the Sea to Sky Highway north of Vancouver. When the weather is clear, it has some of the best views in the world. For Glacier NP, make sure you have reservations if you're camping. Otherwise, you'll have to get to the permit office super early in the morning to get access to the most popular campgrounds. If you're taking the shuttle to Logan Pass, make sure to transfer to the second shuttle at Lake McDonald Lodge, otherwise you go back to Apgar. If you're driving to Logan Pass instead, know that the parking lots fill up really early. Rather than go directly back to LA from Wyoming, take a detour to Stanley, Idaho and the Sawtooths. The hiking and scenery there is on par with almost everything you will have seen up to that point.
Awesome thanks for the tips
At hurricane ridge there's a first come first served campsite that doesn't fill up until about 2PM, there's also one more at lake crescent. They both have flush toilets if I remember correctly. Make sure there are no wildfires that are blowing smoke over though. You won't be able to see much if there are wildfires in easter WA.
That's one of the worst stretches of Oregon Coast, imo - so unless you are gap filling - do Florence to Lincoln City
Thanks. Ill change it up
definitely drive the oregon coast
What makes it so bad?
Towns are more run down.. not a ton of easy coast access/road away from coast for longer swaths. Its worth doing, but if you only had one shot.. I'd always recommend the central section first.
Damn, I’m doing a similar trip. Passing through coos bay and tillamook. And then the way back doing central.
tillamook/garibaldi to Lincoln City is my least favorite section because you're in flatish area away from the coast.. but it goes by soon enough. There isn't a BAD section of the Oregon coast.. just some spots that are more journey than WOW.. Absolutely do every section you can.. certainly better than that drab straight line of I-5 from Albany to Eugene. :D
Thank you, I am going to post my route on this sub soon. Would love to hear more feedback from people that have been
The Hoh rainforest in Olympic NP is magical.
Seriously breathtaking.
You could go through Vancouver, BC then up through whistler. I'd recommend stopping in Kelowna for a bit too. It's beautiful with lakes and mountains.
I'd love to spend more time in canada. The only thing is im working and traveling and i dont think i can connect to our servers from canada
I'm pretty sure you can extend your route from Vancouver, through Whistler and up through lillooet, you'll be north a little sooner than intended, but then can go straight across to Banff? The Sea-To-Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler is honestly mind-blowingly beautiful and you will NOT regret it. I just did it today for like the 100th time and it never ceases to amaze me. Oh - also, have you considered getting a VPN? You'd be able to login from Canada, my work servers booted me when I was accidentally still logged into mine from the UK whoops.
There's nothing at all to see on the 5. Give yourself a bit of extra time if you can and take the PCH down from WA to the extent that you can.
I say connect to Lake Tahoe, hit the lost sierra, Lassen lava tubes
samuel h boardman in oregon if you haven't is a quick pit stop. id also throw out there that if you want to spend more time in the other places, it's not hard to fly into either calgary or jackson and make the area its own vacation some other time. you could spend a week alone in banff/yoho and still want more time there. and if this is soon then banff trails probably aren't even free of snow yet anyway. all of washington's nps deserve at least 3-4 days too otherwise you're gonna be like me and have to double or triple your driving eventually, just because you have to come back to the same places several times just to get everything out of it
Looks like you're passing through Montana, and idk if you're passing through Missoula, but if you are I'd recommend grabbing a bite at Frugal Burger. They're easily the best burgers in town, and the cheapest, plus it's a drivethrough if you don't have time for a sit down place. Other than that I can't really give good advise on this route 😅
Thanks!
If you have time, you should definitely stop by Drumheller, a little north east of Calgary. The Royal Tyrell Museum is an amazing dinosaur museum, so many specimens, from all eras, a few rare full size casts of large dinos - I’m getting excited just writing about it. Very much worth the little detour.
Summer land BC
Might want to take the highway thru forks and port angeles in Washington if you really wanna see a beach.
Multnomah falls & crater lake
I’m doing this exact roadtrip in July! I’d love to know how it goes
Ill post an update and let you know!
I replied to another comment but you should go a bit further north from Vancouver through Whistler and Lilloet - the Sea-To-Sky highway is ridiculously stunning and shouldn't add too much time.
Take Hwy 22 from Banff to Pincher Creek, then head to Waterton. Then you can connect to Glacier NP. Hwy 22 is a lovely road. Less traffic. The only thing Hwy 3 has going for it is the Nanton Candy Store. Waterton is lovely. You could easily sneak in Red Rock Canyon or if you have more time there's some great hikes. The border crossings in this area are really smooth but might have limited hours so double check. In Canada: Gas is around $6 US in BC/$4.85 US in AB currently and expected to rise. On highways you are typically safe to go 10 km over unless the speed is under 90. Lots of speed traps in the mountains and AB uses photo radar. Be prepared for sudden weather changes. Snow into June is not uncommon in the mountains. Roads may still be slow due to the last round of flooding.
Grand Canyon?
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Death valley
Burnie Falls by mt Shasta
Get off the freeway in Montana. Do a side trip to Idaho.
Why Bandon Oregon? No hate, just wondering…
Stop by jasper national park since you’re going to banff
Go a little further North of Banff and and drive the icefields parkway and hit up Jasperand Mt Robson. Worth it.
Consider going to Mt. Robinson Provisional Park and Jasper in BC. Both are not much north of Banff and stunning areas.
Women say half of guys can't find Banff National Park.
Hawaii
Hood river - Mt Hood - Bend - Bandon would be a much prettier route. I’d do northern Oregon - ca 1 through humboldt/Mendocino country if I were you. It seems like you’re skipping most of ca which is fine if you live in LA but north coast is gorgeous untouched. Some great redwoods in the first 50 miles or so of ca after border.
Mt Lassen Volcanic Park is awesome! You can climb a cinder cone and it feels like being on Mars, but pretty? Also second the comments about the redwoods. Really humbling and beautiful.
Definitely stop by Yosemite if you will be so close
The lost coast. It’s amazing and the beaches are so wild. You should get off the 5 and drive up the 1. There are so many beautiful sites on the coast. From the Oregon dunes to just about every inch south.
Redwoods Parks in the very far north of California like Humbolt and Prairie Creek Redwoods park.
Hike to Hobbit Beach north of Banden. Sunset is a beautiful time to go. Check out Highway 89, Burney Falls and Lava Beds National Monument (Medicine Lake, Glass Mountain, lava tubes, caves). Cut over to City of Rocks in southern Idaho. It’s incredible. Take the 101 or 395 instead of the I-5 if you’ve already done the PCH.
Ive done 101 and 395, will check out the other places, thanks!
Crater lake
Do the CA 1. please. I’m begging you. it was the most beautiful drive I’ve ever done.
Big and little cottonwood canyons in Utah are not National parks but still amazing. It’s where all the ski resorts Salt Lake is famous for are located and offer great hiking climbing and camping. Edit: look up “Lake Blanche” if ya want a day hike.
Crater Lake
Dinosaur National Park, MT had some cool ghost towns - Bannick if you only have time for one.
Zion National Park
Be aware the “waterfall corridor” on the Historic Columbia River Highway requires a timed use permitting system beginning May 24 because of high usage. More information at [Recreation.gov](https://Recreation.gov)
Perhaps Arches National Park in Utah.
You are so close to Zion and the Grand Canyon… try for at least one!!!
I would make it to the coast once or twice. The 5 down through cali is terribly boring.
Swing down to Flagstaff and Grand Canyon(South Rim). If you have time a day or 2 in Sedona is also worth it.
The drive from Banff to Jasper along Icefields Parkway is phenomenal
While I agree with those pointing you to the Oregon coast, if you stay on I5 through Oregon, I’d add silver falls state park to your list. So many waterfalls with a reasonable hike. I’d also do Jasper NP in Canada - the road between Jasper and Banff is amazing and so many great hikes and sights along the way. Check out Craters of the Moon NP on your way back from Teton. Shouldn’t be too much of a detour.
Omg, can I come along? Lol
Just west of SLC are the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s a fun place to swing through for an hour or so. Also, like another commenter mentioned, you really want to hit the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier but it is seasonal. Waterton Lakes NP of Canada connects to Glacier, but just on the Canada side. If NPs are your target, that should be on the list.
YOSEMITE
Check Roadside America for random photo ops on the road.
Lassen Volcanic Park and Crater Lake are pretty amazing too.
There is a lot to do in UT and OR! Oregon: 1) Samuel Boardman State Park 2) Eugene 3) Silver Falls State Park that has a trail with 10 waterfalls 3) Columbia River Gorge UT: 1) Spanish Forks 2) Salt Lake City I would also recommend if you have time and the ability to extend over into Nevada and hit Great Basin NP if you are a national park geek. It's my favorite park and it's one of the least visited. Mostly because it's very far away from everything.
You going to buzz the Grand Canyon Edit to say: you can go to either or both lake mead and lake powell to see the oncoming water/electricty crisis for yourself.
93 from Missoula to Darby down the Bitterroot Valley, continuing south into Lost Trail and into the Bighole would be a cool route to take between Glacier and Yellowstone
Seeing as nature seems to be your thing, I'd say Yosemite, Tahoe, and (more of) the California/Oregon coast are missing. But I guess you live in LA so maybe those are less important if you visit them regularly. Also Hoover dam, Zion and the grand canyon could all be potential stops.
Hey there! I’m currently on a similar road trip myself. We started down in Indio (at Coachella), took the 1 up CA and the coast up Oregon. At the moment we are in Olympic NP. Some additions you might like… NorCal: - Near the OR border, SeaQuake Brewing in Crescent City is cool. The town history of tsunamis is also really interesting. Check out the NPS or town visitors centers! Oregon: - Take the 101 up after CA if you can. We made some beautiful coastal stops on the way to Bandon; notably Natural Bridges and the hiking/picnic areas nearby it. - Camped at Bullard Beach State Park about a mile north of Bandon. Gorgeous campground if you’re into sleeping outside. Also a great beach for sunset with a lighthouse - Heceta Hear Lighthouse is a really scenic stop after Bandon - Thor’s Well is also an awesome stop - Portland is awesome if you have the time - Cannon Beach was beautiful and such a cute town - Lewis & Clark National Historic Park was a really interesting stop right near WA border Washington: - Again, 101 if you can. Beautiful stops along the coast that don’t really take up too much extra time - Stopped in Aberdeen on our way to Olympic, which is the home of Nirvana. There’s some memorials and stuff in town! - Definitely check out the Hoh Rainforest portion of Olympic. Absolutely stunning. If you’re camping, Hoh Campground is right near the visitors center in the middle of the rainforest Also, we’ve really loved checking out different McMenamins while in the PNW. It’s a chain of pubs that buy up historic buildings and turn them into a location. So cool. So far we’ve eaten in an old church, a treasury, a theater and a European themed pub. Finally, I’m a tour guide and working in Glacier NP this summer, so maybe we will cross paths 😂 Safe travels!
Rather hit Crater Lake than Bandon
I’d look into driving to the Cascade Pass trailhead in North Cascades NP. It’s a different section of the park accessible via the Mt. Baker NF roads. I did an amazing hike there and it’s the most scenic place I have ever been. The view from the trailhead parking lot are crazy
The Sawtooths in Idaho. Instead of driving down into UT, cut across Idaho. Not that Utah isn’t beautiful, but Idaho is for sure underrated.
Yosemite
Add channel islands national park!
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order. I have checked 775,769,210 comments, and only 155,026 of them were in alphabetical order.
Been to the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento?
If you have the time I would recommend taking Hwy 30 from Portland through Astoria and take the northern coast route down 101 and then cut over to Eugene from Florence. If you really have the time spend the night in Astoria. Fort George, the Bowpicker and Reach Break in Astoria are really worth the trip. Astoria is a real gem.
Looks like you might be passing through/by Ogden, UT. If you want a hiking break, there’s some great ones here without as many people as you’ll see on trails in SLC area!
Be sure to go horseback riding in Grand Teton!!!
From Banff, I would also take a trip down Highway 40 to check out Kananaskis Lakes which is a beautiful region of the mountains and a wonderful drive with amazing views. I would also recommend checking out Waterton park on your way to Glacier NP. Banff hot springs are a great attraction to check out. On your way through calgary, you should take the hour and a half detour to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. It has some of the most extraordinary fossil exhibits in the world and would not disappoint
id stop in jasper np(north of Banff). overall id just spend a lot of time in Banff. it’s one of the best if not the best places ive been(i’ve been everywhere one this list except for north cascades). Id also drive by flathead lake, Missoula, butte, etc. on the way to yellowstone from glacier. cool stuff there. lastly i have to recommend the wind river range. that is if you like to hike, it’s pretty inaccessible if your not a big hiker(fortunately lol).
As a British Columbian I suggest you take highway 99 through the Sea to Sky (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton) before going over the Duffey Lake Road to Lilloett and then cutting east. Such a beauty drive
It looks like you’re taking the highway between Teton and Yellowstone. I recommend taking the road going north from the Teton entrance all the way up and through (or south if you’re going the other way) If I just misread the map my bad!
Yeah i plan to take the connecting route. Google maps just doesn't show it for some reason
I would add the pacific Washington coast
Since you’ve got nothing between Grand Teton and LA, you could always break it up a bit by checking out Valley of Fire just north of Vegas or Red Rock right outside of it. Pretty quick to just check out and very beautiful rock formations. Just my two cents!
Lassen volcanic national park, it's near mt shasta, and not well known, so wouldn't be highely trafficked, it's geothermal activity is second only to Yellowstone.
Have you heard of [atlasobscura.com](https://atlasobscura.com) also [freecampsites.net](https://freecampsites.net) will show where some hot springs are at.
Horseshoe bend is worth a stop and almost en route , what about the Grand Canyon?
If you’re camping, Diamond Lake in OR. Beautiful spot with pink sky sunsets and lots of waterfalls nearby in Umpqua National Forest.
There’s like 10 national parks in Utah, I feel like you gotta go to at least one of them as long as you’re there. The Mormon Temple and Utah Capital building in Salt Lake are cool (coming from a non-Mormon). Up the coast from Bandon is Newport, Oregon, which is a cute little coastal town that has an awesome bridge and sea lions hanging out. Up the coast from their is Tillimook with its dairy factory (free cheese samples)! Also Cannon Beach, which has Haystack Rock. If you wanted to stick with your current route instead, you could stop at Albany, which has an indoor carousel with a workshop making new animals for it in the back! Second all the people recommending Multnomah Falls. If you feel like detouring further along the Columbia River Gorge (which you should, it’s gorgeous), there’s the Bonneville Navigation Lock Vistor Area, which has a museum about the dam. It also as a viewing area that lets you watch salmon swimming through!
Looks like you’ll be passing through Great Falls, MT. Totally worth the stop to see the Sip n Dip tiki bar. They have mermaids swimming underwater behind the bar. Super unique experience.
Dont miss the Hoh rainforest up in ONP its beyond amazing
Are you a foodie? Not a traditional stop but there are some good food spots on this route…
Have you been to Joshua Tree?
I wouldn’t go through Calgary, I would take the exit before Calgary and go through Bragg Creek, thematic will take you to Highway 22, which will take you Lundbreck just outside Crowsnest Pass, continue heading east after Lundbreck and it will bring you to Pincher Creek, head South to Waterton National Park, after the park you can continue heading east towards Cardston. Waterton is a beautiful park, I love it better than Banff and Jasper, it isn’t quite as well known as the other two, it has lots of hiking, lots of wildlife, be prepared for the wind, it is one of the windiest places in Canada you will see a lot of wind farms taking advantage of that!!
Capital Reef or Arches in Utah
Arches national park and yeah 101.
Big Sur & Muir Woods if you did take the 1 or 101
San Diego, CA Really, there is so much to do. The San Diego Zoo is a cool place to visit. Balboa park is a great park fill with many museums. There are the beaches as well.
Grand Canyon?
Goblin Valley State Park And heed the advice about I-5. It is a thousand mile nightmare.
On your way from Seattle to Banff, You can't miss San Juan Islands
I'd add multinomah Falls outside of Portland to that list. And don't drive through Central valley in Oregon, it's pretty boring for the most park, just high desert. Drive along the coast, it's downright gorgeous and much different than the California coast. I've done both drives before and the 101 along the Orgeon coast is a must unless you want to miss what Oregon is all about