3-week one-way cross country trip in June

Old Nov 26th, 2016, 02:15 PM
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3-week one-way cross country trip in June

My wife and I are planning a big move across the country from Connecticut to LA this coming summer and we have a little over 3 weeks available to us. Naturally, we thought this would be a prime opportunity for a big cross country road trip. We have family in Cincinnati and Chicago, and we love to hike so after those destinations are checked off we want to hit Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks. We figured once we were far enough up north at Glacier we might as well head over to Seattle and down the Pacific Coast, but we're not fixed on that idea. Below is our rough itinerary for the next 3 weeks. We thought it'd be a good idea to float it by some veteran travelers to make sure we weren't completely overzealous with our timing. We've done the CT to OH trip before in one day, but I'm also worried about the long days between Chicago and Glacier. We appreciate any input!

Day 1
Drive from CT to Cincinnati, OH
700 miles, 10 hour drive (12 hour trip)

Day 2 - Cincinnati

Day 3
Drive from Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL
300 miles, 5 hour drive (6 hour trip)

Day 4 - Chicago

Day 5
Drive from Chicago, IL to Sioux Falls, SD
600 miles, 8 hour drive (10 hour trip)

Day 6
Drive from Sioux Falls, SD to Hill City, SD
400 miles, 5 hour drive (6 hour trip)
See (briefly): Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave?

Day 7
Drive from Hill City, SD to Jackson, WY
500 miles, 8 hour drive (10 hour trip)

Day 8
Visit Grand Teton National Park

Day 9
Drive from Jackson, WY to West Yellowstone, WY
150 miles, 2.5 hour drive
Visit Yellowstone National Park

Day 10
Drive from West Yellowstone, WY to Columbia Falls, MT
400 miles, 6 hour drive (7 hour trip)

Day 11/12
Visit Glacier National Park

Day 13
Drive from Columbia Falls, MT to Seattle, WA
550 miles, 8 hour drive (10 hour trip)

Day 14 - Enjoy Seattle, WA and maybe Coastal Rt 112

Day 15
Drive from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR
200 miles, 3 hour drive

Day 16
Drive from Portland, OR to Ashland, OR
300 miles, 4.5 hour drive (5 hour trip)

Day 17
Drive from Ashland, OR to Avenue of the Giants, CA
250 miles, 5 hour drive (6 hour trip)

Day 18
Drive from Avenue of the Giants, CA to San Francisco, CA
300 miles, 4.5 hour drive (5 hour trip)

Day 19
Drive from San Francisco, CA to Morro Bay, CA
200 miles, 4 hour drive (5 hour trip)

Day 20
Drive from Morro Bay, CA to Los Angeles, CA
200 miles, 3 hour drive
Ritchell is offline  
Old Nov 26th, 2016, 04:19 PM
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Let's say that the first 5 days of the trip are for family and that's a nice thing. You've given yourself very little time in the National Parks.

I would want to spend at least a couple of hours in Badlands and also a couple at Mt. Rushmore.

Grant Teton needs a couple more days and Yellowstone needs more than that. Yellowstone is huge.

This is your trip, but if it was mine, I'd skip Seattle and Portland and head south from glacier. Perhaps over to the coast south of Portland and then on down.

I hope you can have a wonderful trip and see all you can without making this a "been there done that" trip.
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Old Nov 26th, 2016, 04:46 PM
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I personally wouldn't do this drive if they paid me. All those fabulous places in WA/OR/CA will be very easy to visit from your new home in southern California.

Instead of hellacious drives day after day after day . . . and since the family visits are probably high priority, I'd spend a fair amount of time in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Then just hightail it to LA via Idaho Falls then I-15 all the way through Vegas and into the LA basin . Even that would be a hectic trip.
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Old Nov 26th, 2016, 05:00 PM
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Did a simalar drive some 35 yrs back but i was further north
Aprox the Sth Dakota and Montana border found the evocative and interesting Custer Battle Field
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Old Nov 27th, 2016, 05:46 AM
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While I tend to be more aggressive than some regarding road trips, if it was me I'd edit your trip a little, so that you could reallocate some days. I've done the drive from the east coast and Chicago to the west coast a number of times, so take these comments for what they're worth.

I'd start by dropping Glacier NP. A couple of reasons why: in June there's a chance that some key features, such as the Going to the Sun Road, might not be fully open, depending on this winter's snowfall. Second, it's a very long detour, and third, and others may disagree, you'll have a chance to see spectacular mountain scenery in Grand Teton NP, and while Glacier is different, it's not that different. (Yellowstone is more about the thermal sites and wildlife than mountains.) The days allocated to accessing and visiting Glacier could be better spent, in my view, elsewhere.

Second, I'd skip Seattle, and substitute the Columbia River Gorge and part of the Oregon coast for those days. You won't have enough time in Seattle; in June often our weather is still cloudy, and the area is very expensive during the Alaska cruise season. On the other hand, the Gorge is spectacular, you could visit Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, and spend a day or two on the scenic Oregon coast.

Here's a map showing these changes - https://goo.gl/maps/btkXgXamRFk . I think if you re-did the timetable with these changes in mind (of course they're just suggestions) you might find the result offers some benefits.
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Old Nov 27th, 2016, 10:56 AM
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I don't think you can average 70 mph between Connecticut (where?) and Cincinnati unless you drive from 8 PM to 8AM and have a good radar detector.
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Old Nov 27th, 2016, 11:23 AM
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Good point about the GTTS Road in Glacier possibly not being fully open in June. The section from West Glacier to Avalanche is open year round. However IMO the more spectacular scenery is on the eastern higher elevation side of the park which you may or may not be able to access.
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Old Nov 27th, 2016, 12:10 PM
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GTTS is NOT open all the way to Avalanche in winter. It is open from West Glacier/Apgar to McDonald lodge only. East side is fully closed in winter.
Typical full opening for GTTS road is mid June, weather dependent.
For up to date information on the park and GTTS road:
www.nps.gov/glacier
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 03:05 PM
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I definitely would skip the whole Seattle/Portland part. No need to be so far up north, when you're moving to Los Angeles!
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 06:29 AM
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I understand the desire to see the northern part of the US on the way to your new home.
My favorite place in Columbia Falls MT is the Meadow Lake Resort. http://www.meadowlake.com/inn.cfm
Unless you want to see something in Ashland, just turn off I-5 onto US 199 just south of Grants Pass. Spend a night in or near Crescent City CA.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 03:33 AM
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I have to echo some of the above comments and throw in my opinion. I would leave the California/Washington/Oregon portions of this trip for a later time. Perhaps you can make a later trip from your new home in LA and check these regions out.

First and foremost, I would absolutely want to add more time to Yellowstone and Glacier. Next, I would try to add a night or two in the Badlands/Black Hills area so you can do more than just drive by.

You do have a good amount of time to work with but I would avoid trying "to see it all" and instead try to see some of the major sites and leave others for different trips.

Lastly - and this always happens to me - your drive time estimates will likely be on the low side. It always ends up taking us longer than we anticipate. You never know when you will hit traffic, take a longer lunch break than you expect, etc.
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