5 days - Yellowstone, Seattle area, or Canadian Rockies?
Mar 31st, 2016, 11:52 AM
#1
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5 days - Yellowstone, Seattle area, or Canadian Rockies?
Our summer vacation is coming up in June. We are flying in/out of Spokane and spending the first week at the Flathead Lake Lodge with day trips to Glacier. It will be me, husband, son (9), daughter (7), and mother in law. I need to decide soon what we will do for the next five days. Choices are:
A - Yellowstone and Tetons - we did this last year (minus MIL)
B - North Cascades, Seattle area (Olympics, Rainier, San Juan islands, etc.)
C - Canadian Rockies
DH and I have done all the above. This is MIL's first (and maybe only) western trip. Yellowstone is my favorite place on earth and I would go there every year but I would really like to mark something off our (kids') vacation list. My son would like to go to Mt. Rushmore but that seems like quite a drive!
It is such a tough choice because they are all beautiful! My family is no help in this decision. What would you choose and why? Or do you have another alternative?
A - Yellowstone and Tetons - we did this last year (minus MIL)
B - North Cascades, Seattle area (Olympics, Rainier, San Juan islands, etc.)
C - Canadian Rockies
DH and I have done all the above. This is MIL's first (and maybe only) western trip. Yellowstone is my favorite place on earth and I would go there every year but I would really like to mark something off our (kids') vacation list. My son would like to go to Mt. Rushmore but that seems like quite a drive!
It is such a tough choice because they are all beautiful! My family is no help in this decision. What would you choose and why? Or do you have another alternative?
Mar 31st, 2016, 01:10 PM
#2
How late in June will you be going? The Going to the Sun Road might be open over the Logan Pass in mid June.
Is the cost to fly to Kalispell or Bozeman a lot more than Spokane?
Do you all have passports to go into and return from Canada?
My favorite lodging in the Columbia Falls area is the Meadow Lake Resort.
If you fly to Spokane, you might want to spend a day in the Coeur d' Alene Idaho area. The lake there is just as nice as Flathead Lake IMO.
Is the cost to fly to Kalispell or Bozeman a lot more than Spokane?
Do you all have passports to go into and return from Canada?
My favorite lodging in the Columbia Falls area is the Meadow Lake Resort.
If you fly to Spokane, you might want to spend a day in the Coeur d' Alene Idaho area. The lake there is just as nice as Flathead Lake IMO.
Mar 31st, 2016, 01:53 PM
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My favorite lodging in the Columbia Falls area is the Meadow Lake Resort.
Have you been to the Flathead Lake Lodge, tomfuller? It's much nicer than the Meadow Lake Resort. And the location on Flathead Lake is beautiful.
Have you been to the Flathead Lake Lodge, tomfuller? It's much nicer than the Meadow Lake Resort. And the location on Flathead Lake is beautiful.
Mar 31st, 2016, 02:04 PM
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Our trip is June 3-17 with our time at Flathead Lake from June 5-12. We all will have passports so no worries about that.
We booked using award miles so we can't really change the tickets.
We booked using award miles so we can't really change the tickets.
Mar 31st, 2016, 02:55 PM
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Agree with KUREIFF.
Going to the Sun Road will most likely NOT be opened in it's entirety by June 17. Snow plowing begins April 4 and minimum time to clear the road is 10 weeks.
Check www.nps.gov/glacier for the latest update.
Going to the Sun Road will most likely NOT be opened in it's entirety by June 17. Snow plowing begins April 4 and minimum time to clear the road is 10 weeks.
Check www.nps.gov/glacier for the latest update.
Mar 31st, 2016, 03:45 PM
#6
We've never been to Flathead Lake Lodge. The van from Meadow Lake picked DW and me up from the Whitefish train station.
The condo with the inroom hot tub was very nice for our 30th anniversary. They brought us out a rental car from the Kalispell airport for our drive up to McDonald Lake where the gate was closed. I did take a photo at the same spot as a famous Ansel Adams photo was taken.
We were allowed to leave the rental car at the train station to continue our trip by train.
The Amtrak Empire Builder leaves the station in Spokane a little after 1AM PT and gets to Whitefish before 8AM MT if that would fit into anyone's schedule.
The condo with the inroom hot tub was very nice for our 30th anniversary. They brought us out a rental car from the Kalispell airport for our drive up to McDonald Lake where the gate was closed. I did take a photo at the same spot as a famous Ansel Adams photo was taken.
We were allowed to leave the rental car at the train station to continue our trip by train.
The Amtrak Empire Builder leaves the station in Spokane a little after 1AM PT and gets to Whitefish before 8AM MT if that would fit into anyone's schedule.
