explorerLB3

I recognize this is a big question, but I'm looking for any and all advice related to the following potential trip.

My husband and I are interested in taking a big road trip for about 2.5 weeks, starting around June 21. We're interested in the following loop: Denver to Grand Junction to Salt Lake City to Reno to Eugene, OR to Portland to Seattle to Vancouver to Calgary to Great Falls, MT to Denver. We have a particular interest to visit friends in Grand Junction and Eugene, but otherwise, no specific destination or timeline in mind at this point.

We are definitely interested in scenic driving, physical activity (biking, hiking, etc.) when we stop, and fun, even quirky, places to explore along the way. We do not need to stop every city I mentioned above (I just laid that out to give a sense of the route we're considering), and we definitely don't need to get in every routine "tourist stop" along the way.

So we'd love to hear of particularly neat places that would be worth slowing down for, and where it's worth speeding through in order to get on to more exciting things. Also, any other tips about specific roads to explore, restaurants to eat at, etc. would be welcome.

Finally, my husband has a *lot* of Marriott points from his work. So if you know of a particularly worthwhile Marriott along the way, we'd love to hear how we could spend our points best.

Thanks in advance for any and all input!

wildblueyonder

Gosh, there are lots of 'questions within questions' here - perhaps you might split up the trip a bit and concentrate on one area at a time - and/or maybe draft up what you think might be a good itinerary for others to comment on?

We did a, perhaps similar, loop last year. (Very briefly, cos we did a lot more than this!) Seattle - Portland - Yellowstone - Great Falls - Banff - Calgary - Vancouver - Seattle - and it took us 3 weeks.

I'm afraid that we didn't stay in any Marriotts on that trip, so can't comment on those. Seattle (stayed in a lovely B&B overlooking Puget Sound, at the start of our trip, and Silver Cloud Inn at the end) and Vancouver (stayed in Times Square Suites) were well worth a longish stay - but I would give Great Falls a large by-pass, if you can (although we stayed in Fort Benton, a small town, not without interest, down by the Missouri). We took in places like Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, Columbia Scablands, Columbia River Gorge, Grand Coullee (but I'm a bit of a geology freak) - also Cody, Glacier NP, Alabasca Glacier, Hell's Gate Airtram. All were glorious and guaranteed scenic drives.

Hope that helps a little bit, but I doubt it will!

spirobulldog

After Grand Junction head to Moab/Arches/Canyonlands via hwy128 (scenic) . Spend 2 or 3 days there. World-class bicycling there. Arches National Park is easy to navigate. Hike to Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch. Consider going canyoneering. This is a great adventure that isn't to heavy on the wallet. If you want more info on that let me know. It will be warm in this area for that time of year. Do your activities early or later in the day. On your way to Eugene see Crater Lake and Oregon Caves. I would stay at the Park Lodge at Crater and the caves. After Portland drive the Multnomah Falls/Columbia River Gorge scenic route. You could see Mt. Hood, Mt Rainier on the way to Seatle. See Banff in route to Calgary. See Glacier National Park and Yellowstone on your way back home. Don't know which of those would interest you. You wouldn't have time to do all of them,but you could do a variety and get a taste of everything.

1 Arches National Park
Arches, red rock, Biking,
Canyoneering, Hiking
(2-3 days)

2. Oregon Cave and Lodge
(1 day)

3. Crater Lake and Lodge
hike on Wizard Island in lake
(1-2 days)

4. Columbia River drive
Very scenic waterfalls/drive
(1 day)

5. Banff
Gorgeous
(1-2 days)

6. Glacier National Park
Hike highland trail/stay in
Granite Chalet
Tea in Waterton Lodge
dinner in Glacier Park Lodge
(3-4 days)

7. Yellowstone/Tetons
Drive Beartooh HWY )scenic
stay in Old Faithful Inn
(4 days)

bggirl

If you're interested in doing any wine tasting, check out http://www.oregonwine.org/Home/. You'll see some beautiful scenery driving to and from the wineries. Can be done in the Willamette Valley on your north from Eugene. Or if you stay in Portland for a night or two, drive to the gorge to see Multnomah Falls and stop by a few along the way.
There are three Marriott's in downtown Portland. There's a Residence Inn at the Riverplace, might be some festivals (jazz and blues festivals happen during the summer) worth checking out on the waterfront furing that time. There is also a Marriott Waterfront and another one in the heart of downtown. I've never stayed at any of them since I live here, but all are within walking distance of the main restaurant/shopping areas. You can also access public transportation to get to NW Portland/Pearl District easily for more restaurants and shops. If you like Thai food, I love Typhoon! in Portland, there is one in the heart of downtown and one in NW Portland.
I went to Seattle a few years ago and did the underground tour. It was actually pretty cool to see what the city looked like before they raised it up.

dwooddon

In Canada, I highly recommend a visit to Jasper and a drive along the Icefields Parkway. It is breathtaking. That takes you a bit further north than your outlined route but you could use the trip down the parkway to head south again.

ladystack

As the above poster suggested, be sure to take 128 into Moab and visit Arches Natl Park....a wonderful route not to be missed.

scottvan

Sounds like a fun trip. Consider Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge: lovely drive, unique building, and skiing if that's your thing (I've skied there in June and August). It's a bit East of Portland, so it may or may not be on your route, but it could well be worth a detour, depending on your tastes.