West coast national park road trip

jrnjill, you have used the symbol which identifies trip reports. If you are looking for suggestions about planning a trip, you should consider re-posting without the symbol.

Editors, very nice of you to remove that!

If you are going in June, I would suggest you start at the southern end and go north.

Parks I would consider would be, not necessarily in order and I know some are inland but they're nice, so go if you haven't been there:

Mojave
Death Valley
Sequoia/Kings Canyon
Yosemite
Channel Islands
Point Reyes
Redwood
Crater Lake
Mt. St. Helens
Olympic

and aome more that I can't remember, but I wouldn't limit myself to NP's as there are great state parks along the route too.

I suggest you include Lassen Volcanic National Park in N. California. Fascinating thermal walks and a great hike on a good trail to the summit:

http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

These sets might give you some ideas of what to see. Most of the pictures are geo-tagged:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/collections/72157624514508361/

There is a book which I still use, and which is still valid for the most part, that lists all the campgrounds in the western U.S., western Canada and Mexico. Unfortunately it is no longer published, but maybe you can find a used copy somewhere. It is the Allstate Motor Club RV Park & Campground Directory 1991.

I still use it to find National Forest campgrounds which I generally prefer to National Park or State Park campgrounds.

jrnjill,

I forgot: I wrote a couple trip reports over a period of time covering camping trips that we took from SF up to Washington which might be useful for you; click on my name to find them.

Sorry about the post with a symbol. Im new to fodors and the whole posting thing. Thankyou all for your suggestions. I definetly like the Natl. Forest ideas. And am open to see any state parks. Please keep the ideas coming. And again thankyou all.

Consider adding:

Highway 1 from Point Reyes to Westport
The Oregon Coast from Brookings to Astoria
Mt. Rainier

HTTY

jrnjill,

Do go to www.nps.gov for a complete look at the NP's you can visit

There are a lot of GREAT state parks in California you should not miss!!!!!

Big Basin (Or one of the other parks in the Santa Cruz Mountains)
New Brighton or Sunset or Manressa in Santa Cruz county for ocean side camping.


I am just going to mention these few because I am from Santa Cruz and know them well but there are hundreds.
One in Oregon I found worthy is Silver Falls State Park.

You might be a little early, even at the end of June, for Lassen and Crater Lake. The roads might not be fully open.
Would be a little early for some things in Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades too.

While we enjoyed Big Basin for a few hours, I don't know that I would go out of my way again for it.

Is there any chance of moving this more into July or is June what you have to work with? Probably the earlier to Yosemite the better(for the valley anyway).

In Oregon, you would also want to include Columbia River Gorge and some of the coast. Perhaps Silver Falls state park. We love love Portland--Stumptown Roasters and Powells Bookstore. I would include Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens as well. We were in Oregon for 2 weeks a couple of years ago and loved it.

If all you have is June then I would probably start out in LA, head up HWY stopping at Channel Islands(camp there and possibly kayak), Hearst Castle, McWay Falls, Point Lobos, San Francisco, Pt. Reyes, Yosemite, Sequoia, and then back to LA. If you have time you could add Joshua Tree or Death Valley. Those would be getting pretty darn hot by June though. I think just the California or the Oregon/Washington would better than trying to do them all at once.

oops, just saw that Chris mention Silver Falls too. So , I guess I should have seconded that.

Newberry National Volcanic Monument outside of Bend, OR is very interesting. You can also visit the Lava Cave there.

Agree with BarbAnn. Newberry has an obsidian mountain def worth checking out. If you are into volcanoes or geology there is a new volcano highway scenic drive that takes you through the Cascades of NE California and Oregon. http://www.volcaniclegacybyway.org/volcan.html
NE California is very pretty and the least visited part of the state. The drive will take you through some great parks. Shasta, Lassen, Lava Beds, Medicine Lake, Crater Lake, Newberry, Crack in the Earth, Hole in the Ground, Sisters, Mount Hood, Mount Everest and more.

Ummm not Everest... LOL. Mount St. Helens... That would be a neat drive thou.

Fooey - worked on post and the computer jammed up.

Anyhow - for Oregon, where I am from - recommend you consider getting up to the gorgeous Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood - where you can swim in the heated pool and watch the ski teams training during the summer up on the glacier. see http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

On the way - you could go out the Columbia River/Gorge from Portland and take the frontage road past 7 waterfalls, including Multnoma - the longest drop of water in the state.

From there - you could go down 97 through Bend and the classic Newberry volcanic park with the mountain of obsedian and then to one of the 7 natural wonders of the world - Crater Lake. see: http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm

From there - you could take the Umpqua river out to the coast - or head on down to beautiful Lake of the Woods http://www.lakeofthewoodsresort.com/ - with a marvelous view of the perfectly shaped cinder cone volcano known at Mt. McGloughlin. My niece climbed that as a 14 year old with her fellow girl scouts.

Or - you could go out the Rogue River valley to the coast and maybe take a jet boat ride back up the river at Gold Coast.

For the glass ceiling coffee shop/dining room - which looks up Multnoma falls - see: http://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/

And for one of the Jet Boat companies at Gold Beach: http://www.roguejets.com/

www.hellgate.com is another good jet boat(it is inland and we really enjoyed it).

Tomsd,
You think June is all right for Crater Lake? I've only done it once. We really enjoyed doing the boat to Wizard Island, and I don't think that operates in June. I'm not sure how much of the road would be open at that time.

One never knows how the roads will be. Suggest you start checking the snow reports/depth about Feb and get a better idea as to what might happen and how strong of a winter it has been. Many years ago when I was there (lived in Klamath Falls) they used to plow earlier - when they had more funds, but now - who knows?

spiro: And as for the boat to Wizard Island: Have to admit that in all my trips up to Crater Lake -starting in the 50's - have never taken that ride - but would like to. You know - you live someplace and are going to do it the next time - or some such.

One could google closer to June and find out when they start running. Even if you can't do that boat ride - a drive around the rim is really a trip.

We tried to hike Bumpass Hell thermal area in October in Lassen and got snowed out! Often the roads aren't open in June, either. Don't miss Silver Falls State Park near Silverton Oregon or the Columbia Gorge if you like waterfalls. We stayed at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton for really cheap (look for Groupons) and got into the garden next to the resort as well. Closer to where I live, don't miss Point Reyes National Seashore. Lots of great hiking and views. Big Sur along the coast past Carmel is gorgeous, too. Am jealous of your wonderful trip!

If you hit Lassen and other parts of NE California, cheCk out Burney Falls, too, even if just for a peek. Amazing.
One important heads-up about Califoria State parks this year, a few of them may be closed temporarily due to budget cuts. OF course we all hope it won't happen and the State parks Foundation is doing its best to keep parks open if the State pulls some funds. But please do check the State Park web site before your trip to make sure that the ones you want to visit are actually open. Sigh.

Don't forget National Historic Sites that are also run by the park service. There is lots of great history out here on the west coast that are held in state parks or historic sites. California is full of Native American history, Spanish colonial history, and gold rush history. If you are traveling the coast, you should see at least one of the still rural missions, like La Purisima near Lompoc, to get a feel for how mission life was back then.
Also you may want to include the National Recreation Areas like the Golden Gate NRA. Talk about history and natural beauty. Fort Point under the southern portion of the Golden Gate Bridge dates from the Civil War, I believe (but my knowledge on dates is not reliable!). Lots of World War II history as well.

Sounds like a wonderful trip no matter where you go. (And Crater Lake will likely still have lots of snow in June. North exit road may not be open yet. depends on this coming winter's snow fall).

Ahh Suz24: You bring back such great memories. When we lived on Union St in SF (between Gough and Octavia) - after getting back from the office and to forget the "legal" troubles of the day - would job out to Ft. Point and back - along the Marina Green, and enjoying the magnificent view of the Golden Gate and looking across at Sausalito. Some days - there would be wind surfers whipping around/across the bay, as well as sailboats, and when the surf was up - there would be those brave lads in the water near Ft. Point. It's a great place for a drive and then maybe to have a picnic. see: http://www.nps.gov/fopo/index.htm

On weekends, had a favorite market down on Chestnut St, a very cute neighborhood street that parallels Lombard - which has a great proscuitto sandwich (reasonably priced) - and would pick that up along with a beverage - and go to the Marina Green or to the Palace of the Fine Arts (built for the 1915 Exposition was it) - and enjoy the view. also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Fine_Arts

And one can also go out to the Palace of the Legion of Honor - for a beautiful view looking back at the Golden Gate, http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ and enjoy their wonderful art collection, as well as visiting the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. http://deyoung.famsf.org/

Also out that way - have brunch at the historic Cliff House. and overlook the Pacific. see: http://www.cliffhouse.com/home/index.html

Errr - that was jog out to Ft. Point from our pad on Union St. It was about a six and a half mile roundtrip run - just perfect for a nice workout after a busy day - and then after a relaxing shower, see what Bagdhad by the Bay (as legendary columnist Herb Caen used to call San Francisco) had to offer us for the evening. For a little SF history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Caen

Loved Herb - whose column in the SF paper was the first thing most people read every day - and also loved when he wrote about our favorite waiter - Edsel Ford Fong - who was also a SF legend - at Sam Wo's chinatown restaurant. Edsel used to really pick on the tourists - and we used to encourage him to do so. I know - shame on us. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel_Ford_Fong

Thankyou all for these wonderful ideas. Its so good to have a forum with people that have like minded ideas for what a good vacation is. Please keep the ideas coming. Our trip is definetly being planned by the ideas from you. If anyone can recommend some good campsites that are near some of the above mentioned areas please do so. The more the easier for my wife and I to plan this trip. Thanks again..

Last June (2011) I posted that the road to Crater Lake was open I think around June 21. It varies every year. So far there has been very little snow here and some of the ski resorts haven't been able to open. It can change though in the late winter/early spring and come dumping down. I live just an hour from the park so we go often. Check out their website for up to date road info.

Tomsd,
You should for sure take the boat ride. You get up close to Phantom Ship rock or whatever they call it and a couple of waterfalls. When you get over to the island they just drop you off and leave you. There wasn't even a park ranger there(that I could see anyway), there was a phone to call in case of an emergency. You should also walk to the top of WI and maybe down into it a bit. We took a picnic and enjoyed our 3 or 4 hours there. I decided to jump into the lake(where else can you swim in that perfect of water). Anyway, after I did several other folks did as well. One of them swam a short distance to "the old man"(the log that has been floating in the water there for 120 years). I was mad at myself for not doing so as well. But, about 30 seconds to a minute is all I could stand-very cold.
Link to our Oregon Photos from a couple of years ago. #97 starts CL and 102 begins the boat tour
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWNM

You asked for campground suggestions. Here is a list of campgrounds in Olympic NP:

http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

I'd suggest kalaloch if you want an Ocean view, Hoh to be in th erain forest (wiht elk walking through camp), or heart o'the Hills if you want to be close to Hurricane Ridge.

In Rainier, Ohanopecosh is very nice; cougar Rock is close to Paradise and probably snowfree in June but Paradise itself will be under snow. As for White River, I've skied through there in July. In other words, June is early for much of rainiier, but not all. You can still hike at Paradise if you are prepared for snow, but you won't see the amazing wildflowers.

I don't know if the campground at Crater lake will be open in June. Even if it is, that CG is one of our leaast favorite of the NP campgrounds (and most buggiest!)

I'll skip down to Yosemite, as this is important if you are going there. To camp in Yosemite Valley, you MUST make your reservations on the appointed day, right at 7:00 am, or you won't get a spot. If you are camping the first half of June (arriving June 14 or earlier), you reserve on January 15. If you are arriving June 15 or later, you reserve on February 15. www.recreation.gov Register in advance if you haven't already, and practice navigating the site. Be familiar with the various campgrounds and be prepared to grab one right away. They disappear in 2 or 3 minutes.

Camping in Yosemite Valley may not be what you expect. I reserved once but it was so crowded I decided to leave and instead camped outside the park. Sequoia NP, on the other hand, was very nice.

We went to Bumpass Hell (Mt. Lassen) last year in early August and there was still snow on the ground. We were stomping through snow to get down to the thermal stuff, and had to come back up a slippery snowy hillside to get back to the car. It was an adventure. Also, be aware that NPS is working on the trail to the top of Mt. Lassen so you cannot hike all the way to the top, if you are hikers. We were able to go up about half-way (which was plenty of hiking for me anyway.....) If you were just at Yellowstone, I'm not sure that I would take a day out of your trip for Lassen, given how much else there is to see. Not a slam on Lassen, which I love, just a question of priorities.

From what I have been hearing we probably wont be staying in Yosemite during to the mass amount of people. We definetly dont mind hiking and camping in cold or snowy areas. Adds a bit of adventure for us. Does anybody have any recommendations for the best route from The hudson valley area in upstate NY to the west coast. perfer scenic roads. But time limit is definetly and issue. Thanks again everyone and have a merry christmas.

Unless you wish to visit sites along the way, it might be best to go as fast as possible to Denver and then take I70-US50 across to California--I happen to like US50 across Nevada. Or, since you are in upstate New York, cross Ontario to the Michigan Lower Peninsula and drive north to the Upper Peninsula and then west, either dipping down to Yellowstone or staying north and driving through Glacier NP and then on to the West Coast. You'll be crossing some National Grasslands (where the buffalo roam) in North Dakota, or the Badlands in South Dakota, but until you hit those western areas of the Dakotas the drive west of the Mississippi River is just a long haul.

If you drive your own vehicle, you will spend a good week of your month east of Denver. One of the cheapest places in the west to rent a car is in Las Vegas. If you fly there and rent a car you can hit Mojave National Preserve, Channel Islands and head up the coast through San Francisco to Redwood NP. From Crescent City decide if you want to continue on the coast or head over to Grant Pass and I-5 for the northern part of your journey. We have not been having much snow yet but Crater Lake may get a lot of snow later. Toward the end of June you should be able to drive through Yosemite and over the Tioga Pass to get to Death Valley on the way back to Las Vegas.

Mount Lassen Trail is being worked on. Sometimes it is open on weekends only and closed during the week. You would need to check to see

Its about 3 months until we leave. We have decided that we will be leaving June 1 and driving west non stop to Las Vegas. Were we will spend 2 days to" relax". From there we willl head to Joshua tree for a day trip. then death valley where we will spend 2 nites with a rental 4x4 jeep camping near Mahogany flat. And taking in some of the less traveled areas. From here we will head north west to Kings canyon/and Sequoia "area" where we will spend aprox 5 days camping and day tripping to Yosemite. From there we will head to the San Fransisco area. Where We would like to find a state park to camp for a couple days while day tripping in this area.
From this part of the trip we havent set in stone.But I think from the bay area we will head north to Redwoods NP and spend 2 -4 days hiking, and visiting the near by state parks. From here we will head to the Crater Lake "area" weather permiting. While in Oregon I would like to spend about 3 days driving north towards Washington s Olympic NP any ideas on were to camp and hike heading north to Washington. Once in Olympic I would like to spend 5 -7 days on the peninsula area. Please recommend some senic campgrounds with seclusion.
From Olympic we will start the drive back east. We will try and stop at Mt. ranier We are hoping that by the first week of july the going to the sun road will be open and we can end our amazing Natl. Park tour with Glacier.
If it were not for the feedback from all of you I would not of been able to plan this at all. So please if there is one of those places that you think every person should see while in this part of country please let me know. Or is there one of those campgrounds that is your favorite and you didnt want to leave. Or just a certain drive that has magnificent scenery every where you look. These are the places we want to see. Thanks

You can't really day trip to Yosemite from Sequoia National Park.

Understand that Death Valley will most likely be BRUTAL HOT. I mean the kind of hot that is dangerous.

I'm not totally sure, but Yosemite probably won't be at peak crowds in early June.

Just a couple of quick comments:

Yosemite does not work as a day trip from Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Just the drive to Yosemite Valley takes more than 4 hours. That is w/o any stops.

And not sure I'd camp in Death Valley in summer. The 'average' high is about 110F and it can go MUCH higher. And nighttime lows are well over 80F, 95F is not unusual.

I love Death Valley but would never go in June. It can be so hot that it burns to breathe. You might reconsider this plan.

Oh - meant to say those are the averages for June (It gets much hotter later in the season)

You will be much more comfortable camping at one of the 5 campgrounds at Lake Isabella south west of Death Valley.
http://kernvalley.com/news/lakecamp.htm
Many years ago I did survive 1 night sleeping on a picnic table in DV with nothing but my skivvies and a sheet over me but it was not pleasant. The overnight temp got down to 95.
On the other end of your trip, the Going to the Sun Road opened over Logan Pass on July 13 last year. This winter there has been much less snow so far so you may be OK the first week of July.

Ok so death valley is out of the question for camping. But worth the drive thru. Does anyone know of any natl forests, state parks, BLM closer to Yosemite were I could day trip?

Are we wasting our time going to Death Valley and Joshua tree. Should we change our route and go from Vegas to Kings Canyon/Sequoia "area"? And if so do you know any campgrounds in between Vegas & KC/S?

I checked out the lake isabella area southwest of Death Valley and it sounds like thats where we will camp if we decided to go thanks its souds like a great alternative.

I would do the drive through Death Valley, walk out side a little, see the main sights, then head west to the mountains for the night. Look at the Ridgefield area there may be campgrounds for a night on the way to Sequoia there.

I agree w/ the caution about visiting Death Valley. I went once in 3rd wk of May and could only stand to tour around from 5 to 8 a.m. Food in car liquified. We cut the visit short and headed north to June Lake.

For Bay Area camping, IF it is open, check Samuel P Taylor between SF and Point Reyes. I fear the campground may close but perhaps not until July 1? Lovely redwood area. If you can hike in at least a couple of miles, you could camp backcountry at Point Reyes. Check into reservations soon.

If you wanted to break up the trip between SF and Redwood NP, look into Humboldt State Redwood Park. The campgrounds are developed, crowded, but the trees are awe-inspiring.

There are many appealing campgrounds along the northern coast (McKerricher, Russian Gulch, Patrick Point etc.) but again, you'll need to check into state park closures, alas.

We really enjoyed camping in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We stayed in Burlington Campground, but there are other campgrounds in the park that are further off the beaten path. It's a well-run park with nice bathrooms and showers. This park is along the Avenue of the Giants.

You might glean a little more information about this park and the Redwood National Park from my trip report. We did a combo of camping and motels.
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/northern-california-redwoods-and-trinity-alps-with-a-little-serendipity.cfm

Another favorite campground was Jedidiah Smith State Park.

Oops. That's Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

I HIGHLY recommend fitting Yosemite into your trip... The crowds can be daunting in the summer time, especially on weekends, however as a local I have learned that there are ways to avoid the masses, and enjoy the spectacular views that the park has to offer. If you access from the East entrance near Lee Vining, the line into the park is much less horrendous, and entering from that side you can drive through the spectacular Tuolumne Meadows (which in my opinion is just as breathtaking as the valley). If you stop in the TM area and go for a hike, all it takes is getting about 1/2 mile from the highway and the people disappear. It's about 1hr 20min from the east entrance into the Valley, but worth it to drive down into the valley and see the classic sights of El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, etc.. There is some spectacular camping about 35 minutes south of the east entrance at June Lake, or if you want to go a little further, Mammoth Lakes, CA is absolutely gorgeous as well, but still allow for day trips into the park. There is a lot of National Forest land outside Yosemite Nat'l Park - so plenty of camping on the east side out of the park. Also some very cool undeveloped natural hot springs in the area as well. I know the masses of people can be a deterrent, but Yosemite Nat'l Park and the surrounding area (especially the east side) are spectacular.

Joshua Tree, IMO, is an underrated place. The Palm Springs area will be hot, that's for sure, but if you're in the neighborhood, it's worth the time for the landscape, the unusual scenery and of course the Joshua trees. Your trip could offer an interesting blend of the forest and desert, the coast and the mountains. Sounds like a great time.

Sara, thanks for the recommendation of June lake and Mammoth lake. After reading your post I went online and checked out these areas. We will defintly be visiting these areas. There seems to be alot of camping options here even free camping. And there location is as you say great for day trips to Yosemite. Thanks again. We will try and see as much of the Inyo Natl. Forest area as we can.

We were wondering also if anyone has and opinion on weather or not to visit Great Basin Natl Park. I have heard there are no crowds lots of camping options and is beautiful. Thanks again to all of you.

Thanks for the info on Joshua tree. But wed have decided that wed will save that area as well as death valley and some other southwest areas for a winter vacation. Thanks

Yes to Great Basin! We loved camping there. The vistas are awesome. It's a vertical park so you can choose the campground at the elevation that appeals to you. Be aware that the camping is more rustic (pit toilets only) but there is fresh water. While there, take a tour through Lehman Caves. The park is pretty remote - we camped there while driving between Moab (where we visited Arches and Canyonlands) and Lake Tahoe.

Hi all,
Me and my boyfriend have quite the same travel plan as jrnjill: a west coast hiking tour in June and July. We have two months, and that should take us all the way from SF to Toronto (Cali --> Oregon --> Washington --> Glacier NP --> Minnesota --> Toronto). Our main interest is nature, and we´d like to see varied landscapes and biotopes on our way (we´re biologists). Redwoods, mountains and the coast are a must, but also volcanic areas (mudpools, hot springs) are interesting.

Can you recommend us great hiking, where we can beat the crowds? We want to see pristine nature, not people.. I´ve checked the national parks, and they seem very crowded during summer months.

And making a reservation for fixed dates and trailheads seems very difficult on such a long trip. We´re from Europe, so making reservations is not that easy anyway. So any suggestions about places, where we don´t need a reservation for backcountry camping? National forests, state parks?

So please: good hiking, great scenery, abundant wildlife but no reservations needed - and especially few people! We´ll be camping (preferably backcountry), and probably driving with rental car but would prefer public transport. Day trips and longer (5-7 days) hikes are in our itinerary.

And would a trip to Yellowstone be worth it? It´s really not on our route, and I´m afraid that there´s too much tourists.

We´re grateful of all help, thanks!

ps. does anyone know, what´s the best (easiest to get in US) fuel for a camping stove?

Anskis! Please please please. Start a new thread for your trip, or things will get totally confused.

Any of the big chain outdoor activity stores and a lot of hardware stores carry camping stove fuel.

Supermarkets also used to carry camping fuel.

National Parks such as Yosemite are crowded, but start hiking on almost any trail and you will be by yourself. Most tourists stay within 100 yards of the parking lot. You do not need reservations for hiking on trails for the day, only for camping in the back country and the campgrounds on the valley floor.

National Forest campgrounds are generally more primitive than National Park campgrounds and are not as crowded, with more space between campsites. For some, reservations would be useful, especially on weekends and if the campground is on a lake. Almost any secondary state road which goes through a national forest will have campgrounds on it--rule of thumb, above 5,000 feet.

Lassen National Park has mud holes, and a hike to the top which will take all day round-trip is probably not that crowded.

Don't look down too much on tourists; you are part of that crowd.

My picture colledtions might interest you; this is the West Coast:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/collections/72157624514508361/

Anskis,

How do you plan to travel? If by car, have you checked on the cost of renting in one place and dropping the car off in another?

From the description of your interests, I think that Yellowstone is preferable to Glacier because Glacier is more reminiscent of the Alps and the visible fauna is not as varied as in Yellowstone. And of course there are the geysers, the mud holes and the limestone excretions.

For isolation, there are places on the California north coast where the likelihood of coming across hordes of tourists is minimal--the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is a good example (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4853888540/in/set-72157624512998387 and subsequent pictures). For a completely different type of landscape, the area just south of Lava Beds National Monument is interesting for its lava formations, as is the National Monument itself. Medicine Lake would be the campground to use--it is very popular because of the boating on the lake, but it is quite isolated.

The trail to the top of Mount Lassen is being repair. Last year we were able to go about half-way up. I assume that his year more will be available, but you should check their website. They did have the trail open all the way to the top a couple of weekends a year. Again, check the website. BTW, don't be fooled into thinking that it's an easy hike, because it isn't. It isn't tremendously difficult, but it's pretty strenuous. I only made it as far as I did because I had my two kids with me (15 yo and 20 yo) and I wasn't about to back down in front of them....

Sorry. I should have said it is being repaired.

Thanks for your replies and tips! I´ll start a new thread, as adviced. I thouhgt it´s convenient to continue this one, since our needs of advice are similar than the original question.. Sorry!

Michael, it´s specifically backcountry camping that we´re interested in, and worried about (permits). We want to do longer hikes as well, not just day trips.
As to getting around, I´ve thought that a car is the only way to get to the trailheads. Especially if we want to avoid the most popular areas. It´s costly (I´ve checked), but do we have an alternative?
Thanks for the tips on Sinkyone, have to take a look at that.

We have a little better idea of our route. we will drive west on highway 70 until we get to Utah and then take highway 15 north until we get to route 6/50 then head west until we reach Great Basin. Spend 2 or 3 days here to relax after that 30 hour drive. From here we will head to Ely NV and south/west on route 6 into Kings Canyon/Sequoia "area". We will find camping in the surrounding natl. forest. From here we will head north to the Mammoth lakes & June lakes area were we can day trip into Yosemite. From here we will head north into the surrounding area of Lake Tahoe sounds like there is some great camping here. Any recommendations? From here we will head north west to Redwoods natl park and the surrounding state parks were we will spend 3-4 days exploring. From here we will head north on as many backroads as we can to get to the Klamath Falls area then to Crater Lake area were hopefully most of the roads will be open. We hope to visit some of the costal state parks after we leave Crater Lake. After a couple days of this we should be pretty close to the Olympic peninsula. Were we will spend 4-5 days hiking and camping. From here we will head to Mt Ranier and then east on highway 90. Depending on how much time we have we might go into Glacier for a day or two. And from here the very long drive home.
We just cant wait to go. I am sure alot of you no this feeling if you enjoy traveling like we do. The only part of the trip we don't like to think about is the ending. Can someone please recommend some coastal areas with great camping between Coos bay and Olympic NP. Thanks again everyone.

I spent 2 nights in a yurt at the Sunset Bay campground on Presidents' Day weekend. http://oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/rustic.shtml
It sure beat setting up a tent. Sunset Bay is about 18 miles SW of Coos Bay. Go through Charleston toward Cape Arago.
I have also stayed at a yurt north of Coos Bay at Tugman SP.
Are you planning on stopping at Lassen NP before heading over to see Redwood NP?
There is less snow than usual at Crater Lake this year but I do not expect the north entrance to be open before July 1.

Anskis, we have been to yellowstone 2 times totaling 10 days of hiking and camping if its nature, wildlife, you areas looking for this is the place. There will be crowds in August but in my opinion its well.worth the effort.
I cant tell you about the other parks because we haven't been there but be prepared to do alot of driving. My wife and I believe that one of the best destinations is the drives we take to and from the Natl Parks ,some of the best veiws are on the roads to these places.

Michael, the pictures are awesome! Makes me wanna jump in the car and leave now. Thanks!

Elnap29, We defintly are going to GB. Do you have any recommendations for some good camping spots we like primitive. We also have been to Arches & Canyon lands we enjoyed both very much we took and 8hr rafting trip out of moab and were able to see some parts of these parks not many people get to see.
Do you know of any camping spots near Lake Tahoe? Thanks

Tomfuller, I dont know much about yurts. Sounds like it might be something we should try. We were thinking of doing a day trip to Lassen or maybe and overnight spot in between do you know of any camping options. Some people have said because we have been to Yellowstone the last two years that we shouldn't take the time. I really haven't done much research on Lassen but probably will now. Done you think we will be able to drive rim road in Crater? Thanks

Medicine Lake is between Crater Lake and Lassen, above Lava Beds National Monument in altitude, but south of it geographically. It's a National Forest campground.

If you have limited time and you'll be seeing lots of other mountains then I agree that you should not take a day at Lassen unless there is something there that you really want to see, especially if you were just at Yellowstone.

This would be the Forest Service campground you are looking for in the Sequoia National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/gsnm/gsnm-princess-cg.html
After you see the Giant Sequoias you may not be impressed with the Coast Redwoods.
In June you should be able to at least drive around the west side of Crater Lake. We are expecting at least a foot of new snow within the next 3 days in the southern Cascades.
Lassen is my least favorite National Park.

We need a good route between Lake Tahoe And Redwoods
Then from Redwoods to Crater Lake.
By this part of our trip we would like to be on ba.ckroads.
We checked out Lassen and we will not be visiting there this year.
Thanks again to everyone and please keep the recommendations coming for things to stop and see to great hikes that shouldn't be missed or that great campground that we shouldn't pass.
If it wasn't for all of your input this trip would be almost impossible to plan in the detail like we are doing

Tahoe into San Francisco. Go across the Golden Gate Bridge and find your way to Point Reyes http://norcalhostels.org/reyes/news/p,3907/
Point Reyes is run by the National Park Service.
Head north on Rt. 1 and US 101 to either Klamath or Crescent City. After Redwood NP, it is US 199 with a side trip over to the Oregon Caves National Monument. You have to go back to 199 to get to Grants Pass. To avoid Medford, take 234 through Gold Hill to get to 62 to the south entrance of Crater Lake.

Assuming that you will have your fill of redwoods north of Mendocino, I would not drive to SF to then go north. Google map (or whichever other on-line mapping program you choose) Tahoe City to Bodega Bay for the fastest way to get to the coast, and you'll have plenty of coastline going to Mendocino.

Have driven by Mt Lassen (or what is left of it) and the forests are pretty but it's pretty much a short, round peak to me. Suggest you spend more time by either Mt. Shasta (still a beautiful cinder cone)- or in Oregon starting with Mt. McGloughlin by Klamath Falls/Crater - or the 3 sisters by Bend, or a bit north of there - Mt. Jefferson or the most spectacular one in Oregon - Mt. Hood outside of Portland and stay at one of my all time favorite/old classic lodges, Timberline. If I didn't previously include the webpage - here it is: http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

Here are some pics of Mt. McGloughlin and also Mt. Jefferson - which most people don't know about, and I threw in the Three Sisters as a bonus:

http://tinyurl.com/72gwhg8

http://tinyurl.com/7qxoo2f

http://tinyurl.com/6rfrnvy

If this works - here is a good picture post card with most of the great Cascade peaks:

http://tinyurl.com/7uoer5n

Actually - here is the interactive map and just click on each mountain you want to see more of/learn more about:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/ImageMaps/CascadeRange/cascade_range.html

BTW - please permit to brag a wee bit about my niece Michelle - now a Junior at UCLA - but about 7? years ago - when she was 12 or so - she and other 3 girl scouts (4 dropped out) climbed Mt. McGloughlin in a single day. They trained at beautiful Lake of the Woods - about 30 minutes from my home town of Klamath Falls. http://www.lakeofthewoodsresort.com/

See below for more info and a suggested trail map - re: scaling Mt. McGloughlin - should you feel the need for some altitude.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=MCLOUGHLIN

http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.asp?DispType=0&ID=4171

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-mcloughlin/150504

Since Tomsd mentioned the Three Sisters, here is a link to the really hard core climbers who do the Three Sisters marathon.
http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/Trip_Marathon_Creedican.htm
I do have a younger friend who climbed to to top of Mt. Thielsen "The lightning rod of the Cascades".

tomf: Holy sore feet? Hadn't heard about that 5 peak marathon. Good for ye. Sounds like a real challenge.

Are you in the Bend area? An ole high school classmate of mine was a long time supervisor there, and loves living there.

I went to a geocacher event Wed night (2/29) in Bend.
I live 50 miles south of Bend off US97.
When his QB days were over Drew Bledsoe built a beautiful house in Bend.

Tomsd, thanks for the interactive map I known we will use

Jrnjill, we have never made reservations to camp at Great Basin; I think it's first-come, first-served. My husband and son have gone lots more than I have, and they always camp at the one at the top - which may be called Wheeler Peak Campground. It's a beautiful campground, but it's at 10,000 feet, and when we've been there (in July) it felt cold and damp to me. My husband prefers it, but I've insisted on camping in the campground at the next elevation (around 8,000 ft I think). We have had rain and even snow! But it was still great camping! We are sort of minimalist and use a small tent. The storms can pass quickly and the views during and after are fantastic. During one storm, about 40 people gathered on the porch of the visitor center to watch. But it can be quite sunny and warm there, too, so be prepared for anything.

I will give Lake Tahoe area camping some thought. We are not fans of crowded campgrounds, so we go off the beaten path. (Our days of backpacking are behind us now). A lot depends on what you want to experience in the area. We love the Sierras and most recently have camped in some remote areas. I'll also get back to you about a good route to get to the Redwoods from Tahoe. There is a beautiful highway that may be what you want. I just have to consult a map so I give you the correct directions.

From the Redwoods, we have gone east from Crescent City to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park to Oregon Caves, then on to Crater Lake. Again, I need to check the map. Will get back to you.

Elnap29, Thanks for the info. We also like campgrounds off the beaten path.

"From the Redwoods, we have gone east from Crescent City to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park to Oregon Caves, then on to Crater Lake. Again, I need to check the map. Will get back to you."

This sounds like a great route.

After months of planning, and so many great ideas from all of you we are leaving on May 31. We will be visiting 8-9 national parks countless National forests were we will be doing most of our overnight camping for the simple fact they are mostly free with alot less crowds and in close proximity to all National parks that we want to visit. Not to mention the solitude that were are seeking..
We will be doing a weekly trip report with as many pics, camping spots, driving routes and parks & forests visited.
Thankyou to everyone that gave us the great ideas without your opinions we would never of been able to plan all the great places we will visit.

Well, I'm ready to hear about it.

What did you end up deciding on?

Sounds wonderful! And now you'll have great information for US! Looking forward to it!

Do write about your trip and send cookies.

Anyone who wants to camp near the south end of Mt. Rainier NP, can camp at La Wis Wis USFS campground which is about a mile west of the intersection of US 12 and WA 123 which is the entrance road to the park.
I camped there last week even though the water system was not on. A group of Passport in Time volunteers worked on a 1930's CCC Guard Station. The cabin will not be ready to rent for about 3 years.
I wrote a trip report which no one responded to.

I would like to know how far Mammoth Lakes is from Yosemite ?

Thanks

Melissa

It's about an hour to go up 395 and then up the Tioga Pass and into the are by Tuloumne Meadows - and from there - another hour and half or so to the Village Center/Floor. Could take a little longer if there is slow moving traffic along the way - but a great view can be had while you are chugging along.

Sorry , I didn't list were we are heading.
We will drive from upstate Ny to Great Basin from there to Sequia then on to Kings Canyon from there to Yosemite north into the lake tahoe area from there we will head to Redwoods with a day trip thru Lassen. While in Redwoods area we will be going to Jedediah smith. From there we will head to Klamath falls &Crater lake and then to Mt Hood national forest from here we will head north to Mt Ranier then onto Olympic from here we will start them slow trip back east with a stop at Glacier and then onto the out of the way Theodore Roosevelt then back home. We are fortunate to be able to take 48 total days on the road.