KB

Planning a road trip from Chicago to Pacific NW (Portland, Seattle) for late June/early July. Have up to two weeks one way. Any recommendations for scenic routes/sights/hiking/accomodation? Yellowstone's a must. What else? Also, thinking about coming back via Canada. Any thoughts/suggestions on that? Thanks a ton!

John

Hi, KB, <BR>This is a favorite route of ours; we've used it to introduce overseas friends to the scale and variety of the USA - they were impressed. <BR> <BR>There's so much to see, but a couple of highlights IMO are (1) all of South Dakota - the Corn Palace in Mitchell, Badlands NP (a knockout - doesn't get enough praise I think), Deadwood/Lead and the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore.. <BR>(2) the Little Bighorn battlefield - very atmospheric;(3) Yellowstone - ignore the crowds and enjoy; (4) Missoula; (5) the Grand Coulee country in Wash. OR the Columbia Gorge, depending on route. <BR>If you take I-90 westbound, be ready for your eyes to pop when you first see the Missouri River. Great trip.

Bob Brown

I would add to the list in the above communication a National Monument in Idaho: Craters of the Moon. <BR>Also, if you are in Yellowstone, don't miss the Tetons. And if you come into Oregon on the Interstate from Boise, Idaho, a few miles after you enter Oregon look for the Oregon Trail Museum. It is worth a stop and a look. <BR>In the state of Washington, Mount Ranier is beautiful. And Mt. St. Helens is within range, too. The view area is well developed. Crater Lake might be too far south for you, but Portland and those beautiful roses are not that far off. <BR> <BR>Coming back, I would go by way of the Trans Canada/Coquihalla Freeway through Revelstoke via Glacier National Park (Canada) as far as Canmore. The Rockies are worth seeing, particularly around Lake Louise and Yoho. <BR>Then drop south to Waterton/Glacier National Park, and from there head home. <BR>Of the features listed above, I am not a fan of battlefields -- Col. Custer getting his troops killed was actually a minor skirmish, more a monument to foolishness than anything else -- and I can do without those big stone heads at a place called Rushmore. (I get a lot of flack for my stance on that, but I think somebody ruined a good mountain.) But Yellowstone is marvellous. You do however have a slight problem there. <BR>Where did you intend to stay? It will take two or three days to see the major features of the park and do them justice, and the last I checked, room availability in the park itself was very very low. West Yellowstone has a lot of motels, but it is 30 miles to the geyser basins and 45 miles from those gorgeous falls. <BR> <BR>One final thought, if you are in Portland, drive over to the Oregon Coast and tour a few miles along it. I think it is gorgeous and many other posters to this forum agree with me.

April

Yes, I think you might want to drive back down through the States after visiting the Canadian Rockies as driving through the prairies can get quite tedious. I actually liked Mt. Rushmore even though I can't argue with Bob Brown's statement that it "ruined a good mountain". Pretty amazing sculpting though! <BR>

Nikole

Ok here's an idea....Follow the posts above about the things to see. Definitely don't miss The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. I would then make your trip go through Eastern Washington, down to Oregon (Hwy 84)that runs along the Columbia River Gorge. Stop at some of the wineries in that area, check out the windsurfers in Hood River, Multnomah Falls and continue on into Portland. (Or perhaps spend one night just outside of Portland at Edgefield Winery B&B) Next day head into Portland. Stay in the downtown area. Wander the shops, restaurants of downtown, take a walk down waterfront. If you really want to do some shopping go to the Lloyd Center. Take a day and go to the Zoo and the Rose Gardens. The zoo is fabulous be sure to take the train ride!! <BR> <BR>Once you decide to leave Portland (you'll probably want to stay , I would drive down South a little and make the beach in Newport my first stop. Probably stop at some wineries on the way, enjoy a night at the beach,etc. Then drive up the coast on the coast Hwy. Numerous places to stop and see, take that all the way up towards Seattle. It will make for a much nicer trip than taking the I-5 from Portland to Seattle. I would then continue up north going to Victoria and Vancouver BC and then head home. If you have any questions please email me. I have driven cross-country from NY to Portland, and used to live in Portland and can't wait to go home! Have a great trip! <BR>

Erika

Last summer my mother drove my sister from Chicago to Missoula, MT for the start of college, and on the way they stopped by various and sundry "Americana" type sights (like the Corn Palace), but the place they both recall as a highlight was the Harley Davidson mecca of Sturgis, ND. Not my cup of tea, but if you're into that kind of thing, it might be pretty fun.

Mary

Sturgis is in South Dakota and the annual rally is in August anyway. We went thru Mitchell, SD a couple of weeks ago (we live 50 miles from there) and couldn't believe the amount of tourists at the Corn Palace! Guess when you live that close it seems kind of "hokie" No matter what some people say-do not miss Mt. Rushmore! There is also another monument (Crazy Horse) near there which is in progress right now. Neither one takes too long to stop at and where else can you see "a perfectly good" mountain being ruined?

JoAnn

I want to add my thanks for all this information--we will be driving from Cincinnati, through ND over to the pan handle of ID, then on to Seattle, then down the WA, OR coast to Klamath Falls in late Aug, early Sept. You all have been a GREAT help in planning our trip. Keep the ideas coming, as I will keep checking. P.S.--The story of Mt. Rushmore and what it took to build it, makes it worth seeing--JMHO. Thanks

Mike

If your going to come back Canada way I would suggest takeing the ferry to Victoria from Port Angeles or Seattle that trip to Victoria is a must then you can take the ferry from Nanimo to Vancouver. Victoria is a fabulous place I've been there twice. I've also made the trip to your neck of the woods a few times and I would say there is not to much to see except Yellowstone or the Badlands,Mt Rushmore and the Blackhills. There will be various tourist things on billboards that you can stop and visit. If you want to check ou things in Oregon go to http://community.webtv.net/angry9/VacationTravelOregon <BR>

Tracy

I'm from Oregon, one of my favorite places is Ashland, Oregon. It's in Southern Oregon, about 5-6 hours from Portland. What's so great about it? <BR>1. Oregon Shakespearean Festival: This runs now through September. It's a charming town, great food, great theatre (its not only shakespeare either) <BR>2. Crater Lake is 90 miles away, beautiful beautiful <BR>3. River Rafting on the rogue river. <BR>4. Oregon Vortex: Okay..it's a little cheezy, but if you like cheeze.. <BR> <BR>However, it sounds like you are going to stay further north. A great day trip from Portland would be a trip up to Multnomah Falls. Be sure to take the old highway up the Columbia River. There might still be skiiing up at Mt. Hood around that timeframe. Again, Mt. Hood is only about an hour from Portland. In June I've spent the morning snowboarding, and then spent the afternoon mountain biking on the trails around the area. <BR> <BR>If you are more of a suburbanite, Northwest Portland is the happening area for eateries, and fun shops. <BR> <BR>If you want a kick-back evening, check out the restored Baghdad theatre. You can see a movie while having a great hamburger. <BR> <BR>Traveling from Portland to Seattle, you HAVE to stop at Mt.ST. Helens. I loved it. There's also some novice spulunking caves around there to. You don't need any special equipment, just a flashlight and hiking shoes. <BR> <BR>Finally, if you are into nightlife, in Portland the happening spots seem to be Polyesters (I was just their last weekend), or the Cage. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Matt

Check out Hell's Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border.