I would be interested in others' ideas about road trips or fly/drive vacations to scenic area without crowds in the West. Places where you feel spiritually re-newed and relaxed. We are interested in easy hikes, wild-life watching, mountain panoramas. I also like history and museums. Estes Park seems like such a great place. But

Sedona, Arizona sounds like it would fit your needs. Maybe a roadtrip through New Mexico in the fall.

Where the hell is Estes Park?

Estes Park is in a pretty location but is such a tourist trap. Little expensive stores and resturants and not much else. You can't beat the Tetons and Yellow Stone Park for wildlife, history and beautiful sights. The northeast corner of Yellow Stone is the best - no crowds, wild flowers galore, long horn sheep, lots of moose, and the only place we saw grizzly bears. The Roosevelt Lodge is inexpensive and takes you back in time. The 'Old West Cookout' dinner is fun and entertaining but you must book early to get in and we would recommend taking the wagons over the horseback riding trip. There are so many nice hikes, if you like to fish, see wild flowers or just enjoy a pretty little lake, head up to Trout Lake (.6 mile) you'll more than likely have the place to your self. The Teton are outstanding! I can't say enough about the float trip down the Sanke River. Barker-Ewing has wonderful guides with different areas of expertise. We took the last float of the night in hopes of seeing more wildlife and it really payed off. Our guide was Bill McDavid who has a degree in anthropology and American history, his stories of the Native Americans who lived in the area created a magical evening. Hope this gives you some ideas. At both National parks we did not experience any crowds. Our trip was in mid-July and one of the best we have done. We also went the Mt Rushmore on this trip, the Peter Norbeck Scinic Byway just to the south of the memorial is incredible. The area outside of the national and state parks are scattered with ugly, tacky tourist sights but well worth a chuckle as you drive on past. If you are traveling by motorhome you would not want to attempt this loop, there are several one-way tunnels carved through large rocks. If you are interested in places to see in the Southwest, we have also traveled throughout, just ask. Good luck and happy trails!

Estes Park is near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I do agree it is a "tourist trap" type town but any-one who complains too loudly about it much never have spent much time hiking in the mountains near by. There are many easy hikes and difficult hikes and they are all awesome. They are unbeatable. We are planning our fourth trip next fall--and I do recommend going later. Last year we went the last week in August and nearly had the place to ourselves. The elk are abundant--right in town--along with tons of other animals. If all you want to do is stay in town and walk around I'd stay away from any town that is near beauty--there will be tourist traps. But if you are looking for awesome beauty--spend most of your day in the mountains and go a bit off-season.

Hi Mike:

The most relaxing vacation I spent out west was at the Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, Alberta, Canada eh! The lakes were pristine, beautiful mountain vistas, in March/April or November you might catch an Aurora Borealis, lots of wildlife, hills, caverns, etc. I hear that downhill skiing in January/February beats other locations in the Canadian Rockies minus the crowds.

Mike: There are five people in my family, me, my wife and three kids (two girls, one boy.) My wife, son and myself love the outdoors and scenic vistas. My girls love the big city. This past Christmas my mother took the two girls to NYC. My wife, son and myself flew to Bozeman, Mt rented a suv and drove to West Yellowstone and rented snowmobiles. We went into Yellowstone and it was great and, of course, it is scenic with the buffalos, geyers, etc. We'd been several time before but never during the winter and it was beautiful.

However, the absolute highlight of the trip was going into some of the adjoining wilderness areas that are not part of Yellowstone. I will never, ever forget parking the machine and soaking in the breathtaking vista of the continental divide. Everything was snow covered and it was indescribeable.
The wilderness areas had about 1/10 the people of Yellowstone and the scenery, to me, was just as appealing.

I too hate crowds and usually travel during the shoulder season specifically to avoid them. I am in Florida so I was likely somewhat enamored by the simple volume of the snow but that being said, it was a hell of a trip. Just getting to West Yellowstone from Bozeman is a very scenic drive.

Now I know why they call Montana "Big Sky Country."

Robert

There are parts of Capitol Reef National Park that were completely unmapped by any surveyor just 180 years ago; it really is that isolated and desolate. Take a walk for fifteen minutes from the road and you'll wonder if there's anyone else on the planet. One sunset it was so quiet that the loudest sound was my heart beat.

I don't know if I'd call it "spiritual renewal," but it definitely scenic, with easy hikes but no crowds!

Not much in the way of wildlife, however.

Sedona can get AWFULLY crowded! I know, I spent well over an hour in a traffic jam there one spring weekend. If you're serious about getting away from it all, try southeast AZ, as in Sierra Vista, Douglas, Benson, Bisbee...Chiricahua and Huachuca Mountains are gorgeous, and way under-utilized. There's great hiking at all levels, and amazing wildlife. No great restaurants, but some good ones, and no fancy hotels but plenty of charming inns. Weather's not too hot even in summer...fly into Tucson, drive an hour or two, and chill out!

Two Words: BIG SUR

If you do go, you might also want to look into taking a workshop at Esalen. It is a magical and mystical place. www.esalen.org

California's Sequoia and Lassen National Parks both offer the experience you are looking for and have a fraction of the crowds as at Yosemite.