Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, GT, MT RANIER, Olympic NP
Jul 2nd, 2006, 06:34 PM
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Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, GT, MT RANIER, Olympic NP
My husband, myself, and our 12 yr old son are planning a trip for next summer (July 2007)- We will be flying to Seattle then driving to Glacier for 2 nights, then to Yellowstone for 3 nights, then to Jackson for 2 nights, then to Boise via Craters of the moon for 1 night, then to Mt Ranier for 2 nights, then to Olympic for 3 nights - then back to Seattle to fly home to Charlotte, NC - any suggestions on places to stay - we would like to ferry to Friday Harbor and do a whale watch excursion - I would appreciate any suggestions (kayak or motor boat?? -)please advise on this schedule of favorite places to lodge, eat, see, do!!! Thanks!!!
Jul 3rd, 2006, 11:33 AM
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I would never presume to tell anyone how to take their vacation but if I were doing what you have planned I would need a vacation from the vacation.
Realize you want to see a lot of territory but why don't you think about doing only half those parks at a time. You will be doing nothing but driving otherwise.
If you fly into Seattle you could do Olympic, Mt Rainier and Mt. St. Helens or North Cascades all within Washington State. If you fly into Billings or Bozeman Mt you could do Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Glacier. Between Yellowstone and Glacier alone you have 400 miles to drive.
If you plan on staying inside the parks, make your reservations now for next year. You will pay more to stay inside the park but will cut down even more driving back and forth to the surrounding communities.
Get a National Park Pass at either your first park ($50) or if a AAA member they now offer them for $48. Good for entrance fees for all the parks for a calendar year.
Some things to take in consideration. Road construction inside the parks is done during the summer. Going to Sun Road in Glacier begins this year and is scheduled to take 10 yrs. Yellowtone is an on going project though a lot has already been completed. So keep in mind you may be waiting up to 30 mins at a time to get around the construction.
Wildlife is usually more visible early and late in the day.
Parking lots fill up quickly during the summer. Logan Pass is usually filled by 11am. Consider taking the Red Jammer buses and let them tell you about the park as they do the driving.
Take binoculars for everyone. No one wants to give them up if they spot a griz.
Get out of the car. A majority of park visitors don't get a mile away from their cars. There is an excellent hiker shuttle service in Glacier.
Realize you want to see a lot of territory but why don't you think about doing only half those parks at a time. You will be doing nothing but driving otherwise.
If you fly into Seattle you could do Olympic, Mt Rainier and Mt. St. Helens or North Cascades all within Washington State. If you fly into Billings or Bozeman Mt you could do Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Glacier. Between Yellowstone and Glacier alone you have 400 miles to drive.
If you plan on staying inside the parks, make your reservations now for next year. You will pay more to stay inside the park but will cut down even more driving back and forth to the surrounding communities.
Get a National Park Pass at either your first park ($50) or if a AAA member they now offer them for $48. Good for entrance fees for all the parks for a calendar year.
Some things to take in consideration. Road construction inside the parks is done during the summer. Going to Sun Road in Glacier begins this year and is scheduled to take 10 yrs. Yellowtone is an on going project though a lot has already been completed. So keep in mind you may be waiting up to 30 mins at a time to get around the construction.
Wildlife is usually more visible early and late in the day.
Parking lots fill up quickly during the summer. Logan Pass is usually filled by 11am. Consider taking the Red Jammer buses and let them tell you about the park as they do the driving.
Take binoculars for everyone. No one wants to give them up if they spot a griz.
Get out of the car. A majority of park visitors don't get a mile away from their cars. There is an excellent hiker shuttle service in Glacier.
Jul 3rd, 2006, 11:58 AM
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Have you mapquested the distances between these places? Some of them are an entire day apart. For example, do you realize that you will be driving 10+ hours from Seattle to Glacier, where you will spend one day, then you'll drive another 400 miles to Yellowstone? I'd split this up into 2 trips like the above poster suggests.
Jul 3rd, 2006, 03:59 PM
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Its a long hard 400 miles from Glacier to Yellowstone as it will be for some of the other legs of your trip. You are not taking into consideration the roads in that part of the country. Almost all of your travels will be on two lane and/or mountainous roads. The guesstimates that you can get from mapquest as to drive times will not hold true when the wheels hit the road. One good bearjam in Yellowstone or Glacier can set your schedule back several hours.
