Rocky Mountain road trip
 

We recently replaced our trusty 1999 Camry with over 200,000 miles on it with a new car and have decided to celebrate by changing our summer vacation in the Rockies into a road trip, thus saving $1,000 on car rental and getting back roughly another thousand towards a future flight to somewhere.

So we will be driving from San Francisco on I-80 through California and Nevada, then heading unto Twin Falls, Idaho for the night, and on to our destination at Jackson Lake Lodge. After 4 nights there, we go on to 3 nights at Blue Sky cabins in Montana, then a week in Glacier National Park (4 in east, 3 in west), then heading home via Washington State and Oregon, stopping to spend one to two nights in Portland, before returning home.

Does anyone have suggestions of favorite places to eat or towns to stop in or short walks to take along this route? This is our first road trip in 23 years of marriage, so we don't have much experience.

US 95 north of Winnemucca is a bit desolate. I like Idaho Falls a little better than Twin Falls.
You may not want to spend a full week in Glacier.
Check out Coeur d 'Alene ID on the way back.
Be sure to see the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge east of Portland.
Try to hit Crater Lake NP on the way back home.
How do you earn your airline miles?

In Idaho take US20 to get to Jackson Hole; that will take you through Craters of the Moon National Monument.

In Montana, Garnet Ghost town is worth a visit, as is Helena.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623117942088/ and subsequent pictures

Last summer we spent two weeks going to Yellowstone and back. You might be interested in the trip report; click on my name to find it.

Thanks.

We get our miles by charging even a pound of coffee and paying off bill every month, (United Mileage Plus), and flying United or partners to most destinations.
Our flight to Missoula we paid for in real money. When we cancel, we will be credited the cost of our flights towards the next one minus a $200 per person change fee.

Right now we are saving our miles for a hoped for trip and trek to either Nepal or back to Bhutan in 2018.

Between Jackson and Craters of the Moon is a funky Los Alamos type place of laboratories called Atomic City. No idea if there's anything there to explore.

Our flight to Missoula we paid for in real money. When we cancel, we will be credited the cost of our flights towards the next one minus a $200 per person change fee.

And this gets you $1000 how? Just not following. ;o)

The flights cost $750 each. After change fee, we will have $550 each credit.
Rental car is $1000.00