My brother and niece are planning a trip to the western US as a high school graduation trip for her. Here is their basic itinerary...any comments or suggestions would be very much appreciated. What are the most interesting sights? Best travel routes? I know this site has loads of info on this topic and I have read much of it. However, having never been past the Mississippi we are looking for all the help we can get. Thanks!

Day 1 - Fly into Jackson Hole,WY from DCA. Pick up rental car. Hotel in Driggs,ID.

Days 2-5 - Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

Day 6 - One day (9 hour!) drive to Glacier NP. 3-4 days there.

Day 10 - another long drive to Portland,OR. Spend the night and head to Crescent City, CA and the redwoods.

Things are sketchy all along but even looser here. After the redwoods drive to Yosemite for a few days, then back to Sacremento to fly home on Day 14.

It will be a whirlwind. My sweet brother is trying to get his daughter to all the things she wants to see. This is probably a once in a lifetime thing for the two of them together, so thanks for any help.

Waayyy too much driving.

I'd skip the drive to Portland, and fly to SF from Boise?

That would be about Day 10 right? Just enough time to have a couple of days in SF and drive down the coast to LA and fly back.

Or, go north from Glacier to Banff and that area.

Sorry - but GNP to Portland to Crescent City to Yosemite to SMF in 5 days is nuts - where are the "few days" in Yosemite supposed to fit in?

The whole thing - except for the 3-day stops in Yellowstone and GNP - needs to be re-thought (is that a word??)

Your instinct is right--things are closer together on the other side of the Mississippi.

The idea to fly to San Francisco is a good one. Even so you still ought to drop one destination.

In Glacier, the best is to have :
-2(3?) nights in the east part(Swiftcurrent motor inn in many glacier is a good choice-the motel rooms : nice easy-middle or strenous hikes- wild life, "cruise" on lakes,...)
-2(1?) night in the west part(lake mc Donal lodge) for Avalanche lake, Bownal lake,...
Erik

Start all over! We are from Boston and have made several trips to western National Parks and other areas. Since in the northeast you can drive thru 6 states before dinner, it is easy to get over-enthusiastic. And fight the impulse to say "since we have gone this far, we should also see..."

If she is graduating HS she has lots of time to go west in the future - create an experience, not a list where she can check off places she has driven thru. And unless there is some dire event pending, this is not the last time they can travel together - we leave for Alaska in 6 weeks with our 18 and 22 year olds.

I will assume the flight to Jackson is set, so I will start there. It is a little nutty to drive to Driggs for a hotel if you are then going back to GTNP. We actually did a day trip to Driggs for no particular reason from Jackson, and while it was an enjoyable drive and there were great views from the mountain pass, I would not drive there after a long flight from the east - remember although arrival time may say 3 PM, for example, it will feel like 6 PM.

Skip California. Flights into Jackson tend to be expensive, making future trips there less likely than going to California which has a number of budget airlines and so many airports there always seems to be a deal.

Now, you still have 12 days (forget about the 2 travel days). You can easily spend a week at GTNP and Yellowstone - go on a float trip (Snake River), a white water rafting trip (Gardiner). Then pick one other thing - perhaps Glacier NP. Or there are places in Montana and Wyoming mentioned here that you could add.

This sounds like it has the makings of a good trip, as long as it is less. While I have found driving in a car with my almost-adult kids can be the only time we actually talk, I think this is way too much car time.

Or if she prefers, do the Oregon-California part. This is really 2 trips, each could easily take the time allotted.

Unless you want her to remember the West from looking out a car window, you need to start all over, w/a map.

I have to agree...this is to much driving for such a short period of time!

West Yellowstone to Glacier is 437 miles.

Glacier to Portland, OR is 625 miles.

Portland, OR to Redwoods is 375 miles. Last part will be slow coast driving.

Redwoods to Yosemite is 504 miles and a good 10 hours drive.

I'd cut it down to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier.

Utahtea

Horsemom,

What an awesome opportunity for a fabulous trip your brother and niece have!

I am a native of San Francisco and now live in Bozeman, MT 90 miles north of Yellowstone.

I am in full agreement with Utahtea - cut it down to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier Nat'l Parks.

I am also in agreement with Gail - stay in the immediate Jackson area after you arrive - don't drive to Driggs, ID. It's a waste of time to drive all the way over there for one night and then all the way back the next day.

14 days is a wonderful amount of time to explore and experience the Rocky Mountain West - a spread out land of much beauty, history and cultures.

While in Grand Tetons NP consider all the gorgeous hikes (easy to hard), float trips down the Snake River, Glider flights (out of Driggs - a great day trip), picnics at Oxbow Bend, etc. Shopping, eating and nosing around Jackson...

4-5 days in Yellowstone (which is HUGE) would be a non-rushed experience. Scenic and wildlife viewing, hiking, horseback riding, checking out all the thermal features, Ranger talks and guided walks (fascinating). One can even pop out the east entrance to Cody for a day trip to the Buffalo Bill Museum which is surprisingly large and good with varied exhibits - I'm a museum junkie so I know whereof I speak

Beartooth Highway, Chief Joseph Highway (google them - they have their own webpages).

I would urge them to take their time driving to Glacier. Even from Bozeman, where I live, it's a long drive. If they concentrate on the Rocky Mtn West they can take the time driving to Glacier from Yellowstone. They can spend a night on the way up then fly home from there.

I would suggest they vary their experiences - take the time to check out the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman - a Smithsonian affiliated museum with the best exhibit on dinosaurs in our nation. There are other lovely museums on the way up to Glacier. If museums don't interest your niece or brother then there's always shopping (downtown Bozeman has some fun, funky and toney shops) whitewater rafting, fishing...

Do some more homework by going to this website:

http://visitmt.com/

As Gail also said, the proposed trip itinerary is really 2 trips. The time alloted is best spent on the Rocky Mtn. West portion OR the Oregon & CA portion. To cram the proposed itinerary into 14 days really is nuts. It will probably only give your niece a life-long aversion to road trips.

Happy travels!

-doo