3 hour lunch
Footballguy
Found my extra Moab day activity- Canyoneering! Looks fun.
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National/State Parks Worth Seeing (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GroveDiesel
- Start date
cactus
Telepathic Stuntman
It's starting to get a bit warm here for the Supes, but I like the Black Mesa Loop trail as a good intro to the area. If you get started early in the day you should be okay, but keep an eye on the weather - I wouldn't try it above 90 degrees.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Forgot to follow-up post about our trip. What a splendid vacation! Crater Lake was cool to see, but it was COLD when we arrived and it was 5:30pm when we got there. The North Rim was closed, so we had to proceed to the South entrance which ate up some time. Plus, we brought our dog and that prevented us from doing too much, but it's a glorious spectacle and it was fun watching my twins frolic in the snow with the pup. They had fun doing that and couldn't believe that there was still snow in late May.
Camped along the Rogue River that first night - had the place all to ourselves. Gorgeous campground but it was pretty chilly and raining so we didn't stay long. The drive down to Crescent City was fun, though a bit windy and challenging. We had lunch at the Seaquest Brewery in Crescent City and had a terrific meal. My wife had fried avocado tacos that she loved. Beers were outstanding AND the gal serving us let me know they were selling 4-pack pounders of their flagship IPA for $5! What a steal!
From there we drove down towards Trinidad and stayed at the Emerald Forest. I rented a cabin for the night which was really neat - rustic, but had everything you'd need including a hot shower. Ate dinner that night at the 6-Rivers Brewery and though it was self serve where you order at the bar and go back to get your food, the waitress must have seen our beleaguered crew and took pity on us. She gave us full service and couldn't have been nicer. When I went to sign out the tab, I asked if she had any deals on beer to go. She offered me a free full beer to go in a cup with a lid and gave me two beer koozies. That gal nailed customer service 101 and I wrote a nice review based on that. We got to watch the sun set from high above the ocean, parked and made our kids listen to "Here Comes the Sun". Perfect way to end a day.
Next day, we stopped off at Arcada Community Forest near Humboldt State which offered up dog-friendly trails. Just a marvel to see all those giant trees up close. And they're everywhere; just behemoth trees stretching into the sky but what was really cool was being able to see all their features. These things survive fires, storms, high winds, insects - instead of succumbing to the elements, they persevere and show scars of survival. Feeling the soft bark you get an appreciation for these trees and I'm not very spiritual, but there was something magical about them for me.
Richardson Grove Campground was as perfect a place to pitch a tent as I've ever seen before. With Covid restrictions still in place, the campground wasn't completely full, which was nice. Still, it took our kids about 20 minutes to find friends and once they did, they'd disappear with their new buddies for long stretches playing Army Man and Battle - stuff I used to do as a kid. It was just great to see after a year and half with very limited social interactions with their peers (we did online school the entire year). Each afternoon, we'd hit the Eel River, skip rocks, swim, catch snakes, drink beer and just relax. The water was pleasant and I so enjoyed watching them tube down the little rapids over and over and over.
We did some touristy things - we saw the Grandfather Tree, went to the drive-thru tree park where I chickened out about 1/4 of the way in with our mini-van and had to embarrassingly back out.
We drove through the Avenue of the Trees, hiked around our campsite and tried to soak in as much of the Redwoods as possible. We reluctantly packed up on our last day, bid farewell to new friends made with promises to visit and have a sleepover if they ever came to town and drove back 101 to our hotel at Gold Beach, OR. Stopped off in Crescent City to again have lunch, hoping to hit Seaquest but it was closed for Memorial Day. So we found this cool little spot offering cajun food with outside seating and views of the ocean. I had a soft-shell crab po-boy which was as good as any po-boy I've ever had. This was an incredible trip. I hope to do it again. The natural beauty of this area of our country is magnificent and I'm so glad I got to share it with my family. Wish my older boys were able to go, but logistics and their summer jobs just didn't allow for it. Thanks for all the tips in here and I sure hope anybody who is reading this that hasn't seen the Redwoods before takes the time to do it at least once.
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ThreeThousand
Footballguy
Thanks for bumping this thread - I just finished a trip from Atlanta->Black Hills/Rapid City->Yellowstone->Grand Teton, and it was amazing as well. Anyone who thinks we need less national parks/protected public lands hasn't spent any time in them.
This was an epic 3 week trip in our household - we left Atlanta on a Friday afternoon and drove the 8 hours to St. Louis. Overnighted there and it was another 12 up to Interior, South Dakota (one of the Badlands NP gateway towns). Got in late Saturday night but were at the Badlands first thing Sunday. Spent Sunday at the Badlands/Wall/Minuteman missile site, then headed over to Rapid City which was our home base for 5 nights. From Rapid City we did Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Needles Hwy, Spearfish Canyon, and Deadwood.
Leaving Rapid City we tried to get into Devil's Tower (line was too long to get in) and then headed over the Bighorns to Cody. A couple nights in Cody for the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Cody rodeo. After leaving Cody, we drove up the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Hwy to Big TImber, where we were at a dude ranch for a week (this was the wife's 40th birthday present).
Leaving the dude ranch a week later, we camped a couple nights in Yellowstone (Mammoth and Slough Creek campgrounds), spent 2 nights in West Yellowstone, then headed down to Grand Teton. Hit all the highlights in Yellowstone - Grand Prismatic via Fairy Falls, Old Faithful, Lamar Valley, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, etc, but our favorite park of the trip was Grand Teton. Mormon Row was awesome, and the hike around Jenny Lake was pretty fantastic. Then there was the 24 hour drive home :(
Strongest recommendation of the trip - the Gypsy app. If you've not heard of it, it's an app for your phone that utilizes your GPS (no data connection required) and is essentially like an in-car tour guide. There is one available for the Black Hills, and a separate one available for Yellowstone/GTNP. This is the best $10 you'll spend on your trip. It tells you stories, gives you facts about landmarks you're about to see/have seen, and recommends hikes and other points of interest. Highly recommend.
This was an epic 3 week trip in our household - we left Atlanta on a Friday afternoon and drove the 8 hours to St. Louis. Overnighted there and it was another 12 up to Interior, South Dakota (one of the Badlands NP gateway towns). Got in late Saturday night but were at the Badlands first thing Sunday. Spent Sunday at the Badlands/Wall/Minuteman missile site, then headed over to Rapid City which was our home base for 5 nights. From Rapid City we did Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Needles Hwy, Spearfish Canyon, and Deadwood.
Leaving Rapid City we tried to get into Devil's Tower (line was too long to get in) and then headed over the Bighorns to Cody. A couple nights in Cody for the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Cody rodeo. After leaving Cody, we drove up the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Hwy to Big TImber, where we were at a dude ranch for a week (this was the wife's 40th birthday present).
Leaving the dude ranch a week later, we camped a couple nights in Yellowstone (Mammoth and Slough Creek campgrounds), spent 2 nights in West Yellowstone, then headed down to Grand Teton. Hit all the highlights in Yellowstone - Grand Prismatic via Fairy Falls, Old Faithful, Lamar Valley, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, etc, but our favorite park of the trip was Grand Teton. Mormon Row was awesome, and the hike around Jenny Lake was pretty fantastic. Then there was the 24 hour drive home :(
Strongest recommendation of the trip - the Gypsy app. If you've not heard of it, it's an app for your phone that utilizes your GPS (no data connection required) and is essentially like an in-car tour guide. There is one available for the Black Hills, and a separate one available for Yellowstone/GTNP. This is the best $10 you'll spend on your trip. It tells you stories, gives you facts about landmarks you're about to see/have seen, and recommends hikes and other points of interest. Highly recommend.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Nice trip, man! I wish we knew about that Gypsy app last year. Great stuff.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
We were at Yosemite for a week earlier in June. Just fantastic. Hiked up to Nevada Falls and around Mirror Lake for 2 of the days. Drove up to Toulomne Meadows two times doing Cathedral Lake hike one day and the Meadows/Lambert Dome the other. Did a death march in 100 degree heat to see the Sequoia's and made it up Glacier Point and the Sentinel Dome. Saw two bears the last day. Almost hit a huge one driving to the Meadows and then saw a "cub" right by the road down in the valley by the Lodge coming home that day. Just fantastic.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Yeah, the Gypsy apps are great. We did the one for Yellowstone/GT as well and we also did one for the parks in Utah. Pretty cold to just drive around and have a personal tour guide pointing things out and making recommendations. Definitely worth the few bucks they cost IMO.
The Man With No Name
Footballguy
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
How sheeet. Took off from virtually the same place and we did a 7,200 mile trip.
- Badlands - Longest single drive about a day and a half straight driving, over 1,300 miles. States traveled through first day and a half of continuous driving, OH, IN, IL, WI, MIN, SD.
- Crazy Horse - Crazy Horse is HUGE. You can fit the entire Mt. Rushmore sculpture on the arm of Crazy Horse. Tired, was also going to squeeze-in Mt. Rushmore but too exhausted, made it 'close' to Devils Towner that night.
- Devils Tower - Second people in Devils Tower, practically had it to ourselves. Early morning, zero people, awesome experience. New state, NE Wyoming.
- Medicine Wheel Wyoming One of the coolest things we did. Difficult steep drive up the Bighorn Mountains to a non-descript muddy parking area. Had to hike across a snowfield for over a mile uphill to the sight which does not blow you away but we got their on the summer solstice and the entire experience was really cool. Made it to Greybull WY that night, cheap hotel.
- Cody Wyoming - Have to check out the Irma Hotel, Buffalo Bill Cody named it after his daughter and it really is worth checking out. Best whiskey bread pudding I've ever had with the all-you can eat buffet breakfast, hmmmn.
- Yellowstone - Saw a griz on the side of the road thirty feet from us. Came in from the Eastern entrance and came out at West Yellowstone. Long drive to next stop.
- Craters Of The Moon NP Idaho - New State, ID. Very cool place if you've never been and from the lack of crowds hardly anyone goes as it is a long trip to get their and not much else to see nearby. We didn't camp their that night for some reason and drove down to the Interstate in the middle of Idaho.
- Columbia River Gorge - New States, OR and WA. Long road trip and wanted to see, Multnomah Falls, Oneonta Gorge, but the crowds were too much so we only got to take in a small waterfall and Crown Point.
- Crater Lake NP - Its always awesome but snow closed half of the rim.
- Redwood NP - New State, CA. I screwed up and we drove past most of trails.
- Pacific Coast Northern 101 - Pulled off into the deepest darkest woods I've ever experienced, had to put on the headlights to see as the canopy was soo dense on a short but rough drive to the coast. Couldn't get a campsite so drove on.
- Willow Creek California (Bigfoot Town) - Shocked to find we stumbled upon Willow Creek of Bigfoot fame. Stayed at the Bigfoot Hotel. They even had a big metal cage in the parking lot, fun and surprisingly inexpensive. Took a long trip North to see family in Washington and then made the long drive to next stop.
- Glacier NP Montana (Grinnel Glacier Hike) - New State, MO. Glacier is simply awesome. We got a cheap cabin and did the Grinnel Glacier Hike. One of the best hikes I've ever done and I've done a lot of great hikes.
- Back to Yellowstone - Did the long drive towards Yellowstone and came in the Northern entrance to Mammoth. Drove down to the Upper Geyser Basin, saw another griz, before making it down to our next stop.
- Grand Teton NP - Got one of the few remaining camp sites. Woke early and inflated the raft and kayak and hit the water to a backcountry camp spot. Took off early next morning to go deeper into the backcountry. That night witnessed the best star gazing of my life. Stayed up late with binoculars and was blown away by the show. One of the best experiences of the entire trip. Took a kayak trip around the area got a good night's sleep and took off early the next morning. Made it back to the car, packed everything away and hit the showers. Ate a HUGE burger and hit the road to next stop.
- Steamboat Springs CO - New state, CO. Ran into an epic storm and didn't quite make it to Steamboat, had to get a hotel in Craig (Plague) CO. Woke early and made the pleasant drive to my old stomping grounds of Steamboat where I worked at the ski area and began college at the small Mountain College. Shocked at how crowded the town has become. Beautiful drive to next stop.
- Rocky Mountain NP - CROWDS! OMYG crowds like I've never seen in RMNP. Bumper-to-bumper the entire way through the park. People everywhere, ugh. Beautiful as always but jeebus.
- Estes Park CO - Very touristy/kitschy but kinda nice place to stroll the streets and get a nice beverage and chill. Couldn't find a hotel so spent a horrible night in the parking lot of a Perkins, got zero sleep. Woke early, visited friends before last destination.
- Boulder CO - Went to CU, took a stroll down Pearl Street before the long drive home.
Visited family and friends along the way. Packed a large inflatable raft and had a brand new inflatable kayak shipped to family in WA where we picked it up.
I've driven the Alcan Highway to-and-from CO to AK a couple of times and once getting to Alaska we drove across the state to Anchorage and then to Valdez. I haven't compared the two road trips but I'm pretty sure the 7,200 mile road trip taken in summer of 2019 may have been the longest of my life.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
None of these were National or state parks, but there are a bunch of great hiking spots around Colorado Springs. My wife and I visited a couple of weeks ago for our 20th anniversary. We hit Red Rock Canyon, Garden of the Gods, and Paint Mines Interpretive Area (photos managed to get all out of order).
Garden of the Gods was great, but the lesser known Paint Mines which is about 30 miles east of the city was even cooler IMO, though both are pretty spectacular.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was pretty great too. Very well laid out, took great advantage of the location on the mountain, lots of very cheap opportunities to feed animals (giraffes, rhinos, elephants, birds), and the animal habitats mostly seemed pretty good.
Garden of the Gods was great, but the lesser known Paint Mines which is about 30 miles east of the city was even cooler IMO, though both are pretty spectacular.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was pretty great too. Very well laid out, took great advantage of the location on the mountain, lots of very cheap opportunities to feed animals (giraffes, rhinos, elephants, birds), and the animal habitats mostly seemed pretty good.
dkp993
Footballguy
Recently got back from a 2 week road trip with the wife and kid. We started in So-Cal (home) and ended in Minnesota….
First leg- So-Cal to Zion…. Did multiple hikes including parts of the narrows. Absolutely stunning. The cliffs are colors that are hard to describe, so beautiful.
Second leg- Zion to Grand Tetons…. Town of Jackson was cool but crazy busy, overwhelmingly so. Waited 45min in line just to get some ice cream. Tetons themselves are amazing and did some amazing hikes.
Third leg- Tetons to Yellowstone…. Yellowstone is, well Yellowstone. Did the full loop and hit many of the highlights. It’s staggering in its diversity of beauty. Saw more wildlife then I can remember. Moose, hundreds of Bison including getting caught up in a major Bison crossing, bears both black and grizzly, etc etc. Old faithful, mammoth hot springs, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone the waterfall, all absolutely jaw dropping.
Fourth leg- Yellowstone to Blackhills/Custer State Park/Mt. Rushmore…. Rushmore is exactly what one thinks it is. Enjoyed it but at this point was pretty road weary and it was the least impressive (though still impressive) of the places we had been.
First leg- So-Cal to Zion…. Did multiple hikes including parts of the narrows. Absolutely stunning. The cliffs are colors that are hard to describe, so beautiful.
Second leg- Zion to Grand Tetons…. Town of Jackson was cool but crazy busy, overwhelmingly so. Waited 45min in line just to get some ice cream. Tetons themselves are amazing and did some amazing hikes.
Third leg- Tetons to Yellowstone…. Yellowstone is, well Yellowstone. Did the full loop and hit many of the highlights. It’s staggering in its diversity of beauty. Saw more wildlife then I can remember. Moose, hundreds of Bison including getting caught up in a major Bison crossing, bears both black and grizzly, etc etc. Old faithful, mammoth hot springs, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone the waterfall, all absolutely jaw dropping.
Fourth leg- Yellowstone to Blackhills/Custer State Park/Mt. Rushmore…. Rushmore is exactly what one thinks it is. Enjoyed it but at this point was pretty road weary and it was the least impressive (though still impressive) of the places we had been.
General Malaise
Footballguy
General Malaise
Footballguy
How's the air quality? It's gross here in PDX area. Went to Cannon Beach today - 64 degrees with mist. Ahhhhhh
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
Garden of the Gods is a good one. Great day trip.
Haven't done Paint Mines but one that is close that you didn't mention is Cave of the Winds
The cave itself is a great experience and as you can see from the vid they have a lot of other activities.
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
Zion, ahhhh. Love Zion but it is supposed to be the most or one of the most crowded NPs.
I skipped over a ton of what we did and the second best hike was in the Tetons from String to Jenny Lake.
Jenny Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire world. I've taken the hike in this video but we went from String Lake to Jenny Lake
Also skipped over everything of our Yellowstone trips (I've been at leat 10 times). We caught all of these sights in our two trips through Yellowstone
Yellowstone Lake to Grand Loop North to the Upper Yellowstone Falls and Lower Yellowstone Falls at Artists Point which is one of the best places to see in Yellowstone. The crowds were heavy so I cut across Norris Canyon road that divides the park to make it out the West Entrance since we wanted to make it to Crater Lake and had a long haul.
One the second pass through the park we came in from Gardiner Montana to the famous Teddy Roosevelt Arch . I mean come on, you have to pass through the Arch at least once if you go to Yellowstone. Hit Mammoth Hot Springs then Grand Loop South to the Upper Geyer Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring where we ran into absurd crowds. Had breakfast at Old Faithful Lodge and took in Old Faithful and did the nearby boardwalk trail around Geyser Hill and the Firehole River
We were trying to make it to the Grand Tetons to get a camping spot and the crowds were pretty bad and I'd been many times so we rushed through. Every time I go I discover something new.
Zegras11
Footballguy
The day we were there it cleared up pretty well to make it a good day. That was Friday. Friday night it got real bad and we left Diamond Lake two days early. Stayed in Bend last night. Went to DaShutes.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Yeah, Cave of the Winds was in our list, but my wife sprained her ankle the week before we went so we decided the steps there would likely be a bit too much. There are quite a few state and local parks in the area that all looked pretty great, but we had to cut back due to the ankle.
For dining, if you are in the Colorado Springs area, I highly recommend a stop at Shuga’s. Great vibe there and lots of good interesting food. I had a beet shrub ginger beer that was one of the most interesting combinations/drinks I’ve ever had. It definitely tasted like beets and like ginger, but both were muted in a way that made it excellent. I ordered it just to try it expecting to hate it and ended up loving it.
And Manitou Springs is a super fun little town with lots of great local shops and restaurants. The open air old school arcade is awesome there.
dkp993
Footballguy
Agreed. We took the ferry across Jenny Lake and did the popular hike up to the overlook. Stunning.
We hit pretty much everything you listed here. It mind blowing honestly. One could easily spend 2 full weeks in Yellowstone and still not see everything. So amazing.
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
Probably a good call passing over the cave with a sprained ankle.
Ginger beer? And beet ginger beer? Colorado had the worlds highest beet production in the world at one point due to some sort of trade embargo with cane sugar so the US switched to beet sugar. I'm sure they perfected some recipes but one of my buddies back in the 80s was into home brew and I helped him make a batch that won a gold ribbon at the Colorado state fair and he had me try ginger beer, ugh. Hard pass for me, lol.
I am sure I've been to Manitou Springs among the mountain towns I've trekked and they all have a cool vibe. Just something about small mountain towns.
Honestly I cannot pimp Jenny Lake enough. No words.
Yellowstone is a place that is massive, bigger than people realize so you cannot possibly take it all in. I've been at least 10 times and as I've said every time I see or experience something new.
Most of my trips were in the late 90s/early 2000s and the park was more open, far less crowds. You could get around the park easier and see more.
I remember pulling off to a deserted parking area to have lunch. I was tired and ate slowly with my windows open and suddenly notice a huge bison in the bushes near my car and then another and another.
I had unwittily pulled right into a herd that was hidden in the bushes. Scared the crap out of me at first but realized how awesome the experience was. Had many delicate experiences with wildlife that can only take place without crowds.
I used to make a round-trip drive of over 750 miles from where I lived in Colorado just to get to a back country camping spot because of the 'twilight hour' where water on the lake would reach the same temperature of the land as the sun was going down and the light was just tipping over the mountains... the waves calm and everything changes, elk would come out of the woods to the water's edge, loons on the lake would coo, fish would jump and slash. Seems like the whole area busting with joy. Soo peaceful.
Now the crowds change things, makes it tougher to have personal wildlife encounters rather than having to wade-into circus-like selfie seeker social media mobs. Gotta work hard to find those peaceful spaces.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Not sure if this has been posted in here but Nat Geo has a good series on America’s National Parks. I’ve been recording and watching as I get time - good stuff.
https://www.natgeotv.com/za/shows/nationalgeographicwild/america-s-national-parks
https://www.natgeotv.com/za/shows/nationalgeographicwild/america-s-national-parks
The Man With No Name
Footballguy
Last week I went to some caves and state parks in KY and TN then I was at New River Gorge and was gonna hike and sight see as much as possible. 1st day was raining but was supposed to stop around 11:30. Waited, waited, then looked at the radar and the storm went from small to huge. Rain most of the day. So I went back to Beaver and got a massage 
. 2nd day. More rain. Left without seeing a thing 
. 2nd day. More rain. Left without seeing a thing
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Arches to require timed ticket for entry.
During the high season next year, Arches will require a pre-purchased timed ticket for entry into the park between 7am-5pm.
I get what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but it seems a bit outrageous to charge park admission and then another $2 per entry ticket on top of that. It’s not clear if you need a ticket per person, or ticket per car, but since the system will limit you to buying one ticket at a time, if it’s per person and you have a family, that seems like it could be problematic if tickets sell quickly.
It would also really suck if you already planned a trip and then were only able to get reservations to enter the park at 4pm. They’re not selling tickets until 3 months before, so if you try to plan a trip any more than that in advance, it’s theoretically possible you could get shutout and suddenly you’re spending your trip at Canyonlands and not even getting into Arches.
During the high season next year, Arches will require a pre-purchased timed ticket for entry into the park between 7am-5pm.
I get what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but it seems a bit outrageous to charge park admission and then another $2 per entry ticket on top of that. It’s not clear if you need a ticket per person, or ticket per car, but since the system will limit you to buying one ticket at a time, if it’s per person and you have a family, that seems like it could be problematic if tickets sell quickly.
It would also really suck if you already planned a trip and then were only able to get reservations to enter the park at 4pm. They’re not selling tickets until 3 months before, so if you try to plan a trip any more than that in advance, it’s theoretically possible you could get shutout and suddenly you’re spending your trip at Canyonlands and not even getting into Arches.
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
I'm not happy about this but something had to be done about the overcrowding. July 2018 was the last I was in Arches and I couldn't believe the crowds. It was horrible.
Half of the crowds were tourist buses from overseas. We've heard the term 'Ugly American' but their isn't a term for what I witnessed of people from overseas who seemed to go a a bit crazy trampling over barriers to get selfies in fragile spaces. I think the net is the reason for the explosion of people visiting NPs where they see pics or vids of people who make lists of the top places to see or the most beautiful NPs, etc. and they begin making bucket lists.
NPs have always had crowds but they were nothing like they have been recently so I grudendly agree with these measures to limit over crowding.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I don’t necessarily disagree. Though maybe prohibiting tour buses would be an easier fix (or maybe additional solution).
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I posted something in the vacation ideas thread too, but does anyone have recommendations for places to stay for Glacier? I’m probably more on the side of “budget” though has to meet a minimum standard. Don’t mind cabins. Nightlife not a requirement for us, proximity to nature/park is a much higher priority.
May just be me, my wife, and daughter, but also may be my parents joining us as well.
May just be me, my wife, and daughter, but also may be my parents joining us as well.
wilked
Footballguy
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
No, probably not, my family aren’t much of campers for the most part. Unless I can convince my parents to drive their RV out there. I haven’t even seen their new RV yet though so not sure how tight 5 people in it would be. I suppose we could tent camp in an adjacent site to their RV, but not sure how possible it would be to get 2 sites adjacent. Doesn’t look like they provide any actual hookups either.
brun
Footballguy
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I’ll have to check it out. Though if I were to be crossing the border, I think we’d probably target Banff.
brun
Footballguy
If you're going in the warm weather Banff can be expensive. However, if you do. You might try the Banff Springs. I've stayed there in the winter. It's an awesome old Canadian Pacific hotel.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
GroveDiesel said:
There are hotels in the park, but I can't remember how expensive or how far out they book. We went this past year and stayed in Whitefish. It's a neat quaint little town, about a 40 minute drive to the west entrance near Apgar. I picked it because it was on the west side and had an Amtrak stop there. Kalispel might be just a little futher but it's where the airport is.
Keep in mind you have to reserve days you can get into the park and days you can go on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
This is exactly what you're looking for.GroveDiesel said:
Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and Cabins
We got the last reservation on the last cabin available. Just a cabin, no bathroom or shower IN THE CABIN but a short walk to the bathroom and showers. It had running cold water and electricity and a coffee maker so you can do dishes and plug in/charge phones etc. Biggest drawback is no indoor bathroom or shower but it sounds like that isn't an issue with you.
We paid only $100 a night which is dirt cheap.
You CANNOT even get in that part of the park unless you show your reservation at the gate, they don't let anyone in that part of the park without a reservation, so it is IMPERATIVE that you get your reservation BEFORE you go.
Most people miss or don't even know this part of Glacier National Park. I had been to Glacier a few times and didn't even know it existed but after going its my all-time favorite.
We took THIS hike and it was fantastic!
>>>>> Grinnell Glacier Trail
They HAD shuttles the summer of 2019 when we went, not sure of shuttle status with COVID but if they are running you can catch a shuttle to other areas of the park to take day hikes without the hassle of loading up the vehicle.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Anybody here done anything in the Olympic Peninsula and/or North Cascades National Parks? Trying to come up with a summer camping trip with some resort living mixed in. Would love any ideas or suggestions.
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
A little of the Olympia National Park where we caught Hurricane Ridge on a 'rare' sunny day.
The draw of Northern Cascades is the old growth forest. Nothing like it anywhere.
Search Krista's posts on her amazing trips to the Northern Cascades. She's got extensive knowledge.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Backcountry, front or campground? Either way, even if you are on the AT I think all sites require a reservation and they don’t allow off trail camping.
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/carcamping.htm
You have a decent amount of options - and can tie it in to destination spots (Gatlinburg, Cherokee where the casino is).
Depending on your spot there may be elk near by to check out. We stayed at Balsam Mountain last year and got to see a lot of then - outside that I can’t recommend the site too much. We picked it because it’s the highest elevation campsite and provided cooler temps when we went but the campground itself is way too cramped.
https://smokymountains.com/park/blog/story-elk-great-smoky-mountains/
Do you have a time of year in mind? Specific activities you are wanting to do?
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AAABatteries
Footballguy
General Malaise
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
We are going to do a mix of park/hiking/sightseeing and touristy stuff like Gatlinburg. Looking at mid-June. My wife is probably over tent camping for long periods so we are looking to rent a cabin.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I’ll think of more stuff later but if you do Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area there’s a bunch of restaurants I would recommend. German food at Wild Bear Tavern being maybe my favorite.
krista4
Footballguy
That's awesome! We will for sure check it out and now I have a legit reason to PM @krista4
I lived on the Olympic Peninsula for four years, so Olympic National Park/Forest was my backyard playground. Now I'm in the middle between the Olympics and the Cascades. In my eight years here, I've done hundreds of hikes in both the Olympics and the Cascades.
One amazing aspect of the Olympics is you could, if you wished, be on top of a snow-covered mountain, on a beach overlooking the Pacific, and in a temperate rain forest all on the same day. Not to mention waterfalls, alpine lakes, etc. Of course, you don't want to do it in a day and should savor it instead, but it's just incredible the diversity of topography and climates on the peninsula. A drive up to Hurricane Ridge is breathtaking, though I'm not sure why Bracie said "rare" sunny days as that's not true (but he put it in quotes so might have been joking) - in fact there are often inversions there where it's sunnier and warmer at the top than down at sea level. Hoh rainforest is spectacular (or you can do one of a couple others that doesn't get quite the crazy tourist traffic of the Hoh). The beaches - Ruby, Shi Shi, Rialto, First/Second/Third, Cape Flattery (which is the northwestern-most point in the lower 48), and the "Tree of Life" at Kalaloch. Lake Crescent/Marymere Falls, or about a billion other lakes and falls.
One thing you won't find, however, is a resort. So depending upon what you're looking for, this might not be the spot. Near the park, there are some NPS accommodations that are perfectly nice, such as Lake Crescent Lodge or Kalaloch Lodge, but not resort-y. I have stayed in the "bluff cabins" at Kalaloch and LOVED them - they are the ones directly overlooking the ocean. Another option is that there is a nice (though not lavish) resort called Alderbrook Lodge near the east edge of the park, but I really wouldn't recommend it for exploring the park but more as a "we're relaxing here for a little while" place. To explore the park, you need to move around a bit. The park is massive and there are roads only on the outer ring of it, so getting from one part of the park to another is not a straight shot.
Camping? I assume with the age of your little ones that you are talking about car camping, not backpacking? I have only backpacked in these parks so don't have any direct experience, but I could point out some general locales. A couple of my friends, while they are also backpackers not car campers, are so expert in the North Cascades in particular that I think they could help.
Until a year or two ago I was posting pics of the places I was going multiple times a week on Facebook, so you could scrounge through my pics there and see what hits you. I'd pull some pics and post them here, but I'm lazy.
I'll write about North Cascades a little later. Any info you could give on exactly what you're envisioning is great.
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krista4
Footballguy
Oh, also on the Olympics, I'm a member of a few Facebook groups relating to the area. There are constantly (more than daily) people asking in those groups for advice on their visits, and I've noticed that people in the groups are very helpful to them. (I am not because, again, I am lazy.) Let me know if you want me to add you to a couple of groups, as you could crowdsource some more advice there, too. And then once people give you advice, I can tell you where they're wrong. 
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General Malaise
Footballguy
This is awesome GB! Ok, I have booked us 2 nights of tent/car camping in Hoh. Things were filling up pretty fast so I went ahead and snagged them and will use that as our base of operations July 6-8. I am reading about the traffic snarls but will hopefully time them correctly.
We have a two day gap which we are thinking of filling with some time in Seattle (and have our older boys join us) but haven't squared that away yet.
July 10-12 will be tent camping at Newhalem in the North Cascades. I have just begun the research on all of this so your experiences are a terrific source of info to use. Thank you.
One small caveat for us is we are bringing our dog, so hikes we can access will be limited. Fortunately our small kids think hiking is some sort of death march and object wildly to them, so unless we want to scare the wolverines and other hikers, we probably won't do too many K4 adventure hikes, sadly. But, we will force them into SOME hikes that are dog friendly too.
Look forward to reading more of your thoughts and if you're up for it, maybe we could grab food and drinks one day?
General Malaise
Footballguy
Oh, also on the Olympics, I'm a member of a few Facebook groups relating to the area. There are constantly (more than daily) people asking in those groups for advice on their visits, and I've noticed that people in the groups are very helpful to them. (I am not because, again, I am lazy.) Let me know if you want me to add you to a couple of groups, as you could crowdsource some more advice there, too. And then once people give you advice, I can tell you where they're wrong.
Perfect! I'll reach out to you this week. Thank you!!!
General Malaise
Footballguy
Also, I'm sure this has been posted before but all 4th grade students receive a FREE annual pass to all our National Parks. The sign up process is super easy and it saves you $80, which is the cost of the annual pass. So if you have a 4th grader now or have one on the horizon, take advantage of this.
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