1 month out West and it's a big world
June 12, 2023 10:14 AM Subscribe
Western US travel ideas July/Aug 2023 ( CO,UT,NV,CA,OR,WA,ID,WY)
I(51M) am traveling with my son (12M) in a campervan around the western US for the month of July+ this year(2023). We are starting and ending in Denver, with a rough itinerary through Utah, Las Vegas, up CA, Redwoods, Olympic peninsula, and potentially back down via Yellowstone. We plan on hiking, camping swimming, watching baseball, hitting an amusement park or 2, and generally seeing the sights. One end of our travel spectrum is Meow Wolf, go karts and roller coasters, the other is big trees, ocean, mountains. I'm the only one driving so we will be going somewhat leisurely. I would love to hear about any don't miss places or events that might not be obvious. Great restaurants/food, local sights, arcades, or just good advice are all absolutely appreciated. Extra points for good Labor or history related spots. Thanks in advance.
I(51M) am traveling with my son (12M) in a campervan around the western US for the month of July+ this year(2023). We are starting and ending in Denver, with a rough itinerary through Utah, Las Vegas, up CA, Redwoods, Olympic peninsula, and potentially back down via Yellowstone. We plan on hiking, camping swimming, watching baseball, hitting an amusement park or 2, and generally seeing the sights. One end of our travel spectrum is Meow Wolf, go karts and roller coasters, the other is big trees, ocean, mountains. I'm the only one driving so we will be going somewhat leisurely. I would love to hear about any don't miss places or events that might not be obvious. Great restaurants/food, local sights, arcades, or just good advice are all absolutely appreciated. Extra points for good Labor or history related spots. Thanks in advance.
The site of the Ludlow Massacre is worth a short visit, not terribly far from Colorado Springs which is good for Garden of the Gods.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 10:29 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ardnamurchan at 10:29 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
One general note. Try to be flexible in your planning because we might be in for a nasty smoke season this summer. Airnow.gov is a good resource to have to plan around poor air quality.
If you can, get off the interstates. State highways out west often have big distances between towns, so you can make time and distance, but they give you access to more of the out-of-the-way stuff that makes road trips so much fun.
For instance: Lava Hot Springs a little hotsprings town nestled in the mountains of eastern Idaho. Yes, there are hotsprings pools, but there is also a hotspring fed waterpark, with a 10 meter diving platform, and, best of all (at least I hope this survived covid) there is a small river that runs through town that is easy to float in an hour or so. along the way are hot springs that enter the river, giving anyone a chance to stop and soak. it used to be that you could cheaply rent inner tubes for floating the river, and the locals will cheaply pick you up and take you to the put-in.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you can, get off the interstates. State highways out west often have big distances between towns, so you can make time and distance, but they give you access to more of the out-of-the-way stuff that makes road trips so much fun.
For instance: Lava Hot Springs a little hotsprings town nestled in the mountains of eastern Idaho. Yes, there are hotsprings pools, but there is also a hotspring fed waterpark, with a 10 meter diving platform, and, best of all (at least I hope this survived covid) there is a small river that runs through town that is easy to float in an hour or so. along the way are hot springs that enter the river, giving anyone a chance to stop and soak. it used to be that you could cheaply rent inner tubes for floating the river, and the locals will cheaply pick you up and take you to the put-in.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you happen to come up I-5 to Washington, consider stopping in Centralia where there is a labor history tour of the 1919 IWW Centralia tragedy: https://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/laws/documents/WalkingTourCentraliabrochuredraft.pdf You can also glare at the big statue commemorating the American Legion and envision the labor statue to come: https://industrialworker.org/centralia-city-council-approves-iww-monument/
Centralia also features Burgerville, a good regional chain of better than average fast food (with its own unionizing struggles), and a great Mexican restaurant called La Tarasca. There is a Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park nearby as well.
posted by lizard music at 10:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Centralia also features Burgerville, a good regional chain of better than average fast food (with its own unionizing struggles), and a great Mexican restaurant called La Tarasca. There is a Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park nearby as well.
posted by lizard music at 10:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Jedediah Smith SP has the best redwoods, near Crescent City. And the highways -to- Crater Lake are lovely to drive through, from any of the approaches.
posted by janell at 10:41 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by janell at 10:41 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you're in to weird/funky only-in-America type stuff, definitely peruse Roadside America.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:57 AM on June 12, 2023
posted by gottabefunky at 10:57 AM on June 12, 2023
Re: Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge is closed indefinitely, as the building there burned down. It is a wonderful place, but that part is done for a while. But there is still Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, and the amazing coast.
Arches is awesome, as are many of the other Utah National Parks. Going to be crowded though. And hot.
posted by Windopaene at 11:00 AM on June 12, 2023
Arches is awesome, as are many of the other Utah National Parks. Going to be crowded though. And hot.
posted by Windopaene at 11:00 AM on June 12, 2023
Centralia also features Burgerville, a good regional chain of better than average fast food (with its own unionizing struggles), and a great Mexican restaurant called La Tarasca.
La Tarasca is indeed very good, unusually so for the west side of the state. On the topic of food, depending on what routes you are taking through Oregon and Washington (and to a lesser extent Idaho), consider seeking out some of the exceptionally good food that is available east of the Cascades -- particularly the Mexican options which far outclass what you can get on the other side of the mountains, but also options like small burger shacks which can be very good, as well as the farm-to-table options that are available in more and more places all the time.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:00 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
La Tarasca is indeed very good, unusually so for the west side of the state. On the topic of food, depending on what routes you are taking through Oregon and Washington (and to a lesser extent Idaho), consider seeking out some of the exceptionally good food that is available east of the Cascades -- particularly the Mexican options which far outclass what you can get on the other side of the mountains, but also options like small burger shacks which can be very good, as well as the farm-to-table options that are available in more and more places all the time.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:00 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
Needles district of Canyonlands National Park is best for desert hiking near Moab (fewer people, great trails). It will be toasty in July.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:05 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gottabefunky at 11:05 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Hood River Fruit Loop! Stay at a BnB along the breathtaking Columbia River gorge. Enjoy local wine and fresh fruit products. The Timberline Lodge up on Mt Hood is almost certainly the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel. It's a nice area, just east down the gorge from Portlandia.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:17 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:17 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Crater Lake is pretty impressive, I'd make the detour on your way up through Oregon.
posted by Aleyn at 11:28 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Aleyn at 11:28 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
When I was a kid I got to visit The Lehman Caves and I loved them.
posted by foxfirefey at 12:08 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by foxfirefey at 12:08 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Flaming Gorge in Utah/Wyoming has a lot of camping areas. It's also a site of geological interest, with dinosaur tracks, and there are tours of the dam at the south end. If you're into scuba diving it can be done there and there is a lot of fishing to be had.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 1:10 PM on June 12, 2023
posted by Ardnamurchan at 1:10 PM on June 12, 2023
The good route from Nevada to California is state route 178, connects Pahrump and Bakersfield.
Very little truck traffiic this way . The crowbar in Shoshone for lunch . Ridgecrest has a huge Walmart for supplies. Trona pinnacles star trek movie site.
the Kern river canyon , amazing drive.
posted by hortense at 1:35 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Very little truck traffiic this way . The crowbar in Shoshone for lunch . Ridgecrest has a huge Walmart for supplies. Trona pinnacles star trek movie site.
the Kern river canyon , amazing drive.
posted by hortense at 1:35 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you must be indoors, our family got a real kick out of playing whirlyball in Colorado Springs. There may be other opportunities-it’s like a combination of bumper cars and lacrosse. I haven’t seen it in my home state, and there may be other locations with your travels.
For the California coast, Patrick’s Point at low tide and Agate Beach were very cool if you wander west of the redwoods briefly.
posted by childofTethys at 3:07 PM on June 12, 2023
For the California coast, Patrick’s Point at low tide and Agate Beach were very cool if you wander west of the redwoods briefly.
posted by childofTethys at 3:07 PM on June 12, 2023
Best answer: Rocky Mtn Nat Park is great - lots of animals, you can take the skyline drive to over 2 miles elevation, cross the Continental Divide, so much hiking, etc. National Parks are really worth the trip in season. Yellowstone is well worth a visit. Arches NP, Joshua Tree NP, Grand Canyon NP, I have not been disappointed by a Nat. Park except out of season, when lots of things may be closed due to weather. I recommend John Muir Woods near San Francisco.
The UFW is headquartered in Salinas in the Long Valley. There's a UFW/ Cesar Chavez Nat. Monument in Keene, CA. Monterey/ Cannery Row may be of interest, read Steinbeck's book. Steinbeck's The Long Valley is worth a read, and there are plenty of books about hte history of Chavez and the Farmworkers.
The distances in the west can be deceiving; things are far apart. There are limited passes to cross the Rockies, so for East Coasters it looks like you can go from place A to Place B, but if the Rockies are in between, the logistics change radically. Roads in the mountains can be closed due to wildfires or snow.
A month is a short time for a western trip; there's so much amazing stuff to see/ visit.
posted by theora55 at 3:52 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
The UFW is headquartered in Salinas in the Long Valley. There's a UFW/ Cesar Chavez Nat. Monument in Keene, CA. Monterey/ Cannery Row may be of interest, read Steinbeck's book. Steinbeck's The Long Valley is worth a read, and there are plenty of books about hte history of Chavez and the Farmworkers.
The distances in the west can be deceiving; things are far apart. There are limited passes to cross the Rockies, so for East Coasters it looks like you can go from place A to Place B, but if the Rockies are in between, the logistics change radically. Roads in the mountains can be closed due to wildfires or snow.
A month is a short time for a western trip; there's so much amazing stuff to see/ visit.
posted by theora55 at 3:52 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
And yes, it is a big world out there.
"The West is the best".
Yellowstone is the best place on earth, and so much of the West is just spectacular.
Lodging in the summer is problematic to put it mildly. Plan your itinerary and get some reservations before you head off to Montana, etc.
posted by Windopaene at 3:57 PM on June 12, 2023
"The West is the best".
Yellowstone is the best place on earth, and so much of the West is just spectacular.
Lodging in the summer is problematic to put it mildly. Plan your itinerary and get some reservations before you head off to Montana, etc.
posted by Windopaene at 3:57 PM on June 12, 2023
If you're going up to the Olympic National Park you should definitely consider the following stops.
Go to the Elwha Dam Removal site - the largest dam removal in U.S. history. Really cool to see nature reclaim itself.
Then go enjoy a little hot spring soak at Sol Duc.
If you're bringing bikes go check out the Olympic Discovery trail.
Come on July 21-23 and check out the Sequim Lavender Festival. Take a walk on the Dungeness Spit or take a kayak tour. End your day with a great meal at the Alderwood Bistro.
posted by brookeb at 6:53 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Go to the Elwha Dam Removal site - the largest dam removal in U.S. history. Really cool to see nature reclaim itself.
Then go enjoy a little hot spring soak at Sol Duc.
If you're bringing bikes go check out the Olympic Discovery trail.
Come on July 21-23 and check out the Sequim Lavender Festival. Take a walk on the Dungeness Spit or take a kayak tour. End your day with a great meal at the Alderwood Bistro.
posted by brookeb at 6:53 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Contrary to the name, Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs is mostly single quarters, and has a ridiculous amount of games from my youth, so I have a decent chance of having a good games with my young teens.
posted by childofTethys at 4:39 AM on June 13, 2023
posted by childofTethys at 4:39 AM on June 13, 2023
For RMNP last summer, passes were not needed after…2?3? But the cars would line up. We had our best views of wildlife on the Grand Lake side in the early evening.
For two-Lane Mountain roads, budget in extra time, and do not trust a 10p GPS estimate for 10a travel during high tourist season.
posted by childofTethys at 4:48 AM on June 13, 2023
For two-Lane Mountain roads, budget in extra time, and do not trust a 10p GPS estimate for 10a travel during high tourist season.
posted by childofTethys at 4:48 AM on June 13, 2023
Best answer: I have been traveling all over the west this spring and have a few recs:
1) At the very first stop, get an $80 annual pass for the National Parks if you don't already have one. It will be clutch for entering all the NPS run sites and will give you the freedom to come and go without thinking about maximizing your schedule due to individual park costs. That said, as others have mentioned, you're going to need to make reservations for some of the National Parks, or plan to get up very early to enter (before they start checking) or go in late in the afternoon once they've stopped requiring them. It's different for every park. For those that do require timed entry, if you can't plot out your journey many days/weeks in advance, you can often get a next day pass when they are released the night before.
2) For camping, it's always challenging to get spots in the National Parks and you will not be likely to get first come, first serve. They're just pretty strict in the NPs and don't do last minute stuff well. However, you might still score some random midweek spots in the online reservation system so that you can have some anchors on your travel schedule -- go in and look ASAP on Recreation.gov and grab some! National Forest Service sites are easier to come by and are often very near the official national parks. You can book a lot of these online in advance, too, and I recommend looking those up as well. Some forest service campgrounds do have first come first serve that they don't list on recreation.gov, and you can often also do dispersed camping in national forests if you don't mind not having a hookup and can drive on some washboardy roads to get to your location. I have found it's easiest to download an app like The Dyrt or Campendium to search/find campgrounds, then book them on recreation.gov.
3) In terms of destinations, having been all over these places pretty recently, I'd definitely do -- Denver >> RMNP (enter in Estes Park) >> Summit County, CO (camp near Dillon Reservoir) >> Crested Butte, CO >> Ouray/Telluride, CO >> Moab, Utah (Arches+Canyonland+Dead Horse SP, camp on Hwy 128 or Dead Horse) >> drive on Utah 12 to Capitol Reef NP >> Bryce Canyon NP >> Zion Canyon NP. Once you're done with Utah, you have to deal with Nevada, which is not too exciting, but then I'd drive up the Sierras in CA, going to Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs, Yosemite NP, and Lake Tahoe. They're all fantastic, though this last winter has definitely beat up on them a bit, so some areas are closed due to damage.
4) Last thought, get gas anytime you can! There are some very long stretches without any, and there's not always warning.
Have fun!
posted by luzdeluna at 7:57 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
1) At the very first stop, get an $80 annual pass for the National Parks if you don't already have one. It will be clutch for entering all the NPS run sites and will give you the freedom to come and go without thinking about maximizing your schedule due to individual park costs. That said, as others have mentioned, you're going to need to make reservations for some of the National Parks, or plan to get up very early to enter (before they start checking) or go in late in the afternoon once they've stopped requiring them. It's different for every park. For those that do require timed entry, if you can't plot out your journey many days/weeks in advance, you can often get a next day pass when they are released the night before.
2) For camping, it's always challenging to get spots in the National Parks and you will not be likely to get first come, first serve. They're just pretty strict in the NPs and don't do last minute stuff well. However, you might still score some random midweek spots in the online reservation system so that you can have some anchors on your travel schedule -- go in and look ASAP on Recreation.gov and grab some! National Forest Service sites are easier to come by and are often very near the official national parks. You can book a lot of these online in advance, too, and I recommend looking those up as well. Some forest service campgrounds do have first come first serve that they don't list on recreation.gov, and you can often also do dispersed camping in national forests if you don't mind not having a hookup and can drive on some washboardy roads to get to your location. I have found it's easiest to download an app like The Dyrt or Campendium to search/find campgrounds, then book them on recreation.gov.
3) In terms of destinations, having been all over these places pretty recently, I'd definitely do -- Denver >> RMNP (enter in Estes Park) >> Summit County, CO (camp near Dillon Reservoir) >> Crested Butte, CO >> Ouray/Telluride, CO >> Moab, Utah (Arches+Canyonland+Dead Horse SP, camp on Hwy 128 or Dead Horse) >> drive on Utah 12 to Capitol Reef NP >> Bryce Canyon NP >> Zion Canyon NP. Once you're done with Utah, you have to deal with Nevada, which is not too exciting, but then I'd drive up the Sierras in CA, going to Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs, Yosemite NP, and Lake Tahoe. They're all fantastic, though this last winter has definitely beat up on them a bit, so some areas are closed due to damage.
4) Last thought, get gas anytime you can! There are some very long stretches without any, and there's not always warning.
Have fun!
posted by luzdeluna at 7:57 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you're doing Yellowstone, definitely go south to Grand Teton. It's the most beautiful place in the world that I've been to so far. The town square in Jackson is fun, if a bit touristy. I also like float trips down the Snake River.
posted by Billy Rubin at 1:08 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Billy Rubin at 1:08 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by gottabefunky at 10:16 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]