New York to Oregon and back

Hello, everyone. This is my first time posting here. Was hoping to get some help with planning a cross country road trip with my husband and dog. We have up to a month, at least 4-5 days of which will be spent on the Oregon coast (not far from Portland) staying with family. We have a small dog and would like to camp (we have a tent and most car camping equipment.) We will probably want to stay in a motel a few times, but hope to keep lodging costs to a minimum. There are a few places we'd already like to stop and I was hoping that we could get more advice on where to go once we get further West and for the trip back. So far we have NYC--->Oberlin, OH---> Chicago (might try and couch surf there)--->Bayfield, Wisconsin (this is to visit a friends farm for a few days. BAyfield is in northwest-ish Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan.) This route would lead us through Duluth. The quick route I plotted out then has us going through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, a sliver or eastern WAshington, and finally Oregon.

I really don't know what to see in those states and was hoping for some suggestions. We love the outdoors, particularly anywhere with mountains and lakes/rivers. Parks with nice day hikes and car camping would be lovely. It might also be cool to see some old small towns, maybe hit up a vineyard if possible, a dude ranch might be cool. Always up for live music, festivals, art museums are draw as well. We are pretty laid back and would like to have full days without driving at least once or twice. We're definitely NOT interested in anything too touristy. We like our dog to be able to come with as much as possible, of course, and if anyone has suggestions for dog friendly travel it would be greatly appreciated. Basically any and all tips are welcomed, thanks SO much!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You should have no problems at all filling up your time with the places you've describe. The area of Northern Wisconsin along Lake Superior, along with basically all of Northern Minnesota is filled with lakes and rivers with tons of recreation opportunities. You might specifically check out the Apostle Islands or visit Lake Itasca (the headwaters of the Mississippi). As you make your way across North Dakota and Western Montana you'll run into the Badlands with places like Teddy Roosevelt NP, before you reach the Rockies and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Of course, Glacier or Yellowstone both could be a part of your trip.

National Parks can be a little limited with a dog, as they usually are not allowed on trails, but there are plenty of other options like State Parks and National Forest lands which are very pet friendly.