New York to Oregon, 14 days in early October

Hey all,

My wife and I are looking to plot a one-way trip from Upstate NY to Portland, Ore., during the first two weeks of October. We'd be super appreciative of any advice you folks could offer in terms of route, waypoints and must-sees. We have a rough sketch of what we'd like to see, weather and time permitting:

We were thinking we'd drive from Buffalo through Ontario to Ann Arbor, then hit Chicago, Minneapolis, South Dakota (Badlands, Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills), Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Idaho (Craters of the Moon, perhaps), Crater Lake and then Portland.

We had previously planned a similar trip for May, but work and other commitments scuttled that plan.

We'd both be driving and are flexible on pretty much anything but the timing -- even though the lateness in the season concerns me a bit. The two things I'd most like to see are Badlands and Crater Lake.

Does this sound doable? Insane?

Thanks for your help!

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

A one way trip of 2 weeks will give you a nice amount of time to do some exploring.The direct route could be driven in 5 to 6 days. You seem to have a good handle on the things you want to see, so I would keep researching to see what appeals to your interests along the way. You will find lots of info searching the forums and the Map centre found in the green tool bar above under 'Maps' will allow you to plot routes with 'Waypoints' and find attractions, it is just the job !

To help with your planning, you should not try and cover more than 500-600 miles in any one day. That would be 10-11 hours on the road with only basic stops for food and gas etc, no sight seeing.

You would have to keep an eye on the weather as you travel as winter can come early to places such as Yellowstone and much has closed down by mid October. However, it can be a wonderful time to visit if the weather co-operates !

Keep asking questions 'as' and 'when' during your planning, enjoy !

I was in Yellowstone the first week of October 2010. All roads were open, the weather was beautiful, and the park was not very crowded. Not many facilities were open, but the only problem that created was planning food and bathroom stops. The Beartooth Highway was still open too.

Another advantage is hotel rates are down from in-season rates. I can HIGHLY recommend the Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone. With only 16 rooms, you can imagine that reservations would be required in season, but we walked right in when we went and the room was only $69.

Hey folks,

As part of a larger trip my wife and I are planning[ the most troublesome piece so far has been how to get from Logan, UT to Crater Lake, Ore. in two days.

The most obvious way seems to be heading to Boise, spending the night there, then heading on to Crater Lake the next day. The problem there is that the days are fairly uneven, with 4+ hours of driving the first day and 8+ the second.

Alternately, I was thinking we could cut across northern Nevada, stay the night in Winnemucca, then head northwest to Crater Lake. But that runs into the same problem.

Am I missing something? Is there any way around this, or am I doomed to an eight-hour leg no matter what?

Thanks for your help!

Your best bet is this:

Take UT-30 out of Logan. It will multiplex with I-15 and I-84 to Snowville, then follow 30 to NV, where it will become NV-233. Take that to I-80 to Winnemucca, spend the night. This will be almost the exact halfway point.

Take US-95 north to NV-140 and take that to OR, where it becomes OR-140, and take that to Klamath Falls. From there, take US-97 to OR-62 to get to Crater Lake.

I'd guess the first day will take you about 7 hours, the second about 8.

The other option is I-84 to Ontario ID, then US-20 to Bend, US-97 to OR-138 to Crater Lake.

Ontario is your last reasonable lodging choice, that will be about 6 hours. From there to CL will be at least 8 hours.

Rural speed limit in UT is 65, in NV 70, and in OR 55. Rural Interstates in UT and NV are 75, OR 65.