Road Trip Cross Country, Starting in Oregon, West to East
Hello,
I'm planning on roadtripping across the country hitting a bunch of National Parks, and maybe camping in them. We were planning on going early June, and probably staying on the road for a month or more.
The National Parks / Cities that we have down now are as follow, starting in Oregon.
Crater Lake
Trees of Mystery - Red Woods
San Francisco
Lake Tahoe
Death Valley
Joshua Tree
Zion National Park
Grand Canyon
Yellowstone
Grand Teton
Glacier National Park
Looking at this list, I was wondering if its too late to apply for camping permits in certain parks? I was also wondering if a month would be enough to visit these parks and spend some time at them. If not then I do have more time available.
I was also wondering if anyone could offer some decent things to do at these national parks that I've listed, or if you could recommend some more? For example, we were hoping to hike Grand Canyon rim to rim. It would most likely involve us camping in the canyon. Has anyone had any experience with getting permits for back country hiking?
Some National Park campgrounds are first-come, first-served
Hello!
Back country camping in the National Parks definitely requires far-in-advance planning. The number of permits issued is kept small, while the demand continues to grow, so the available slots fill up very quickly when the season opens for reservations. The same can be true of the most popular campgrounds, but there's an important difference. Nearly every National Park has one or more campgrounds that are "first come, first served," meaning they don't take reservations at all. If you want a space at one of those, the trick is to show up early (no later than 9 AM). They'll have up-to-the-minute information about the status of the campgrounds at the park visitor's centers, and they can tell you if any spaces will be opening that morning. The answer will usually be yes, with some exceptions: at the most popular destinations, try to avoid weekends, and if you're out there on the road on the 4th of July, it's best to find a good place to hide! (Just kidding. Or maybe not?)
Some people prefer to have their entire trip booked in advance, so they'll know where they'll be staying every night, with no worries about getting stuck somewhere with no options. Other people prefer to leave things open, so that they're free to change their route and schedule on the fly, rather than being locked in to a fixed itinerary. Personally, I've always belonged to that second school of thought, and in all my travels around the world, there was only one night when I actually had to sleep in a ditch. (True story!) Other than that, I've always managed to find a place to lay my head, despite (almost) never making advance reservations.
Considering the remote location of most National Parks, getting there early enough to snag a first-come-first-served campsite is a bit of a logistical exercise. The day before, you'll need to get close, within a hundred miles, and stay the night in a motel or a campground (preferably somewhere that is NOT overly attractive to tourists). Next day, get on the road early enough to hit the National Park no later than 9 AM. Note that most of the first-come-first-served sites are tents only. Other than that, so as long as you're willing to assume a little risk (and as long as you have a Plan B, just in case), it is entirely possibly to score a great camping spot in just about any National Park, even at the last minute.
Do enjoy the planning. By coming here for advice, you've already made a great start!
Rick
If "We" Includes Youngsters
All excellent advice you've gotten so far. I would just add a couple of things if the "we" referred to in your initial question includes children. First and foremost, make extensive use of the Junior Ranger Program at the national parks. This program consists of activities for the kids to perform that get them involved with the park and learn more about it, all while having fun and earning some free souvenirs such as badges, patches and certificates. Technically, the upper age limit is 13, but older kids can help younger or do the activities anyway.
The other thing I'd suggest is that you spend some time looking at what's between the major stopping points you've listed. You don't, I think, want to add more big stops, but some of your drives are going to be quite long and having a nice, smaller state or local park available to have a picnic lunch or take a short stroll will help break up those longer drives and forestall the "Are we there yet?" chants from the back seats.
AZBuck
