cross country camping

[flaco2]

will be leaving 1st wk of sept crosscountry. from upstate ny i will be heading nw to parks and campgrounds along the great lakes. what is the most scenic from there to washington state. i have approx. 8 wks. for the trip and to return thru california and the southwest. will be camping out of a honda wagon,so all national parks,state parks and hostels will be considered. just lost as to the bests scenic routes to take. i know this is a difficult ? because of all the possibilities. lots of you guys have been around. help! i am 53, in reasonably good health and so too the old lady. Muchas gracias.

[PNW Judy]

8 weeks! I envy you. You've got time for a great trip.

I'm in a bit of a rush so I'll just give you an idea of places to see.
* I would spend a LOT of time in South Dakota where you can see Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, Deadwood, Wind Caves, Crazy Horse Memorial, and more. Neat place.
* From there I would head into Wyoming and check out Devil's Tower.
* Then I would head into Montana and check out the Little Big Horn area south of Hardin, MT, where you can see the monuments and location of Custer's Last Stand.
* Then back into Wyoming to see Cody, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons.
* Then back up into Montana to head up into Glacier NP.

(Yeah, I know, it sounds like lots of criss-crossing but it's through beautiful scenery and will be worth it. Trust me.)

* From Glacier, I would head west across Northern Idaho into Washington state and spend some time at Grand Coulee Dam. It's one of the large concrete structures in the world and is really worth a stop. Enjoy the laser-light show at night.
* Check out Dry Falls (a former waterfall, now dry) that was much bigger than Niagara Falls. Part of the release of the inland sea that created the coulees in WA State and the Columbia River valleys.
* Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, and Winthrop are all worthy stops in eastern WA. Terrific little towns with lots of interesting shops, restaurants, and activities.
* Head into Western WA over the North Cascades Hwy. Check to make sure it's still open in September when you get here. It closes early due to heavy snowpak. But, if it's open, it's a drive only rivaled by "Going to the Sun" road in Glacier.

Anyway, that's what I'd roughly do if I were you. Since you have a lot of time, you might actually have time to see more than I've listed but these are the high points. Again, in my opinion.

Wow, you're gonna have fun! I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

Oh, regarding camping....you shouldn't have any trouble camping spots along the way at that time of year. There are lots of campgrounds in the west and, in September, the crowds are winding down so finding open spots should be easy. I wouldn't worry about that.

[flaco2]

Judy, Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a good start for the western part of the trip. Have any pointers or experience with campgrounds on the great lakes in NYS. Ever hear of Lechworth St. Pk. in N.Y.? Was told it was a nice place to hole up for the nite.

[AZBuck]

Letchworth State Park is a true gem and well worth a night's stop. I am, in general, a big fan of state parks. I find them far less crowded and more friendly than the bigger, more well known, national parks. Their campgrounds usually fill up later in the day, if at all, and tend to be cheaper as well.

As a general way to find nice overnight stops in the states you'll be travelling through, let me suggest that you run a search on each state's name along with the phrase 'state park' and see what appeals to you.

AZBuck

[Mark Sedenquist]

Judy, Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a good start for the western part of the trip. Have any pointers or experience with campgrounds on the great lakes in NYS. Ever hear of Lechworth St. Pk. in N.Y.? Was told it was a nice place to hole up for the nite.

One of the RTA photo contributors, Jon Vermilye, has captured some awesome shots of the middle waterfall at Letchworth State Park. I can't access our server to load the photo -- but click here for a direct view of that photograph and here to see some of the other awesome shots in his national park collection.

Mark