Our west trip: Las Vegas- Seattle 6/16-7/4

[Mariahmann]

My husband and I and my sister and her husband are planning a trip out west! June 16-July 4
June 16 Las Vegas
June 17 Bryce
June 18 Zion
June 19 salt lake city
20-24 Jackson hole Teton and Yellowstone
Glacier
Seattle
Vancouver
We are kind of stuck after we leave Yellowstone on where to stay what route to take etc etc

[Lifemagician]

Hi and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

If you exit the west entrance of Yellowstone you would head north on 191 to I-90 and then take 93 north to Glacier NP west entrance. To go to the east entrance of Glacaier NP you would take I-90 to I-15 and either US89 or US2 into the east entrance.

US2 is a nice trip all the way to the west coast. I am assuming you are planning this with good detailed maps. You will not get to see all your options, etc on a little screen. Maps are invaluable while planning, and essential while on the road.

But I think you are rushing your time through the NPs. Yellowstone alone deserves multiple days. It is a very large park. Bryce can easily be seen in half a day - drive to the end and pull into all the view points on the way back. Zion deserves at least a full day (2 nights) to explore and see and enjoy the best of the park. If you are into hiking in any way you could easily spend more than a day in the Tetons and in Glacier NP.

Visiting the NPs is most rewarding not only when you have the time to really see it, but also staying within the park. However, accommodation in most parks is limited and much sought after. Normally needs to be booked months in advance. However, there seem to be always random cancellations as people's plans change. The idea is to keep checking back to see if you can pick up a day to suit you. In the Yellowstone area even the accommodation outside of the park books up many months ahead. We have heard of folk missing out on a summer booking, even when looking in January. Having the 4th July week in your time frame makes this all the more difficult.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think you need to take a quick look at your map again, as you have Zion and Bryce reversed - unless you've got a reason to drive past Zion to get to Bryce, and then double back again!

Otherwise, I think you've got a solid outline. Giving yourself most of a full day at Zion and Bryce will give you a nice chance to explore - of course, you could always use more time, but it should work for you. Five days between the Tetons and Yellowstone will work for you - just don't be tempted to use Jackson as your base for visiting Yellowstone, it's too far away.

You can get from Yellowstone to Glacier in a full day on the road, so you should plan on spending at least 2 nights around Glacier. You might also consider crossing the border and visiting the Canadian side of the park (Waterton Lakes NP), and driving across southern BC to get to Vancouver, and then come back down to Seattle. Assuming this is a one-way trip and you're in a rental car, you'll have to finish your trip in the US anyway.

[DonnaR57]

I'm in agreement with the above -- this is quite rushed. I'm also not sure that you're allowing for the transit time. From Bryce to Salt Lake City is about 250 miles, which isn't too bad. SLC to Grand Teton, however, is over 500 miles, some of it on 2-lane highways. If you can't stay in Yellowstone, then West Yellowstone, MT is a lot closer to the main parts of Yellowstone than Jackson.


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

SLC to Grand Teton, however, is over 500 miles, some of it on 2-lane highways.

SLC to Grand Teton is just under 300 miles - so a little over 5 hours on the road.