2wks - Yellowstone to Northern West Coast for Labor Day 2016

[jtab]

Hi!

My girlfriend and I are excited to be planning our first trip to the Northwest of the country and looking for advice on possible itineraries that would give us the best experience over the course of 2 weeks. We're in the very early stages of our planning and having a hard time deciding exactly where to go/ what to do. It seems like such a beautiful region with so much possibility!

Our initial plan is to fly in to Jackson, WY and spend the night there. The next three days would be devoted to exploring Yellowstone (we already have reservations in the park for two nights). The rest of the trip (~10-12 days) is pretty much open at this point, but our interest is making our way to the West coast and possibly hitting the Oregon coast/beaches, Portland, Seattle, and if time permits, Vancouver.

We'd like to enjoy some scenic drives, do some moderate hiking and check out some nature (wildlife, lakes, rivers, mountains, forests...) and enjoy some good food!

Some questions:
1) Do you have some suggestions scenic routes? must see sites?
2) Is there a "most interesting" way to make our way West (e.g. the "northern route" vs. the "southern route")

Looking forward to any advice or suggestions you might have!

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Assuming this trip is taking place this summer, you might like to see if you can get a few more nights in Yellowstone. Two nights basically gives you one full day. Typically it takes two to three days just to scratch the surface. If you would like to see the park in depth, allow at least four days. Even that may not be enough, especially if you want to spend some time hiking.

Immediately south of Yellowstone is Grand Teton NP. Then there are all the other national parks. Have a good look at the website, with some good maps at hand, and see what catches your fancy, where all the parks are and how they relate to each other. Then you will be able to design a route which will take you to the sites you want to see..

There is no such thing as a must see nor a set itinerary. A Roadtrip takes the route you decide it should, so that it takes you to the places you want to see. So do a little research on the area, and see what you come up with. Feel free to ask as questions pop up.

Enjoy the planning.

Lifey

[Southwest Dave]

Two weeks can soon disappear in an area with so much to see and do but you it will be a memorable trip. Unless your dates are tied in you could look at flying in and out of the same city to save one way drop off fees on your car rental and possibly Seattle would be a cheaper option than Jackson.[ ?] With a loop you could also visit areas north and south of the area, but as above you will have to do a bit of research and get a few more markers on the map. North of Yellowstone is Glacier NP and around Seattle/Portland you have the likes of Olympic NP, Mt Rainier NP, Mt St Helens, The Columbia River Gorge and of course the coast to consider. There simply is no best, they are all quite amazing so at least there is no bad choices. Sure it's tough making things fit into your timeline but there will be other opportunities to revisit so it's important not to try and do too much and end up seeing little as you rush from one place to another. Once you have a few more places sorted and/or you have specific questions about them, then we will be able to help 'fine tune' your trip and make suggestions.