Help needed - Roadtrip: Denver - Seattle - S.F - Las Vegas - Denver

[Dannewelander]

Thank you all so very much for all your help (and also for the compliments about my english!). You are all being very kind!

I'll definitely post a more "decided" route in the coming days or weeks, and hopefully you can give me some more suggestions about "hidden gems" along that route.

At the moment, I'm trying to persuade my old folks to join us on the trip for a week or two, so hopefully I'll have some luck with that!

One last question: is it difficult to find accommodation with short notice close to the national parks (and maybe also close to/in the big cities)? Otherwise, it would be hard to be spontaneous on the trip if you have to book these motels a long time in advance.

Take care, all of you, and once again thanks for your time!

/Daniel

[glc]

It's not difficult finding hotels outside of large cities along major highways on short/no notice. You may have to stay an hour or so away, this will also be less expensive.

[Lifemagician]

Otherwise, it would be hard to be spontaneous on the trip if you have to book these motels a long time in advance.

Daniel, that is the way to travel, the spontaneity of it, the flowing with the breeze, staying a little longer where you are overwhelmed, passing by places which no longer appeal as much.

Booking everything in advance takes all that joy out of the adventure.

Lifey's humble opinion

[Dannewelander]

Hi again, all of you! I hope you are all well!

So, our roadtrip is finally about to start! We'll fly out from Stockholm in about two weeks time. The route will be pretty much as I've mentioned earlier. We start in San Francisco, then visit (among other) Yosemite, Sequoia National Park and Death Valley until we reach Las Vegas. From there we will go east and north until we reach Denver, then go north to Yellowstone and Grand Teton (and maybe Glacier NP). From there we will go to Seattle or Vancouver - we haven't decided yet, any suggestions? - and finally south along the coast back to San Francisco.

We'll be out on the roads for about five weeks, with my parents joining us for the first ten days, which will be brilliant. We're all looking forward so much to the trip!

I'd be much appreciated if any of you could tell us about any "hidden gems" along the route - everything from lesser known national parks to good restaurants or cozy little towns. We're especially interested in advises about the road along the coast between Portland and San Francisco, where we're really not sure what we want to see or visit.

As usual, thanks for your help!


/Daniel

[PNW Judy]

You will need to check to ensure that you can enter Canada and return to the US on your current traveler's visa. I don't pretend to understand the rules but you definitely want to check this out so you don't get stuck in Canada. Also, you will need to check with your car rental agency to ensure that it's OK to take your car into Canada.

If you can get to Vancouver, it's lovely and you could always do a quick stop in Seattle as well. Both cities have a lot to offer.

When in Washington, I always suggest that people stop at Mt. St. Helens. The blast zone is still incredible to see.

Check out the links in this post for ideas. I'd definitely travel the Oregon/Northern CA coast on the way back to San Francisco. It's the way I'd go. Beautiful with lots to see and do. Peter's roadtrip report should also be quite helpful.