A Northwest Trip--Need Some Suggestions

[clemsontaco]

I know this might not be the right thread to post this under but considering I own a Taco, I thought I would go ahead and post anyway...

A good buddy of mine and myself are in the final stages of planning a trip out west (we both live in South Carolina) and would like some suggestions on places to go while we are out there. We leave this Thursday (10/11) and should be in Glacier by Saturday (10/13). We have about 2 weeks, then must head home. Here is the current rough itinerary:

1) Glacier National Park
2) Bozeman
3) Yellowstone
4) Grand Teton National Park/Jackson Hole
5) Idaho Falls (Stopping by CBI to pick up my rear bumper :bike_rider

Half of the time will be sight-seeing/expeditioning and the other half fishing (on the fly btw). My current set up will allow us to camp for up to three days without restocking on supplies. I have enough fuel to go roughly 350 miles depending on speed/terrain.

I really like the idea of exploring the 'off beaten' path and would be highly interested in any suggestions that point in that direction.

Thanks.

 

[kayak15]

You cant beat Yellowstone or Jackson Hole. JH has elk antlers lining the 4 corners if downtown. Hard to beat. And if you stop in Bozeman you could get some Goruck gear!

Hope its a great trio and it will be hard to return to normal living afterwards!

Kevin

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[upcountry]

Thats sort of the nortwest I suppose. Regardless it will be a great trip. Really, if you can, push on and do like lewis and clark did and hit the pacific coast you will not be dissapointed.

I suggest logging in to the Northwest Overland Society website and asking for some suggestions as you are likely to get more refined feedbacy from that group who love to travel and have some good mapping skills.

 

[downhill]

I know this might not be the right thread to post this under but considering I own a Taco, I thought I would go ahead and post anyway...

A good buddy of mine and myself are in the final stages of planning a trip out west (we both live in South Carolina) and would like some suggestions on places to go while we are out there. We leave this Thursday (10/11) and should be in Glacier by Saturday (10/13). We have about 2 weeks, then must head home. Here is the current rough itinerary:

1) Glacier National Park
2) Bozeman
3) Yellowstone
4) Grand Teton National Park/Jackson Hole
5) Idaho Falls (Stopping by CBI to pick up my rear bumper :bike_rider

Half of the time will be sight-seeing/expeditioning and the other half fishing (on the fly btw). My current set up will allow us to camp for up to three days without restocking on supplies. I have enough fuel to go roughly 350 miles depending on speed/terrain.

I really like the idea of exploring the 'off beaten' path and would be highly interested in any suggestions that point in that direction.

Thanks.

I think maybe you fail to realize what you are heading into Just to pass all the check points you listed from South Carolina and back in 2 weeks will be quite a feat. To do any indepth exploring at all you would need a month. SC to Glacier in 3 days is one hell of a cannonball run. I've been to SC from Oregon several times so I know first hand how far that is. The best advice I can give you is to enjoy the trip you have planned and try to see what you can of the places on your list. Otherwise you'll end up seeing everything out the window at 70mph. By the way, you're talking Rocky Mountains. The Northwest is beyond that! The places you listed are fabulous. I've been to all of them many times, including CBI once :bike_rider: Have a great time!

 

[2025 deleted member]

Please take lots of pictures, those place are all on my list in next few years. Good luck.

 

[clemsontaco]

And when I say Northwest, relative to SC, this area is very north and very west

 

[downhill]

And when I say Northwest, relative to SC, this area is very north and very west

Yes sir, That's a fact :sombrero: And remember to bring your own boiled peanuts because nobody up there even knows what they are :chef:

 

[JWP58]

Yes sir, That's a fact :sombrero: And remember to bring your own boiled peanuts because nobody up there even knows what they are :chef:

Those of us transplanted from the south...well Texas atleast know what boiled peanuts are....and to steer clear of them!

 

[Fester]

Check smoke/fire reports.

I've run into smoke in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. It really sucks when your in a beautiful area and you can't see the surrounding mountains.

Drive safe.

 

[BIGGUY]

I'm in the Southwest corner of WY and the smoke has been really light the last few days.

Also it might night hurt to check road and weather conditions too. One road in Yellowstone is already closed for the winter from a snow storm.

 

[Richietherocket]

Just from Denver to Yellowstone is 10 hours. Coming from SC, you would have to be driving 18 hours a day to make it in 2. Once you get off either I-80 or I-25, its 2 lane roads all the way there.
There are currently no fires in CO, but conditions are there for wildfires in South Dakota and Wyoming. Bring warm clothes, there is always potential for snow at this point.

 

[Epcofabrication]

I've always wanted to try this http://www.wabdr.com/Map and I know Oregon has a similar system http://www.cycoactive.com/media/fEikVj/?size=original

Could find a off road connection to a place your already heading too.

Tony

 

[Martinjmpr]

Weather can be very unpredictible this time of year. Be prepared for snow and ice anywhere West of the 100th meridian.

Remember this is the height of hunting season - if you plan on being in the boondocks, a blaze orange cap or vest is a good idea. Hunting season may also affect your ability to find primitive campsites as many of these will be occupied by hunters.

I agree your itinerary sounds a bit optimistic. My recommendation is to set modest goals and spend more time enjoying the areas you go to rather than trying to rush, rush, to get to the next one. That just takes all the fun out of a long trip.

FWIW, this is one of the best times to go to Yellowstone. Most of the roads are still open (though, again, check the weather!) but there are very few tourists. Because of that, remember that a lot of the facilities (including gas stations) will be closed. Still, it's a fantastic time to be there. The big traffic jams and long lines of mid-summer are pretty rare this time of year.

Once again, I can't stress this enough: BE PREPARED FOR WINTER CONDITIONS! Sorry to pigeon-hole, but I lived in the South for a few years when Uncle Sam was my employer and I know they have long, beautiful, mild autumns there in the Southeast. Well, in the Northern Rockies, it can go from a nice, 60 degree fall day to a whiteout blizzard with below zero temps in less than 24 hours. Lots of folks from the South get a rude shock when they realize that there's a reason locals start packing gloves, boots, and tire chains in late September. It's also a good idea to have a rudimentary supply of food and water in your vehicle at all times because in Wyoming in particular, the Highway Patrol will close major highways if there's a bad storm.

Now, having said that, most likely you won't need any of the above. We've had a very hot, dry summer and before that a very mild, warm winter. Not sure what the predictions are for this autumn but everywhere I've looked it's been above-average in temperature and below-average in moisture, both of which mean great driving/touring conditions. But being prepared is always a smart thing to do out West because, especially in Wyoming, help can be a long way away.

 

[downhill]

Weather can be very unpredictible this time of year. Be prepared for snow and ice anywhere West of the 100th meridian.

Remember this is the height of hunting season - if you plan on being in the boondocks, a blaze orange cap or vest is a good idea. Hunting season may also affect your ability to find primitive campsites as many of these will be occupied by hunters.

I agree your itinerary sounds a bit optimistic. My recommendation is to set modest goals and spend more time enjoying the areas you go to rather than trying to rush, rush, to get to the next one. That just takes all the fun out of a long trip.

FWIW, this is one of the best times to go to Yellowstone. Most of the roads are still open (though, again, check the weather!) but there are very few tourists. Because of that, remember that a lot of the facilities (including gas stations) will be closed. Still, it's a fantastic time to be there. The big traffic jams and long lines of mid-summer are pretty rare this time of year.

Once again, I can't stress this enough: BE PREPARED FOR WINTER CONDITIONS! Sorry to pigeon-hole, but I lived in the South for a few years when Uncle Sam was my employer and I know they have long, beautiful, mild autumns there in the Southeast. Well, in the Northern Rockies, it can go from a nice, 60 degree fall day to a whiteout blizzard with below zero temps in less than 24 hours. Lots of folks from the South get a rude shock when they realize that there's a reason locals start packing gloves, boots, and tire chains in late September. It's also a good idea to have a rudimentary supply of food and water in your vehicle at all times because in Wyoming in particular, the Highway Patrol will close major highways if there's a bad storm.

Now, having said that, most likely you won't need any of the above. We've had a very hot, dry summer and before that a very mild, warm winter. Not sure what the predictions are for this autumn but everywhere I've looked it's been above-average in temperature and below-average in moisture, both of which mean great driving/touring conditions. But being prepared is always a smart thing to do out West because, especially in Wyoming, help can be a long way away.

Boy, this is some great advice here! My favorite time to travel these parks is the end of the season. My last 4 trips to Yellowstone have been the very last week or two they are open. It is a fabulous time to be there because nobody else is! The weather is a serious player though, and the park and surrounding area are a huge expanse. You must plan for the worst because help will not be at your fingertips. You may likely not even have cell coverage. You need to watch the gas gauge and watch the weather report. Gas is usually available at the Old Faithful facility, but the others close early. One trip I found myself creeping down an ice covered Sylvan pass for a side trip to Cody. It was hair raising! That night the temp dropped to 7 below zero, and even with a cataylic heater running in the camper all night, the water jug on the floor froze. This was the last week of October. The next day the park closed the east entrance and to get back in I had to drive though many miles of snow covered highway to go through the north entrance. The year following, several vehicles were caught in an avalanche along that same stretch. Other years I have been treated to mild fall weather, and those experiences stand out as some of the best I've had. I've loved them all though. Every experience was a gem, but being prepared averted possible disaster. One year I was caught in a snow storm in Glacier in July. It's not all that rare. When you live up here you never let your guard down if you have any sense.

I won't make it this year, so I'm hoping some great pictures get posted.

 

[BIGGUY]

Here is a link for road conditions in WY and they also have several cameras along many of the highways and the Interstates. In the Road Closure section it lists the one road that is closed for winter so far and several with rock slide problems now.

http://www.wyoroad.info/


As was said above, the weather can change quickly. We were having temperatures in the high 70s and lows in the high 40s. Three or four days ago it dropped to 21* at night and hit the mid 50s the next day. The last couple of days it's been in the 30s and mid 60s. We haven't had snow in the SW corner yet, but it's coming. Looking at the weather for Jackson they have had similar temps to us and are calling for possible thunderstorms on Friday and snow on Saturday.

If you are planning on coming over I80 towards Rock Springs and then north on Hwy 191, they have done a lot of construction on hwy 191 the last couple of years. They've added some passing areas and turn lanes. It's made things nice. Be careful as there is a lot of traffic, especially in the early morning and later afternoon/early evening as the oil/gas workers travel. There are also some very impatient drivers too.