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Traveling across the USA - Advice Please (hiking/camping)

Wuzup101

Wuzup101

Platinum Member
Hey all - I'm almost done with my current project (I'm a consultant) and am ready for some R&R before I pick up my next project. I'd also like to see some new parts of the country and do some hiking and camping as I go. I'll be leaving from eastern PA and will be driving. I have one or two commitments along the way and will probably bookend those weekends in a major city and fly back to PA. I'd like to spend as much of my time as possible in various national/state parks/forests but will also hit up some major cities along the way. I have about 2 months from mid April to mid June at the max. I'd love to hear some group input on where I should go.

A few places that I want to hit:
- Grand Canyon NP
- Yellowstone NP
- Yosemite NP
- Mount Hood NF
- Olympic NP
- Rocky Mtn NP
- Lake Tahoe
- Mt Rushmore / Black Hills NF

A few cities that I'd like to hit:
- San Fran
- Portland
- Boulder/Denver
- San Diego
- Albuquerque
- Phoenix
- LA
- Chicago
- Dallas or Austin (or both)
- New Orleans
- Atlanta

I could certainly scrub the last three for more time in the parks (as most are north/west). I'll also be driving a Corvette, so bonus points for any HPDE's or track days that I can hit along the way. I didn't choose any parks / cities on the NE to central Atlantic as I'm within a day drive of most of them.

Any help is appreciated!
 
You basically skipped over the most scenic portion of the whole continental United States: Utah and its many national parks. I'd take Bryce, Zion, Arches, etc. over most of those on your list. Canyoneering near Zion is very memorable (Zion Adventures does very well with their canyoneering guides). And if you are considering the Grand Canyon, you'll likely be driving right by all of them.

The Grand Canyon is pretty lame unless you go into it. Hike down, take an animal ride down, raft through it, or at least take a helicopter into it.

Yellowstone is great, but quite spaced out. Plan for a couple days there and there isn't much hiking unless you do it in July (heck many of the roads will be closed until May/June).

I spend multiple weekends a year in the Rocky Mountain National Park. If you like a less polished experience, the Baldpate Inn has the best breakfast by far of just about any hotel in the country (and it is cheap for the area and lets you skip the crowd in Estes Park, but doesn't open until Memorial day weekend if I remember correctly). The Colorado Mountain School has great climbing courses and is based in Boulder but has a branch in Estes park. Or if you want to hike, ask me for details on the trails. I am trying to hike all of them.

Mount Rushmore is a pass (and so is the whole area around it). Don't bother unless you are going there anyways. And if you are going there anyways consider the Badlands instead. There is a nice Canyon between Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore that few people know about (Bighorn Canyon). From the main vantage point it looks basically the same as the Grand Canyon, but it just isn't as long.
 
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I wouldn't get too hung up on itineraries else, you end up with the "if it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" syndrome. Enjoy the parks. If you find a great spot, don't worry about what you may be missing someplace else.
 
dullard said:
You basically skipped over the most scenic portion of the whole continental United States: Utah and its many national parks. I'd take Bryce, Zion, Arches, etc. over most of those on your list. And if you are considering the Grand Canyon, you'll likely be driving right by all of them.
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I'm in the super early stages of planning (like just decided to do it). Zion I'll have to hit and I'll do some reading on the others. Thanks!

schmuckley said:
Bro,you're driving cross-country in a Corvette?
Wow.
I couldn't ..wow..
I think you will learn to hate driving it.
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Maybe I will... but doubtful. I've only had it since November but I've done several 600-700 mile drives thus far. It drives real nice like (I'm also 30 and have a high tolerance for tight suspensions... #becauseracecar lol)

MagnusTheBrewer said:
I wouldn't get too hung up on itineraries else, you end up with the "if it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" syndrome. Enjoy the parks. If you find a great spot, don't worry about what you may be missing someplace else.
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Good point. I really want to just have a basic game plan. I'm going to avoid booking as many solid engagements as possible. That being said... anyone ever been to the Monterey Grand Prix @ Laguna Seca - I hear there is camping!
 
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Another vote for southern Utah.
Arches
Canyonlands
Goosenecks of the San Juan
Monument Valley
Capitol Reef
Escalante-Grand Staircase
Kodachrome Basin
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
side trip to North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Zion
Bryce
Cedar Breaks
can all be auto-toured in 10-12 days with short to half day hikes included.

Consider the southern route through Colorado to pick up Great Sand Dunes, Wolf Creek Pass, Durango, Ouray, Silverton, Mesa Verde

For Zion and the Grand Canyon you're probably too late to book anything in the parks. You can always try for something when you get there but be prepared to camp outside those parks.
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If you go to Tahoe plan a trip to Mono Lake. It's a small side trip but really cool.
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How do you feel about rock damage and pin-striping to your car? A willingness to drive on gravel roads (real roads, not two tracks) can get you into some pretty neat country in the parks that you can't get to on pavement.

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Your city list isn't aligning very well with your park list. You will have to consider which is more interesting to you. If you really want to see Phoenix then earlier is better. June in Phoenix is hot (110-115F).
 
IronWing said:
Another vote for southern Utah.
Arches
Canyonlands
Goosenecks of the San Juan
Monument Valley
Capitol Reef
Escalante-Grand Staircase
Kodachrome Basin
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
side trip to North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Zion
Bryce
Cedar Breaks
can all be auto-toured in 10-12 days with short to half day hikes included.

Consider the southern route through Colorado to pick up Great Sand Dunes, Wolf Creek Pass, Durango, Ouray, Silverton, Mesa Verde

For Zion and the Grand Canyon you're probably too late to book anything in the parks. You can always try for something when you get there but be prepared to camp outside those parks.
---------
If you go to Tahoe plan a trip to Mono Lake. It's a small side trip but really cool.
---------

How do you feel about rock damage and pin-striping to your car? A willingness to drive on gravel roads (real roads, not two tracks) can get you into some pretty neat country in the parks that you can't get to on pavement.

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Your city list isn't aligning very well with your park list. You will have to consider which is more interesting to you. If you really want to see Phoenix then earlier is better. June in Phoenix is hot (110-115F).
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Great info. I know the cities are spread out a bit... And there are a lot that I'm willing to drop entirely. Its easy to fly into a city for a long weekend but much harder to try to get any significant time in the parks. My city list will ultimately be dependent on my parks list.

In regards to the car... I'm more than willing to drive on gravel and get it filthy. I'd like to avoid pinstriping but I suppose white is the best color for that haha. That being said I have to be realistic at what I'll be able to take on. I was planning to try to avoid the use of the car in and around the parks (I'd rather string out a 4 day camp and back country camp). I'm not sure if it is realistic at all of them. I probably won't exceed 15 miles or so per day on foot... I'd rather take frequent breaks and just be in awe of nature! I don't plan to car camp except as necessary due to travel / arrival times. It does seem like Zion has plenty of room in their back country sites for my timeframe. There are only a few weekends where I might be Sol.
 
It's interesting that you are missing all the tourist traps of Ohio. 😛

Just come out to California, and quench your thirst in the drought. 😉
 
I forgot to mention: get the yearly pass. The parks generally run ~$20 ($5 to $10 for the lesser known parks) and the pass to all national parks* is ~$80 for the year. Prices are going up this year, so they may be a bit higher than that. Keep it in your wallet as you don't want to be the guy digging through his luggage in the long car entrance line.


* Except for Mount Rushmore which is free but you have to pay a high fee to park, so the pass is useless there.
 
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dullard said:
I forgot to mention: get the yearly pass. The parks generally run ~$20 ($5 to $10 for the lesser known parks) and the pass to all national parks* is ~$80 for the year. Prices are going up this year, so they may be a bit higher than that. Keep it in your wallet as you don't want to be the guy digging through his luggage in the long car entrance line.


* Except for Mount Rushmore which is free but you have to pay a high fee to park, so the pass is useless there.
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I was going to post this. If you don't do the annual pass, your national park entrance fee might cover you for a week at all national parks. Or is that national monuments? I can't remember. And if you happen to be a senior citizen, it's a 1 time fee for lifetime access (I'm just throwing this out there. I'm pretty sure you aren't.)
 
Worthington said:
Skip Atlanta, hit the Asheville area instead. Pisgah national park, Shenandoah National park and Dupont state park. As well as being able to drive the Blue ridge Parkway and hopefully hit Tail of the Dragon as well (http://tailofthedragon.com).
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I'm about 4 hours from Ashville area right now (have been in SC for the last 3 years). I want to spend 1-2 weeks in the area at some point, but that will probably be a dedicated trip. Pisgah is pretty awesome. Did Mt Mitchell last fall but sadly did not get up there nearly as much as I wanted while in SC.
 
The Crater Lake rim drive would be awesome in a Vette. And you'll be going right past there if you're going between California and Mt Hood.

Honestly though, I'd skip Hood and hit Mt Rainier NP (much more scenic). The road up to Mt St Helens would be fun in that car too.
 
That's a big itinerary, even for two months. You'll spend an awful lot of your time traveling. Too much.

#1: Skip anything east of New Orleans and south of DC. It's a very nice area of the country (except for Florida, of course), but not much for a whistle-stop tour.

#2: The only town in the whole state of Texas worth visiting is Austin. Unfortunately, you'll need to travel through too much of the rest of that god-forsaken state to get there and to leave.

#3: Albuquerque and Phoenix are dumps. So is most of Denver.

If you skipped New Orleans and Texas, you could go straight to Chicago for a visit, then out to the Black Hills of South Dakota, then through the rockies, then do the west coast bottom to top or vice versa. I'm not too familiar with weather in the Pacific Northwest, but you might want to think about when it would be best to be up there. I'm thinking later in the spring might be best, so the end of the trip, maybe.
 
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