IPM

Our tour in the US is likely to be end in June next year and we would like to see some mountains and parts of the West before we repatriate.

Basic idea would be to travel for up to two months. We live in DC and initial plan is to start in Denver - family would fly; I would drive. Once, we're finished (exhausted) we would just sell the car and fly back to London.

I would value members advice on highlights for a NW circle itinerary. We're mostly interested in seeing the big landscapes and doing outdoor stuff, but will have children (6 and 4).

I have in mind: Rocky Mtn NP; then over on I-80 to Salt Lake (is this scenic at all?); then north to grand Tetons/YellowStone. After this, it gets a bit unclear. Distances seem very long -up through northern MT or cut over to WA or OR but don't know the highlights in these states. Eventually end up in San Fran for some downtime and that might be it.

We had thought about doing a more southerly route (Arches, Canyonlands NPs etc) but am advised that it will already be too hot.

Is this possible or still too ambitious and likely to result in divorce?

rebs

I don't have anything to add regarding your route - I'm sure others will help on that, but I did want to comment on insurance while you are on vacation.

We did a small scale vacation (just a couple of weeks) between my husband's assignment in the US finishing and us repatriating to the UK.

I had a bit of trouble making sure we were covered with medical insurance as once his assignment finished and he was back being paid by his UK department, we were no longer covered by the employment medical cover. I couldn't get UK based travel type insurance as we were not yet resident in the UK.

In the end, we asked his employer to continue the assignment (ie being paid by the US side of things) for a further month which meant we were covered during our vacation. As we had that option, I did not make a huge effort to get insurance elsewhere, so it may be possible.

You've maybe got this all sorted already, but it was not something I had concerned when we first made our plans.

Psyman

2 months from Denver to San Francisco is plenty, even with a pretty circuitous route. I've lived in Oregon and Idaho most of the last 15 years or so and there are lots of great out of the way places in the west to see as well as the national parks etc you'll see on the maps. Keep off the freeways where you can, and you'll probably just see stuff you want to check out.

It may be warm, but you should see some of the red rock country of Utah. If you're on I-70 from Denver you may as well do the loop up through Colorado National Monument, which is just near the border with Utah, and then Moab and Arches NP are a short drive from the freeway. You can visit both these places, see great stuff, and not even get out of the air conditioned car if you want. A day for each, no problem with a few short hikes if you wanted.

9 Mile Canyon near Price UT has some good petroglyphs if you like Native American rock art. I usually go straight past Salt Lake, but yes, you should go to the Tetons and Yellowstone. If you headed west from there, you could check out the Sawtooth Mountain national recreation area in Idaho and Sun Valley area - good for hiking, biking, lakes etc and spectactular mountain views. Stop off and see the Snake River canyon near Boise, Idaho or go to Hells Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border. Highway 26 through rural eastern Oregon is a pretty drive. Check out the Strawberry mountain wilderness for day hikes, and further west the John Day Fossil Beds. Bend, Oregon is a nice town - good jumping off point for the Cascade Mountains and some snow capped volcanoes or Crater Lake (bloody great lake that formed in the remnants of a volcano that exploded). Columbia River Gorge (I-84) just east of Portland is spectacular. Any of the Oregon coast and and the California coast from the Oregon border to Santa Barbara is great. I like Newport, OR and Mendocino, CA. Big Sur south of San Francisco is a must see, as is Redwood National Park in N. California for the big trees. And, yes, San Francisco shouldn't be missed.

Will you be camping? Driving a 4WD car? Having camping gear and at least a high clearance vehicle (doesn't have to be 4WD) will help you experience the great outdoors. Forest Service campgrounds are good places to stay (no showers) or State Parks (usually have showers). Get off the freeways, check out the small towns and let yourself get sidetracked by the various local historical/natural attractions and you'll have a great time.

caleyjag

For what it's worth, in my opinion Yosemite is the jewel in the crown of the park system.

May/June is the best time to visit the park as the waterfalls (which run primarily off snowmelt) will be at full blast. The summer crowds in the main valley aren't usually too bad by then.

If you are finishing in San Francisco, skipping Yosemite would be criminal.

avanutria

In 2003 I drove from Western NY to Seattle in June (solo). The stretch from Denver to Grand Junction CO is absolutely breathtaking. I forget what road it is. VERY scenic. I remember huge blue skies and mountain lakes surrounded by trees.

Grand Junction to SLC is scenic in a completely different way. Red rock canyons, abandoned mining areas, desolate stretches where you can imagine trying to cross with a wagon train and wondering if your food and water will hold out.

More recently, DH and I did a NW circle: Started in Eugene Oregon. First night, Boise Idaho (where he got to see an old apartment of mine). Next was SLC, where we visited friends. Then on to Grand Junction CO where we visited another friend and stayed for a night. Back to SLC for a couple of nights. Then we struck out towards Nevada and saw the Bonneville Salt Flats in Western Utah - I think kids would find this very cool if they're not exhausted. It looks like an enormous field of snow but it's all salt. We finished that night in Reno NV - there's a river there through the middle of town that the locals swim in, raft down and walk back again. Not sure of your kids' swimming skills but it might be something to do. From there we had planned to visit Sacramento but we were getting pretty tired so decided to go straight back to Eugene. All told that loop (with a sticking-out bit to CO) was about 2,500 miles if I recall correctly.

Actually, DH blogged it:

Roadtrip Day 1: Eugene OR to Boise ID
Day 2: Boise ID to West Valley City UT
Day 3: WVC to Grand Junction Colorado
Day 4: Grand Junction to Salt Lake City
Day 5: A Day in Salt Lake City
Day 6: WVC to Reno, Nevada
Day 7: Reno to Eugene (via California)