We will rent. We did a three week trip to everything in South Dakota/Wyoming in 2015 in a minivan with our camping equipment in a turtle shell on top. Way too crowded.
My neighbor has a Mercedes touring van. Generator, satellite, GPS, awning, shower, etc. I've always eyed it but since the quarantine I covet it.
I really need to get back to Olympic as well. Our only visit was on one of our first trips to Seattle. It was mid-May and while the parking lot was plowed, there was still 10' of snow all around the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center so we couldn't do much without renting snow shoes, which we decided not to do that day. Still a great day as we drove the long way around through Tacoma and Olympia up Hwy 101, stopping for a short hike to a waterfall along the way, then a beautiful drive up to Hurricane Ridge. Came back down and had crabs at a restaurant overlooking Dungeness Bay then took the ferry back to town. The "problem" with the Seattle area is that there are dozens if not hundreds of incredible hikes that aren't even in a national park and involve a lot less driving, so we haven't made a point of getting that far out again. I keep saying it, but one of these days I'm going to nut up and move out there, even if it means taking a demotion or leaving my job altogether.
In two weeks you could do a lot of different combinations. I did all of the Colorado parks in an 11 day trip. I did the Utah parks plus the north rim of the Grand Canyon in two weeks. This past summer I flew into Tuscon and out of Denver on a 15 day trip. For two weeks I would recommend hitting the Utah parks, if Zion is operating shuttles. Zion is one of my favorite parks and I would recommend going, but you can't do it in an RV without the shuttles. A lot of people skip Capitol Reef, and I am not a proponent of that, but like I said earlier it would be the hardest to do with an RV. Even if you don't spend much time in Capitol Reef, the drive from Capitol Reef to Bryce is one of the best in the country. If you can't do Zion then you could do: -Rocky Mountain -Colorado NM or Dinosaur NM or both -Arches -Canyonlands -Mesa Verde -Great Sand Dunes on the way out. You could mix in four corners and monument valley as well. If you could find a way to drive the million dollar highway between Ouray, CO and Durango I would highly recommend it. It might be difficult in an RV, but it is an awesome drive.
Information from Zion NP today: Summer activities, services at Zion will be limited, park officials say With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, Zion National Park officials announced Thursday there will be limited trails, activities and services available this summer. That includes Memorial Day weekend, which is traditionally, the park’s busiest weekend. The park is currently open for day use only, unless staying at Zion Lodge or Watchman Campground. No entry fees are being charged at this time, while the park has planned a phased resumption of operations that will likely span several months. Visitors are encouraged to visit nps.gov/zion to see which activities, trails and facilities are currently available. “Visitors should come prepared, both for crowded conditions, and for the activities they are planning,” superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said in a statement. “With a great many people visiting, please be patient with others and remember to use COVID-19 sanitation practices. Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility. Please avoid unsafe behaviors and risk-taking. Multiple emergencies are common during busy periods, stretching the availability of search and rescue, emergency medical, and fire-fighting capabilities.”
i was at yellowstone monday. lot of people in groups of 10-20 with about 1% of them wearing masks. people are dumb and careless.
actual conversation i had: "why are 15 cars parked on the side of the road" "theres a bear" "yeah but..." "theres a bear"
I looked at RV rental prices. 170+ per night plus paying mileage and fuel with some companies? No thanks. I’ll buy a god damn RV before I get taken for that kind of a ride.
is anything in california currently open? of those things what is worth doing? is there anything that isnt technically open but could still be enjoyed just by driving through it? thanks
Are you headed anywhere specific? There’s a lot to see outside of the parks in most of the state. Some highways like 180 through SEKI are open. What I would not do is stop off in the small towns of the Sierra as it sounds like they’re getting hit pretty hard with visitors and need their space.
the intent is to drive down the coast from seattle to sd while driving inland to see anything interesting.
Olympic Peninsula is one of my favorite places out here. You don't see rain forests abut to beaches in many places in the world. Was looking at property out there before society began collapsing. A couple tips: -It's a long ways from Seattle, a good 3-4 hour drive going around Tacoma, or ~3 hours from Seattle with the ferry (which is always packed in the summer). It's 4-5 hours to get from Seattle to Forks (far west end of the Peninsula), all on a slow two-lane road. -If you want to camp on the beach, make sure you get reservations. They fill up fast, and the rangers walk around the beach checking fairly often. Don't show up at the National Park Center expecting to get reservations, get them online in advance - every time I go out there, there's a handful of families that didn't know you need reservations in advance -If you're camping on the beach, look at tide charts -- sometimes you can only access certain beaches during low tide -I'd try to camp at least 2 nights on the beach, you see so much wildlife - bald eagles, seals, deer, bears, possible whales. Sunsets on the beach are pretty unreal -First night or last night I'd try to check out Sequim and Port Angeles - two of the "bigger" towns on the NE side of the Peninsula. Cool little towns with some really good food -Olympic Game Farm in Sequim could be cool for kids - animal park that rescues circus and carnival animals, has big elk, llama, etc. that you can feed from your window as you drive through -Enchanted Valley is another amazing hike (along with Hoh Rainforest). https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchanted-valley
Gilford Pinochet National Forest (the forest surrounding Mt Rainier) is open this weekend. Leaving this afternoon for some car camping and hiking, coming back Sunday evening. Cannot fucking wait, high 60s/low 70s during the day, low 40s at night.
well i spent the last three days there and am heading south today. i should have posted something sooner.
just fwiw, the Pacific Coast Hwy (especially going south) is the most majestic drive I can imagine. From SF down to Santa Barbara area it's just absurd load up on weed
Do it. As just a city, Seattle is good but not great. It's not in the same tier as NYC/Chicago/San Fran/etc. Still plenty of awesome restaurants and some of the best beer in the world, though. And super progressive. As an outdoor destination, I'd put it up against anywhere in the world. Mt. Rainier, Olympic Mountains, North Cascades. Throw in Vancouver and BC less than 3 hours away, Portland <2 hours away, and ooooo boy.
The only large city I would say beats Seattle for natural beauty is Vancouver. If you get a sunny day in that area, it will make you wonder why you would ever want to be anyplace else on Earth. The problem is the rain the other 6 days of the week. I felt like Cascade Hiking and Seattle hiking is good, but not great, primarily due to having to go about 5 miles in to get away from all the hikers. The scenery is top notch, but I hike to gtf away from people, and having to pass people all the time takes some of it away from me. I'm fortunate to be close to Canada so, that's where I stretch my legs. A lot of the parks up there will open June 1 FYI
Vancouver is phenomenal, and I agree that it's the best of the bunch. My opinion is 1. Vancouver; 2. Seattle; 3. Portland. But Vancouver is also the most expensive of the 3 by a good margin. North Vancouver up the BC coast is breathtaking. Really, the PNW's concentration of alpine lakes is second-to-none and proximity of water to mountains is unreal. And you're right, most of the trails along I-90 are always going to be packed. Just comes with the territory. But like anywhere else, the more you get off the beaten path, the more secluded you get. Very easy to find sparsely populated trails. By parks do you mean like North Cascades/Mt Baker area? I hope so. WTA still has a closure warning on all those hikes.
I meant Canada. My GF has family that lives in the Banff area. The town of Banff and other destinations will be open finally on June 1. As what was mentioned, that doesn't matter since the border is closed until the 21, which might get moved again
Yeah it's not just the outdoor stuff, it's that the city is perfect for me in every way. As a gardener, the weather creates incredible produce. As a culinary person, the quality of ingredients is second to none. And it's incredibly beautiful. I've been to Seattle a few dozen times and I still stop and look at Mt Rainier every single day it's visible. And I love the weather, even when it's raining. I've told the story before somewhere, but two summers ago as I sat on a plane ready to push back and fly home to DFW I took a screenshot of the weather app that showed it was 113 at home and 68 in Seattle...
People that think Seattle or Portland are 'cold' have never experienced real winters. 40-50 degree weather is quite tolerable. It rarely snows West of the cascades, and when it does, it melts quickly. Rain on the other hand is just a way of life during the winter Seasonal depression due to lack of sunlight is the real negative for the cold months. On the plus side, pick up skiing and you look forward to snow
Exactly. It rarely, if ever, dips below freezing. But yea, not seeing the sun for 20-30 days can really blow. Just need to get into winter sports. Can still board, ski, snowshoe - plenty of stuff to do, just takes more effort and preparation. And the summers more than make up for it. Where are you at?
I doubt I'll be in Seattle forever, but I also doubt I'll ever leave this part of the world. Dream scenario is a place up on the BC coast, 30 min-1 hour north of Vancouver.
I live in the south hill part of Spokane. North Van is certainly the dream. My GF lived in downtown area for a few years. The city puts me in awe, but the stories she told me about landlords and real estate is pretty frightening. Unless you have some extreme inheritance or come from Chinese money, it's tough to own anything there. They call it Hongcouver for a reason. I have never seen so many perfectly fine homes destroyed to build apartments due to the sprawl. We have a lot of back and forth between where we want to end up. She likes Portland and Canada. I like Spokane and Seattle. I think we end up in Victoria, BC tbh, which has some cleaner, less homelessness Vancouver vibes in it, but unfortunately on an island.
That’s the conclusion we made for a Rushmore/Tetons/Yellowstone trip in 2015. Things are a lot cheaper now.
I camped at Second Beach over July 4th weekend last year and you didn't need reservations. Just had to get the permits from the park center -- which that line can be legit 4 hours long (it was on the 4th). We left the morning of the 5th and there was zero line. I still need to do the Hoh this summer
The seasonal depression up here is no joke. It murders me -- actually can't take it anymore and will be leaving before the end of the fall. That said, in the next 5 years I would love to have a cabin up in the north cascades where I can spend the summers and early fall. Maybe come back to ski a couple of weeks and then rent it out the rest of the time.
That’s how I felt about Portland. In the good weather it can’t be beat. Literally. Plus you can easily get to the coast, Seattle and Vancouver. Terrific urban transit system. Nice downtown. Lots of great hiking. But in the Winter...;the sky is grey... and 10 feet above your head...and the drivers drive 10 MPH below the speed limit (year round).,because?
It looks like Crater Lake National Park is closed except for highway 62 through the park. https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
many things have been closed but i'll need a reason to do it again someday. i'll add this to the list.
Crater Lake is one of the coolest places I’ve been. The water is breathtakingly blue. Highly recommend it.