Solo road trip, East Coast to West Coast. Looking for ideas/cool things to do

[thinkviv]

Got into Seattle yesterday afternoon and spent an evening and the morning in downtown, went to Mt. Rainier in the afternoon and wouldn't you know it, they closed off the entrances while I was on the drive down. Seattle has really nice architecture and character, I saw more homeless people concentrated in that city than ever. Decided to head to Portland so I'm excited to see the city tomorrow.

I really enjoyed the drive through Washington, one of the most beautiful states I have been through.

Photos of Mt Rainier, scenic viewpoint overlooking Pendleton, OR, and close ups of bison from Yellowstone taken with my dslr.

 

[exare1200]

Out West this time of year, get yourself a bear bag, plenty of rope to hang it, and bear spray with holster. It can be expensive ($80-100) but worth it and often required to camp.
Also, "Up and Off the Mountain by 2:00PM" is a good rule to avoid lightning at elevation.

Yellowstone NP, WY -- Park has entrances at roughly "N, S, E, W" directions. From South Dakota you'd be on RTE 14 toward West entrance and hit Cody, WY. In Cody, WY, the Buffalo Bill Museum has an incredible firearms and art collection. Town of Cody is ok for lunch...
From Cody, Head West towards Yellowstone, you can Camp off the road in the campgrounds throughout Shoshone National Forest. It's beautiful and cheap for overnight sites, and there are many "ranches" along the road you could look into if you want to fish and ride or eat. The Yellowstone gate from Shoshone is burnt and all uphill.

Yellowstone is luxurious in the northern half. Lodge food is great, camp sites are nice, and the big animals are very active in the valleys up there.

Sulphur Springs and the overlooks like Artist Point are worth the walk from the parking lot.
I believe you can hike all the way to the river at Lower Lookout Point and have yourself a secluded spot along wide river banks.
Firehole River has a swim area.

You could take some of the hiking trails available to you in the North like Specimen Ridge (Just past Roosevelt Lodge). Gas station at Roosevelt Lodge has a hot-water tank inside which is nice for meals.

Yellowstone, FARTHER NORTH: If you're feeling crazy, the scenery on the drive North (it's a long one) to Cooke City/Silver Gate is really beautiful and along Beartooth Hwy (212), and there is a weird "big" little town at Cooke City with a restaurant called Log Cabin Cafe, expensive but really good pancakes.

Joshua Tree, CA....is a desert. Get a date shake and go.

Big Bear Lake, CA is about 100 miles northwest and has very pretty alpine setting but weather can be an issue with mandatory chains and 4wd use on some trails.

Hi everyone,

If anyone has any ideas for cool places to visit along the way, I open for any and all suggestions, looking for some hidden gems that are off the tourist paths. My 5th gen is mostly stock and I am a complete newbie when it comes to driving offroad, so I would be hesitant to take anything but some nice easy scenic trails. Also open to meeting up with anyone and going wheeling or grabbing a beer if its along the way or not too far out.

Currently on the list is:
Badlands NP, SD
Yellowstone NP, WY
Redwood NP, CA
Yosemite NP, CA
Joshua Tree NP, CA
Pretified Forest NP, AZ

 

[mteolus]

Joshua Tree = rock climber's paradise

 

[tristero]

Currently on the list is:
Badlands NP, SD
Yellowstone NP, WY
Redwood NP, CA
Yosemite NP, CA
Joshua Tree NP, CA
Pretified Forest NP, AZ

I wouldn't skip Montana, Idaho, or Washington before you head down to Redwood. Definitely don't skip Montana.

In NorCal, Mt Shasta and the surrounding area of Shasta/Trinity is huge and there's almost an endless number of places to visit. I'm a big fan of Happy Camp all the way out to Six Rivers.

Yosemite is rad, but it's filled with my neighbors and coworkers nowadays so just be aware of that.

 

[mteolus]

Probably too late, but if you head south from Mt. Shasta in California on Interstate 5, Castle Crags State Park is a pretty amazing and surprising place that you probably have never heard of.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Great pictures!

 

[thinkviv]

[MENTION=119442]tristero[/MENTION] I didn't skip Montana, Idaho, or Washington. I really liked Twin Falls, ID and some of the smaller towns around Mt. Rainier.
[MENTION=171879]mteolus[/MENTION] not too late, and Castle Crags looks cool, I'll check out if roads are open. Hoping that the high winds die down soon. Heading out of Portland this afternoon. [MENTION=285568]exare1200[/MENTION] thanks, I spent one day in the park and will keep that in mind for the next time. If love to spend 3-4 days camping in our around the park

 

[GX4SEVEND]

If you’re heading south....take 22 east from Salem and hit the McKenzie pass. It’s awesome if the roads are still open. Drops you into Sisters and then you’ve got bend and mt bachelor right there. Plus crater lake is on the way south into Medford and I-5


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[thinkviv]

[MENTION=28692]GX4SEVEND[/MENTION] the windy weather down here had me a bit worried. Decided to head down the 99w from Portland, it was a beautiful drive. Stopped in Roseburg for the night, the air is starting to get hazy/smokey, but what a sunset.

Many roads have already been closed at Crater Lake, I'm about 2 hours away but think I'll save it for when I come back and explore the Northwest in more depth, and can see more of these places since the storms from last week brought so much early snow to the region.

A few days ago I got caught in a snowstorm just east of Pendleton which came out of nowhere. I got out of it within 10-15 minutes but it felt like forever. I also don't have experience driving in those conditions so I wasn't sure at which point roads become icy, that was a bit stressful.

 

[cccolin]

[MENTION=28692]GX4SEVEND[/MENTION] the windy weather down here had me a bit worried. Decided to head down the 99w from Portland, it was a beautiful drive. Stopped in Roseburg for the night, the air is starting to get hazy/smokey, but what a sunset.

Many roads have already been closed at Crater Lake, I'm about 2 hours away but think I'll save it for when I come back and explore the Northwest in more depth, and can see more of these places since the storms from last week brought so much early snow to the region.

A few days ago I got caught in a snowstorm just east of Pendleton which came out of nowhere. I got out of it within 10-15 minutes but it felt like forever. I also don't have experience driving in those conditions so I wasn't sure at which point roads become icy, that was a bit stressful.

Dunno where you're headed next, but FYI Moab has been seeing temps in the high teens/low 20s at night. Colorado is currently pretty cold, been in the low teens the last couple nights in Denver, which means colder up in the mountains. Up in Vail it's 13 degrees right now.

 

[thinkviv]

[MENTION=115819]cccolin[/MENTION], heading over to Redwoods NP later today then see as much of California as I can, Utah is expected to warm up a bit by next week so I was thinking of taking a small detour up there before following the warm weather in the South as I make my way east on the way back home

 

[MeefZah]

Up in northern CA-

If you like trucks and machinery the California Agricultural Museum in Woodland is neat and pretty big.

I believe it’s highway 70 between Oroville and Lake Almanor that’s is a twisting canyon road with white water and railroad tracks. I thought it was neat.

Lassen Volcanic NP before it closes due to snow. The Cinder Cone hike is great.

Check out the Sundial Bridge in Redding.

Black Butte and the Shasta Dam tour.

Out on the coast, little country road 211 between Weott and Ferndale drives within touching distance of Redwoods and right down to the coast.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods and Crescent City.

Up in Tillamook Oregon, the gigantic old wooden blimp hanger museum is neat.

70 is cool, lots of neat infrastructure (bridges, tunnels) along the Feather River as well as fun curves.

211 is a state highway and it actually ends in Ferndale. The road you reference then becomes 'The Wildcat' / Mattole Road and runs on the ridges and then drops to the ocean near Petrolia. The 6 miles along the ocean and the section called "the wall" are, IMO, the prettiest stretch of road I've ever been on. It's a super rough road though, people bend wheels on it all the time (I've bent two), so OP be careful if you drive it. Potholes lurk in the shadows. Also Weott is nowhere near that road. Fendale - Petrolia -Honeydew - Shelter Cove.

Lassen is great and the road is still open now but it's getting to the time that it'll be closed so check right before you go.

OP, if you are going N/S or S/N on the coast Rt 1 is a must-do if only for bragging rights (also super beautiful) and if you get farther north venture off the 4 lane of 101 onto Avenue of the Giants south of Eureka and then the Drury Scenic Parkway farther north of Eureka (both are "old" 101 and carve through the redwoods). In Jedediah Smith Park (Crescent City) check out Stout Grove and Howland Hills Rd through the grove.

OP, if you come into Calif make sure you consult CalTrans website for road closures as there are a lot of them - Division of Traffic Operations - Road Information - California Highway Information - and keep an eye on fire activity as sections of the state are ablaze right now with evacuations, etc.

[MENTION=115819]cccolin[/MENTION], heading over to Redwoods NP later today then see as much of California as I can, Utah is expected to warm up a bit by next week so I was thinking of taking a small detour up there before following the warm weather in the South as I make my way east on the way back home

After reading the whole thread I see you are in N Calif today!

You gotta be close to Eureka so holler if you need anything - advice, parts, food, oil change, whatever...

Lock your shit in downtown Eureka and hide valuables inside the car.... sigh

 

[GX4SEVEND]

I second lassen. Such an awesome place. Not sure where you’re at now but a lot of people love caribou lake and hart lake.

If you’re going to lassen then maybe hit Tahoe too. Awesome town.


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[tristero]

[MENTION=119442]tristero[/MENTION] I didn't skip Montana, Idaho, or Washington. I really liked Twin Falls, ID and some of the smaller towns around Mt. Rainier.

My fault, I should have read through other than looking at your post time and trying to convince you to take the north route asap.

Beautiful pics by the way. My grandpa always wanted a ranch in Montana and now that I'm a little older and lived in a metro area I definitely understand why. He lived on a ranch in Wyoming in an old railroad car outside of Cheyenne when he was young. I still like trying to find that railroad car when we drive out that way.

OP, if you come into Calif make sure you consult CalTrans website for road closures as there are a lot of them - Division of Traffic Operations - Road Information - California Highway Information - and keep an eye on fire activity as sections of the state are ablaze right now with evacuations, etc.

In addition Keep an eye on the live fire map and windy.com
Fire Activity Map - Fire in California
Windy: Wind map & weather forecast

The fires will likely alter your route heading down south at this point.

 

[thinkviv]

[MENTION=132734]MeefZah[/MENTION] I just finished a quick workout at the planet fitness in Bayshore mall in Eureka! About to head south on the 101. Redwoods is incredible, went on a hike with a park ranger yesterday and drove south, camped in Elk Prairie, got a hike in those morning before I started the drive further south.

Unfortunately Lassen is going to have to wait for another time, I'm going to make a proper list to see the things I didn't get to on this trip.

Attached is the 4runner next to an old growth redwood which isn't even that big compared to some of the massive ones

 

[LakeRunr]

Grand Canyon (of course), and Meteor Crater.

 

[MeefZah]

[MENTION=132734]MeefZah[/MENTION] I just finished a quick workout at the planet fitness in Bayshore mall in Eureka! About to head south on the 101. Redwoods is incredible, went on a hike with a park ranger yesterday and drove south, camped in Elk Prairie, got a hike in those morning before I started the drive further south.

Unfortunately Lassen is going to have to wait for another time, I'm going to make a proper list to see the things I didn't get to on this trip.

Attached is the 4runner next to an old growth redwood which isn't even that big compared to some of the massive ones

Nice. Where'd you end up tonight?

 

[thinkviv]

[MENTION=132734]MeefZah[/MENTION], I ended up in Ukiah and headed south just before daybreak. Sunrise here is beautiful. Just got to the gym and I am a bit south of Santa Clara. Thinking about spending the day in San Francisco, but still undecided