Non UK USA/Canada route ideas/help

M

Matt.

Judge Dredd
Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,060
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm trying to get my trip sorted for this year but am hugely struggling to decide on a route. I will be going on my own, for 3-4 weeks and need some big landscapes!

I've done quite a few US parks so far, and would love to see them all.

I've been to:
Arches, Badlands, Black Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Sand Dunes, Joshua Tree, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion.


The routes i'm thinking of at the moment are:
1. Seattle > Glacier NP > Banff NP > Jasper NP > Kamloops > Vancouver > Olympic NP > Mt Rainier NP > Eugene > Crater Lake NP > San Francisco
2. Ancorage > Kenai Fjords NP > Denali NP > Wrangell St Elias NP > Honolulu > Kauai > Big Island (Volcano NP)
3+ Variations of the above really, mainly just of Glacier NP, Alaska and Hawaii.


I'd like to go ~15 August to 11 September as i need to be back in the UK for the 12th.

So can anyone help me decide? Maybe with some help on whether this is even a good time for any of these locations, or a particularly bad time for a location?

I'd like to book flights in the next week or two and get started!


Thanks
 
Hi

You will be too early for the colour in the Rockies, Banff/ Jasper. I expect you know that. I have some good pictures of men fishing for salmon in the river at Banff with the colour reflecting in the water. There were also Beaver fishing near to them. Jasper was full of Elk, not to mention the Chinese.

I hate cities but Vancouver really is wow! Great sunsets from English Bay. The Science World building in False Creek as the sun goes down is another must.

Kamloops, very minimalistic country side.

I also loved Toronto despite being a city hater. China town is such a busy colourful place. I could have spent a week in Dundas Square day and night so many really great photo opportunities. The wife dragged me of to Niagara Falls, not somewhere I ever want to see again.

The Canadians are very nice polite friendly people. Unlike the French which is where I live. I expect the Yen will remain strong against the Canadian Dollar so everywhere will be full of Chinese, all taking selfies. It’s impossible to take pictures around the famous lakes or anywhere else without including a group, unless you are an early bird.

Canada is enormous, think about trimming your trip down or you will spend all of the time travelling.

I loved Canada and would go again if possible.

Graham.
 
Meyssonnier said:
Canada is enormous, think about trimming your trip down or you will spend all of the time travelling.
Click to expand...

I've done Toronto/Vancouver/Whistler/Victoria/etc... already. This isn't planned as a Canada trip really. Much more a US one, with a potential Canadian section :)

I've done many US road trips. Last one was 6,500 miles in 4 weeks, one before that 4,500 in 3.5 weeks. So i'm accustomed to it all and know exactly what i'm getting myself in for.

I do wonder whether i actually go after the 12th September instead of before.

One thing that needs to be taken into account is the Going To The Sun road in Glacier NP is generally only fully open mid July to mid September.
 
Maybe the weather will help you decide. I got pretty much ousted out of the Rockies by torrential rains that apparently got much worse a few days later - it is only shame I tried to stick with it for a while and lost precious time. 3 weeks is very little and your list is very long.
 
Options are now looking like:

1. Seattle
2. Mt Rainier NP
3. Mt Rainier NP
4. Kalispell (Glacier NP)
5. East Glacier (Glacier NP)
6. East Glacier (Glacier NP)
7. East Glacier (Glacier NP)
8. East Glacier (Glacier NP)
9. Banff NP
10. Banff NP
11. Banff NP
12. Jasper NP
13. Jasper NP
14. Jasper NP
15. Kamloops
16. Vancouver
17. Vancouver
18. Olympic NP or Seattle
19. Olympic NP or Seattle
20. Olympic NP or Seattle
21. Eugene
22. Crater Lake NP
23. Crater Lake NP
24. Carmel/San Francisco
25. Carmel/San Francisco
26. Carmel/San Francisco



OR



1. Anchorage
2. Wrangell St Elias NP
3. Wrangell St Elias NP
4. Wrangell St Elias NP
5. Wrangell St Elias NP
6. Seward
7. Seward
8. Denali NP
9. Denali NP
10. Denali NP
11. Denali NP
12. Denali NP
13. Anchorage
14. Big Island, HI
15. Big Island (Volcanoes NP)
16. Big Island
17. Big Island
18. Kauai
19. Kauai
20. Kauai
21. Kauai
22. Honolulu
23. Honolulu



Wrangell St Elias NP is EXPENSIVE! As i'd need to fly in (~£400). Though saying that, both option above are of similar costs when totalled up. Just can't decide between them! Option 2 seems more 'epic' and the scenery will be more varied. Option 1 is easier to do (far less flying, and keeping the same car for 90% of it, but i've been to Vancouver already, so it's not all new).
 
We flew to Vancouver and drove across the Rockies last summer, stopping first in Revelstoke, then Banff and using the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper (as I presume you intend to). The scenery is quite spectacular and lovely, but certainly not crowded with tourists. We also saw black bears around Banff and an Elk at Jasper. Kamloops is very barren and didn't look especially interesting, but we didn't venture off the highway there. Vancouver is a great city, though probably not so interesting to you (and don't bother with the suspension bridge!).

We'd like to do it again sometime, probably in reverse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top