Ideas on Sacramento, CA, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado Trip

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Dean & Linda Stock

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Posts
1,195
Location
Cypress, California
Our February to May trip to Texas has morphed into a six week trip to  Yosemite, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.  My husband broke his ankle in January and celebrated his release from Physical Therapy in early April by waxing the RV.  Unfortunately, he reached out too far with the buffer, toppled from the top of the ladder, and landed on his head and shoulder.  The doctor sewed his bleeding head back together.  I didn't take him out in public often, as he looked like I had beaten him severely.  He is now OK, though his body lets him know it's battered and bruised.  He has promised to be more careful, but still insists on doing everything himself. 

We will be leaving in about 3 days.  I have done hurried homework, read all the sites on RV Forum, AAA Travel Books, Trailer Life, and Woodall's.  However, there's nothing like personal experience, and I'm sure many of you out there have favorite places to visit, favorite cafes, favorite RV camps, horror experiences that I wouldn't want to repeat, or other caveats. 

We will be hitting Glacier later, hopefully this August when we start our fall  trip, so save your tips on that.  It won't be open when we are in the area in May.  Any helpful ideas?  Thanks.
 
Colorado - Mesa Verde NP, Hovenweep NM, wineries and orchards around Grand Junction, Durango and the road and/or train to Silverton, Great Sand Dunes NP and the nearby alligator farm (ok, so it's kind of tourist-tacky but, hey, alligators in Colorado? at 7000-feet?), the drive or the cog railway to the top of Pike's Peak (where America the Beautiful was written), Rocky Mountain NP.

Colorado is a great state for just driving around and sucking up nature.

Give us a call if you're in our area and we can give you advice or act as tour guides.

And tell Dean to behave and stay off ladders !!

Wendy
Cortez CO
 
Hey, if you're leaving in 3 days, you could make the Moab rally :) Then do Colorado, Wyoming, Montana.

Wendy
 
You won't be able to camp on the valley floor at Yosemite unless you made reservations 6 months ago. You can camp outside the park or possibly in the high country.

I don't know why you are going to Sacramento. It is located in one of the ugliest parts of California, the San Joaquin Valley. And it will be very hot there in the summer time.

Try going to Kings Canyon National Park instead. There are two parts, General Grant's Grove and the valley, separated by 30 miles. The valley looks almost identical to Yosemite Valley as far as the granite walls, the flora and the fauna are concerned. Of course they should look alike, they are Kings Canyon is the next valley south of Yosemite. And you will have no problems finding camping there. Also consider Sequoia National Park, which borders Kings Canyon.

At Lake Tahoe make sure you drive the entire road that circumnavigates the lake. There are very few vistas in the world that can compete with the view you will see above Emerald Bay.

In Glacier is a stunning park but the Going to the Sun Highway (the crown jewel of the park) is usually not open until mid-June.

When you are in Wyoming you will probably want to see Yellowstone, and it is stunning. But I prefer Grand Teton National Park located 50 miles to the south. Talk about stunning scenery, abundant wildlife and no crowds, you got it all at the Tetons.

I think you should skip Colorado and leave it for another trip. *gets ready to duck flying object from Wendy* It is a beautiful place with lots to see and do but I really don't think this will be your last trip so don't try and see the entire west in six weeks. I have been at it for 9 years and still have a lot to see.
 
I'll agree with T-bird about Sacramento not being terribly attractive HOWEVER there is a lot of nifty history there so Dean and Linda should enjoy that.

For Colorado, I'd do an entire 4-6 month trip thru the 4 corners states. But sometimes you need to get nibbles of places so you know where you want to go revisit.

As for throwing things at you, Tom, you'll just have to wait and see what comes flying your way when I see you live and in person  ;)

Wendy
 
Ouch!  Hope he's recovering well.

I'll just chime in about Sacramento since I lived in that area for a long time and have gone back a lot with the coach.  It really depends on what you plan to do in the area but they're aren't a lot of choices.  Folsom Lake State Recreation Area at Beals Point actually has very nice facilities and is a short walk to the lake.  Bike and hiking trails are great in addition to the water sports. It's about 20 min from downtown Sac.  We won't stay there anymore since they increased the CG fee to something like $38/night and I had a run in with one of the volunteers.  :mad:

We've also stayed at the Placer Co Fairgrounds in Roseville which is an odd little place but has some roomy 50 amp sites on grass. 

For Colorado, I do remember enjoying a little spot off of the interstate not far west of Denver called Gambler's Roost I believe.  I think it was at >9000 ft and we got a pull in site right on the edge of cliff overlooking an historic little mining town... Black Hawk?  I'm sure Wendy can add details if you're interested.

Enjoy and travel safely.

Rick
 
From Sielerbird  "I don't know why you are going to Sacramento. It is located in one of the ugliest parts of California, the San Joaquin Valley."

You really know how to hurt a girl.  ;)  I'll admit it's an acquired taste, but the San Joaquin Valley was a wonderful place to have been raised.  At least in the 50's.)  Heat is not fatal to those who knows how to deal with it.  Cool evening baseball games fuel my memories!

And Sacramento is located in the Sacramento Valley, not the San Joaquin Valley.  Those two valleys were unfortunately lumped together and called the "Central Valley" when water was brought in via canels.  They each have their own distinct differences, obvious to a native, but probably not obvious to a casual visitor.

Margi
 
I apologize for offending you Margi but you are being way too sensitive. This happens to me over and over again on this forum when people read things I write and then completely misinterpret what I said. I did not say that the valley was ugly, I said it was the ugliest part of California. That is like being the ugliest Playboy Playmate of the Month. California is the most beautiful state in the country. For someone to come to California for the first time there are a whole lot of places that are much better to visit than Sacramento. I have been there many times and it is not exactly a tourist mecca. I lived in California for over 30 years, both north and south and I have been to every part of the state. If that valley (whatever you want to call it, the two valleys run into each other and there is no discernible difference between them) isn't the ugliest part of California then please tell me what is. And please read my post closely before you criticize me. I am tired of being misquoted.
 
Wendy said:
Hey, if you're leaving in 3 days, you could make the Moab rally :) Then do Colorado, Wyoming, Montana.

Wendy
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Moab invitation.  When we were doing Texas, doing Moab was a definite possibility.  However, as many people have noted, Sac will soon be getting very warm.  I listed our itinerary in the order we are going because we thought we would encounter the best weather that way.  Therefore, Moab would be FAR out of the way, though the wonderful people there draw us like a magnet.  I hope to make it up to Dean by going to "The Armpit of the World" in January--if he will be very safe between now and then and not take any chances.
 
Wendy said:
Colorado - Mesa Verde NP, Hovenweep NM, wineries and orchards around Grand Junction, Durango and the road and/or train to Silverton, Great Sand Dunes NP and the nearby alligator farm (ok, so it's kind of tourist-tacky but, hey, alligators in Colorado? at 7000-feet?), the drive or the cog railway to the top of Pike's Peak (where America the Beautiful was written), Rocky Mountain NP.

Colorado is a great state for just driving around and sucking up nature.

Give us a call if you're in our area and we can give you advice or act as tour guides.

Wendy
Cortez CO
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the ideas.  This will keep me busy for a few hours.  We will definitely give you a call if we get close to Cortez.  Are you at a state park or what?  Have a ton of fun in Moab.
 
seilerbird said:
I don't know why you are going to Sacramento.  And it will be very hot there in the summer time.

Dean and I have happened on many state capitols in our five years of RVing, but we have never seen ours.  Also I wanted to speak with my state senator and assemblyman about the budget crisis.

Try going to Kings Canyon National Park instead. There are two parts, General Grant's Grove and the valley, separated by 30 miles. The valley looks almost identical to Yosemite Valley as far as the granite walls, the flora and the fauna are concerned. Of course they should look alike, they are Kings Canyon is the next valley south of Yosemite. And you will have no problems finding camping there. Also consider Sequoia National Park, which borders Kings Canyon.

These are exactly the ideas I was hoping for.  We will take a look at each of them.

At Lake Tahoe make sure you drive the entire road that circumnavigates the lake. There are very few vistas in the world that can compete with the view you will see above Emerald Bay.

BR (Before Retirement) we went to LT every spring, passing through Selma and eating at The Split Rail (used to be Pea Soup Anderson's) because the swans that live in the restaurant lake always have newborn cygnets.  It was always amazing how much they had grown when we would make the return trip a week later.  This will be the first time we've been back SR (Since Retirement), and I'm really looking forward to it.  We agree with you about Emerald Bay.  We always "drive the lake"--even when it was snowing.

But I prefer Grand Teton National Park located 50 miles to the south.

Tetons were already on my list.  I was going to include them in the title, but I ran out of room.  As a child I stood in awe of them, and I remember them as very special.
Click to expand...
 
Wendy said:
For Colorado, I'd do an entire 4-6 month trip thru the 4 corners states. But sometimes you need to get nibbles of places so you know where you want to go revisit.

Wendy
Click to expand...

We've seen some of Colorado before, just enough to whet my taste.  Tonight we will actually sketch out how many days we expect to be each place, but I wanted to get input before we did that.  My biggest concern is passing up something that we drive right by, just because we don't know it's there.  Colorado is on our return trip, so it gets any extra days at the end.  We want to be home by July 1, which makes this trip a short one.  But, we will only be home about 6 weeks before we leave on our Fall Trip.  Dean's injuries made for weird scheduling.
 
Orick said:
Ouch!  Hope he's recovering well.

I'll just chime in about Sacramento since I lived in that area for a long time and have gone back a lot with the coach.  It really depends on what you plan to do in the area but they're aren't a lot of choices.  Folsom Lake State Recreation Area at Beals Point actually has very nice facilities and is a short walk to the lake.  Bike and hiking trails are great in addition to the water sports. It's about 20 min from downtown Sac.  We won't stay there anymore since they increased the CG fee to something like $38/night and I had a run in with one of the volunteers.  :mad:

This is the kind of a spot I'm looking for--something I wouldn't otherwise find.  Thanks.  If you can remember the volunteer's name?  I will call and if they are still there, we won't stay there.  Otherwise, it's a great idea because there aren't many RV sites in Sac, and they are having a big softball tournament about the time we get there.

We've also stayed at the Placer Co Fairgrounds in Roseville which is an odd little place but has some roomy 50 amp sites on grass.

Thanks for this one, also.  Do you know about how far it is from Sac? 

For Colorado, I do remember enjoying a little spot off of the interstate not far west of Denver called Gambler's Roost I believe.  I think it was at >9000 ft and we got a pull in site right on the edge of cliff overlooking an historic little mining town... Black Hawk?  I'm sure Wendy can add details if you're interested.

Wendy, this sounds interesting.  Can you add anything?  I can go on-line and try to find out more, also.

Rick
Click to expand...
 
Linda and Dean,

If you find yourselves anywhere on the California Delta, let us know. Here's a file in our forum library on RV parks on the CA Delta.

OTOH if you merely stop at the great CG at Flag City RV resort on I-5 in Lodi, you're just an hour (or less) from us.

Sorry to hear about Dean's problems.
 
Tom and Margi said:
You really know how to hurt a girl.  ;)  I'll admit it's an acquired taste, but the San Joaquin Valley was a wonderful place to have been raised.  At least in the 50's.)  Heat is not fatal to those who knows how to deal with it.  Cool evening baseball games fuel my memories!

And Sacramento is located in the Sacramento Valley, not the San Joaquin Valley.  Those two valleys were unfortunately lumped together and called the "Central Valley" when water was brought in via canels.  They each have their own distinct differences, obvious to a native, but probably not obvious to a casual visitor.

Margi
Click to expand...

Margi, I'm confused.  I thought you were English.  However, I taught 4th grade geography, and I surely know where the Sac Valley and San Joaquin Valley are, and they aren't in England.  Help me out.  When I first joined RVForum, I met so many people, and I fear I have confused you with someone else.  Aren't you the lady who always makes me feel good with her kind words when I write my logs--like about Texas and Alaska?
 
[quote author=Dean & Linda Stock]I thought you were English.[/quote]

LOL Linda. I can't think of anyone less English. But Margi and Tom are two of the most wonderful folks we've met.
 
To Linda:  Nope, not English.  I'm a 3rd generation San Joaquin Valley girl and my husband is a 5th generation Californian whose ancestors arrived in Sacramento via wagon train over Donner Summit in 1849.  They built the first brick building (a hotel) in Sacramento.  I do enjoy your travel tales and am looking forward to reading about your next trip.

To Tom Jones:  Thanks, dear friend!

To Seilerbird:  Oh, give it a rest.  I'm not that sensitive at all, but will stand up for my hometown and state when I wish to do so.  Now I'm an Oregonian (other ancestors arrived via covered wagon on the Oregon trail) and I stand up for that state, too.  As for an ugly part of California?  Haven't found one yet which didn't have some redeeming feature.  Sometimes you just have to look with an optimistic view.

 
[quote author=Tom and Margi]To Tom Jones:  Thanks, dear friend![/quote]

Margi, you are very dear friends, although we don't get together as often as we'd like. You're also among our fulltiming gurus here on the forum: You both sold a home and business so you could travel the US in retirement. It doesn't get much better than that.

Now you've settled "North of the (state) border", and are still living the RV lifestyle.
 
As a life long California native, I guess I'd have to say that 'ugly' is in the eye of the beholder... :eek:

Sure Sacramento is an urban area - the Golden State's Capital, by the way!... However, there are several notable museums devoted to the heritage of the area, the 49'ers gold rush, etc., etc...If you're a Rail fan, you probably can't find a more colorful and 'hands on' display of the West's Rail heritage - new and old, than the Calif State Rail Museum in Old Sacramento - right on the mighty Sacramento River... http://www.csrmf.org

http://www.hellosacramento.com/commons/articles/attraction/?gclid=CKLJv4POyKgCFQkSbAodymJZpA

You can even rent a raft on an urban portion of the American River and float with your whole family for an afternoon's fun when the heat's on...  http://www.raftrentals.com/

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys contain some of the most fertile farm lands in the US - and while 'farming' may be 'ugly' to some, it's those industrious farmers in that region that provide much of what you buy at the market to stock your kitchen and galley...Veggies, fruits, nuts, fermented grape juice, olive oil, etc., etc. - California has lots and lots of that stuff coming from that 'ugly' region... :D...I guess we need to tell those farmers to quit worrying about crop threatening weather, high prices of diesel fuel, government regulations, and instead put some fresh paint on their barns and roadside fences to make the region less 'ugly'...! :-[ http://www.tommyersphotography.com/catalog.asp?CtgryID=68&Child=False

The Valley region is also noted for the many of California's finest wines - with most offering tours and tasting of the 'grape' - another wonderful 'ugly' experience... ;) http://california-vineyards.com/wine-resources/sacramento-valley-wineries.aspx

Oh, and don't forget that those valleys contain the 1,000 miles of the California Delta River Region, that still provide those lucky enough to mess around in boats to explore at their hearts content, Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn, perhaps catching a catfish or two for an evening meal on a sandbar... 8)...There's even Brannan Island State Park right in the middle of the action to park your RV for a few days... :) http://www.californiadelta.org

For the bird watchers out there, this region of California is a seasonal flyway for many species of migrating fowl...many spend days or weeks in the Delta area resting up for another trek north in the spring and south in the fall...These graceful birds don't seem to mind visiting this 'ugly' part of California - or if they do, they sure don't show it as they glide to their two-point landings in the shallow ponds and 'ugly' grasslands... ??? http://www.ca.audubon.org/iba

Now if you really want 'ugly' in California, try driving on the I-405 in the South land at 4:00PM each day! :mad:


 

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seilerbird said:
You won't be able to camp on the valley floor at Yosemite unless you made reservations 6 months ago. You can camp outside the park or possibly in the high country.

You will really enjoy Sacramento. It is one of the most beautiful parts of California. And there are so many exciting things to see and do there.

Try going to Kings Canyon National Park instead. There are two parts, General Grant's Grove and the valley, separated by 30 miles. The valley looks almost identical to Yosemite Valley as far as the granite walls, the flora and the fauna are concerned. Of course they should look alike, they are Kings Canyon is the next valley south of Yosemite. And you will have no problems finding camping there. Also consider Sequoia National Park, which borders Kings Canyon.

At Lake Tahoe make sure you drive the entire road that circumnavigates the lake. There are very few vistas in the world that can compete with the view you will see above Emerald Bay.

In Glacier is a stunning park but the Going to the Sun Highway (the crown jewel of the park) is usually not open until mid-June.

When you are in Wyoming you will probably want to see Yellowstone, and it is stunning. But I prefer Grand Teton National Park located 50 miles to the south. Talk about stunning scenery, abundant wildlife and no crowds, you got it all at the Tetons.

I think you should skip Colorado and leave it for another trip. *gets ready to duck flying object from Wendy* It is a beautiful place with lots to see and do but I really don't think this will be your last trip so don't try and see the entire west in six weeks. I have been at it for 9 years and still have a lot to see.
Click to expand...
 
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