Los Angeles to San Francisco and on to Portland suggestions please

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SeilerBird said:
I would skip Las Vegas. It is massively overrated.
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If you look at this section http://www.annie-and-chris.com/north-american-road-trip/stage-three-st-louis-to-los-angeles/  I have allowed 40 days - could I save a day or two here?

Las Vegas would be a two night stop only - as you say, vastly over rated but wife and grandson will want to have seen it and we would take in one show.

Leter in tour I have chosen to go Vancouver to Banff and then to Yellowstone - should I cut the Vancouver to Banff section?

I have already eliminated the side trip to Alaska altogether - that will have to be another trip another time :(

 
ceejayt said:
If you look at this section http://www.annie-and-chris.com/north-american-road-trip/stage-three-st-louis-to-los-angeles/  I have allowed 40 days - could I save a day or two here?
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I think you could save about two weeks on this leg. You have a ton of stuff that will not be impressive especially considering what you are going to see once you get past the Rockies. The world's largest fork?
Las Vegas would be a two night stop only - as you say, vastly over rated but wife and grandson will want to have seen it and we would take in one show.
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One show would be more than enough. I recommend either Penn and Teller or Love, the Beatles show.
Leter in tour I have chosen to go Vancouver to Banff and then to Yellowstone - should I cut the Vancouver to Banff section?

I have already eliminated the side trip to Alaska altogether - that will have to be another trip another time :(
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I would cut out the Vancouver to Banff section. Lovely scenery and lots to do but you are putting too many eggs in your basket. As someone else mentioned if you are going to Yellowstone you should plan a few days at the Grand Tetons. And a few days at Glacier National Park.
 
There are two things you don't realize since you are not from America. It is a gigantic place and the driving times out west are going to be ridiculously slow. These are not Interstates, they are two lane, curvy mountain roads. Very slow going.
 
ceejayt said:
If you look at this section http://www.annie-and-chris.com/north-american-road-trip/stage-three-st-louis-to-los-angeles/  I have allowed 40 days - could I save a day or two here?

Las Vegas would be a two night stop only - as you say, vastly over rated but wife and grandson will want to have seen it and we would take in one show.

Leter in tour I have chosen to go Vancouver to Banff and then to Yellowstone - should I cut the Vancouver to Banff section?

I have already eliminated the side trip to Alaska altogether - that will have to be another trip another time :(
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Your detour through Kentucky may be something you could change? That looks like a big detour for a few stops. Perhaps the  things you  were going to  do you could  find somewhere else along the way?  I too would recommend Glacier.
 
Added the Grand Tetons and Glacier park to the Yellowstone itinerary,  Thanks

I have been to Banff and the scenery is stunning - going to leave it in and see how the time goes - this will be cut if we need more time/arrive late to Vancouver.

Cut 7 days off the St Louis to Los Angeles leg and added another 5 days to get to Portland and 2 more days for Vancouver.  I can then add probably 4 more days for Yellowstone if we don't go to Banff.

Still refining :)


Clearly some things can be cut along the way and some, like the big fork are photo stops only - just something to add to the album.

We used to live in Australia soI am used to the longer distances and no doubt things will change as we go on.

 
ceejayt said:
Added the Grand Tetons and Glacier park to the Yellowstone itinerary,  Thanks

I have been to Banff and the scenery is stunning - going to leave it in and see how the time goes - this will be cut if we need more time/arrive late to Vancouver.

Cut 7 days off the St Louis to Los Angeles leg and added another 5 days to get to Portland and 2 more days for Vancouver.  I can then add probably 4 more days for Yellowstone if we don't go to Banff.

Still refining :)


Clearly some things can be cut along the way and some, like the big fork are photo stops only - just something to add to the album.

We used to live in Australia soI am used to the longer distances and no doubt things will change as we go on.
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If you are planning on staying in the National Parks in the summer, make sure to make reservations ASAP. The parks fill up fast.

We went to Yellowstone earlier this year and stayed at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park. https://grizzlyrv.com/

Went to Glacier a few years ago and stayed at: ST. MARY / EAST GLACIER KOA. http://koa.com/campgrounds/st-mary/

 
Jeff and Anita said:
If you are planning on staying in the National Parks in the summer, make sure to make reservations ASAP. The parks fill up fast.

We went to Yellowstone earlier this year and stayed at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park. https://grizzlyrv.com/

Went to Glacier a few years ago and stayed at: ST. MARY / EAST GLACIER KOA. http://koa.com/campgrounds/st-mary/
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I hear what you say but if I make bookings now then we will be tied to meeting those timelines.  I think we are more likely to stay outside of the park and hire a car for a few days for sightseeing.  Do you think that is practical?
 
Also - at 30 foot we are a relatively small rig to get around - certainly - the roads in Scotland are one track with passing places when you get into the Highlands and we don't have a problem there.
 
Don't worry about reservations. There are thousands of campgrounds and RV parks in this country. I full timed it for ten years without reservations or problems finding a place to stay.
 
SeilerBird said:
Don't worry about reservations. There are thousands of campgrounds and RV parks in this country. I full timed it for ten years without reservations or problems finding a place to stay.
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Thanks, that's reassuring, we tend not to book in Europe and wild camp (BoonDocking) when we can
 
Ceejayt,

Well you are getting all sorts of suggestions/recommendations.  Lots of info for you to sort through.

The trips we enjoy the most is when we spend a fair amount of times in each place.  That would be 3 days to at least a week.  A place like Yellowstone calls for 10 days or so.  Yosemite probably a week.  When we spent just a little bit of time in each place and them moved we felt rushed. There is also a lot we didn't see because we left too soon. 

There is a huge amount of info to be found online for just about everywhere.  Take your time in research and planning and find the places which are most interesting to you and then just stop at those.

Some additions:
--  The Oregon coastline is great, but then you miss the fantastic scenic wonder of Crater Lake NP. 
--  You mention Banff NP.  Banff is nice but the really scenic place is Jasper just north of Banff.  Also just over the mountain pass to the west of Banff is Yoho NP. 

You 30 foot rig is great for boondocking.  Check out Allstays app for a smart phone.  I think you can just use it on a laptop as well.  Lots of people love it. 

About NOT making reservations in the NP's.  It is true the NP CG's fill up.  However many times you can start looking online at the reservation systems about 3 weeks before your eventual arrival date and see if you can find a campsite which has become available when a reservation was canceled.  Lots of people have gotten into the NP CG's this way.  Some times there are NF CG's not far from the NP's and you can stay there and drive in for day trips. 

Anyways, slow down and smell the roses.  Don't try to see everything. 

Most of all "have fun"!
 
AStravelers said:
Ceejayt,

Well you are getting all sorts of suggestions/recommendations.  Lots of info for you to sort through.

The trips we enjoy the most is when we spend a fair amount of times in each place.  That would be 3 days to at least a week.  A place like Yellowstone calls for 10 days or so.  Yosemite probably a week.  When we spent just a little bit of time in each place and them moved we felt rushed. There is also a lot we didn't see because we left too soon. 

There is a huge amount of info to be found online for just about everywhere.  Take your time in research and planning and find the places which are most interesting to you and then just stop at those.

Some additions:
--  The Oregon coastline is great, but then you miss the fantastic scenic wonder of Crater Lake NP. 
--  You mention Banff NP.  Banff is nice but the really scenic place is Jasper just north of Banff.  Also just over the mountain pass to the west of Banff is Yoho NP. 

You 30 foot rig is great for boondocking.  Check out Allstays app for a smart phone.  I think you can just use it on a laptop as well.  Lots of people love it. 

About NOT making reservations in the NP's.  It is true the NP CG's fill up.  However many times you can start looking online at the reservation systems about 3 weeks before your eventual arrival date and see if you can find a campsite which has become available when a reservation was canceled.  Lots of people have gotten into the NP CG's this way.  Some times there are NF CG's not far from the NP's and you can stay there and drive in for day trips. 

Anyways, slow down and smell the roses.  Don't try to see everything. 

Most of all "have fun"!
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I agree with all you are saying however, cjt is from Europe and the one thing all foreign visitors to the US have in common is the desire to see the entire country in one trip. We are lucky to live here since we can return to spend more time at the places that we really like. It is not so easy for foreigners to return. Yes spending ten days in Yellowstone is just about right but then they would have to give up seeing many other places, like Grand Tetons, Glacier, Cody, Mount Rushmore, etc. The other thing they don't understand is just how huge this country is, especially compared to a place like Europe where countries are the size of large US counties. So by necessity they do a lot of traveling and not much staying in one place.
 
I live about 20 miles north of Eureka so I know this area well.  Don't worry about the roads from SF north to Portland.  Most of the highway from SF to the Oregon border is four lanes with some short sections that are only two.  The scenery along the Oregon coast is some of the most beautiful anywhere so you don't want to miss that.  Most of the Oregon highway is good, wide two lane with lots of passing lanes provided.  It is hill country but the roads are not that curvy and there are not many steep grades.  It sounds like a great trip. Good luck and have fun.
 
Thanks again for the great suggestions. All duly noted!

:)
 
If you make it up the coast to Astoria Oregon, the Maritime Museum is well worth the time.....great exhibits and an excellent movie about going up the Columbia River with River Pilots, etc.
 
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