Favorite scenic drive?

US 12 from Kooskia Idaho to Lolo Pass along the Middle Fork of the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers, and Highway 17 along the north side of Lakes Superior and Huron in Ontario from Thunder Bay to Sudbury.

Wherever you go, make every second count - life is so short. It's all good...

I love towing the TT and there are no roads that bother me. The hillier and curvier, the better. :) Some may want less challenging drives tho. From now on, we plan to go slower and stop more often when we see something interesting. It's too easy to get wrapped up in getting to where you are going and can miss out on a lot that you may never get the chance to see again. DW won't leave home without preplanning every route from start to finish and checks roads online including looking at videos of the roads and checking for things like road construction.

A couple of years ago I tried to find some books tailored specifically to RV-ing in the US but there is next to nothing. Besides that, an RV can be anything from a pop-up to a large MH and needs and wants can be quite different. The only book I could find relating to RV-ing is Frommer's Exploring America by RV - too much detail on CGs & RV parks and not a lot on the sights and scenery in between. I bought a few books on road tripping by car that are better and worth a read - Scenic Highways & Byways by NatGeo, United States On The Road by Insight Guides and USA 101, A Guide to America's Iconic Places, Events, And Festivals by NatGeo.

Can't help with BC, we don't RV here but I know that a trip on Vancouver Island from Victoria (out of Port Angeles) to Courtenay is really nice. From Courtenay can take the ferry to Powell River, down the Sunshine coast to West Vancouver and then up to Whistler and onto Pemberton and towards Kamloops. Could also go up to Nanaimo and the by ferry over to Vancouver before heading northwards. We've only been in the western States & western Colo so far. The Cascades in Wa. are fabulous. Leavenworth, Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens are worth seeing. The rolling grasslands of eastern Wa. are uninspiring. The Wa. coast is nice but you won't see much ocean. Olympic NP is very nice. One of my favorite drives is from Anacortes and the ferry to Port Townsend and hwy 101 along the east side of Olympic NP and then over to Ocean Shores and then down to the SW corner of Wa. From there, it's then onto the Or. coast that is a must see.

One of my favorite RV-ing trips has been the Or. Cascades out of Portland on hwy 26 & 97 to the Ca. border. We liked it so much, we're doing again this summer. Northern Ca. is great, and the Redwood forests are another must see. The coastal area south of San Francisco is very nice. The Monterey and Carmel area is really nice.

Parts of Route 66 sound really interesting and I want to do some of that one day. Sometimes it's the destination and not the drive getting there that is even more fun. The summer we're going from BC as far south as Vegas before heading home and will be staying at a CG nearby for 5 days. It's such a crazy place, it's an opportunity that can't be missed. The CG has a shuttle into the casinos too.

The only places I won't go through with an RV are Seattle and LA. I-5 between San Francisco & LA is on my never again list. If last summer was any indication, this summer could be another bad year for forest fires up and down the western US and Canada and you may want to have a plan B ready in case you need to change routes. Having a GPS and mobile hotspot (like Verizon) and laptop would be a good thing to have regardless of where you go.

North Cascades Hwy loop in WA State. Must see!

Another vote for the Icefields Parkway. I drove it last week and never get tired of it. We also like 101 along the Oregon coast.

mabynack wrote:
I spent 22 years in the Air Force and managed to make it to 46 states. Unfortunately I didn't get to actually see much of the states. I flew in, spent one or two weeks working, and then flew on to my next job. I've seen a lot of airports.

Four years ago I went back to Utah and spent a month kicking around near St. George and Moab. I went to Santa Fe and spent a few weeks there. I travelled up through Utah to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and over to South Dakota. I really loved the mountains out west. My favorites were Yellowstone, Hwy 14 over the Big Horn Range, Moab, and Santa Fe.

Sounds like you will really enjoy Colorado in late September - October - This and so many of the other Passes in Colorado will likely be just like a powerful Magnet and draw you back again and again.

Just so many places to see, some are easy and simple some a little more complicated, but you will find out what so many of us have that the time of year can really make great places Outstanding Places. So think about the timing as you make your Schedule.

If you see all these you will not make it to Alaska this year, unless you fly or take a boat.

BOL,

I have lots of time and I'm willing to detour to see something special. Right now I'm planning on heading out to Rocky Mountain National Park first and then on to Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. If something catches my fancy, I'll take a few days and explore it.

Excellent!!!!

Take time for Grand Teton!

OK, in that general area.......

Take time for southwest CO and all the great NP's in UT. Our favorite are Capitol Reef, Bryce, Arches.

We have spent 18 years part time RVing in the 11 western states and 2 western provinces. It you have any specific questions out here in those areas please feel free to Private Message or Email me and I would be most happy to assist you.

Utah 12 from Escalante State Park north to Capitol Reef National Park in Torrey.

M26 from Eagle River to Copper Harbor (including Brockway Mt. Drive) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I've driven through 48 states (missing AK and KY). In continental US, Beartooh Hwy and Pacific Coast Hwy from Santa Barbara to Monterey. I would not drive/tow an RV of any size on either.

With one exception (I'll get to that in a minute) I agree with the other replies about getting off the Super Slab. A couple of memorable drives come to mind from our three cross-country voyages:

1) Rt. 10 from Walsenberg CO to La Junta CO. A very easy, scenic drive and at the right time of year you'll pass through huge fields of gorgeous lavender. I'd be surprised if you didn't have the road to yourself the whole way - this is a well-kept secret!

2) Rt. 12 from Syringa ID in to Montana via Lolo Pass. While maybe not as much "fun" as the above drive, it is very scenic (mountain/woods). Just be sure your fuel tank is full and your rig is in good running order. Getting stuck behind slow-moving commercial vehicles here will take some of the fun out of it.

3) I-80 in PA from the Rt. 15 interchange west to Rt. 144/Snowshoe, PA. For those who think Pennsylvania is nothing but abandoned coal mines and steel mills (or maybe Philly/Harrisburg/Pittsburgh traffic congestion) this stretch of interstate comes as quite a shock.

Enjoy & safe travels.

I never get tired of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. All that aquamarine sea, as if you are driving to the Caribbean.