Suggested Loop and Attractions

[Brent_and_Gina]

Gina and I are planning a 2-month loop heading north from Little Rock, Ar in late August. Honestly don't have a route preference, but want to get Tetons, Yellowstone, something cool in Oregon (crater lake??), south to redwoods, san fan/napa valley, and east to canyonland maybe on way home. Other than that general route, we'd love to hear some inputs, destinations, attractions, cool campgrounds, what-have-you. Appreciate the inputs guys.

Brent

[edm3rd]

Careful on the mountain weather, particularly in Colorado. Snowed on me one year on Labor Day, 6-8 inches, but all gone by mid-afternoon.

[Brent_and_Gina]

kknowlton wrote:
Oregon state parks can be true gems. We sure enjoyed the 2 we were in last fall on our vacation (Champoeg - pronounced Shampoo-y- about 40-50 miles south of Portland, and Tumalo, near Bend).

I would say that Crater Lake is worth a couple days; haven't yet been to the John Day Fossil Beds but they sure look intriguing!

Another good base camp idea for Yellowstone is West Yellowstone; our favorite CG there is Grizzly RV, has everything you need, very clean & convenient, and close to the park entrance. If you don't mind a 15-30 mile drive to the west entrance, Island Park, Idaho has some nice NFS CGs (a few have hookups & take reservations) and Henrys Lake SP is nice, though not shaded. Gorgeous 360-degree mountain views, though!

I don't recall seeing what your camping rig is. That could make a difference for some of the recommendations when it comes to specific CGs.

Thanks! We stayed at Grizzly in 2012 along with one in the Tetons I can't recall the name. Beautiful campground and great area. It's why we're going back through there! We just sold the Cameo and are now sporting a Grand Design 5W.

Brent

[kknowlton]

Oregon state parks can be true gems. We sure enjoyed the 2 we were in last fall on our vacation (Champoeg - pronounced Shampoo-y- about 40-50 miles south of Portland, and Tumalo, near Bend).

I would say that Crater Lake is worth a couple days; haven't yet been to the John Day Fossil Beds but they sure look intriguing!

Another good base camp idea for Yellowstone is West Yellowstone; our favorite CG there is Grizzly RV, has everything you need, very clean & convenient, and close to the park entrance. If you don't mind a 15-30 mile drive to the west entrance, Island Park, Idaho has some nice NFS CGs (a few have hookups & take reservations) and Henrys Lake SP is nice, though not shaded. Gorgeous 360-degree mountain views, though!

I don't recall seeing what your camping rig is. That could make a difference for some of the recommendations when it comes to specific CGs.

[RedRocket204]

Some more Oregon suggestions...

The coast is definitely a must, lived on the north coast for nine years and it truly is beautiful.

Having said that, Oregon's John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is amazing for natural scenery. There are 3 units there, this one being Painted Hills Unit:





There is no camping in the park so you would need to find a spot near there. We stayed in a great little town, Dayville, at the Fish House Inn and RV Park. It is really small so reservations are recommended. Near Dayville is another John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Sheep Rock Unit. There is a HS north of Dayville where you can legally dig for leaf fossils. There are many orchards nearby and you can pick you own fruit.

This area is truly a gem that most are not aware of. No crowds when we were there and such a nice place to visit.

[Brent_and_Gina]

I'd like to bump this back into circulation for inputs from anyone who wouldn't mind helping. Thanks so much.

[Brent_and_Gina]

BJ/NW Arkansas wrote:
I see no one has addressed the Napa/San Francisco area. To avoid all of the traffic in SF we stayed at the KOA in Petaluma,CA. It is named San Francisco North/Petaluma. It is close to both of the wine valley areas for a day trip. Park is fair. They do offer a guided tour to San Francisco that is very good.

Thanks! Could I ask what the tour covers?

[BJ_NW_Arkansas]

I see no one has addressed the Napa/San Francisco area. To avoid all of the traffic in SF we stayed at the KOA in Petaluma,CA. It is named San Francisco North/Petaluma. It is close to both of the wine valley areas for a day trip. Park is fair. They do offer a guided tour to San Francisco that is very good.

[Brent_and_Gina]

Butterfly & Bryce. Very cool. Both things we could do. We did two butterfly exhibits before. One at Stone Mountain in a tent and another in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. The Canadian one was pretty good IIRC.

[pjsky]

If you are in Sioux Falls SD, stop at the Butterfly House and Marine Cove. It is a great attraction. Some rate it as the top butterfly conservatory in North America.

[BubbaChris]

Bryce is a must-see again and again for us. The saying here in Utah is that if we didn't already have 5 National Parks we'd have a few more. Some some of the State parks are just as interesting (e.g. Snow Canyon).

I live fairly close to Zion and love it, but find it sometimes lacks the wow-factor if you're only spending part of a day there. At Bryce it is easy to find a short hike down into the fins and hoodoos.

[Brent_and_Gina]

We hope for some great suggestions along the general route. And, we don't mind a detour to see it either.

[littlemo]

Brent and Gina wrote:

padredw wrote:

From home we take I30 to Ft Worth then 287 to Amarillo. From there take 287 to Dumas then hit 87 to pick up I25 in Raton Pass. We travel on 25 until Colorado Springs then take 287 again to

Overall good suggestions, but I would certainly recommend one variation. At Texarkana take US 83 all the way to US 287 then follow the route as suggested.

Us 82 is a pleasant drive across north Texas which avoids all the congestion in and around Dallas/Fort Worth.

In the past we used to take US 380 from Greenville to Denton to Decatur, but that route has become highly congested. Many traffic signals, heavy traffic, etc.

Maybe I missed something in earlier posts, but the only reason I can see to go by Fort Worth would be a desire to visit Fort Worth.

Interesting route. Why not take 40 to Amarillo and avoid the southern route? I'm already on 40.

Exactly. The route on 82 is a good one from Southern Arkansas, but why go miles out of the way to get on 82. It is a good route and more scenic but if you're wanting to "get there" to the "good stuff" I would take 40 and get it done. (get on across the boring stuff)

[padredw]

Interesting! Paris is where we actually join with US 82. We come up from Mt. Pleasant, Texas to Paris and turn west there. It has become our of our favorite routes. Of course, we come from the south and not from Little Rock.

We like to stop for lunch in Muenster, but there is also a nice little Mexican restaurant in Whitesboro where we can park our fifth-wheel easily. We often stop overnight at a little RV park in Goodlett, Texas called "Ole Town Cotton Gin," but we have also stayed at Overnight RV Park in Amarillo which is on the bypass that leads north to Colorado around Amarillo.

Another favorite overnight is at the top of Raton Pass. It used to be called "Cedar Rail," but I think it is now just called "Raton Pass RV."

Anyway, you have plenty of good options for what sounds like a great trip.

We were at Crater Lake just over a year ago, after a visit to Glacier, Washington state, and the Oregon coast. We also enjoyed staying at Colter Bay RV Park in the Grand Tetons.

[Brent_and_Gina]

padredw wrote:
Good Question. I was only comparing the route via Fort Worth as mentioned in the post above. With that comparison, my comments stand.

Now, what surprised me is that the route through Texarkana, Wichita Falls, Amarillo, etc. is only 50 miles further. So it is not so extreme a choice as might first seem and, depending on where one wished to stay overnight and what kind of roads, etc., might still be chosen.

CORRECTION: On more careful checking I find the actual difference is 35 miles.

Still, I can't disagree with your comment about staying on I-40.

Going to Ft Worth puts the trip 100 miles more to Amarillo. Going 82 will surely be quite a bit longer in time. Graduated in Bonham, Texas and brother lives in Paris, Tx, so I'm very familiar with 82, but could be fun! My sisters live near Dallas, in Crandall, too so both are certainly options. I can include a family reunion in the mix. I'm thinking and I like the 82 option more and more.