Roadtrip Recommendations: LA/Utah/Idaho/Montana/Calgary/Banff/PNW

Hello Tacomaworld,

My family and I will be travelling on the road in our 2nd gen next week to Canada, and I thought I would ask for members to chime in and share local places that could help make this trip memorable.

We will be starting in Los Angeles (home base) and will head towards Salt Lake City for the first leg of our trip (counterclockwise) and make our way to Banff, Canada. We will head down the PNW towards the end of our trip.

Our amenities are split between Airbnb's and developed/dispersed camping.

Thanks in advance for the help, and I hope this post can serve others travelling in the same areas in the future. See you on the road.

Vehicle:
05 DCSB 2WD w/ E-locker
2.75" lift all around w/ 33"BFG K02



We are interested in recommendations for the following:
- Driving conditions / tips / fuel stops
- Local places to eat - Cafe's / Bakeries / Restaurants
- Local waterholes / waterfalls / hot springs / hikes / lakes
- Local outdoor / overland / gear shops
- Easy to moderate trails / back roads *2WD friendly
- Favorite campsites - developed or dispersed
- Viewpoints or places worth photographing ("must see attractions")
- **Places not to go to / to stay away from**

The Route:
We will be sticking to this route closely due to reservations we have already made, however we would not oppose driving 20-50 miles out of the way to visit something.

 

Unfortunately the stuff to see near me (about an hour south of Seattle) is still under snow. The route the goes by rainier is still closed as well

 

Thanks for the heads up. I’ve noticed many of the National parks we wanted to visit are going through the same thing.

 

Buy a National Parks Pass:

https://www.usparkpass.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpo20nPLD4QIVtR6tBh2rtA9wEAAYAiAAEgIrmfD_BwE

Helps for a lot of Federal lands fees.

Take a look at the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. It's on the border between WA and OR. Impressive if you drive it, more so if you get out and see the falls. My suggestion is in Vancouver, WA take the 14 east. This is the north side of the Gorge. You can cross the river at the Bridge of the Gods, which is near Cascade Locks, OR and drive back west on I84 towards Portland. Then you can pick & choose what waterfalls to stop at along the old highway 30. Stopping everywhere, you can easily spend all day. If you just drive it nonstop, it's about 2 hours and around 90 miles. Yes, it's longer than your 50 mile limit but well worth consideration. Multnoma Falls is where most people stop, often large crowds, and Vista Point is a beautiful view with sometimes 60-80mph winds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Gorge

Google Columbia River Gorge for more info.

 

It's not on your route, and I know you want to stick to your route...but if you can find a way to fit in the Icefields Parkway in Canada (north of Banff, between Banff and Jasper), you will not regret it. It is perhaps the most beautiful 3 hours (one way) of pavement I've ever driven.

Covered it (but did not do it justice) here, on "Day 4": https://adventuretaco.com/canada-adventure-to-glacier-yoho-banff-and-jasper/

 

Thanks for sharing this. We're already looking forward to grubbing at one of those restaurants after a 10-hr stretch.

I think we'll also make it a point to see Antelope Island State Park and the buffalo as we pass through SLC. Correct me if I'm wrong, but on satellite maps, it looks as though you can enter from the south side via I-80, drive through the park, and head north east back towards I-15. If so, this seems like a great scenic route for us to take.

 

I just spent the last 20 minutes driving through this on google maps. Very scenic and something that we'd like to see. Cascade Locks looks like a prime spot for a meal and place to stretch our legs. I think the selling point for us is going to be the waterfalls. Love waterfalls.

We weren't sure if we'd need the park pass prior, but have realized that it will be a necessity for this trip. Great cause as well.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Nice blog! Well written and documented. Icefields Parkway looks like a dream to drive. At this point in our trip, our reservations will be more permissive so I will see if this might be a possible option for us.

Based on your photos, we're even more excited to see Banff and Yoho. We're hoping the weather will be good to us.

Btw, I've been keeping up with your write-ups on Anza Borrego. It looks as though we were out there at the same time staying away from the superbloom crowds.

Thanks for sharing.

 

take me with you

 

looks like youre going to Big Sur, Check availabliity for Kirk Creek Campground, you can thank me later.

Once youre done with that campground hit up. Old Coast Road for some off trails 2wd friendly road, and ends up at Bixby Road, it will be the back route.

 

And youre in vegas, there are some good restaurants out there! expensive but worth it! if you want recommendations on those let me know. Mojave Road is near Vegas as well, you can hit that up if you guys arent tired of the road yet.

 

Made it back safely from this trip. We were on the road for 16 days and racked a total of 4063 miles.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada:




Antelope Island State Park, Utah:
* Thank you @MurphTaco we saw 1 bison. Totally worth it, we don't have many in San Diego.




Boise, Idaho:



Salmon River, Idaho:



Glacier National Park, Montana:



Montana/Alberta border:



Banff, Alberta Canada:
* Thank you @turbodb Didn't make it to Icefields Parkway. Nonetheless, the drive was still amazing.



Seaquest State Park, Washington:
* Thanks @BKinzey Couldn't fit the gorge into our schedule, but found a nice campground for the night.



Humboldt, California:



Big Sur, California:
* Thanks @vitistop Kirk Creek Campground was packed, but we found a dispersed camping spot across the highway.

 

I thought it was an aggressive schedule but I also knew you'd have a memorable time no matter what you did or didn't see.

 

Epic trip!! glad you made it back safe! more pics!!