Maine to ? West

[Happymi]

We are going to be getting a late start to head West from the coast of Maine in September. We would like to get as far as possible before we run into icing conditions making us head south. We wanted to get to Yellowstone but now we just don't know if we can get that far.

Any ideas on a great route to take? things to see on the way? We have no time limits, so we can take our time. We will turn south when we know we should.

As we were leaving a rv campground in NC, we were met by a couple that just had taken that route across the top of the states and they loved it and would do it again. We are so sorry to not have had more time to chat with them. They had their maps all charted and had shown us where they had been. Looks like a great trip.


Thanks

Happymi

[Happymi]

We are going to be getting a late start to head West from the coast of Maine in September. We would like to get as far as possible before we run into icing conditions making us head south. We wanted to get to Yellowstone but now we just don't know if we can get that far.

Any ideas on a great route to take? things to see on the way? We have no time limits, so we can take our time. We will turn south when we know we should.

As we were leaving a rv campground in NC, we were met by a couple that just had taken that route across the top of the states and they loved it and would do it again. We are so sorry to not have had more time to chat with them. They had their maps all charted and had shown us where they had been. Looks like a great trip.


Thanks

Happymi

[CD]

Happymi
We haven't made that trip either way so don't have any personal info. We have spent some time in the winter in the SW.
It would be my oppinion to go south in Sept and across, then go north in the spring. I would suggest not going to Yellowstone much after Sept/Oct. and not earlier than May/June. Yellowstone has been known to get snow in July on occasion but I don't think it happens often. You could get into the NW by March/April and be past most of the freezing weather especially west of the Cascades.
Sounds like a nice trip. Have Fun!

[DFR]

If you are set on travellingin Sept., you just might hit it right for some of the best fall color. My suggestion would be the trans Canada highway to Sault Ste Marie Ontario, then either continue west above Lake Superior and down into Minnesota or cross at Sault Ste Marie into Michigan and follow the south shore. You can pick up US highway 2 at the Wisconsin line and follow it all the way west if you want to. Either way, it's a beatuiful trip.

[Happymi]

Does anyone know if Yellowstone would be too risky to be traveling in October? From that point heading south or maybe heading west until we reach San Francisco. We do not have any time frame limitations. Go by the seat of our pants and stop when we want to stop.

We might not have the opportunity again to visit the NW and want to make the best of it while we can. After we see that area we would hug the Southern states and maybe go back to Florida for awhile and when things start to thaw up north, our wheels will hit the road again for another new adventure.

Whatha think?

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Happymi:
Does anyone know if Yellowstone would be too risky to be traveling in October? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Read the NPS's website about Yellowstone, Operating Hours and Seasons.

For any National Park, you can go to the NPS's website and read through their "Plan Your Visit" section to get all kinds of informaiton. The NPS website uses the first four letters in the park's name for the URL, so for Yellowstone, it would be www.nps.gov/yell/. For parks with two words in their name, such as Grand Teton, use the first two letters of each name, www.nps.gov/grte/.

[Cruzer]

I've been in Yellowstone as late as Oct 2nd. Generally we hit it the middle of September and are gone just before the end. That works well. Any snow that hits in September "usually" is done and over within a day or two. Most of it affects the higher elevations such as the Beartooth Highway, Dunraven Pass, etc. I would not be afraid to be in Yellowstone the last half of September but I'd be watching the weather forecast closely if it was the first half of October. "Stuff" that falls then may be around a while and you could get trapped if you weren't watching.

The safest route weatherwise is to take I-90 across to Bozeman, then south to West Yellowstone. You'll avoid any serious passes that way. When you leave in the end of September you'll probably be able to take any route you want but if the weather turns wrong and you can wait a couple of days you'll still be fine. If you're on a schedule then you may have to go back out the way you came.

The last half of September is the best part of the elk rut and a great time to see the park. If you can leave to the south and spend a few days in Grand Teton Nat'l Park you'll also be rewarded with some nice scenery and wildlife.

[Happymi]

Thanks to all of you for all your information. We really appreciate it. Will follow your directions about web sites to check out before our trip.

Safe journey

Happymi