Portland, OR to Denver Roadtrip Ideas

[peter303]

Cant hurt to thread your way through National Parks and Monuments. The reason they are there because they have some of the most scenic hiking routes around. If you hang north younhit Yellowstone, wind Rivers and Wyoming. If you go more south its Utah Arches, Canyonlands, Colorado Grand Mesa. Utah could be hot by June.

[ORION]

Seano wrote:

If you're going through SLC, I'd suggest stopping in the Ruby Mountains and checking out Lamoille Canyon.

Unfortunately, Lamoille Canyon was burned top to bottom by a wildfire last fall (human caused). Road was open to the snowline a few weeks ago, but everything from the old lodge to a large percentage of the trees are gone.

[seano]

Seano wrote:

If you're going through SLC, I'd suggest stopping in the Ruby Mountains and checking out Lamoille Canyon.

Unfortunately, Lamoille Canyon was burned top to bottom by a wildfire last fall (human caused). Road was open to the snowline a few weeks ago, but everything from the old lodge to a large percentage of the trees are gone.

I'm sad to learn about this. The rock remains, so it's still an amazing geological feature (a U-shaped glacial valley carved along the crest of a range instead of toward one side), but it will probably take decades or centuries for the forest to recover, and in the meantime, you and your descendants can expect spiny and woody brush. What a shame...

[Andy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. City of Rocks and Craters of the Moon look perfect for us. It seems like camping sites may be at a premium inside the parks (even weekdays) - do any of you know of dispersed camping options in the general vicinity of those places? Thanks!