Trip: The Northern Rockies

The Northern Rockies Trip

9 Days from Portland to Glacier National Park

The Northern Rockies/Glacier trip is a 9 day road trip through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, that focuses on the Columbia River Gorge, Glacier National Park, the mountains of Idaho, and Hell's Canyon, along the Idaho/Oregon Border.

Day 1

Portland to the Pacific Coast

Ecola State Park, Oregon Coast

One of the Pacific coast’s most beautiful beaches, and one of my personal favorites, has just about everything you need, ...

Oregon

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Cannon Beach & Haystack Rock

After finally breaking free from all of Portland’s attractions, I made my way to the coast. I already knew what ...

Oregon

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Portland’s Washington Park: Lewis & Clark Memorial – Sacajawea Statue

After wandering around the International Rose Test Garden for a while, I decided to venture downhill, to check out a ...

Oregon

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Portland’s Washington Park: International Rose Test Garden

Upon arriving in Portland, I was determined not to start this trip as I do most others, by cramming too ...

Oregon

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Day 2

East from Portland

Spokane, Washington’s Downtown Parks

There really are two, completely separate, Washington States. There’s the I-5 corridor, where Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia all meld together to ...

Washington

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Ritzville, Washington

After driving for miles and miles across the wide-open and monotonous plains of eastern Washington, you’ll welcome any diversion. The ...

Washington

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Pasco & Kennewick: Two Towns, Two Bridges, Toxic Sludge

North of the Oregon/Washington border, several towns cluster around the Columbia River. As you head towards Spokane, you’ll pass through ...

Washington

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Maryhill, Washington – Stonehenge

It’s well documented that when some people start to grow old and a little crazy, they begin building big things ...

Washington

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Columbia River Gorge: Interstate 84 & The Dalles Dam

After you’ve passed the old two-lane section of the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway, and you’re back on Interstate 84, you’re ...

Oregon

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Crown Point: Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway

Driving east from Portland is an exciting experience, even if you stay on the interstate. But why would you do ...

Oregon

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Day 3

Northern Idaho, and on into Montana

Kalispell, Montana at Night

If you’re wondering just how few people live in Montana, consider this. Kalispell is the state’s 7th largest city, yet ...

Montana

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From I-90 to the Flathead Valley: MT Routes 135 – 200 – 28 – US 93

After a day spent crossing the Idaho panhandle, then biking down the Route of the Hiawatha, there was only one ...

Montana

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Route of the Hiawatha Bicycle Trail

When I was a kid, my parents used to take me to my father’s hometown of Talcott, West Virginia. It ...

Idaho

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Wallace, Idaho Mining Town & Center of the Universe

You have to take this next statement with a grain of salt, realizing that I have not visited every small ...

Idaho

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Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Day 3 began with a brief visit to northern Idaho’s main tourist town, Coeur d’Alene (pronounced core-da-LEAN). The biggest attraction ...

Idaho

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Day 4

Glacier National Park

Highline Trail, Glacier National Park

After completing the six mile trip to Hidden Lake and back, I retreated to my car for peanut butter sandwiches, ...

Montana

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Logan Pass – Hidden Lake Trail, Glacier National Park

After the long, winding drive up to the Continental Divide, you’ll probably be ready to stretch your legs and tackle ...

Montana

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Going To The Sun Road, Glacier National Park

It’s been written in more than one travel guidebook that Glacier National Park’s Going To The Sun Road is one ...

Montana

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Day 5

Another Day in Glacier

US 2 – Around Glacier National Park

For a town that’s so small, it’s surprising that East Glacier has two parts. A few businesses line up along ...

Montana

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Running Eagle Falls, Two Medicine Valley, Glacier

After driving on the outskirts of Glacier National Park for a while, and staring at the jagged rocky peaks from ...

Montana

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Glacier NP’s East Side – St. Mary Lake, US 89 & Montana 49

Once St. Mary Lake comes into view, you’ve almost done it–you’ve nearly conquered Going To The Sun road. At the ...

Montana

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Glacier National Park – Baring Falls

Just a short distance east from the St. Mary Falls/Virginia Falls trailhead, you reach another parking area, offering a short ...

Montana

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St. Mary Falls – Glacier National Park

Some of the most beautiful waterfalls you’ll ever see can be found on the eastern side of Glacier National Park, ...

Montana

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Glacier National Park – Lake McDonald Lodge

For my second day traveling the Going To The Sun Road, I decided to check out a few things that ...

Montana

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Hungry Horse Dam & Reservoir, Montana

Sometime in between Day 4 and Day 5, the season changed from Summer to Winter. Just like that. The weathermen ...

Montana

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Day 6

Exploring Western Montana

Lewis & Clark’s Camp Fortunate

There’s not a lot to see as you travel between Butte, Montana and Idaho Falls, Idaho. You’ll only pass one ...

Montana

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Butte, Montana: Berkeley Pit Toxic Waste Site

Butte’s history as a mining town has left it with a unique landscape, covered with funky old buildings and rickety-looking ...

Montana

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Granite Mountain Mining Disaster Memorial

As I mentioned on the previous page, Butte is a mining town. You just can’t forget it, because every time ...

Montana

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Butte, Montana – Historic Uptown District

I have so many nice things to say about Butte, Montana, I hardly know where to begin. This is exactly ...

Montana

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Montana’s Capitol: Helena

Helena was just one of three western Montana cities on my itinerary during Day 6, so I’m afraid I only ...

Montana

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Avon, Montana

Sometimes I decide to divert from my road trip and explore a town, simply because I know there’s nothing there. ...

Montana

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Missoula, Montana – Hike to the Big “M”

As I awoke on day six, I crossed my fingers and walked to the window in my hotel room. I ...

Montana

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Day 7

Exploring in Idaho

Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route: Lowman, Idaho

The reason this route is called the “Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route” is because that’s exactly what you see for most ...

Idaho

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Idaho’s Center of Population

Do you ever toss and turn at night, plagued by the haunting question, “where, exactly, is the center of Idaho’s ...

Idaho

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Stanley, Idaho & Stanley Lake

After traveling deep into the Sawtooth Mountains, it’s time to turn around and head back to civilization when you reach ...

Idaho

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Pettit & Redfish Lakes, Idaho

On your way through the Sawtooth Valley, there are several small lakes just a few miles off the main road, ...

Idaho

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Sawtooth Scenic Byway

Most people travel the Sawtooth Scenic Byway on their way to one of the country’s finest ski resorts, at Sun ...

Idaho

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Carey, Idaho’s Homecoming Parade, 2006

You could easily pass through Carey, Idaho without giving the town a second thought. And I probably would have, had ...

Idaho

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Craters of the Moon National Monument

West of Arco, dozens of miles of highway pass through an area with a population just slightly greater than the ...

Idaho

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Butte City & Arco, Idaho

The area of Idaho west of Idaho Falls, and just south of the mountains, lies the Snake River Plain. It’s ...

Idaho

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EBR-1: World’s First Electricity-Generating Atomic Reactor

I guess you don’t need to be a nuclear physicist to know that if you’re going to experiment with something ...

Idaho

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Day 8

Idaho to Oregon via Hells Canyon

Joseph, Oregon

It’s hard to imagine a small western town that’s more picture-perfect than Joseph, Oregon. Of course, it probably helped that ...

Idaho

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Imnaha, Oregon to Joseph, Oregon

Imnaha, Oregon, is quite literally the place where the pavement ends. There is only one paved road leading into Imnaha, ...

Oregon

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Imnaha Road, Oregon

After climbing out of Hells Canyon, and visiting the Hells Canyon Overlook, my next goal was to drive out to ...

Oregon

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Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Scenic Byway

After you’ve explored Hells Canyon from the bottom, it’s time to see it from the top. From Oxbow (at the ...

Oregon

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Hells Canyon, Idaho/Oregon: Driving the Bottom

If you know one fact about Hells Canyon, you probably know that it’s the deepest gorge in the United States. ...

Idaho

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From Boise, Idaho to Hells Canyon

Driving from Boise up I-84, you’ll pass through miles of farmland. After turning onto US 95, there are a few ...

Idaho

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Boise, Idaho: State Capitol

Boise was one of the cities I was anxious to explore, but on the morning of Day 8 I wasn’t ...

Idaho

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Day 9

The return to Portland

Portland, Oregon: Washington Park at Sunset

As the sun started to set on Day 9, I was faced with a familiar dilemma: how to spend the ...

Oregon

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Sheppard’s Dell – Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway

During my previous visit to the Columbia River Gorge, I distinctly remember making the decision to drive past Sheppard’s Dell ...

Oregon

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Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway

It took 9 days, but the trip had officially come full-circle. I was back at the Columbia River Gorge Scenic ...

Oregon

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Blue Mountain Scenic Highway, Oregon

As Day 9 began, I had only one ultimate goal: to end up in Portland by the end of the ...

Oregon

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