Need Ideas for a Road Trip

[naaman]

I am in the initial planning phase for a trip from Phoenix AZ to Snoqualmie, WA next spring. I'm still trying to decide if I want to deal with the financial burden of flying a family of 6 out there (and renting a vehicle), plus dealing with the hassle of the airport, or if I want to drive us up that way.

We are a road tripping family, but all of our trips up to now have been limited to a few hundred miles from home (half a day's drive at most). The last time I did this drive with my (smaller) family in tow, it took us 4 days,and we made the most of it.

I anticipate needing a similar amount of time to make the trip with a family of six (including an almost-4-year-old). If so, I'm hoping to make the drive itself an adventure with plenty of scenic stretches as well as stops for family friendly activity (my children love to hike and explore nature). Vehicle will be a 2007 Honda Pilot AWD.

So, looking for suggestions on scenic routes, restaurants between PHX and SEA, and any other good "secrets" that locals along the route may know about.


I am open to any route of travel that keeps us moving in the general direction of our destination, so depending on what is out there, I may take a longer way around if the detour is worth it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aero]

For the southern part of your trip you could stop by the grand canyon (if haven't been before) but I would recommend stopping at Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon national Park. You said your family likes nature so would be worthy stops. Zion can be crazy busy in the summer but shouldn't be as bad in spring. If the Zion main road is still open to self driving it would help your schedule too. Bryce is a short distance from there and is def worth stopping by and looking least from the 'top' main view.

 

[naaman]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Miner]

I did that drive 28 years ago (el Paso to Bremerton) and went from Phoenix to Vegas to Reno to Eugene and finally to Bremerton, ~300 miles each day. I didn’t stop at any place in particular, but the drive was moderately scenic. I also did that drive in my NSX back in 05, but went to Gallup, Ogden and Bremerton. I really enjoyed Moab, and most of Utah and Idaho.
But with a family, I’m not sure how it would play out.

 

[jeffreygebhart]

How much time do you have? Were I in your shoes I would try to hit as many of the national parks along the way as possible. Zion NP is worthwhile but as another replied can be extremely busy in the summer, hopefully less so in the spring. Bryce Canyon was, in my humble opinion, a bit of a letdown. If you have the time, Yellowstone is like Zion in that it's totally worthwhile but can also be crowded. Finally, if you truly have some time to spare, driving out of the way through California and Oregon has some wonderful sights: Seqouia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite (also crowded but TOTALLY worth it...don't forget the high country!), Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, Crater Lake, and finally Mt. Rainier National Parks all rock! The PCH from San Simeon (Big Sur) to Medocino in California and Hwy. 101 along the Oregon coast are famous for their natural beauty. This is obviously a lot for a young family, but also offers much from which to choose. Show them as much as possible! They'll recall it fondly for many years to come.