Need Help Planning Roadtrip Through Northern America?

Question

Hi everyone,

My family is planning a roadtrip this August that will take us from Toronto through to Vancouver, with many stops along the way in north central USA and western Canada.

Could you guys that are familiar with the following states recommend some key points of interest:

-North Dakota
-South Dakota [Mt Rushmore/Badlands]
-Montana [Glacier National Park/Going to the sun road]
-Wyoming [Yellowstone National Park]
-Idaho
-Washington
-Alberta [Edmonton/Rocky mountains]
-British Columbia [Vancouver area]
-Illinois [Chicago area]
-Minnesota [Minneapolis]

Some areas I've heard are must stops are listed in brackets, but I'm still unclear on some locations, and possibly how much time I should spend in each area. I plan to drive mainly from Chicago through I-90, and up into Alberta on I-15. On my return, I'm either looking at returning on I-90 or I-94. I have a max of 3 weeks to spend, so I'd love to visit the major tourist spots before looking into smaller stops.

Here is my full route so far:

1. Toronto to Chicago
2. Chicago to Mount Rushmore/Badlands/Rapid City (via Sioux Falls)
3. Rapid City to Yellowstone National Park
4. Yellowstone National Park to Calgary
5. Alberta Circle (Calgary to Edmonton to Jasper to Banff)
6. Banff to Vancouver
7. Vancouver to Seattle
8. Seattle to Glacier National Park
9. Glacier National Park to Fargo, ND (via Bozeman, MT)
10. Fargo to Minneapolis
11. Minneapolis to Chicago
12. Chicago to Toronto

Of course, I'd reroute this depending on other suggestions. Any route recommendations, points of interest, and general input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :)

Joe C · Accepted Answer

Chicago is one of the cultural centers of the country. There are tons of things to do there.

Art Institute of Chicago
Adler Planetarium 
Shedd Aquarium
Field Museum
Museum of Science and Industry
Architecture river boat tour
The new glass bottom Sears Tower viewing platform
Navy Pier
Major League Baseball
Shopping along Michigan Ave.
Great restaurants (Harry Caray's)
Theater
Shows

BTW The Art Institute has one of the largest collections of Impressionism in North America as well as an incredible medieval armor collection. Don't miss it.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/eurptg

The Architecture river boat tour is a great way to see the city and learn about it's history. You get a spectacular view of dozens of skyscrapers and other important buildings. It's a relaxing 90 minute tour on the river in the heart of the city.
http://www.cruisechicago.com/tours.php

Here are some other links to attractions.
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicagos-largest-attractions.htm
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/a-glass-bottom-skydeck-for-sears-tower.html
_____________________________

You should spend a few days at Yellowstone.
Stay at West Yellowstone, MT and make this your base camp for the area.
There are hotels a few yards from the park entrance and it's a short ride to the areas you want to see.

At Yellowstone be sure to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It's really impressive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_of_the_Yellowstone

The Norris Geyser Basin in the north west section of the park has the most spectacular geysers.
http://www.yellowstone.net/geysers/norrisbasin.htm
http://mms.nps.gov/yell/features/norristour/index.htm

Take a day trip and go to the Grand Teton National Park and visit Jackson Hole.

BTW if you plan to go to more than one National Park, buy the annual pass. It allows a vehicle and it's occupants unlimited access to all National Parks for a year.
http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm
_______________________

In Seattle take the Underground City Tour, go to the top of the Space Needle and Smith Building, visit the Aquarium, take a boat tour of Puget Sound, and visit the Sci Fi Museum.

Anonymous · Answer

This is gonna take a while, but I've got nothing better to do, so here it goes!

North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora)
South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands NP, Black Hills, Wind Cave NP, Custer SP, Sylvan Lake, Bear Country USA, Jewel Cave)
Montana (Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP)
Wyoming (Yellowstone NP, Grand Tetons NP, Devil's Tower)
Idaho (Hell's Canyon, Snake River Canyon, Shashone Falls, Craters Of The Moon NM, Minetonka Cave)
Washington (North Cascades NP, Mt. Ranier NP, Olympic NP, Gran Cooley Dam, Columbia River Gorge, North Cascades NP, Seattle, Orcas Island)
Alberta (Calgary, Jasper NP, Banff NP)
British Columbia (Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, Waterton Lakes NP, Glacier NP, Yoho NP, Kooteney NP, Mt. Robson NP, Lake Okanagan, Lake Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley)
Illinois (Chicago, Lake Michigan, Southern Illinois)
Minnesota (Minneapolis, Voyageours NP, Boundary Waters Canoe Area)

? · Answer

The Black Hills of South Dakota would desire to be on your record. you may desire to spend an entire week there elementary. The Hills incorporate many interesting landmarks, cities, stops and are very eye-catching too.

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Need Help Planning Roadtrip Through Northern America?

3 Answers