Planning one last group trip for the summer, and it's a big one: 12 days to drive from Seattle to Las Vegas, visit a few national parks in Utah, then return via Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, and Montana's major cities. Since most of the route will be totally new to me, I'm open to suggestions for scenic views, new road projects (I-11 included), interesting buildings and historic sites, and other worthwhile stops.
Now given that this trip was planned before Yellowstone and Death Valley were both wrecked by floods, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to see, so who knows if this itinerary will hold.
Day 1 - Seattle to Eugene or Medford
Just a normal drive down I-5 in the afternoon, not much to see due to time constraints. Possibly taking some detours to clinch a few Willamette Valley highways that I've neglected so far.
Day 2 - Oregon to Sacramento
Heading east to Crater Lake, finishing off a clinch of US 97 in the area by going through Klamath Falls, and heading through the Lassen Peak area. Preliminary plan is to take OR 39/CA 139 down to Adin, then CA 299 and CA 44 to get closer to the peak.
Return to the I-5 corridor (or CA 99) around Red Bluff and continue down to Sacramento. Open to suggestions on what to see on the way there as a first-timer.
New counties: Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, Tehama, Plumas, Butte or Glenn, Sutter or Colusa, Yolo, Sacramento
Day 3 - Sacramento to Las Vegas
Probably sticking to I-80 to reach Reno, then circling back to do all of US 395 and I-580. High on the list is seeing the casino overhang in Reno and the state capitol campus in Carson City.
Continuing south on US 395, potentially entering either Yosemite from the east but otherwise heading straight to Death Valley. Taking a few detours to clinch some counties and go around the long way to Las Vegas via Tonopah and the Extraterrestrial Highway as well.
New counties: Placer (CA), Nevada (CA), Washoe, Storey, Carson City, Lyon, Douglas, Alpine (CA), Mono (CA), Inyo (CA), Kern (CA), Nye, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Clark
Day 4 - Las Vegas area
Drive the full I-215/CC215 loop and other short routes to clinch.
Explore the Strip and downtown.
Day 5 - Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, St. George
Drive I-11 down to the dam viewpoint, look for other viewpoints of Lake Mead. Any suggestions?
Continue up I-15 to Zion National Park before dark.
New counties: Mohave (AZ), Washington (UT)
Day 6 - St. George to Salt Lake City
Take UT 59/AZ 389/US 89A to Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim), then return north to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Priority to see the westernmost bit of I-70 before reaching SLC, otherwise open to any route suggestions
New counties: Coconino (AZ), Kane, Garfield, Piute, Sevier, Millard, Beaver, Juab, Utah
Day 7 - Salt Lake City to Jackson
Exploring downtown and a few suburban freeways/soon-to-be freeways (Legacy Parkway and Mountain View among others), then head north on UT 67/I-15 and US 91. Short stop at Soda Springs and then continuing northeast to Jackson via US 30 and US 89.
New counties: Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache, Franklin (ID), Caribou (ID), Bear Lake (ID), Lincoln (WY), Bonneville (ID), Teton (WY)
Day 8 - Jackson to West Yellowstone
Visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
New counties: Park, Gallatin (MT), Fremont (ID)
Day 9 - West Yellowstone to Bozeman
More time in the park, leaving via the west side because of the closure.
Day 10 - Bozeman to Missoula
Visiting sights in Bozeman, Butte, Helena, and Missoula, mostly via the Interstates.
New counties: Broadwater, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Powell, Granite, Missoula
Day 11 - Missoula to Spokane
Paying respects to Mullan on I-90 and driving around Lake Coeur d'Alene. Plenty of time to add extra stops, if anyone has suggestions.
New counties: Lake, Mineral, Shoshone (ID)
Day 12 - Spokane to Seattle
Detouring a bit south to hit a bit more of the Palouse. Nothing special to note here.
