Visit Seattle, Olympic NP, Rainer NP, Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Walla Walla, Boise, Sun Valley, Sawtooth Mountains, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP & North Cascades NP.
Discover Northwest America’s unrivalled natural beauty. Cruise through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana on this three week road trip adventure that’s packed full of National Park scenery and wildlife. Witness rugged coastline, immense mountains and crystal clear lakes; there’s even a wine region and two hip cities.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 21 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Fly to Seattle in the northwestern corner of the lower 48 States and then enjoy an evening meal at one of the freshly stocked seafood restaurants dotted everywhere in this city by the Pacific Ocean.
Seattle is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, famous for its coffee, grunge music and tech sector. It has a laid-back charm with visitor highlights, including Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Pioneer Square, The Museum of Flight and watching the sunset in Kerry Park.
The great outdoors await today; we recommend you start the first leg of your drive by taking a ferry to Bainbridge Island before moving onto Olympic National Park via scenic Highway 101. Make Hurricane Ridge one of the places you’ll visit; the reward is outstanding views of the Olympic Mountains, particularly at sunset.
The words rugged, craggy and remote come to mind when thinking of Olympic National Park. Situated in the far northwest of Washington State, this is one of the wettest places you’ll be ever likely to visit. You won’t be completely alone though; wild Roosevelt Elk thrive here amongst the mossy trees, alpine meadows and hot springs.
Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the Cascade mountain range; it’s a spectacular National Park with wildflower meadows, glaciers, waterfalls and wildlife. Mt Rainier is also an active volcano, although it hasn’t been active for over 125 years. Ascending to 14,410 feet, Mount Rainer is a dominating force in the Washington landscape.
The sixth day of your Pacific Northwest adventure can be spent discovering more of Mount Rainier’s hiking paths in less accessible parts of the National Park. Alternatively, you can opt to chill with a good book in the historic Paradise Inn and enjoy a picnic in one of the summer flower meadows.
After the stunning outdoor scenery of the last four days, it’s time to hit the streets of a major city again. Hip Portland offers public gardens, cafe culture, tax-free shopping and much more. Pioneer Square, in the heart of the town, is a great place to start.
A full-day exploring friendly Portland is available today; highlights include The Rose Test Gardens, The Japanese Gardens and Oregon Zoo. These three tourist treats all lie within Washington Park on the city’s western edge. Be sure to visit the Pearl District for art galleries, interior design stores and trendy boutiques.
It’s time to hit the scenic roads again, leave Portland and cruise through the epic river valley known as the Columbia River Gorge. The views found here are simply outstanding. Be sure to stop and visit Multnomah Falls (pictured) along the way; this epic waterfall is one of the very best in the country. Onto to the wine region of Walla Walla, which is one of the sunniest spots in the country and home to 130 wineries and nearly 3,000 acres of grapes. Enjoy the drive as you cruise east alongside the mighty Columbia River.
Today, you’ll head south to outdoorsy Boise, which is also known as the “City of Trees”. Halfway along the day’s drive, stop for lunch in historic Baker City. Highlights include the Geiser Grand Hotel, built in 1889, the award-winning Barley Brown’s Brew Pub and more than 100 historic buildings. Boise has many things to do, including outdoor attractions like the Boise River Greenbelt and Kathryn Albertson Park. Boise’s downtown area is a great place to visit too, with several notable attractions, such as the Old Idaho Penitentiary, which offers an Alcatraz-style experience.
If White Water Rafting is on your bucket list, then today offers you the chance to fulfil that dream on the South Fork of the Payette River. If you are just looking for idyllic scenery from the comfort of your vehicle, then no problem, today’s drive is gorgeous throughout and particularly stunning along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway.
Head east to Grand Teton National Park today, which more than holds its own against its more famous neighbour, Yellowstone. The Park has a rich mix of extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes and stunning alpine terrain. To call it beautiful would be an understatement. En route, you’ll visit an environment that couldn’t be more alien. The Craters of the Moon Monument is an expansive ocean of lava flows, and it’s where astronauts practised before they first stepped on the Moon.
Grand Teton National Park was conceived as a National Park by the wealthy Rockefeller family from New York. The land was secretly bought up to expand the valley area around the Teton Mountains before being handed over to the federal government for preservation. Grand Teton is a worthy destination for any road trip, especially if pristine mountain landscapes and vistas are your thing.
Today, you’ll take the short drive north to Yellowstone National Park, the world’s oldest National Park. Founded in 1872, the Park has millions of years of history and is home to abundant wildlife, including bison, bighorn sheep and bobcats. Whenever possible, we try to place our clients within National Park’s lodges. Getting the accommodation right here means more time to explore every corner of Yellowstone.
A second full day to further discover all of Yellowstone’s wonders and abundant wildlife. Unbelievably, half the world’s geysers are found here, including the most famous, Old Faithful. This iconic natural wonder spurts water 90 feet in the air almost every hour. Yellowstone’s other highlights include Grand Prismatic Spring, Hayden Valley and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
Spend the morning and early afternoon on Yellowstone’s northern loop, visiting places like Blacktail Plateau Drive, the wildlife-packed Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs before leaving the National Park via the North Entrance. Stop for a late lunch or early dinner in Bozeman, Montana, before continuing north to lovely Helena.
The spectacular scenery doesn’t stop on this road trip, and if anything, it’s about to go up another notch. After a leisurely breakfast in Helena, you’ll drive north today in search of the eastern entrance of Glacier National Park, close to the border with Canada. Tonight, you can star gaze in this certified International Dark Sky Park.
From late June through September, you can drive the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road. This breathtaking 50-mile road was completed in 1932; it’s an uber-scenic highway that links Glacier National Park from east to west. Cross over the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot-high and drive through a varied landscape, from enormous glacial lakes and cedar groves in the lower valleys to the windswept alpine tundra found at higher levels.
Spend the morning exploring the western side of Glacier National Park and the authentic cowboy town of Whitefish. After lunch, it’s time to start heading back in the direction of Seattle, but we still have two amazing stops to make before this epic adventure comes to an end. The first is Coeur d’Alene in the west of Idaho. Coeur d’Alene is encircled by numerous lakes left behind by the glaciers from the last ice age. There are over fifty pristine lakes in the area, but none are more picturesque than Lake Coeur d’Alene itself.
Continue west and return to the State of Washington; after three hours, you’ll reach the famous route known as The Cascades Loop. Stay overnight in the Bavarian-styled village of Leavenworth or the authentic western town of Chelan on the banks of Lake Chelan. If you’re happy to drive a little further, then the upmarket Sun Mountain Lodge is also an option for your Cascades lodging.
Spend the day behind the wheel and on various short hiking trails, discovering the outstanding natural beauty found along the northern side of the Cascades Loop. Drive through Methow Valley, North Cascades National Park and Skagiit Valley as you make your way to the coastal area of the Cascades Loop. Must-see places include the old Wild West town of Winthrop and the stunningly beautiful Diablo Lake. Tomorrow, you’ll complete more of the Cascade Loop by passing through Fidalgo Island before returning to Seattle airport to catch your flight home.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
