Traveling this summer?

[Coyote Chris]

I listened to a media story on how all entrance reservations for Glacier National Park were sold out till Sept. So I looked things up....the truth is much more complex......

First Round of Glacier Park Vehicle Reservations Sells Out Fast - Flathead Beacon

At 8 a.m. on Feb. 1, the first batch of Glacier National Park vehicle reservation tickets went on sale. The initial booking window of the year offered tickets to access the Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Polebridge entrances of the park from May 26 through June 30. The tickets for the North Fork...

flatheadbeacon.com

I suggest anyone who can understand this be given a PHD and second, if you are going anywhere near there, you check the reservation system itself.
Things are getting tough out there.

IIRC , the Bighorn national forest requires a permit to do dispersed camping due to all the people leaving junk trailers in the woods so they can camp on the weekends

 

[cliffh]

Until about 5 years ago, I spent 3 or 4 weeks every year traveling throughout the west and enjoying our national parks and so on. The last time I went I was so disappointed at the destruction and crowding everywhere. Places you "had to know about to even find them" now have 100 car parking lots that are always full. I'm so glad I went when I did.

I still take my yearly motorcycle ride down the BlueRidge Parkway every year. I've done that for over 30 years. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that, but it will be because of my age. The BlueRidge Parkway is still not too overly crowded and I believe it is the best motorcycle road in the country.

Cliff

 

[Mellow]

My favorite is Hwy 12 in Utah.. just amazing.

There's still lots of places to go that aren't crowded.. I never travel on any holiday if I can help it, that cuts the crowds down a lot. Nat'l parks are going to be the most popular so I stick to state parks, many are pretty empty and you can still ride through the NPs without worrying about camping.

 

[coaster]

My favorite is Hwy 12 in Utah.. just amazing.

There's still lots of places to go that aren't crowded.. I never travel on any holiday if I can help it, that cuts the crowds down a lot. Nat'l parks are going to be the most popular so I stick to state parks, many are pretty empty and you can still ride through the NPs without worrying about camping.

I concur on Hwy 12 wonderful road.

 

[cliffh]

My favorite is Hwy 12 in Utah.. just amazing.
{snip}

I've ridden Hwy 12 in Utah several times. Great views!

 

[NewTo700V]

Blue Ridge parkway is nice, but the aforementioned Utah 12 is on another level. There's tons of other rides I would plan before a Blue Ridge Parkway jaunt.

San Juan Skyway in CO, Needles Hwy and other roads up in the Black Hills of Custer state park SD, Sequoia national park roads, Angeles Crest Highway, etc.

 

[cliffh]

All depends on what you want. I've been on all the roads you mention, and they are GREAT roads. However, if you are looking for twisty, no stop signs, no commercial traffic, no bill boards, not more than 1 mile straight and level, AND great views....you can't beat the BlueRidge. That being said, we each have what we are looking for and ANY road is better than just sitting home on our butts or "cage" driving

 

[NewTo700V]

The BRP just gets kind of monotonous. Most of the really scenic stuff is down in NC. The VA side you can take it or leave it, IMO. I incorporated the BRP and skyline in it's entirety in a cross country ride some years ago. Some of those other rides I mentioned were on that trip and the BRP isn't a standout memory as a result.

 

[rc_heli_nut]

Wisconsin 35, the great river road, from LaCrosse to Hudson, amazing bluffs on your right as you ride north. Be sure to stop at Buena Vista in Alma for overlook of the town and river.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Cherahola Skyway is pretty good.

 

[Coyote Chris]

My favorite is Hwy 12 in Utah.. just amazing.

There's still lots of places to go that aren't crowded.. I never travel on any holiday if I can help it, that cuts the crowds down a lot. Nat'l parks are going to be the most popular so I stick to state parks, many are pretty empty and you can still ride through the NPs without worrying about camping.

I agree about Hwy 12. A few years ago when the Reno Air Races were canceled, Frosty and I hit the national parks in Southern Utah.... At Arches, even though we had a reserved campsite, they would close the park 4 hours at a time till enough people left then let some more in......There are some nice small towns near Utah's National parks with reasonably priced hotels....Moab is a zoo.
Covid didnt help.....RV sales went through the roof.....With Yellowstone a zoo, many people went to the Big Horn Mts....and you can still find reasonably priced motels in the small cities around them. But the campgrounds in the NF are all reserved, and they got so many dispersed campers now you need a permit to do that.....

I think it was a wise thing to make all these campgrounds in the 1930s with the CCC but we have grown as a country and they need to be expanded and more made.....

 

[cliffh]

The first time I went to Moab, it had one traffic light and only a couple restaurants. Now, you are right, it is a zoo. I'm getting a bit too old to travel cross country on a motorcycle now.

Just went through my mind....about 10 years ago, I left a campground near Blue Mesa reservoir in Colorado on a Honda GoldWing 1500 pulling a trailer. Winds were steady 50 mph gusting to 65! Don't want to repeat that. The winds were bad, but the dust was horrible. Stopped at the first motel I came across

 

[Mellow]

The first time I went to Moab, it had one traffic light and only a couple restaurants. Now, you are right, it is a zoo. I'm getting a bit too old to travel cross country on a motorcycle now.

Just went through my mind....about 10 years ago, I left a campground near Blue Mesa reservoir in Colorado on a Honda GoldWing 1500 pulling a trailer. Winds were steady 50 mph gusting to 65! Don't want to repeat that. The winds were bad, but the dust was horrible. Stopped at the first motel I came across

I camped there 2 years ago, it was about 30% full.. but it was a little windy... was a nice place to hold up on the way to the yearly Rally.

 

[cliffh]

Yep, great area and still not crowded. The water level was going down a LOT over the last several trips out there. Would be nice to see it fill up again.

 

[Yoda]

My best road is still Hwy 191 from Alpine to the Morenci copper mine in Eastern Arizona. Got to be one of the twistiest two lane roads anywhere. I rode over it mistakenly at night one time, almost hit a Black Angus in the middle of the road that I thought was a bear. Unfortunately, the road was in the path of a huge forest fire that hurt the views for many miles.

 

[Mellow]

My best road is still Hwy 191 from Alpine to the Morenci copper mine in Eastern Arizona. Got to be one of the twistiest two lane roads anywhere. I rode over it mistakenly at night one time, almost hit a Black Angus in the middle of the road that I thought was a bear. Unfortunately, the road was in the path of a huge forest fire that hurt the views for many miles.

Yeah, it's crazy to look down at that mine and see the dump trucks only to then see a regular vehicle next to them and understand just how big they are.

 

[Coyote Chris]

I camped there 2 years ago, it was about 30% full.. but it was a little windy... was a nice place to hold up on the way to the yearly Rally.

BLM, USFS, power company? County?

 

[Mellow]

BLM, USFS, power company? County?

Elk Creek Campground · 102 Elk Creek, Gunnison, CO 81230

★★★★★ · Campground

www.google.com

 

[Coyote Chris]

Elk Creek Campground · 102 Elk Creek, Gunnison, CO 81230

★★★★★ · Campground

www.google.com

CooL! National recreation area. Recreation.gov. Important because camp ground fill up so fast now in my part of the world......been through that part of the country on a bike and did the Durago Silverton trip.

 

[Coyote Chris]

BTW, the Reno airport authority has told the Reno air race association that this will be the last year for the Reno air races due to uncontroled building around an airport......so it looks like I will be touring the southwest after this year....Anyone been to the Wet Beaver Wilderness area?
Looks like it has two campgrounds and dispersed camping....lots of nice pics on google image

Coconino National Forest - Wet Beaver Wilderness

Coconino National Forest - Wet Beaver Wilderness

www.fs.usda.gov