CA-OR-WA Or CA-NV-UT-ID-WA Trip

drive one route one way and the other route back.

I can't imagine not coming through Oregon and going to places like the Vortex, Crater Lake, and Wild Life Safari. Mt. St. Helens is also a good one to go to, and that is all just on the I-5 corridor so you can go fast. But, really, only stopping twice in that trips sounds like torture to me!

I bet the kids would LOVE to see Pike Place in Seattle, and even the Rainforest that is in Washington on the other side of the canal. If you go to Eastern Oregon you could go to Pendleton and see the Chinese Underground where they made their own city type thing.

I don't know how warm it is there in July, but the farther east you go, the hotter it is. Staying either on the coast, beautiful but slow because its windy and twisty, or on I-5 because its fast and in the valley so its cooler would be a better idea to me in July. But, I personally don't like anything near a 100*.

We have a beautiful stretch of the Pacific Coast here in Oregon. Downright gorgeous! Check out Gold Beach. You could pass through the Oregon Desert, (see lava tubes, caves, Fort Rock), or drive through the Willamette Valley up through Portland (so much to see here), check out the Columbia Gorge. From the desert you can hit the Wallowas which are also just beautiful (take the tram up Mt Howard-- it's totally worth it) and drive through the Blue Mountains, see Hell's Canyon. There are also wildlife reserves in southern/eastern Oregon, beautiful coastal forests and so much more.

I am partial to Oregon as I live here-- we have every sort of environment imaginable aside from arctic. For what it's worth, we went to the Wallowas and camped for our honeymoon. Decide if you want more of the coast (then take the Gold Beach route up through to Tillamook, the Three Capes scenic area, and you can cut in to I-5 at Tillamook or Cannon Beach will take you into Portland), cut through the Gorge, head a bit further East through the Blue Mountains where you'll get plenty of high desert from the Dalles eastward out to Spokane. That would be my trip (with a possible detour to the Wallowas, of course!) Or from Gold Beach you could cut east, go by Diamond Lake, Crater Lake, the wildlife reserves there and other attractions and go north through the desert. Either way, splendid. Do the research and decide what your family would like best.

I make this trip at least once a year from WA-OR-CA( the IE/HD area.) I've made the trip in as little as 16 hours or I've also made stops along the way. I love it when we get the chance to stop in San Francisco but seeing as that's not even close to where I need to go I never stay for long. If I had the time honestly I would take the coast all the way there and back, albeit you'll drive a little more out of your way but this time of year going that way it is phenomenal. I've never done the trip the other way you have listed so I cannot give advice for that.

south Idaho is ugly and flat. I would go up the coast, the Oregon coast is wonderful to see.

Stop and stay in smaller towns. Hotels and activities are easier to access, parking if free, enjoy some quiet.

Some good choices: Central Oregon, yup, where I live. Bend, Sisters or Sunriver depending on what you'd like to see and do on your stop.

Park City, Utah is a fun stop, and not too far from SLC.

My little brother just made CA-OR-WA trip, in reverse, from WA to San Diego. He was showing me a few of his pictures--Redwood Forest is great if you've never been there. That's one of my best memories of my San Francisco trip that I took in high school. He also visited the house from The Goonies, which was really cool for him, but "meh" for me ;-) If I were doing that trip now, being of age, I'd surely throw in some vineyard/winery tours.

I'd honestly stick to the 3 states. Idaho is beautiful, but very comparable to Washington/Oregon, so I tend to think that there's not a whole lot there that you can't see in WA. I've never felt any kind of draw to Utah. I don't plan on ever going to Vegas, but if I had a sibling living there, and I was close to him/her, I'd grit my teeth and do it.

When are you going? I have to disagree with southern Idaho being ugly and flat. Well, I guess it depends on where exactly you are driving. We go up through Pocatello-Blackfoot-Idaho Falls area often and the view from the freeway is not great. But there are a lot of areas, especially in spring/summer, that are breathtaking. I love the Preston area (just north of Utah border). It is a farming area so there is not a lot to do there unless you like camping and outdoorsy stuff, but the drive is peaceful and beautiful.
I live in Utah, I would be happy to recommend places to go if you come through here. Utah is a great place for a family vacation. Lots of recreation, lots of stuff for kids to do. The weather has been beautiful lately too. Let us know what time of year you are planning for, that may help our suggestions.

Ok based on late June, if you choose to go through Idaho and Utah, here are my recommendations:
-Stay 1-2 days at Bear Lake (Utah-Idaho border). (also could easily just pay fee to play at beach all day and then drive to SLC that night. SLC is 2.5 hours south of it). You can stay at a condo (Harbor Village or Ideal beach resort) or camp (Blue Water beach which is right next to the lake). Google Bear Lake Utah, it is the most beautiful turquoise lake and there is a TON to do up there. The condos have bikes you can rent, volleyball, pools, swimming in lake, boating/jet skis, mini golf etc. It is my absolute heaven on earth. The drive through Logan Canyon is also breathtaking.

I will add more later- my kids need assistance! :)

Whether or not your being a Vegas fan, your brother is there. That should be enough reason to stop there.

I've never been the eastern route but LOVE the coastal drive through California/Oregon! We live in Seattle and drove down to San Diego one year. I'd stop in San Fran, Newport or, Portland or, and Seattle, then head east to Spokane. Good food and gas stops in north bend and ellensburg, wa. Coeur d'Alene, Id is amazingly beautiful and just minutes from Spokane.

Are you saying that you will drive from So Cal to Spokane in two days?That's a lot of driving. I used to drive back and forth between L.A. and Portland all the time while I was in college. The drive time (not including stops) was 16 hours. And that was driving along boring old I-5.

The drive from L.A. to San Francisco, will probably be an 8 hour drive with good traffic. But then that's about an additional 16 hours of driving from San Francisco to Spokane. You might be too tired to enjoy the sights of SF if you have to drive 16 more hours to Spokane the next day.

If your goal is to take a fun road trip on your way to and from Spokane, I would make the trip along Coast on the 101 freeway along the coast. Stop somewhere in a Northern California or Southern Oregon beach town.

If you want to get to your destination in a timely manner and still see some nice sights, I would suggest just taking I-5 through CA and OR and stopping overnight on Mt. Shasta. Ashland, OR is supposed to be nice too. Southern Oregon is just gorgeous!

Sorry, I don't know anything about the eastern route, but it could be nice too. Good luck!

If you come back through UT, consider how much of a detour you might want to make, and what kinds of things your family is interested in. If you really like natural beauty, consider visiting Zion and Bryce National parks, or detouring towards the four corners direction and stop in Monument Valley -- it's an incredible place. It is well worth spending the additional money to get a back country jeep tour. If you can, stay for sunset.

From Monument Valley, you could head southwest to Page, AZ, where there are the most amazing slot canyons (again, you have to take a tour or hire an independent guide to see the canyons, but it is well worth the trip. Independent guides are less expensive than tours, but if you're in a time crunch, make reservations for a set time with a tour). From Page, you could drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, enjoy the views, and then drive on to Las Vegas. Alternatively, if you then head down from Page toward the south rim of the Grand Canyon, you'll be driving through some of the most beautiful sections of the painted dessert, and you can take a short, 5 mile detour to just east of Tuba City where the kids might enjoy some really cool fossilized Dilophosaur tracks left in what to be used an ancient ocean. From there, you could head to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, where you can spend as much or as little time as you wish. We stayed a couple of days and hiked down about 1.5 mi into the canyon, but a lot of people come, take a look from one or two vantage points, and continue one. (BTW, if you hike into the canyon, you don't have to go very far to get a sense of how awesome the canyon is looking up toward the rim. If you plan to hike further down, keep in mind that down is easy. Up -- not so much! If you do this, especially in the summer, start really early (7AM at the latest) and take a LOT of water. We carried two liters each in camelbaks and refilled at the turn around point before coming back up. You want to be out of the canyon by noon at the very latest). You can head back towards CA from the canyon and detour up to Las Vegas to visit your brother. A nice side trip from Vegas is a trip to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

Frankly, there's so much to do in Utah and AZ, you could easily plan several trips just to see these areas. Consider the time of year carefully, though, as AZ can be REALLY hot -- especially as you go further south toward Flaggstaff and Phoenix. I suggest you get a couple of travel guides from the library on each of the states you might travel through, and see what's around. Frommer's puts out really good guides. You can also visit AAA if you're a member, and get free guides form them.

Something to keep in mind with costs: if you're driving, you have to factor in additional costs for hotels, which could make the cost comparable to airfare for 4, depending on how many hotels you stay in, and how expensive they are. Camping is a lot less expensive, and if you enjoy it, it's a great alternative and fun for the kids!

Whatever you do, have a great trip!