"Real" Mountain Vacation

[weatherman]

Tough question. A lot of what's been written is good. If you come to CO, remember (as others wrote) that 80% of the people in the state live 30 miles either side of I-25, between Fort Collins and Pueblo.

RMNP in September (or this year, October) is great. Nov-June is more limited due to snow. June-Aug is overrun by humans.

Coloradans who want amazing beautiful mountains invest the time to drive 5 hours to Crested Butte or Durango/Telluride etc. Worth it in my opinion. The San Juans are just incredible. Or you could split the difference and drive 2.5 hours to Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks, beautiful but more people (but not as many as closer to Denver).

PM me if I can be of more specific help. Transplanted from MA 6 years ago.

 

[DayTrip]

Are you going to stay at one place for the entire vacation? Boulder would be better than Denver or Colorado Springs, but I'd choose Estes Park over any of the others.

Don't have to stay in one spot. Would depend on the itinerary. Figured it might be easier to centralize where I stayed with option to drive in all directions to attractions but doesn't have to be that way.

 

[jfb]

Don't have to stay in one spot. Would depend on the itinerary. Figured it might be easier to centralize where I stayed with option to drive in all directions to attractions but doesn't have to be that way.

Well, you could fly to Denver and stay there for a few days, then return your rental car and hop on a plane and visit Jackson Hole for a few days, then fly home from there.

 

[DayTrip]

Regarding the Glaciers of Glacier NP: What DP said - it's named for the glacial features, not the glaciers themselves. The features are going to be there for a long, long time. Once you see the features that were created by glaciers - U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, cirques, morraines, etc. - you'll never look at a mountain landscape the same again. Glacier is, so far, my favorite place on earth.

If I were taking a non-hiking family, I'd vote for Seattle in the summer. Great restaurant and beer scene, inexpensive, friendly people. From there, you've got the Olympics, North Cascades, and several volcanoes (including Rainier) within an easy drive. Each one of those is really something to behold, although I'd say N. Cascades is a long drive and not so awesome for non-backpackers. It's rugged, and all of it is harder to access than the Olympics and Rainier (and other volcanoes). The volcanoes and the Olympics definitely feel like something different from what we see in the Northeast. Rainier has the Wonderland trail, which I haven't done, but friends have shown me photos - it's gorgeous. Weather is typically fantastic from June through late August.

I was eyeballing this with my wife tonight and this does seem like a fantastic spot. Has pretty much everything I'm interested in and a lot for her as well. My only concern is the weather. Is it as dreary as it's portrayed (i.e. will it be sunny enough to actually see all the mountains or will it rain the whole time?)

 

[hikerbrian]

Weather is fantastic in July and August (and usually for good parts of June and September too) - it often literally does not rain for a month or two during the summer - best kept secret ever. Once you get outside the summer months, you don't see the sun until 10 months have passed. So pick your timing wisely. It's really quite predictable. (To compare: Seattle sees less than an inch of rain on average for July and August; Boston sees almost 4 inches, average - i.e. NOT this year...)

 

[RichS]

Lot of good suggestions. I can personally vouch for Wheeler Peak (get down by 2pm to avoid thunderstorms). Plenty of easy hikes in Arches, Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, all accessible from Las Vegas. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are a half day drive from Salt Lake City. Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton has little elevation gain and spectacular views on both sides.
For something completely different, take an Alaska cruise. Yes, there's food! In Ketchikan, hike Deer Mountain. In Juneau, hike ... Mt Juneau. Both are 3000' and you can easily walk to the summit from the wharf. Non-hikers can take a tour or partake at the Red Dog Saloon. Don't expect stellar views, though. Temperate rain forest, you know. And in Anchorage there's Flattop Mountain.

 

[CaptCaper]

Driving is easy out there... not like New England traffic and roads..ha..One thing in planning is the weather for these parks...One note..I wouldn't go in July or August as they are jammed with families etc. Example.... for a campsite in Yellowstone in the summer you have to be in line at 5 am.. Sept 8am is ok.. I have done many parks out West.. I've done them in Sept mostly...Arches was extremely hot.. 95 on average... I would go in later October next time.... Bryce wasn't bad being higher elevation in Sept. I was in Yellowstone this past mid Sept and the weather was awesome..then wet snow for 3 days...5 yrs ago the whole 2 weeks there was awesome temps..but still usually nights get down to the 20's then bounce back to 70's at best in Sept. there. Glacier was ok.. just right temps for me ...
So I would plan very carefully the time of year and the weather....for the more popular parks of the parks which you must see... Yellowstone Canyon and Falls is better then Niagra Falls...so nice there.

 

[jfb]

I was eyeballing this with my wife tonight and this does seem like a fantastic spot. Has pretty much everything I'm interested in and a lot for her as well. My only concern is the weather. Is it as dreary as it's portrayed (i.e. will it be sunny enough to actually see all the mountains or will it rain the whole time?)

https://crystalmountainresort.com/summer-activities/scenic-gondola-rides/

 

[DayTrip]

https://crystalmountainresort.com/summer-activities/scenic-gondola-rides/

Wow. That looks awesome. Thanks for the link.

 

[DayTrip]

Weather is fantastic in July and August (and usually for good parts of June and September too) - it often literally does not rain for a month or two during the summer - best kept secret ever. Once you get outside the summer months, you don't see the sun until 10 months have passed. So pick your timing wisely. It's really quite predictable. (To compare: Seattle sees less than an inch of rain on average for July and August; Boston sees almost 4 inches, average - i.e. NOT this year...)

Really? Did not know that. I think that is putting Seattle toward the top of the list. Thanks.

 

[DayTrip]

Lot of good suggestions. I can personally vouch for Wheeler Peak (get down by 2pm to avoid thunderstorms). Plenty of easy hikes in Arches, Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, all accessible from Las Vegas. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are a half day drive from Salt Lake City. Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton has little elevation gain and spectacular views on both sides.
For something completely different, take an Alaska cruise. Yes, there's food! In Ketchikan, hike Deer Mountain. In Juneau, hike ... Mt Juneau. Both are 3000' and you can easily walk to the summit from the wharf. Non-hikers can take a tour or partake at the Red Dog Saloon. Don't expect stellar views, though. Temperate rain forest, you know. And in Anchorage there's Flattop Mountain.

Alaska would definitely be toward the top of the bucket list but the cost may keep it out of range for me for awhile. We have a friend who lives in Anchorage who regularly camps in Denali and seeing her pictures on Facebook all the time is definitely hugely tempting. Hiking aside, this has been a bucket list trip for my wife and I for some time now, either taking a train through the countryside or a cruise. Hopefully someday.

 

[jrbren]

Denver - Rockies. Looks like that has been covered here. I will add stay on east coast time and starting early. I found on several occasions (starting before 6am) to meet very few people on the way up, but coming down meeting a steady stream of climbers in the other direction.

Seattle (my favorite, done 5 or 6 climbing/hiking vacations out there)) -

Tons of peaks to climb that are comparable in difficulty to the White mountain hikes -->
http://www.summitpost.org/shriner-peak-wa/154842
http://www.summitpost.org/burroughs-mountain-mount-rainier-sunrise/340516
http://www.summitpost.org/plummer-peak/151691
http://www.summitpost.org/hidden-lake-peaks/153469
http://www.summitpost.org/sourdough-mountain/152814
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-aix/152717

I did not encounter crowds on any of these peaks. I do not know if those count as "real" peaks, they could be fake, but you can view "real" peaks from them. Seattle is my favorite city to visit.

Much more glaciers to view in WA vs CO.

Also check out the books from the Mountaineers 100 Hikes series -->
http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/100-Classic-Hikes-Washington-3rd-ed-P1680.aspx
(they also have a very nice New England book)

Calgary (if Canada is not too exotic) & Canadian Rockies (2 trips in the past):

Drive the Icefields parkway as previously mentioned. It would be about a 2 hour drive (if memory serves) to Lake Louise if you drove straight there, but I can't imagine doing that. I was always stopping to look at the scenery and roadside wildlife (Elk). Much more wild feel to it then Colorado (from my experience). Mountains not as high but much more in the way of "mountaineers" mountains, mountains you can't reach the summits (safely) without technical gear. Watch the movie "The Edge" starring Anthony Hopkins, much of it was filmed in that region. Your trip may ruin that movie though, they are supposed to be lost in the Alaskan outback, and I can recognize some scenes where they are at pretty popular tourist destinations, such as Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Here is a very nice relatively easy peak I did in the lake Louise region -->
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-fairview/151994
http://www.summitpost.org/big-bee-hive/232836
On my bucket list -->
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-temple/150408
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-niblock/153381

The beehive trail had a fair amount of traffic on it, but very nice.

More info, this book is nicknamed "Suicide in Canadian Rockies" (his idea of moderate is pretty tough in my book) -->
https://www.amazon.com/Scrambles-Canadian-Rockies-Alan-Kane/dp/1771600977

You can hire a guide if it is in your budget and you do not know glacier travel or technical climbing on your own, and want to climb one of the glacier peaks. I did several glacier peaks this way. Alpine Club of Canada has several camps, the GMC I was in many years ago was very nice.

 

[MikePS]

one quick add on to Icefields Parkways drive there are three gondola options along that road that get you up top and allow for some hiking/walking from there

 

[DayTrip]

Denver - Rockies. Looks like that has been covered here. I will add stay on east coast time and starting early. I found on several occasions (starting before 6am) to meet very few people on the way up, but coming down meeting a steady stream of climbers in the other direction.

Seattle (my favorite, done 5 or 6 climbing/hiking vacations out there)) -

Tons of peaks to climb that are comparable in difficulty to the White mountain hikes -->
http://www.summitpost.org/shriner-peak-wa/154842
http://www.summitpost.org/burroughs-mountain-mount-rainier-sunrise/340516
http://www.summitpost.org/plummer-peak/151691
http://www.summitpost.org/hidden-lake-peaks/153469
http://www.summitpost.org/sourdough-mountain/152814
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-aix/152717

I did not encounter crowds on any of these peaks. I do not know if those count as "real" peaks, they could be fake, but you can view "real" peaks from them. Seattle is my favorite city to visit.

Much more glaciers to view in WA vs CO.

Also check out the books from the Mountaineers 100 Hikes series -->
http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/100-Classic-Hikes-Washington-3rd-ed-P1680.aspx
(they also have a very nice New England book)

Calgary (if Canada is not too exotic) & Canadian Rockies (2 trips in the past):

Drive the Icefields parkway as previously mentioned. It would be about a 2 hour drive (if memory serves) to Lake Louise if you drove straight there, but I can't imagine doing that. I was always stopping to look at the scenery and roadside wildlife (Elk). Much more wild feel to it then Colorado (from my experience). Mountains not as high but much more in the way of "mountaineers" mountains, mountains you can't reach the summits (safely) without technical gear. Watch the movie "The Edge" starring Anthony Hopkins, much of it was filmed in that region. Your trip may ruin that movie though, they are supposed to be lost in the Alaskan outback, and I can recognize some scenes where they are at pretty popular tourist destinations, such as Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Here is a very nice relatively easy peak I did in the lake Louise region -->
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-fairview/151994
http://www.summitpost.org/big-bee-hive/232836
On my bucket list -->
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-temple/150408
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-niblock/153381

The beehive trail had a fair amount of traffic on it, but very nice.

More info, this book is nicknamed "Suicide in Canadian Rockies" (his idea of moderate is pretty tough in my book) -->
https://www.amazon.com/Scrambles-Canadian-Rockies-Alan-Kane/dp/1771600977

You can hire a guide if it is in your budget and you do not know glacier travel or technical climbing on your own, and want to climb one of the glacier peaks. I did several glacier peaks this way. Alpine Club of Canada has several camps, the GMC I was in many years ago was very nice.

Thanks. This is an excellent link for some ideas.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Another idea - fly to Las Vegas and drive across Death Valley to High Sierras in California on their eastern side. You can hike to Kearsarge Pass in a day from Onion Valley Campground, or hike towards Mt. Whitney from Whitney Portal etc.

 

[jfb]

Don't have to stay in one spot. Would depend on the itinerary. Figured it might be easier to centralize where I stayed with option to drive in all directions to attractions but doesn't have to be that way.

Another option would be to fly to Montana and visit Glacier NP, then drive into Canada to visit Banff and Jasper, then drive to Seattle and fly home from there.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I think the Canadian Rockies are well suited for more of a tourist mountain vacation. Some places like Glacier NP are beautiful, but aren't close to a major city like you desire (being close to a major city reduces the list a bit).

 

[Stan]

I think the Canadian Rockies are well suited for more of a tourist mountain vacation. Some places like Glacier NP are beautiful, but aren't close to a major city like you desire (being close to a major city reduces the list a bit).

No doubt there is much to draw tourists, aside from the natural setting the food is a good draw, too. The hiking possibilities are endless. Most would probably agree that it is the most dramatic part of the Rockies. Like many other places, the first visit is very much a reconnaissance tour.

Don't know how much time you're planning to spend out west (it seems to have broadened a bit from the Rockies) but keep it focused to no more tham a couple of areas for a combination of immersion and scouting. We've found that, no matter where we go, we also gravitate back to a few places on all our trips, and they go 4 weeks plus or minus. Once out there, you'll probably start looking at the west as a long term quest. Oure places include Tetons/Yellowstone, the Colorado Plateau (mostly Arizona and Utah), Kentucky and Florida. I'd include the Canadian Rockies but that's usually a little out of the way of our routes ... though I'd highly recommend it now because of the favorable exchange rates.

 

[CaptCaper]

I did Glacier this past September..... you can fly into Great Falls and rent a car..from there it's 3 hrs o St Mary's... Going to the Sun road,etc. Awesome mountain range and loaded with hiking trails of all levels.... plenty of camping areas... at least in September.. probably in May or June as well..
Never been to the Rocky's... But Glacier is part of the chain..
My nephew ( we taught him to hike) won the 2012 National park photo contest with a picture they took there on the cuff.. shock us all.... He is the one on the pass.....in this photo...
They made a video of during that hike leading up to that "famous" shot and the after effects.... You can see it here.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnYgfOH0T-o

Someone asked if the Bear Spray incident was real in the video.... Eric faked that the spray went off and got his eyes... as usual they just fooled around enjoying the hike... 2nd track was by Barroom Roses from Alaska...were they once built a raft and floated down the Yukon. They worked their way up from AZ to Alaska hiking all the NP's plus did the AT a year before..
So it's fitting and proper they won the National Park Photo Contest that year with a photo from this hike shown later in video..

 

[sierra]

I'm throwing this out there for your wife as much as you. How about starting in San Francisco, spend a few day's enjoying the city and it's culture. I lived there, you can hike those neighborhoods and really have some fun. Go to the Redwoods, Alcatraz, Sausalito, cruise the Bay. Then pack up and head to Reno. There you have access to lake Tahoe and the surrounding peaks, which are smaller but nice. Then you can take 395 south to Yosemite. Tons to do there.