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Looking for road trip suggestions

Lydlady

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We will be driving from visiting family in Kalispell MT to visiting friends in Las Vegas before heading home to Southern California. Looking for suggestions of someplace to stop between Kalispell and Vegas. Probably most likely in Idaho, possibly Idaho Falls or Pocatello. Any suggestions?
 

DaveNV

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Ask Passepartout. He’s our resident Idaho spud. :)

Dave
 

CO skier

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If you can spend a couple of nights on the stopover, I would recommend Park City, UT.
 

Passepartout

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Well, What in the world could be easier than just staying right on US 93. It comes through Kalispell and is a darn nice drive that ends up on I-15 about 20 miles out of Las Vegas. It ALL depends on what you want to see and how big a hurry you're in. If in a hurry, at Missoula, jump on I-90E to Butte and go S. on I-15. Reasonable stopping (sightseeing)- you could detour over to W. Yellowstone/Island Park- if really adventurous go to Grand Teton and down through Logan Pass to the SLC valley. Your call on Park City. Then it's freeway (ho-hum) to Southern Utah for the parks there. Lots on TUG about that area. Not in a hurry? Stay on US 93 from Missoula through Salmon, Challis, the Pausimeroi mtn's. At Arco make the decision to go through the Atomic City and Idaho Nuclear site and see the world's first breeder reactor OR go East and check out Craters Of The Moon Nat'l Monument. Could go over to Sun Valley and see how the 'other half' lives. Or fish in world famous Silver Creek. Then back to US 93 and take me and DW to dinner in Twin Falls. :) then continue through Nevada- Not much there, but there's a LOT of it. Turn on NV 316 in Ely to shorten the trip a little. And into Las Vegas about 9 hours from Twin Falls.

It's a great drive for a road trip. I've taken it both ways a bunch of times.

Jim
 

DaveNV

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While we're waiting for Passepartout to show up, I can offer few things:

South of Kalispell is Flathead Lake. It's big. There are recreational activities on the lake.

South of the lake is the small town of St. Ignatius. Just west of there is the National Bison Range, part of the National Wildlife Refuge system. It's a great drive-through experience, and may present a nice up-close experience with the resident bison herd, Pronghorn, maybe even elk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bison_Range

Missoula, Montana is a nice town to spend time exploring. There's a Costco there, if you need one. (There's one in Kalispell, too, but Missoula is bigger.)

If it were me, from Missoula I'd head east on I-90 to Livingston, Montana, then head south to enter Yellowstone National Park from the north end. Drive down through Yellowstone as far as Old Faithful, then head back up and out the west entrance to West Yellowstone, Montana.

From West Yellowstone you can head west to catch I-15 at Idaho Falls. The Falls are pretty cool to see.

Heading south on I-15, you'll enter Utah and drive down through the Salt Lake Valley. Seeing the Great Salt Lake is pretty interesting. Salt Lake City itself is also interesting, as is a visit to Temple Square. If you happen to be there on a Thursday, (might be Wednesday, I forget), the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a rehearsal that is open to the public. Very nice to hear.

Further south in Utah on I-15 you start getting into my second favorite place in the world to visit. (Right after Hawaii.) Bryce Canyon National park isn't far east of the freeway. Further south, Zion National Park is also not far east of the freeway.

After Zion, you soon arrive in St. George, Utah, a great small town that's a nice place to stop.

From there, it's only about two hours on the freeway to Las Vegas.

Hope this gives you some ideas. (And notice I didn't say a lot about Idaho stuff. Saving Jim some space for his thoughts. And now I see he just posted above me. I knew he'd have great ideas.)

Dave
 

Lydlady

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Wow, lots of possibilities, thank you! I had been planning on just one night between Kalispell and Vegas but might have to take a couple nights. Craters of the Moon was one of the places I really wanted to see.
 

sue1947

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I second the suggestion for staying on 93 plus some side trips:
In Montana, take a side trip east to Big Hole National Battlefield. You only need a couple of hours, but I found it all very powerful, interesting and moving. Back on 93 you are in Lewis and Clark territory and there is the Sacagawea Interpretive center a little further south.
At Challis, I'd head west to Stanley for the drive past the spectacular Sawtooth Mtns and up over Galena Summit (one of the most spectacular views there is) before heading down (past SunValley; underwhelming scenery). The Sawtooths and Galena are 1000% better scenery than desolate Arco.
You can easily head over to Craters of the Moon and then down to Casa Jim in Twin Falls.
In Nevada: Great Basin National Park is close to 93 and worth a stop. Note that 93 goes through some very lonely country: take your bathroom opportunities when you can find them. However, it's interesting, if lonely, country and you will end up wanting to re-watch all those old westerns you saw as a kid. You'll cross the route of the Pony Express and can readily imagine John Wayne riding up through some of the canyons....

Sue
 

iwanttoflyaway

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<snip>
-Jim

How had I not somehow realized you lived in Twin?? We just moved back to Florida from there this February.

I miss it terribly. I used to drink right on the edge of the canyon more nights than not. We sometimes talk about retiring there, but I must admit that it's much cheaper / easier to live a traveling life in Florida than it was in Twin...

Edit: so as not to have derailed the thread entirely... OP, I think Jim has a great plan for you. Try to be on the canyon when the sun gets a little low (not sunset, though that's worth sticking around for.) Either Canyon Crest or Elevation gives a great view, with a lovely bridge in the distance and the river below. Both have excellent kitchen/service staff, too.
 
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