Spring has sprung, and that means that summer is right around the corner! For those who know me, it probably comes as no surprise that I’ll be taking a big hiking trip this summer. The focus for this summer will be the West Coast, and I’ll be spending all of my time in California, Oregon, and Washington!
With under a month until summer, I am in the final stages of planning and finalizing my summer of 2022 road trip, and I figured I would share what I have planned. Maybe it will be an inspiration for you and give you some ideas, or maybe you’ll just think I’m crazy!
I’m definitely a planner when it comes to travel, so I like having everything really well laid out (which is funny to me because I’m not really a planner in other parts of my life!). I’ll include all of the places I’m staying along with the hikes and other things I plan on doing. Hopefully they can serve as a place to start if you’re looking to plan your own trip!
If I’m missing any must see spots that you know of or will be in the same places let me know!
Planning Ahead
It might seem odd to have my entire summer planned almost to the day. However, I’ve actually had my whole summer planned with tons of stuff booked for months!
I have learned the hard way that not booking things in advance leaves you watching other people do the things you want to do, staying in the places you want to stay, and experiencing the trip you wanted to take!
For example, many reservations for campgrounds in national parks and national forests open exactly 6 months ahead of time. For lesser visited areas, you don’t necessarily need to book that far ahead, but for the popular spots, they often fill up the day reservations are released!
Take for example campgrounds in Yosemite National Park. It has been a dream of mine for years to camp in Yosemite Valley. The idea of waking up and looking up thousands of feet at rock formations like El Capitan and Half Dome each morning sounds absolutely amazing! Not to mention the miles and miles of world class hiking available right there.
I woke up at 6:45 am one morning to make reservations to camp in Yosemite Valley earlier this year. When I refreshed my computer at exactly 7 am, all of the sites were already booked. My problem was I just refreshed the home page, the people with the know-how had already selected their campsite, and in fact had 5 already pulled up in case one was booked, and they refreshed all of them at exactly 7 am!
Safe to say, if you were not logged on at 7 am, you didn’t get a spot, and even if you were, it was no guarantee! Planning ahead for a trip like this is crucial, and it can be a lot to try and plan all of this out! I started the planning process back in the fall, and made my first reservations around Christmas! Even still, I didn’t get reservations for everything I wanted, but it’s still going to be awesome!
Stop 1: Summiting Mt Shasta
I’ve been wanting to develop my mountaineering skills for a couple of years and I’m finally going to start that process. Shasta is a snow capped 14,000 foot volcano in far northern California and climbing it requires glacier travel, snow skills, and multiple days on the mountain.
I will be using a guiding service to help me learn the required skills and get me up and down without hurting myself, but really for me this is an opportunity to advance towards larger objectives. Eventually I want to be able to do mountains like this myself, and do much bigger mountains with a group later on.
I’ll be on the mountain for 4 days and 3 nights, which is longer than you need but we’ll be using the extra time learning skills and taking it a bit slower than required. I’m super excited but also a little bit anxious about this one! Doesn’t help that I need to be in peak shape right off the bat!
Stop 2: The Southern Portion of Yosemite
It’s kind of hard to fathom how big Yosemite is, but when you actually map it out and try driving across it and back in a day you realize! Without traffic or any delays it’s close to 3 hours, and once you add in summer traffic and construction delays, you’re looking at a minimum of 3 hours!
I learned my lesson last summer when I spent about 2 weeks at Yosemite but drove all over the park. This year, I’ll only be spending about a week total at Yosemite, and I’ll be splitting that week between the southern part of the park and the area around the valley.
The first time I ever visited Yosemite when I was 18 our family stayed in Bass Lake outside the southern entrance, and that’s where I’ll be staying this year. This is probably the area of Yosemite I’ve explored the least in recent years, so I’m excited to revisit Mariposa Grove, and explore some brand new trails!
Lodging: Lupine Campground
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Southern Yosemite:
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Trail
Stop 3: Outside Yosemite Valley
After a few days around the southern part of Yosemite National Park, I’ll be moving further north to get a bit closer to Yosemite Valley itself.
I really wanted to camp in Yosemite Valley, but once again I couldn’t get a reservation despite being online the second sites became available. Oh well, I’ll be staying in a campground a few miles outside the park and 30-40 minutes from the valley. It’s not as close as I wanted, but it’s about as good as you can do without getting the reservations.
I’ll only be here for 3 full days, so I’m planning on doing 2 really big hikes with a rest day in between. I’m planning on revisiting the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail and then continuing on to Eagle Peak and El Capitan (both would be new for me). I’m also hoping to do a huge hike from the valley up to Mt Watkins via the Snow Creek Trail. It would be about 5,000 vertical feet and at least 15 miles, so we’ll see!
Lodging: Yosemite Lakes RV Resort
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Yosemite Valley:
El Capitan and Eagle Peak from Yosemite Valley
Stop 4: Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a staple for me, but I haven’t actually spent a huge amount of time there in the summer months. I stopped here for a weekend last summer, but that’s it. This year, I’ll be in Tahoe for about 10 days.
For the first week, I’ll be staying in a VRBO condo with the fam that we rented. It’ll be nice to sleep indoors after 10 days of mostly sleeping outdoors! After my family leaves, I’m going to stick around for 2 more nights and camp on the western shore of the lake.
I have a bunch of hikes I want to do around Tahoe, and I’m not totally sure which I’ll end up doing at this point. I’m going to be up there a couple of times still this spring, so depending on snow levels I may knock a couple off the list early. I’ll keep you posted!
Lodging: VRBO Condo, William Kent Campground
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Tahoe:
Granite Lake, Dicks Lake, Velma Lake, and Eagle Lake Loop
Stop 5: Mammoth
The most underrated hiking destination in the country in my opinion, Mammoth is one of my favorite places to hike. I’m not saying it’s the best, but given the fact that most people outside California have heard of it, it’s definitely underrated!
I’ll be staying in an RV park which some people think is weird, but they have showers, flush toilets, cell service, and a pool. What can I say, I like having luxuries from time to time!
I have a pretty ambitious list of hikes I want to do in Mammoth and I do not know if I will get to them all, but I’m hoping to! Minaret Lake is one that I really wanted to do last summer but weather and injuries kept me from attempting it, but all of these trails have spectacular scenery!
Lodging: Mammoth Mountain RV Park
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Mammoth:
Convict Lake to Mildred Lake, Lake Dorthy, and Bighorn Lake
Agnew Lake, Gem Lake, Waugh Lake, and Clark Lakes Loop
Stop 6: Lone Pine
When I booked my stay at Whitney Portal Campground, I was enrolled in the lottery to win a permit to climb the highest peak in the lower 48. The trailhead to climb Mt Whitney basically leaves from the campground! Even though I didn’t win the lottery, there’s still some amazing hiking around here.
I’ll be able to hike the Meysan Trail without even starting my car, and the Cottonwood Lakes Trail isn’t a far drive. It would have been great to attempt Whitney, but the mountain isn’t going anywhere!
Lodging: Whitney Portal Campground
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Lone Pine:
Stop 7: Bishop
This little desert town is one of the rock climbing meccas of the US, but the hiking here is fantastic too. Bishop and Mammoth both access the Eastern Sierra, one of the most spectacular stretches of mountains in the country!
Bishop is in the desert, so camping isn’t really something I was interested in here. Fortunately, Bishop has 2 different hostels that cater to hikers, climbers, road trippers, and through hikers! I’ve stayed at both, and enjoyed my time at both, but I’ll be heading back to the Eastside Guesthouse this time!
As for hiking, I have a couple of pretty big days planned. The Palisade Glacier Trail takes you up to one of the most southerly glaciers in the US. Obviously the elevation is pretty high!
I’ve been wanting to attempt this hike for awhile, and I’m finally making plans to do it. The peak Cloudripper, which I think is the coolest name for a mountain ever, and it’s neighboring peak Vagabond, combine for a huge day on the trail. So the pair of peaks, Palisade Glacier, and a more reasonable day to Honeymoon Lake should be a pretty awesome few days!
Lodging: Eastside Guesthouse and Bivy
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Bishop:
Stop 8: Bend
I’ve never hiked in the Oregon Cascades, so I’m excited to be stopping in Bend, one of the most popular outdoor towns in the Pacific Northwest! Located just below the slopes of the pine covered Cascades, Bend should be a great basecamp for exploring some of the best hiking in the state!
I’ll be staying in a hostel while in Bend, and it seems to have a pretty cool setup! It’s located in a historic building, and they have weekly events and live music, plus a beer garden! It’ll be a pretty long drive all the way from Bishop to Bend, but I can’t wait to explore the Pacific Northwest a bit more.
Lodging: Bunk+Brew
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Bend:
Green Lakes and Soda Creek Loop
Stop 9: Mt Rainier National Park
I was planning to spend a decent amount of time in Mt Rainier National Park last summer, but due to some unforeseen challenges, that didn’t quite happen. Still, we did get there for a day as a family, though I wasn’t really able to explore the park much.
This summer, I’ll be heading back to Mt Rainier and I hope to do all the hikes I had planned on last summer and more! I’m honestly super excited for every hike I have on the list because the views here are so awesome. I actually have a bunch of other trails on my personal list because I don’t think I’ll get to them, but hopefully I can actually make it to the park this year!
Lodging: Lodgepole Campground
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Mt Rainier:
Wonderland Trail to Panhandle Gap
Stop 10: Northern Olympic National Park
Among avid hikers, Olympic National Park has a pretty serious reputation. The elevations here aren’t nearly as high as Mt Rainier a few hours away or the Colorado Rockies, but the views are just as good and the terrain is just as rugged!
I’ll be spending a couple of weeks around Olympic because there really is that much to see. To start, I’ll be staying along the northern border of the park to access the many great trails in that area. There’s a handful of pretty easy hikes I really want to do that are super famous, and some longer routes that aren’t as well known, but should be amazing!
Lodging: Elwha Dam RV Park
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In North Olympic:
High Divide, Seven Lakes Basin Loop
Stop 11: Western Olympic National Park
After quite awhile near the northern edge of Olympic, I’ll head south west towards a state park campground that will provide easier access to a different side of the park. Olympic is a bit like Yosemite or Yellowstone: it takes hours to drive from one side to another. And the thing with Olympic is there are no roads through the park; you have to drive all the way around!
This western portion of Olympic has the most famous rainforest in the United States, so that’s the biggest draw for me over here. This is also the most well known coastline in the area, so I’ll be spending a good amount of time hiking along the beach too!
Lodging: Bogachiel State Park Campground
Hikes I’m Planning To Do In Western Olympic
From Olympic National Park, I’ll be heading home! It’s a long day of driving from Washington down to the Bay, but I’ve done it before and it’s doable all at once. I’m super excited to get started on the trip and I think I’ve done a pretty good job finding the best each spot has to offer!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Where are you most excited to go?
Probably Mt Rainier. Even though I’ve been there before I haven’t been able to really explore the park, and I know there’s a ton of great hiking to be found!
What hike are you most excited for?
Probably the High Divide, 7 Lakes Basin Loop in Olympic National Park. This one is close to 20 miles, but the scenery seems epic, and super diverse. I’m not saying Mt Shasta just because I’m feeling a little anxious about it at the moment!
What are you nervous about?
Definitely Mt Shasta. I’m not worried about getting hurt or anything, but doing something new that you have no skill at and hoping to actually accomplish something isn’t easy. Also, I’m expecting a 40+ pound pack for at least the first day so I need to be in really good shape really soon!
How do you fit it all in your car?
Very carefully! I’ve condensed most of what I need and I take very little that I won’t use. Clothes go into stuff sacks rather than a duffel bag to save space. Tent is a backpacking tent. Guitar is a little travel guitar. I’ve also found all of the little places I can fit stuff in my car: books under my thighs on the driver side, some stuff into the spare tire compartment, pillows behind the passenger seat!
Why are you staying at RV parks?
Something I’ve learned about myself is I absolutely hate not being able to shower or at least rinse off. It’s become my one necessary luxury while I’m traveling. And the thing is, most national forest campgrounds don’t have showers, but pretty much every privately owned campground does. That’s the big reason, but you can also expect other luxuries like cell service or wifi, convenience stores, restaurants, etc.!
Why are you staying on the West Coast?
While I love the Rockies and the inland Mountain West, I’ve been to Colorado 3 times in the last few years, 2 years ago I spent about 2 weeks in Grand Teton in Wyoming, and last summer I spent nearly 2 weeks in Montana. While I really want to get back to Glacier National Park in Montana, the honest truth is I’ve somewhat exhausted the hikes I can access with my car! I’ve mostly done hikes that I can access on paved roads, and now most of what I would like to do in those states requires an actual SUV or truck! I’ll be back soon though!
Campground or hostel?
This is a tough one, but honestly I don’t think I would want to spend an entire summer doing either. Hostels are great because you can meet people, spend time indoors, and sleep in a bed! Campgrounds are great because you are usually closer to the trails, get to be outdoors, and it’s often quieter and more peaceful. For me, I really like mixing it up. One stop camping, next spot hostel. Spend a week in the tent, and then a few days sleeping indoors!
How many miles will you put on your car?
When I put all my stops into Google Maps, it comes out to around 3,300 miles. When you add in all the driving to trailheads, getting dinner, and unforeseen miles, my guess is it will come out to 5-6,000 miles.
