Planning a road trip is overwhelming because there are so many options and too much information. Every state has a tourism board with a plethora of sights that a visitor MUST see. Further complicating matters, there are travel bloggers with ‘8 best things’ or ‘3-day itineraries’, etc. As a result, first-hand knowledge that you can trust is best, so here are my thoughts before I forget.
This is how our road trip evolved, and I hope it will help you plan your adventure.
Table of Contents
The first step in planning is to define the trip. Our time budget was five weeks, with Glacier National Park as the final destination, and we wanted to see everything on the way there and back. Piece of cake, right? My sister was meeting us in Montana, so we had to stick to a schedule to meet her flight. It wasn’t easy to get reservations in Montana in August, so consequently, we had to commit to a timeline.
step by step
Since it was August, we drove west along the Canadian border, then returned to the south because we thought the weather would be cooler. Overall that worked out, but the weather is always a variable. For example, it is disappointing when you have a rainy day, and it’s the only day you are there. Shockingly, North Dakota was unbelievably hot; it was 113 degrees, and there was a lot of smoke from wildfires, so we had to stay in the car in the air conditioning.
First, I looked for things to see in each state – parks, historical sites, top attractions, and the like. Next, I booked hotels which formed a skeleton of the trip. I wanted to stay two nights in each place and not drive too much on one day, but that was unrealistic given the time constraints. As a result, we ended up staying only one night in most places, living a nomadic existence.
The next trip, which is already in the planning stages, will be very different because I know the best places, and I am sharing them here.
when?
5 weeks, starting aug 1
where?
Glacier National Park
choose a route
Round trip from Maine, heading west along the Canadian border and returning further south
find waypoints
White Mountains - The Finger Lakes - Michigan’s Upper Peninsula - Voyageurs NP - North Dakota - Glacier - Wildlife Refuge - Yellowstone - South Dakota
book hotels
reserve activities
hotels and restaurants
We stayed in a lot of hotels. There were some tragic hotels, which will remain nameless because everyone is trying to come back from the shutdown; some places still need work. Overall the hotels were operating at capacity, but finding a restaurant was challenging. Several of the towns I picked are weekend destinations, and the restaurants were closed during the week. It was a problem, particularly combined with trying to maintain social distance and eating outdoors.
Here are the favorite hotels, the ones I got right, in chronological order. Also, I included my hotel checklist at the end of the post; yours will probably be a bit different, but it’s good to have one.
Bretton Woods, NH
We didn’t actually stay here, because it’s too nice for just one night. Instead, we stopped for lunch, and it was terrific. When we have more time, we want to come back.
Bennington, VT
This was a retro motel with a lot of character and the added benefit of being next door to a nice restaurant with beautiful views. Their website photography is more sophisticated and modern than our actual room. My favorite part about the hotel was the funky sculptures on the grounds and the Publyk House Restaurant, right next door. We got up early and drove around historic Bennington but didn’t stay until the museums opened.
Chautauqua, NY
This was an unscheduled stop, but a good one. I had never even heard of the Chautauqua Institution. The hotel is historic and has a lovely porch overlooking the lake, where we ate dinner. It was beautiful. Initially organized by vacationing Sunday School teachers and temperance leaders, the community is charming, rather like a Norman Rockwell painting that has come to life. There is a nine-week season filled with lectures, live music, art exhibitions, and sports.
Chautauqua is a place to stay for a while, not just a night.
Bay City, MI
It was nice to be on the river and be able to walk around town. We found a beer garden with a dog named Lager greeting the guests and an excellent restaurant nearby: MI Table, which had a small courtyard set up outside and live music. Fortunately, we were there on a Friday night, and people were out enjoying the evening, and a lot was happening
Grand Marais, MN
What a surprise! Our room was gorgeous, with a fireplace and a balcony overlooking the lake. We took the camp chairs out and ate on the shore. It was so pleasant we didn’t want to leave.
Ranier, MN
A hotel in a distillery, you say? Where do we sign up for that? The restaurant is fantastic but does not serve beer or wine because they are a distillery, and there’s a state law about that. I ordered the Cantilever Signature Ribs, which were excellent and enough food for three people. The store in the lobby sold the Cantilever bourbon, and I picked up a bottle, which Joe has already finished. Certainly, it’s kind of weird to check in to the hotel at the restaurant’s hostess station and carry your bags through the bar to the elevator, but it’s part of the vibe. Upstairs, near our room, there was a common area with a kitchen, which was convenient. Unfortunately, they need more soundproofing between the rooms; it’s an issue.
For breakfast and lunch, we found the Coffee Landing Cafe in International Falls, and they were super busy because it is the only place, but it’s good. We loved Ranier. Serendipitously, we were there for the Ranier Days summer festival, so there was an art fair and a parade and live music. They also have a winter festival in January called Icebox Days, during which you can try your hand at frozen turkey bowling!
Medora, ND
This was the only hotel I could not cancel; something went wrong while making the reservation, so I was worried. Also, Medora seemed like it might be very touristy; happily, it turned out that Medora is a great little town, conveniently located next to Theodore Roosevelt NP. Unfortunately, we were a bit off the main drag, near a campground, so another hotel to check out is the historic Rough Riders Hotel, which is closer to the action.
Fort Benton, MT
This historic hotel is top-rated for its Union Grille restaurant, which was outstanding. We ordered the halibut, and it was perfectly cooked and so good. Fort Benton is located along the river, and there is a lovely path leading down to the fort. Several guided rafting and fishing adventures use the hotel as a starting and ending point. Don’t miss the visitor center! I learned a bit of Lewis and Clark’s history and all about the river trips, which would be great on our next visit.
We started on the East side of the park, and this was the only place with availability, so there’s that, but it’s cool. The restaurant will get you fed while you watch the staff chase a bat out of the lobby. Hilariously, this appeared to be a frequent occurrence because no one got rattled; they had a procedure, and it was entertaining to all, except maybe the bat. It’s a lodge with rustic rooms. We had a shared balcony overlooking the parking area, but we could eat out there, and the bartender made a delicious huckleberry margarita.
The next time I want to stay at the Many Glacier Hotel, which is farther north. It’s closer to the Iceberg Lake hike, which I would do again, and the glacier hike, which we didn’t get to do. I heard that in the evenings, the animals come to the lake near the hotel and that Fishercap Lake is a great spot to see moose, who like shallow, algae-filled lakes.
Rapid City, SD
Visiting Mount Rushmore is like going to Disney World; it’s crowded and touristy and geared for crowds. Joe could not get out of there fast enough. However, downtown Rapid City is very different. The buildings are historic with shops full of local art and products. There were several good restaurants nearby, and the hotel was beautiful and historic. We ate dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Company and the Wine Cellar, which was exceptionally good. For breakfast, we ate at Tally’s Silver Spoon both mornings because it was so good.
my hotel checklist
1. Is there a place to walk around? a waterfront, a charming downtown area, a park, etc.
2. Is there a restaurant nearby or in the hotel? Is it opened? (that seems obvious, but I didn’t check this) Does it have draft beer? What about breakfast?
3. How big are the rooms? Is there a place to sit and a fridge in the room? a fitness center? a guest laundry? What about air conditioning?
4. Extra points for cool hotels… historic, in a distillery, a lodge, etc.
getting around
There was some discussion about renting a camper or sprinter van, but I vetoed the ideas. The Acura is small and maneuverable; it is easy and comfortable to drive and park. Anything big enough to live in would be too cumbersome for sightseeing, so we would have to tow a smaller vehicle, which would be way too much for my driving skills.
A sprinter van was a possibility, but I didn’t want to sleep and shower in it, so we still would have to check into a hotel. The best part of having an RV would be lunches, so I bought a mini-fridge for the car and packed some camp chairs. Another issue was the expense of renting a Sprinter – frankly, I could have booked expensive resorts for the whole trip for the cost of renting the van, and that’s before we paid to park it at a campground.
picking hotels
I didn’t book expensive resorts for the whole trip. Lots of days, we were only in a place overnight, so it seemed a waste. We saw many Hampton Inns, which were fine for the most part, and had a laundry room. They were consistent, although, by the end of the trip, we found it hard to face the same breakfast buffet. If possible, I got a suite, so there was a place to eat dinner in the room or just spread out. I mainly chose the Hilton brand because they offer better rewards with American Express.
I reached Diamond status with Hilton during the trip, which allowed me to park in a designated spot near the front door. This was pretty exciting until my sister informed me that she regularly uses those spots. She reasoned that there is no way to monitor who uses the parking spots and whether or not they have Diamond status. So she ruined it for me.
a bad idea
I didn’t book expensive resorts for the whole trip. Lots of days, we were only in a place overnight, so it seemed a waste. We saw many Hampton Inns, which were fine for the most part, and had a laundry room. They were consistent, although we found it hard to face the same breakfast buffet every morning. If possible, I got a suite, so there was a place to eat dinner in the room or just spread out. Primarily we chose the Hilton brand because they offer better rewards with American Express.
During the trip, I reached Diamond status with Hilton, allowing me to park in a designated spot near the front door. Yippee! The new level was pretty exciting until my sister informed me that she regularly uses those spots. She reasons that there is no way to monitor who uses the parking spots and whether or not they have Diamond status. So she ruined it for me.
