Travel: Camping 2026 – National Parks and Beaches

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. Our vacation in 2026 was originally going to be themed “Hot Springs and Beaches”. I figured Kellan has put up with my colder coastal trips, so let’s do this for her. Unfortunately, due to reasons, we ended up only going to one hot spring. So let’s call this one “National Parks and Beaches”, instead. We made a huge loop around the Pacific North West, stopping at Glacier, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, and back up the Oregon Coast.

Seattle

I updated the maps on all the devices. Saved some new playlists. Packed the car. I had carefully planned this trip to include laundry periodically, so we didn’t have to bring as many outfits. This trip, we’d do a lot more stops, but we’d get to actually stay at those spots longer. Instead of 1 day here, 1 day there, 1 day at the next place, we’d stay at one place for 3 days, then 3 days at the next place, then 2 days at the place after that. We were ready to go. A neighbor agreed to check on Bitey McBiteface while we were gone.

We left around 11. The first few nights would be at Springy Point Campground, in Sandpoint, Idaho. Traffic to Idaho wasn’t bad. It got a little bogged down in Spokane, but we got through it. Once you cross the Cascades, it’s just flat boring dry land as far as the eye can see. Some fucktard set Spokane on fire, so we couldn’t really see that far, but you get the idea. We arrived to the campsite around 7 pm.

Northern Idaho

We met up with my sister and her family. The Spokane fires also caused fire bans at the campsite, which sucked. My sister and her family had already arrived and were super excited to go camping. They were also thrilled to see Meraxes. And, I assume, Kellan and I.

Over the next few days, we went on a tour of Lake Pend Orielle. We went shopping along their waterfront. Kellan even stepped into the waters of the lake. Since it was hot as hell, the water was quite nice. The children had a great time. The dog did decide to go on a hunger strike because the food wasn’t to his liking. Keep in mind, that this is the food he eats every day. He was just being difficult. Eventually he would eat, but it was quite the struggle.

The only thing I didn’t like about the campsite was that ours was on a noticeable slant, so sleeping was weird. But it had showers, so that’s all that matters. Also, there were a ton of children so it was loud. I think there were 4 campsites spread around that were all the same party, so they were constantly running back and forth to each other. They even brought a huge screen to watch movies. Because… camping.

Glacier National Park

Next up was Lid Creek Campground, just outside of Glacier National Park. I’m going to call this section the Great Disappointment, because of the wildfire smoke. At this point, the entire west half of the US was on fire, and it all settled in the valleys of Glacier. We were both looking forward to this stop, so it really sucked that we couldn’t see anything. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve left the PST timezone. Also, side note, but the northern half of Idaho is in PST time, and the southern half is Mountain Time, and that’s stupid confusing.

Glacier, like most national parks don’t allow dogs on trails, due to the wildlife. Meraxes is a fearsome beast, so I totally get it. Instead, we drove along the Going to the Sun road, then turned around and went back. We stopped at a few places along the way to get some photos. We saw a bear. Over the three days we were here, we saw 3 bears and heard 1… in the middle of the night… with only a tent and a Miniature Dachshund to protect us. It was delightful.

Anyway. When we could see anything, it was breathtaking. We got to see waterfalls throughout the drive. There were large patches of wildflowers. We couldn’t get close to any large glaciers but there was a tiny one right by the road. We tried to enjoy it for what it was, and I hope the asshole who started the Spokane fire goes to hell. The drive back was super frustrating though, because we were stuck like 7 cars behind a tour bus going something like 5 miles an hour. It was aggravating. He also refused to use any turnouts, so we were all stuck. The tour bus also had a lot of exhaust so we got to suck that in for like an hour and a half.

We got back to the campsite, and a deer ran through our campsite. A shrew stole some of the dog’s food. He was more fascinated by the shrew than offended. After all, it wasn’t the food he wanted to eat anyway. The wildfire smoke did make the skies look interesting as the sun went down, though.

Bozeman, Montana

Our next stop was Bozeman Hot Springs. We rented a cabin here for a few reasons. One, our original plan was that we wouldn’t go through Glacier until the last day. We’d go through the park, then head to Bozeman. That would have been a 9 hour drive, so it made sense to get a cabin so we didn’t have to set up a tent in the dark. Plus it would be August, and the cabin had an AC. Then I realized that the dog couldn’t go on any trails, so we changed the plan around, but I already had the reservation.

Even without the detour through the park, the drive was long. We had clearly left the mountains and were in the flatlands, so it was boring. It was kind of interesting how the gas throughout the entire state was the same price. Small town? $4.19. Big city? $4.19. Truckstop? $4.19. Billy’s Gas Emporium and Taco Truck/Flower Stand? $4.19.

Bozeman was Kellan’s favorite spot on the trip. You know, because HOT springs. Lid Creek didn’t have showers, so after 3 days, I was excited this place did have some. Not a fan of the sulfur smell. Oh. And I could be hallucinating, but I swear the water made me feel slimy. The campground was super well maintained. Lots of grass and flowers. The cabin had a two full sized beds and a twin bunk bed, so the dog got his own bed. Which he immediately hated. It also had a fire ban, but it was so unbearably hot, so it didn’t matter. I was miserable. I really wanted to get some ice and use it as a pillow.  The AC couldn’t keep up with the heat, and opening the windows didn’t help.

We didn’t really do much in Bozeman. We drove around a little. It reminded me of Merced, CA, the way it was spread out. The smoke was still an issue, which made the sun look super creepy.

Yellowstone National Park

Next up was Yellowstone. Another place I’ve never been. The campsite was Lonesomehurst Campground. It’s technically still in Montana, but it’s right where Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho meet. Territorial maps are weird. Anyway, it wasn’t that far from Bozeman, but we would only be there for two days, so having a day dedicated to just driving a few hours to Yellowstone didn’t make sense. So instead, we visited Yellowstone on the way to the campground. Yellowstone is huge, but we really just wanted to see Old Faithful.

Old Faithful erupts every hour to hour and a half. Also, like Glacier, dogs aren’t allowed beyond the parking lot. So I watched the dog while Kellan went first. She was gone for soooo long. I was worried she got lost. Or fell into the water or something. Turns out, while she did get a little lost, she mainly just made friends and was having a great time. She finally remembered that I wanted to see the thing too, so she came back, with her new friends. I needed to get more water for the dog and use the restroom. When I finally got to the geyser, it ended up being like 5 minutes before it went boom. Luckily, Kellan and her friends were able to get some other photos of all the neat things in the area.

We headed to the campsite, and stopped at West Yellowstone (a separate town) on the way to get souvenirs. It looked like your typical small tourist town with lots of shops, but we didn’t really explore much… yet.

The campsite was kind of in the middle of farm land. There was a lake, which had really calm water. I must have picked the wrong spot, because I thought we were going to be right on the water, but instead we were on the other side. Oh well. The smoke was starting to dissipate, which was good. This campsite was fine. Very basic, so no showers, and it had a dirt road throughout. The main issue was there was a family a few sites over, and based on the screams of bloody murder, the parents or kidnappers or whatever were torturing the children at 11 pm.

On the second day, it started raining. Are you kidding me? It was 90 a few hours ago. It was at this point that we learned my tent isn’t very water proof. Apparently, it’s a bad idea to use a stove inside a tent, so we went BACK to West Yellowstone to get some pizza. Kellan waited in the car with the dog, while I went to get it. They were crazy busy, so I walked around the block looking at the shops. It was your typical touristy stuff.

Boise, Idaho

There is very little to do between Yellowstone and Crater Lake. It’s mountains and no civilization. Technically there’s Boise, but like I said, no civilization. Heyoooo! We drove by Craters of the Moon National Monument, but it was raining and we decided to just drive past. It did offer a nice contrast to the boring “haze” we’d been seeing for the last two weeks.

The plan was to spend a night at Bumgartner Campground, just east of Boise. It had another hot spring, and looked pretty. Then spend a night in the middle of nowhere. Then get to Crater Lake. But I didn’t expect the rain. In August. During a heatwave. Especially after learning that our tent didn’t do well in the rain. Plus neither Lonesomehurst nor Bumgartner had a shower, so it was really easy to talk Kellan into letting us a get a hotel instead. Keep in mind that we are driving while we make this decision. Kellan found a place in Boise that had availability. At this point we were on vacation time, so I had no idea what day it was. She did find something, but it ended up being an absolute dive. Like, for fun, look up the reviews for Red Lion Downtowner (stupid name) in Boise. They are all accurate.

But it was literally for one night, so who cares. The next day, we headed into Oregon, where the time finally went back to normal.

Middle of Nowhere, Oregon

I have said it a million times. I’m a planner. I book these campsites 6 months in advance. I like knowing where I’ll sleep. Unfortunately, central Oregon is a noman’s land. There are a bunch of campsites, but they are all first come, first served. I had written down the coordinates of two options. One was Magone Lake Campground. The other was Barnhouse Campground. Both were right in the middle of all the forest fires. Barnhouse had closed by the time we got to Boise. Magone Lake was open, but there was a “be ready to evacuate” order in place. I looked for a backup plan, and found Camp Hart Mountain Campground. It also has hot springs, also doesn’t accept reservations, and seemed really well liked. Except that it was super duper out of the way. Like 9 hours instead of 4.

The day we were ready to go, I checked the fire maps one last time. It said Magone Lake was still open, and the evacuation order was lifted, so we headed that way and hoped for the best.

Magone Lake is a really nice campground. No showers, but it is super duper well kept. The road is nicely paved. The tent area is clearly marked. I don’t like the gravel under the tent, but we have an air mattress. They also had a fire ban, and even put little red flags in the fire pits letting you know, which was kind of neat. I think that if they offered the opportunity to make reservations, this place would be sold out constantly. It was one of my favorite campgrounds.

That night, however, there was a pack of wolves howling. It was terrifying. They were clearly making plans to eat us all, and I didn’t like it. My fearsome guard dog was fast asleep, so I felt super safe.

Crater Lake

As we drove towards Crater Lake, we had to go through the forest fires. Not through the flames like Evil Knievel, but through the aftermath. Some places were still smoldering. Entire mountain sides were black. It was heartbreaking. We got to Bend, Oregon and went on a hunt for more knitting stuff for Kellan. I found a new book, because I finished the one I brought with me. Then we got lost in Bend. Seriously. Bend has a stupid layout and I don’t like it. Bend is what Seattle wants to be. Hipster nirvana. Bike lanes. Breweries. Locally sourced organic everything. Then you cross whatever highway it was, and you enter the “traditional” highway town. Strip malls and fast food. It was kind of jarring. But also, I was hungry.

But we made it to Crater Lake. Finally. The spot I’ve wanted to visit for decades. Crater Lake is actually not caused by an asteroid. It’s a volcano that ‘sploded. It even has a new volcano growing inside. We decided to camp at Diamond Lake Campground, which is deceptively huge. I want to say it had like 200 campsites. Most importantly, they had a shower. Diamond Lake is gorgeous. It was the one place on this entire trip where we could actually see a sunset. Ducks came up to say quack. They didn’t have a campfire ban, so Kellan got to burn a silly big log.

Crate Lake itself was beautiful. The water was so clear that the reflections of the clouds looked just like the clouds themselves. We wanted to drive around the rim, but there was like a 2 mile section that was closed. Naturally, it was the section that had a waterfall.

Florence, Oregon

After two days by Crater Lake, it was time to finally get to the coast. The drive was pretty uneventful. The temperatures were finally getting down to tolerable. We stopped in Reedsport to get lunch at the Schooner Cafe. I love their shrimp grilled cheese. Then we continued to Umpqua Lighthouse Campground. I’ve been here before, but it was a really long time ago. It’s nice and green. Unimaginably green. The campsite itself was really small. So small, that the only place to put the tent was on the parking spot. It did have electricity, so I’m guessing this spot was meant for RVs.

I also had this magical moment where I communicated with a bird. Well, it communicated with me. I had a jar of cashews on the table. I’m sitting reading, and I hear this “click click click” sound. I look over, and this beautiful blue bird is trying to get to the cashews. It flew over to a tree and started yelling at me. So I grabbed a couple of cashews and tossed them to the bird. It ate them and flew away. A few hours later, it would come back. It yelled at me some more, and I’d give it a cashew. I was one with nature. I am the bird whisperer.

Florence is one of my favorite coastal towns. The Old Town has a lot of interesting shops. It’s home to my favorite hot chocolate place, River Roasters. We explored the area, which was kind of bothering Meraxes, because he could only wait outside with one of us, while the other went into the store. But everyone thought he was the cutest good boy in the entire world. Because he is.

Beachside State Park

This is my favorite campground, because the ocean is RIGHT THERE. Unfortunately, the super awesome spots were taken, but all the spots are pretty nice. Imagine my frustration because it was foggy. We’d been dealing with smoke haze for 2 weeks, and then the haze clears up for a few days, and then fog.

Anyway. On the way north, we stopped by the Hauser Gallery, which has all sorts of neat knickknacks. They also have antique fabric that I use to make ties. I was good, and only got one piece. It’s easy to find. It’s on 101, in Seal Rock. Look for the giant dragon in front.

Next we went to Newport to explore their waterfront. We stopped by Moe’s to get some clam chowder. There’s an “Only in Oregon” store that sells locally made products. I love going there. We also saw some sea lions or otters or something yelling on the docks. Meraxes was not a fan. They weren’t barking correctly.

We stopped briefly in Depoe Bay. It’s the whale sighting capital of the world. Or Oregon. Or the universe. I don’t remember which. It was cloudy so we didn’t see anything, but they have some shops and stuff.

Astoria, Oregon

The last few days were spent at Fort Stevens at the north west corner of Oregon. This was another gigantic campground. The site we got was kind of awkward. It didn’t have a ton of privacy, but it was fine. Also, there was this Chad looking dude, who kept working out in his campsite. Like, he brought his weights camping.

The last two days of our trip were perfect weather. It was sunny. It was warm. It was clear. We went to Seaside, which I’ve oddly never really visited. I’ve driven through it, but that’s it. I think it’s because the traffic is fucking outrageous. It’s a two lane highway right through the town, and is ALWAYS backed the fuck up. They also have the saddest outlet mall in the world. But Kellan got some stuff at Bath and Beauty or whatever it’s called. We also saw a steak “truck” outside. I thought it would be cool to get a couple of steaks for our last day on vacation. Kellan got a box of steak. So we have enough protein until next year.

There are a lot of shops, and some amusement rides or whatever. We went to the beach, but it was kind of crowded. We did see like 5 dachshunds, though. Meraxes had no interest in them.

We got back to the campground, which is surprisingly huge, but instead of going to the site, we kept going through the park. We stopped by an amazing beach, where the shipwreck from the Goonies is. I had no idea the beach would be this nice. Otherwise I would have changed into my shorts. The sand was warm, almost hot. The water was nice. We went back to the car to grab a blanket and relaxed on the beach.

Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but look at this picture of Meraxes on the beach.

 

Seattle, Washington

The vacation was basically over. We went over the big scary bridge. We didn’t bother getting Pizza Factory. We went to Federal Way to get my annual 40 Del Tacos, and then we went home. We traveled for over 3ooo miles over the course of 3 weeks. Meraxes peed in 5 states. I got like 10s of hours of sleep. We saw mountains, and deserts, and snow, and the ocean. We (barely) saw national landmarks.

Now I just need to figure out where to go next year.