Friday, December 6, 2013

What is the best month?

I'm starting to dream beyond the West Coast.  Once we are free of the house, we will be free to go anywhere in the US or Canada without having to double the fuel cost by including the miles back to the Santa Cruz Mountains.  That will be really nice. 

So I'm asking for your opinions of what is the best month to be in various states and national parks. I have some idea, but it would be interesting to hear from you.

What is the best month to be in:
Yellowstone
Glacier
South and North Dakota
Minnesota (we hope to visit you Judy!)
The Northeast states - Maine etc.
The Adirondacks
Georgia, South Carolina, Northern Florida
Tennessee
Louisiana
The Florida keys

and of course Alaska

What was your favorite state?

I'm starting to get excited about our future.

15 comments:

  1. Summer in the Adirondacks is very nice...but it does get a bit humid at times. High temps though don't usually get much higher than the 80s and it cools at night for good sleeping weather. Of course autumn in the Adirondacks is beautiful, but the temps start to get cooler. Most campgrounds in upstate NY are closed by mid-October.

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  2. For the Midwest and Northeast, fall is a beautiful time of year. We visited Glacier in summer. There were a lot of crowds, but the Road to the Sun is only open a short time because it has snow until July some years. Planning is so much fun!

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  3. Fall in NH, VT, and the Adirondacks can be gorgeous.

    Mid June to Mid July is great for Minnesota. (I'll be watching for you)

    Early June at Yellowstone can be nippy, but the crowds are a little less.

    It's difficult to pick a favorite state for me. Having said that, I think every traveler should experience Alaska. You'll never forget it.

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  4. The Canadian Maritimes were beautiful and the weather was perfect in July and August. We enjoyed Maine, and Vermont in June before entering Canada. Glacier was perfect this last August...not so crowded and hadn't turned really cold yet. Cape Hatteras in North Carolina is very nice in June...May it's still a little chilly for the beach! And we enjoy Freeport, Destin area in Florida this time of year.
    I'm with Judy...it's all beautiful. I don't have a favorite either! ( But I haven't bee on to Alaska.)

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  5. Great question - I look forward to the responses. Florida is great after the kids go back to school but before the snowbirds descend (after the holidays). So - Oct., Nov., Dec. are prime times. The weather's good in November and December. I know - I'm in the panhandle right now!

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  6. Yellowstone - July
    Glacier - August
    The Dakotas - July, Aug, Sept
    Minnesota - July 20th - Aug 15th (sorta kidding)
    Northeast - First week of October, then head south!
    Adirondacks - Summer
    Georgia, North FL, SC - Winter
    Tennessee - Spring or Fall
    Louisiana - Christmas!
    Florida Keys - Don't know. It's still on our list!

    Hope this helps.
    Happy planning!

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  7. Custer, SD near the end of Sept. for the Buffalo round up.

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  8. You have received a lot of good ideas, but brrrr it's cold in Texas right now.

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  9. If you want to be able to stop and see anything (be able to find a parking spot) in YNP wait at least until after school has started towards the end of August and through September or even into October. This year we managed to dry camp at Bridge Bay for a whole week!

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  10. It seems like you may be a little optimistic? Any bites on the house?

    This is a good post and I'll be interested in the comments.

    As far as Florida, SC, Georgia and NC, it depends on where you are. Those states are in the south and can be miserably hot in the summer, unless you're in the mountains of Georgia or NC. We spent most of the summer in mountains of northern Georgia and it was wonderful. October is incredible in NC and Georgia in the mountains.

    North Florida gets pretty cold in the winter. If you want warm weather in the winter, you need to get at least as far south as central Florida. The Keys are wonderful in the winter!

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  11. It's great to hear all these responses…makes me wish I was on the road again..Weather is getting so goofy, that you can think you are avoiding the worst of it by moving around and finding the best place to be to avoid snow, hurricanes, tornadoes, cold, etc, yet still get hit with uncharacteristic weather in any season in any place. But I'm being pessimistic here…I agree with what everybody has said so far. What a great post!

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  12. We went into Alaska on the 30th of May and spent June, July, and August in Alaska and loved the weather. There were a few rainy days but not many. This summer was setting heat records for Alaska. Cindy wanted to stay to see the fall leaves, but we didn't want to stay until it got cold.

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  13. I have to add, July in Alaska was the best month for us (other than Cindy's hurt back). The Fireweed was in bloom, and it was reasonably warm, but not hot during the day. Then it cooled off enough at night for good sleeping.

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  14. All I know is that we were at Glacier National Park around the 4th of July one year, and that was way too early for Going-to-the-Sun road to be open. This past year we drove through North Cascades National Park in Washington at the end of June, and that was plenty early, too. Lots of rain and mosquitoes so the trails weren't much fun.

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  15. As a former publicist for Montana's tourism office, I would highly recommend visiting Glacier and Yellowstone after school has started. September usually has mostly great weather. Going to the Sun Road is very subject to weather. It definitely IS spectacular BUT there is so much else to see in and around Glacier. One of my personal favorite things is to see the tamaracks (also known as western larch) around Glacier, in the Seeley-Swan valley and in northern Idaho. It's usually October before they turn shades of bright yellow to gold. These are "pine needle" trees but they turn yellow each fall and drop their needles. Being in a forest of such bright beauties is magical. If you Google "tamarack trees Montana," you'll see photos but they can't do it justice. Be prepared for very cold nights, but it is worth it in my humble opinion.

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