Drove up the coast from Malibu to Cape Flattery, the furthest northwest tip of the contiguous United States, hitting Redwood Country & all the best beaches from Northern Cali to Olympic National Park! This trip is perfect if you fly to LAX and rent a car - then fly home from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport!

This was my 30th birthday bucket list trip with my best friend and dang are you gonna want to follow this one! 

We left Malibu around 7 am to meet my Dad in Las Vegas for lunch before he started his poker tournament. We ate at Crazy Pita.
We left Vegas around 12:30 and headed to Zion National Park, 4 hours away.

Before heading into the park we decided to pop out at Springdale River Park so my dog could have a swim. Because we didn't prioritize exploring inside Zion, (not the most dog-friendly and it was extremely hot out), this stop was a highlight for us!

This trip began the day before my birthday so our first overnight was a special one. We booked a night at the Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase. DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS IN THE SUMMER!! Unfortunately with limited electricity we were left with misters and two tiny fans to keep us cool in our tent. However, when we returned to our tent after dinner the misters had been shut off and we were told they weren't available after sunset. With my dog panting and my friend and I unable to get comfortable, we left this lodging and checked in to a nearby Marriott for the night. I use the Bonvoy app to find Marriotts along my road trips and this might just be my favorite Marriott location yet! Easy check-in after a long night, pool/hot tub/fire-pit/games, a clean and air-conditioned room on the first floor with access to a gated-in yard for my dog and even a restaurant attached to the hotel that opened early for breakfast. Needless to say, we made the right choice leaving Under Canvas that night. 

Overnight: Courtyard Page at Lake Powell

Just a few days before leaving for this trip I decided to reserve a boat rental on Lake Powell for my birthday. Only needing a drivers license and a quick lesson on the pontoon, my friend and I were able to take the boat out alone, with my dog as co-captain. I had a lot of nerves about this adventure but it ended up being so much easier than we expected and with the $65 full coverage insurance waiver we really didn't have much to worry about! 
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I have lived in California for 7 years and gone through Utah/Arizona many times but Lake Powell has been in drought all of these years. Just this last November I drove to Texas for my jaw surgery and was planning on stopping at Lone Rock Beach but it was COMPLETELY dried up. After record breaking snow this past winter, the reservoir is entirely replenished and not only did the marinas open back up to boats but we got to park and jump out to swim in the deep water that now covers Lone Rock Beach! We also drove through Antelope Canyon as far as the boat could fit, stopped at Bullfrog Marina for lunch and took another swim at Labyrinth Canyon. The views from the water in Lake Powell ended up being our favorite of the entire trip. I can't wait to go back and do it all again. Truly one of the best days of my life. 

After a long day in the sun we made the 4 hour drive to Salt Lake City to sleep.

Overnight: Courtyard Lehi at Thanksgiving Point

After breakfast we headed to Tony Grove Lake in Cache County, UT. This was one of the most peaceful and beautiful drives we did and only 2 hours from Salt Lake City. The 1.2 mile loop around the lake was an absolutely perfect hike.

Making sure to put in St. Mary's Entrance for the Going-to-the-Sun Rd at Glacier National Park, we headed out on our 5 hour drive - knowing without permits we couldn't enter before 3 pm anyways. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: We attempted to visit Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Rd around the same time in July 3 years prior but it was still closed from the snow. Make sure to call and confirm road status before your visit!
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Buckhorn Bar in Augusta, MT on the way to Glacier was one of my favorite meals of the trip! Unreal broasted chicken!

Coming out the West Entrance of Glacier we drove about 40 minutes to get to the town of Whitefish, MT for dinner and lodging. 

Blackstar BrewPub was the perfect dining situation for a quick and fun meal before turning down for the night. 

Antsy to get to Canada, we stopped at a drive-thru Mcdonald's for breakfast. Had to get our road trip McMuffins in at least once!

While I made sure to bring records of my dog's up to date rabies vaccination, crossing the border was extremely quick and easy and I wasn't asked for anything for my dog. 

Although Emotional Support Animal papers don't work much in the states, Canada seemed to accept my expired ESA card as proof of service in the couple scenarios where it helped. If you have any paperwork like that it might be worth bringing.

Because we had our next 3 nights planned in Canada, we stopped at the Kootenay National Park Visitor Centre to pick up our parks pass for the duration of our stay. This came in handy right away as we got to cut the line to enter Kootenay National Park and drive through on our way to Lake Louise.

Overnight: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Our stay at the Fairmont was gifted to me as a birthday present and I am very grateful for the opportunity but I would definitely recommend finding more affordable accommodations. The hotel isn't worth the money and the restaurants were a tad too fancy for our taste. If I visit again I will plan to stay elsewhere and use the public parking lot at Lake Louise for a day trip.

I made plans for 3 full days in the Canadian Rockies that I will share below but we decided to pick and choose from my list to allow more time to relax. 

Please note that you will be entirely off the grid unless you stop at lodges or restaurants that have WiFi. The roads are very well marked and straight forward but if this makes you nervous I encourage grabbing or downloading a map before getting in the car. There are also limited gas stations so make sure to fill up when you see one!

While most places appeared accessible, just crowded, Moraine Lake recently closed access to personal vehicles. While the lake is still dog-friendly, shuttles/buses seemed to not be. I found a double decker bus company, WowBanff, that allows dogs in their open air seating but the whole process seemed too complicated from our hotel at Lake Louise...even being only 6 miles from Moraine Lake. Not seeing Moraine Lake is really the only item on my list I am sad we didn't make. 

After living in California for 7 years, most of the lakes didn't wow me as much as I expected (besides Lake Louise) but it is the mountains that are one-of-a-kind magic. If you do anything besides Lake Louise I highly encourage driving the Icefields Parkway to and from Jasper National Park. Pictures simply cannot do it justice and we were in complete shock the entire drive. BY FAR the most stunning drive I have ever experienced. 

The next day we explored Downtown Banff and Banff National Park.

We had our favorite meal of the entire trip at UNA Pizza + Wine in Downtown Banff.

Everyone we asked said Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park is a must. Compared to a lot of waterfall hikes I've experienced I wouldn't say it was anything special but it was a nice easy hike to get some activity in. If you do decide to go, make sure to get there as early as possible! We got there at around 8:30 am and the parking lot was already starting to fill. By the time we were finished, the second lot was already full! There is also a cave that had a huge line for photos on our way back but we were able to have all to ourselves around 9 am. This hike is about 3.3 miles out & back.

Below are the places on my list that we did not make it to.

-Beehive Trail & Lake Agnes Tea House @ Lake Louise
-Moraine Lake
-Peyto Lake
-Mistaya Canyon
-Vermilion Lakes
-Grassi Lakes

Jasper Nat’l Park:
-Columbia Icefield Adventure 
-Beauvert Lake
-Spirit Island (requires 1.5 hr boat ride, boat not dog-friendly)
-Medicine Lake
-Athabasca Falls
-Sunwapta Falls
-Pyramid Island
-Valley of the Five Lakes

Yoho Nat’l Park:
-Emerald Lake

Banff Nat'l Park:
-Minnewanka

Right before crossing the border back to America we found the most epic road trip stop! A small village right off the highway with Two Scoop Steve ice cream and cafe, a full garden walk with fresh produce, a river walk with a place to swim, and our personal favorite, Yahk Soap & Candle Company where goats roamed about on the roof.

Breakfast at Maple Street Bistro in Spokane was the perfect find. Our favorite coffee shop of the trip! HIGHLY recommend the Pumpkin Chai Latte.

We parked at Old Mill District in Bend and walked over to the Riverbed Dog Park where we were able to hop in the river with the dogs. If we had more time we definitely would have rented floats to ride along the river, it looked like a blast!

Our choices for Marriotts in Bend ended up being really pricey so we did a quick search for other dog-friendly lodging in the area. For less than all the Marriott choices we got an entire suite at a golf resort to ourselves! A beautiful walk to dinner for sunset overlooking the golf course and access to their many amenities including pool, hot tub and gym. We absolutely loved Tetherow Resort.

Trust me when I say Floyd's Frosty is more than just a burger shack on the side of the road...I am still thinking about those onion rings!! The burger, the chicken, the shake...it's all so dang delicious!

Our favorite stop of the day was definitely McCloud River - Middle Falls. We checked out Upper Falls first from above before moving the car to the trail for Middle Falls and hiking the short climb down to the water. The rapids from the waterfall were strong enough to be adventurous but calm enough to hike up with my dog. While the water was cold, it was warm enough to enjoy a swim on such a hot day! We ended up swimming around at the watering hole beneath the waterfall for close to an hour before heading to our next stop, Burney Falls.

Burney Falls is definitely worth seeing but there was a $10 fee to enter and you can't swim here. I would plan for more time at McCloud Falls if you want to swim!

Had ourselves a delicious feast at Timber Lodge Brewing for dinner.

We then drove the remainder of the night to our hotel in Tahoe so we could have a full day to enjoy there!

Overnight: The Coachman Hotel - South Lake Tahoe

For my full dog-friendly guide to Tahoe click here.

Because it was my friend's first time ever visiting Lake Tahoe, I chose a couple of my favorite spots to show her. First stop Angora Lakes for a swim with my dog and to grab lemonade and sandwiches to-go for our hike to Secret Cove. The drive to the parking area for Angora Lakes is only open May-October and there is a $10 fee to park. From the parking area there is a short but steep hike that passes 2 lakes along the way to Angora Lakes Resort. This is one of my favorite hidden gems in California!

Next we parked at the lot for the Chimney Beach Trail and hiked to Secret Cove - Lake Tahoe's nude beach! Being the bucket list trip this was, we went for it!!

We stayed at The Coachman Hotel for the last 2 nights and it was delightful. We had breakfast both mornings by the fire, enjoyed complimentary s'mores at night, relaxed by the pool and hot tub and helped ourselves at the communal kitchen to tea and coffee as we pleased. The rooms were filled with surprises like a smart TV, heat lamps and even heated toilet seats. Would definitely stay here again!

I was back and forth between going through Mammoth or Yosemite, but I had never been to Yosemite before so we went that route. Yosemite with a dog definitely isn't as enjoyable so if you'd rather have a day of fun stops instead of views from the car, check out my guide for Mammoth Lakes.

That being said, Yosemite had some beautiful sights to see just off the main road!

If you do go through Yosemite, make sure to have snacks in the car. We were STARVING and stuck for hours without any food options. We were elated when we found this side of the road BBQ spot that I am still drooling over, Smokehouse 41.

From there we only had about 5 more hours to go on the road before making it back home to Malibu. This trip was an amazing way to fit in so many bucket list items and I hope you're inspired by this guide to go out and make some memories yourselves! 

74 hrs of driving - 9 days

*Highlights include: Chicago, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, Glacier Nat'l Park, Pacific Northwest
*This trip was taken with my best friend during the summer of 2020 under COVID restrictions, which meant McDonalds, Subway & Chipotle fueled our trip. No food recs on this trip.
*We used the Marriott Bonvoy app to find hotels along our route. Look for bold OVERNIGHT to see where we slept each night.