The tentative route from Seattle to Chicago.

We’ve officially taken the first steps toward a major summer 2013 road trip. Yes, Seattle to Chicago is in the works. In the past week, we reserved our lodging at Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, the most in-demand we’ll visit. At all three we were able to get accommodations inside the park boundaries, a definite plus. We wanted to book those as far in advance as possible, because options tend to fill up fast in busy parks. When reserving, always remember to check the hotel/lodge cancellation policy to make sure any payments are refundable in the event plans fall through. Most we’ve found are free up to a few days in advance. It’s better to book a room early and have to cancel at no charge than to wait until later and have to spend more, or not find anywhere to sleep.

Looking into North Cascades and Teddy Roosevelt National Park lodging is one of the next steps. A casual search at Roosevelt reveals no lodge inside the park, but some hotel options in nearby Medora, ND and a “might be cool/might be scary” guest ranch just outside the park. We’ll look into it. Other than that, once we get a one-way flight to Seattle and a reasonable car rental, it’ll be a go. Stay tuned for more updates during the planning process.