From Utah to Vancouver

Markus is smiling, but not impressed with the snow at Crater Lake National Park

Before the Canadian-US borders shut down due to COVID-19, we were fortunate with our timing and got to squeeze in a two-week road trip with our dog Markus. That was months ago and like so many others, we've been back at home and limiting the amount of time we go out. On The Markus Project, we've been reliving that trip now months after the fact and we're now at the home stretch.

If you've been following along our road trip, we started in Vancouver and made our way down to California. From California, we made a stop at Joshua Tree National Park on the way to Las Vegas. After spending a couple of days in Vegas, we cut our way through the Grand Canyon eastbound to Page, Arizona. While in Page, we spent a few days exploring the surroundings and appreciating the trails and rock formations that we simply don't see this far up north. From Page, we started making our way back home with a stop in Springdale, Utah where we visited a couple more national parks like Zion and Bryce Canyon.

This week, we leave Springdale and finally conclude our series with a few stops - at Bishop and Redding in California, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake and Hood River in Oregon. We already did a special post on our stay in Hood River since we only stopped over at Hood River for the evening.

About Bishop, California

Bishop is a small city just before California's eastern border. We chose to stay here because it was a good driving distance from Springdale, Utah and it positioned us well for the following day for our plans in California. To get to Bishop, we cut through California State Route 168 through Oasis, which is right by the border. I should warn Route 168 is incredibly windy and since we were on the tail end of the day's drive, it was dark by the time we had to drive through, which was admittedly quite nauseating.

This route cut through the mountains and doesn't have any streetlights, so it's exceptionally dark except for your car's headlights. The path was so windy that we pulled over to take a breather - not just for us, but for Markus as well. If you're coming from Springdale, we'd actually recommend cutting through Las Vegas and Death Valley National Park instead. Although it's not the greatest way to experience a national park, being able to drive through it is better than not.

We got into Bishop so late into the evening that we didn't get a chance to explore the city. We simply arrived at our accommodation at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bishop and left early the following morning.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bishop

Type: Hotel (2-star)

Pet Fee: $25/night
Suite Available: No

We were genuinely surprised with our stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bishop. When we booked the hotel, we noted that it was classified as a 2-star hotel, but the reviews from others were really good. Our expectations weren't particularly high, but we were pleasantly surprised when we got into our room. For a 2-star hotel in a smaller city, we were expecting an older room with dated furniture, perhaps old carpeting with worn fixtures in the bathroom. It was anything but that.

The room felt new, like it was recently renovated. The decor, carpet, furniture and fixtures in the room very modern and it used a lot of white lighting, which wasn't something we were expecting. It felt less "homey" and more businesslike in that sense. We're generally not very picky with our rooms, but this was one that stood out to us. It's too bad that we got in so late into the night because we hardly got to enjoy the room and had to start resting up pretty quickly.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

Since it was late when we arrived, it was also very quiet and we checked into our room with ease. That meant that the night and our room was quiet, which is very much appreciated when we have a reactive dog with us and we needed a good night's rest to keep driving the next morning. And a good night's rest was exactly what we got. If you're in the area, don't be turned off by the 2-star rating of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bishop. Its high reviews tell another story and we would highly recommend this stay!

Yosemite National Park

The great thing about staying in Bishop is that you're right off the edge of Yosemite National Park when you begin the day. If you have time, we recommend spending an extra day to explore the park. We didn't end up going through (I know) because we were on a tight timeline to go home and were headed to Lake Tahoe. Going through the park would've added hours to our day trip. Instead, we drove along the eastern edge of the park along Route 395 and the state border of California.

Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

On the way up, we made our first stop for Markus at the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve. Known for its limestone spires and wetlands, it's a great place to make a stop with your dog to stretch your legs. There was also absolutely no one else while we were there, so it's a calm and quiet place. The spires here (from a distance) are really neat, although if you're coming from Bryce Canyon like we were, the spires can't compare. Nonetheless, it's a great stop if you needed a rest stop and you're not planning on stopping in Yosemite National Park!

Just be warned about this one thing - the smell here is quite strong and because of that, there are a lot of bugs in the area (or maybe it's the other way around, which is gross when you think about it).

Lake Tahoe

From the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, we made our way up north towards Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe's one of those places that we often hear people talking about and even though we weren't planning on staying there, we made it a point to cut through. We ended up spending a few hours by the lake and its surrounding area. Lake Tahoe was beautiful and we're glad to have made the trip. If you're in the area, consider staying a bit longer than we did!

About Redding, California

Starting from Bishop and cutting through Lake Tahoe, we concluded our day's trip in Redding, California. We chose to stop here because it was a good distance from the first day and it positioned us well for driving into Oregon the following day. Redding is about 2 hours from the border of Oregon and staying here allowed us to require only one more night (in Hood River, Oregon) for the home stretch. Much like in Bishop, we didn't stay long in Redding and when we arrived at the Best Western Plus Twin View Inn & Suites later into the evening, we mostly spent the night getting rested up.

Best Western Plus Twin View Inn & Suites

Type: Hotel (2-star)
Pet Fee: $20/night
Suite Available: Yes

The stay at the Best Western Plus Twin View Inn & Suites was short, but our rest was good enough. Our room was at the end of the hallway which had its pros and cons. The pro is that it was convenient for us to take Markus out. All we had to do was go through the back door and there's a strip of grass along the street in the back. There's not much else in the area, but that was enough for Markus to drain himself - at least enough for our next stop.

The downside of being in a room at the end of the hallway by the exit is that a lot of other guests were using that exit throughout the night. As a reactive dog, whenever Markus would hear the doors opening and closing, his guard dog instincts would perk up and he'd growl. At its worst, he'll bark at the door, but we were able to settle him during his growling throughout the night so it never got to that point. It still wakes us up throughout the night, which is unfortunate, but we chalk this up to the room that we were placed in more than the hotel itself, which was fine.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

There weren't many hotels in the area that fit what we were looking for (we also checked out TownePlace Suites by Marriott Redding), so we were happy with our stay. We weren't blown away, but we wouldn't be opposed to staying here again. If you're bringing a reactive dog with you, I'd recommend just calling ahead and letting them know that you have a dog, but also request not to have a room that's too close to one of the exits.

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake's one of those places that we've wanted to visit but had always been a little bit too far for us coming from Vancouver. Since we were coming from California, we decided to take the back route back up to Vancouver as opposed to going through the I-5. On the way to Hood River, Crater Lake was on the way for us so we decided to make the stop. The visit to Crater Lake was amazing and everything we expected it to be.

The Home Stretch

Markus eyeing one last In-N-Out on the way home since we don’t have those in Canada!

Before getting back into Vancouver, we made one more stop at Hood River, Oregon. We regret that we didn't spend more time here since we were so focused on just making it back home. In hindsight, we would've loved to make some stops at Smith Rock and Tamanawas Falls. Since this is much closer to Vancouver, we'll definitely make it a point to be back here in the future. In the meantime, we'll have to wait until the restrictions are lifted and we're allowed to travel again!

This two-week road trip was exhausting, but it was such an amazing experience to be able to see the great national parks and true wonders of the world. The best part of this trip was that we were able to do every part of it with Markus. While he may not understand the gravity of the places that he's visited, it's wonderful to think that that about 2 years ago, he was spending his days in a rescue shelter and now he's taking road trips with us.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.