I am starting to think about a special trip with my family that doesn’t involve cartoon characters. I have three boys, 6,8,10 and a wife who loves beautiful outdoor settings during the day, and can camp for a night or two before finding a cabin or hotel. We live in Jackson Mississippi, trout fishing is my passion. Driving would be the mode of transportation, and 9-10 days would be the length of the trip. It would be a summer trip with the boys getting out of school the last week of May. Where in this great country of ours can a guy throw his family in the wagon, see some beautiful land and make some memories for under $3k. Some trout fishing would be a huge bonus.
I’d say tag on to the Trip Out West thread but for a trip to Yellowstone you’d be spending too much of your time behind the wheel .
Regards,
Scott
End of may is normally runoff in much of the west, so plan accordingly. Who knows if we will have enough snow to matter again this winter.
If YNP is out of the question due to distance, consider the area broadly defined as northern Georgia, western Carolinas, eastern Tennessee. Lots of trout streams, beautiful scenery and good choices for camping or lodging. GSMNP is a great place to visit, but can be unbelievably crowded that time of year.
There is marvelous scenery and fishing to be had most years out here in the West, but I recommend you put that trip off to a later year. The scenery will always be there, but the low snow pack we’ve had so far suggests this will be a poor year for trout fishing.
I suggest you stay East this year. Given your available time, the age of your sons, and your budget, maybe consider a trip up to DC and Virginia. I did a trip with my family to that area when I was about your sons’ ages. Williamsburg, the great DC museums, Mount Vernon, Monticello, etc. really impressed me. And I had a chance to learn things about American history.
Cap it off with a 1-2 night stay at Meadow Lane if your budget can handle it. http://www.meadowlanecottages.com/
Upscale rustic cabins with farm things the kids might enjoy. Over 2 miles of heavily trout-stocked private moving water. They are under new management this year so you will have to pay a daily rod fee. But I would not be surprised if they would waive that for your sons, even if all of them catch and release some fish with fatherly guidance.
There is also some very impressive mountan scenery (especially by Mississippi standards) between Charlottesville and Meadow Lane. Trust me --I’ve been to all 3 places. 
I have no financial interest in Meadow Lane. I’m just a happy customer of theirs.
As an empty nester father of three sons, I envy you this trip!
Here is a list of places we have been to that are within driving distance of Jackson and offer some pretty good trout fishing. All these places offer cabins and campgrounds. Calico Rock, Arkansas - among places to fish are the White River or below the dam at Norfork. Ozark Mountains are there for sight seeing or even hiking. Townsend, Tennesee - you can fish the Little River or other streams coming out of the Smokies. It is a small town without the crowds of Galtlinburg, but close enough to drive over there if you want to. We were in Brevard, North Carolina in September and had a great time. Fished the Davidson River there. A little yuppy for me but a great place for the wife to shop and sight see. Henderson is nearby for more shopping and Ashville is not too far away. We also Stayed in a cabin near Dillard Ge
Oops got cut off. Dlliard, Georgia and fished the Tuckasegee River over in North Carolina. I would rccommend a hiring a guide for at least a half of a day if you are in a new area. Learn from them and the strike out on you own.
My suggestion is similar to others. I think you are probably limited to the eastern US. My suggestion would be to go the Smokey Mountains to start, run up the Blue Ridge Parkway, and go through Shanendoah National Park. You could end up at Washington DC…oh, but wait, you said you didn’t want cartoon characters.
I second this suggestion, local schools will still be in session til early June (at least in our area of the Shenandoah Valley), so traffic may not be so bad.
The rhododendrum (sp) should be in bloom, May is a great time for the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Smokies, the Townsend area is nice.
http://www.docksmotel.com/ - this place is great and cheap, we had a FAOL gathering there, trout fishing close by
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/ - great fly shop in Townsend, will direct you to wild or stocked fishing
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/ - This is a wonderful drive
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=485 - peaks of otter lodge - you and the kids can fish the lake, no trout but smallies! (they are currently closed, a new manager is planned for the spring)
Thanks all. YNP is a dream, but I think with the driving, I will wait till I can get away from work for two weeks. Arkansas is where I typically bring the family, they love the sowbug roundup, but that is definitely more for me then them. All of my boys have caught trout on dry run creek at the Norfolk hatchery. My 8 year old was roll casting, mending and setting the hook like a pro. The 6 year old was his net boy. Got some priceless pictures and video of that trip. I like the idea of going to DC. We may even be living in the Atlanta area by then making the trip even easier.
Have you considered New Mexico…like maybe the San Juan River?
If you want to go somewhere where everyone can stay bussy and you can slip off and do some fishing I strongly recomend Sun River, Oregon. There are several lakes, rivers, and streams within a hours drive and there are lots of things to do for the rest of the family. You can camp or rent a house, or stay at the lodge. Contact me if you want more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Lakes
http://www.discoversunriver.com/?NCK=googleadword&gclid=CKXC5ZWW7rQCFad_Qgodk20AGg
PS: Did I mention three (3) Fly shops in Sun River, and lots of guides.
Pillcaster did a great job of presenting info on the Smokies. Sharon at Dock’s is the third generation owner and runs a very nice motel/cabin place to stay. Cable TV, WIFI and access to the Little River with horse back rides just across the street and a cafe next door that puts sweet pickles in thier club sandwiches!! (Yummm!) Very quiet place to stay at very reasonable rates. Pigeon Forge is just a senic drive away (Don’t go on the week ends!!).
Little River Outfitters is a great place to visit and their web site gives daily water conditions and fishing reports.
Sounds like your wife would love the ride through the Park, especially the “Dragons Tail” where only the passengers can view the scenery 'cause you will be too busy steering around the curves!!
They say it’s on the Quiet Side of the Smokies and they are righ!!
PM sent…
When our kids were this age, one of the best trips we took was to SE Utah. Rafting the Colorado, hiking in the National Parks, rock climbing, mountain biking and you can probably fish your way over there from Jackson. Lots of history in the area too. Have some fun with your research, keep your mind open. There’s a ton of opportunities for fun with your kids out there.
Pssshhhh. 12 hour a day car drive road trips!! You could get there (YNP) in a couple days! Remember when you were a kids and dad threw everyone in the car? Of course you do! Your kids could remember that too!!
you can have it all and not drive more than 15 minutes at the grand canyon of Pa.
My wife and I spent almost a month in and around Pagosa Springs, Colorado.Fishing for trout,bass and green perch. Rafting on the San Juan, hiking in the mountains, soaking in hot springs and excellent dining. A great day trip for the family is the narrow guage train ride from Durango to Silverton and back. That’s about a 75 minute drive from Pagosa. We rented a cabin on Lake Pagosa for the month through VRBO for $1,900. Check it out. Oh yeah, someone mentioned New Mexico and the San Juan river. That area of the San Juan is only about 1 1/2 hours from Pagosa Springs and a very nice day trip. But once you start fishing in the lakes and rivers and creeks around Pagosa you won’t want to leave. It is a little over 7,000 ft elevation and probably still a little chilly in late May but not too bad. Just my .02 cents worth. Jim
Driftless!
This site tracks Colorado’s snowpack by river basin. I’ll say it again, this is not a good year to travel a long distance to CO for trout fishing.
http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow/watershed/current/daily/maps_graphs/swe_time.html