I'm planning a trip during the latter part of June from Bakersfield, CA to Kalispel, MT. I'll be making the trip VFR in a 182P, probably 200-ish lbs. under gross.

The plan is to travel during the morning hours, for passenger comfort, and also to avoid afternoon winds, convection, and density altitude issues.

I've planned a route that keeps me close to airports and avoids long stretches over high, mountain terrain. We plan on stopping for the night in Nampa, then continuing to KGPI the following day.

The Question:
Aside from the usual 'gotchas' (mountains/high winds, wildfire smoke, density altitude, thunderstorms, and UFOs), what sort of local knowledge would be good to know about the country I'll be flying over? Mainly from Carson City, northward.

The amount of information I've learned from this forum is priceless, especially from contactflying, his posts, and his book.

Here's a link to my proposed route:
https://skyvector.com/?ll=40.287068558426874,-117.33288573832937&chart=301&zoom=4&fpl=N0125%20KBFL%20KBFL%20SPOOK%20KCXP%20KWMC%20KMAN%20S83%20KGPI%20KGPI

Hi Ryan, it sounds like a great trip. I fly regularly from Minden, Nevada to the Nampa/Boise area. I just go direct, which takes me just over McDermitt putting me a few miles west of Winnemucca. Might save a couple of minutes that way.

Thanks for the info. What would you recommend as a better stop for an out-of-towner? Minden or Carson?

I’d have to say Minden is a superior choice with its Taildragger Cafe. You can tie down in front of the restaurant. Nice long runway, clear approach and departure paths. Avionics and maintenance shops too.

That looks like a good trip, and I hope you have a good time on it. I've flown many trips like that, although not west of the Sierras. California and Oregon are two states I still have to visit in the 180. But allow me to provide some general comments if I may. Any insult to your intelligence and skill is entirely unintentional!

You mentioned winds... the winds around Reno/Tahoe can get gnarly. I encourage you to take a good look at the altitude winds along that route and if they're too high (25 knots at the ridge tops is a good maximum number I've used before) then wait a day or find another route... perhaps you could go farther northwest to O05 before you turn northeast. Seems like that'd only add 50 miles to your route.

I'd also encourage you not to get boxed in to a schedule. Take your time and give yourself some flexibility on each end. Think ahead about your backup options in case the weather is marginal and you really need to get back to California... can you get a plane ticket, for example?

Finally, June in Nevada gets hot and (having recently driven US 50 from Carson City eastward) I know it is lonely out there. Idaho is rugged country to fly over. Spectacularly beautiful, but as rugged as any place I've seen. I'd pack along appropriate survival gear, especially a couple gallons of water per passenger just in case. And follow the roads/river valleys when you can, instead of just going GPS-direct from airport to airport.

McCall is a cool spot with lots of interesting aviation activity, and you can find an experienced Idaho pilot around there that can answer any questions you have. Good luck and give us a trip report when you get back!

Thank you for the insight and advice, it is appreciated and heeded.
We decided to nix the trip to Glacier, there were no more reservations available to drive the Road to the Sun, even the buses were booked solid. It looks like Glacier National Park is the place to be, this summer.
We're going with 'Plan B', which is spending a couple days at Bryce Canyon, then eastward to Durango for a few days. The return trip will include a pass through Monument Valley. Traveling by air, of course, as long as the monsoon isn't an issue. I will post a trip report!

Well, if you overshoot Kalispell, I'm about 20 miles west, Hanson on the chart. I should be around still then. Holler if you need anything!
John

Ryan wrote:We decided to nix the trip to Glacier, there were no more reservations available to drive the Road to the Sun, even the buses were booked solid. It looks like Glacier National Park is the place to be, this summer.

The National Parks are an amazing treasure and Glacier is one of the crown jewels. But I believe that that there are plenty of places that we aviators can access that are 90% as specatular. When you factor in the solitude that we can access with an airplane, the overall experience becomes greater than that which a surface-based traveler can ever hope to achieve. So, if the goal was to go to Glacier, then fine. But if the goal is to spend time in some mountains then there are plenty of other places you could go in a 182 that are worth your time. Fly into Hamilton Montana and spend some time in the Bitterroots. Or fly into Johnson Creek or Moose Creek in Idaho (or Shafer Meadows in Montana) and spend some time there. Or look at Banff and Jasper in Canada... those parks are more amazing than Glacier in my opinion.

Ryan wrote:We're going with 'Plan B', which is spending a couple days at Bryce Canyon, then eastward to Durango for a few days. The return trip will include a pass through Monument Valley. Traveling by air, of course, as long as the monsoon isn't an issue. I will post a trip report!

Sounds like a great trip. Lots of strips in Utah. I stopped in Cortez, Colorado once and have since added that area to my "places I want to return to" list.