3 week trip from Atlanta to Yellowstone

Busskipper wrote:

Tpadden wrote:
I'm planning a 3 week trip to Yellowstone . I waited to long to be able to stay in the park.40 ft rv with jeep in tow. We would like to see as much as possible, grand Tetons,Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore , maybe bryce canyon.
Can anyone give me a suggested route and best camp ground that makes the most sense for Yellowstone ? I'm wide open to suggestions on must sees .
Thank you

Never to late - need a little more info - three weeks = 23 days right - Who all is in your group - ages - interests - First Trip? - just guessing that you might enjoy a little of Colorado - with a loop into Southern Colorado to Say Salida to Montrose to Vernal, UT to Flaming Gorge to Jackson to Tetons to YNP to Home.

Most of the time will be in YNP with the rest just a sort of drive through to plan future trips.

Get back with more info and we will all pitch in to help.

BOL,

Did a search and came up with this Link might help fill in a lot of the blanks.

When I do the math I come up with a likly 11-12 days of driving between locations. The drive out and back will be mostly interstates so you might average 50mph but all the rest in in the Mountains so 35-40 is going to be the average if you push it.

Custer is two days - Cody? 1 day - YNP should be at least 5 days - add in Tetons 2 more days so that will leave you maybe 1-2 flex days - which I would use seeing the areas around YNP - just one of the most amazing areas you will ever visit. One year when the kids were young we had packed up and were heading out at 8AM only to finally leave at 9PM - then the drive out was in the dark - hated to not see all the mountains as we were leaving and was amazed to see the Northern Light at 2 in the morning as we crested the Bighorn Mountains on the way out.

Suggestion is to push hard to get to a destination as fast as possible, because you are traveling with only adults be sure to have your favorite Wine and Beer on ice so as to relax and plan your days in each area when you stop at the days end - Bring really GOOD hiking BOOTS, a good Camera (I've found that I use and take more pictures with a Really GOOD Pocket camera with a big zoom rather than a 35mm that weighs a ton and is just a pain on such a short trip. Be sure to bring Fleece and a good hat/sun glasses and Rain gear - yes it will rain a day or two but still great to see and drive to sights in - layers for the fleece and flash lights and gloves, just seems like many people forget that it is still cool in YNP in the summer.

You being from Atlanta I would venture to guess you have played a little golf - just think that every day in a NP is like playing 18 holes without a cart on a very hilly Atlanta course, and of course you will be carrying your own BAG! Plan to pack a lunch and beverage every day so as to not spend the $$ and time finding a meal. Drink lot's of water.

As I mentioned in the pm you might try to see if you can get a walk in at Old Faithful Lodge it will give you all a break and three weeks for 4 adults will require some time off(JMHO).

Just like your trip to Colorado this will be a great trip and you will likely find that the time has flow by before you think you have done anything - take 3 pictures every time you think one will do and just keep in mind that the pictures will last forever so take them OFTEN.

As I think you have surmised this trip is just in the Mountains the Utah sites are for their own trip.

Hope this is of some help,

Busskipper

Bryce is about 600 miles south of Yellowstone. You may want to consider doing that in another trip and hit all of Utah's Mighty 5. 23 days to do Mt Rushmore/Yellowstone/Tetons/Bryce is simply not enough time to completely enjoy the experience.

Also, keep in mind that Yellowstone NP is deceptively big. Many folks here have described how it's actually 4 quadrants to see and presumably get out of your car and actually experience the park. That means lingering a lot at various sites/locales of interest.

Mt Rushmore can be done in a day. However, if you want to see other sights in the Black Hills, factor that in as well, to your time allotment.

Plan on 3 days to get out and 3 days to get back, assuming you don't do Bryce. I have family in Alabama and have traveled many times from central Alabama to northern Colorado. I've done it in 2 days. It's not fun. 3 days is more like it. And you'll be traveling further, so count on a good solid 3 day drive.

If you are doing the Black Hills on the way out, I suggest the following:
I-75 to Chattanooga, then I-24 to Nashville. Nashville to Paducah and overnite at Duck Creek. Cross the river at Metropolis. Stay on I-24 up to I-57 and continue past the St Louis exit (I-70) too much traffic and jams coming across Missouri. Go I-80 across Iowa (better scenery) lot of places to overnite along that route. I-80 west to I-680 for a short distance to I-29 thru Sioux City and up to I-90 and then west at Sioux Falls. You can overnite for free at Cabelas in Mitchell. straight west to the Hills at Rapid City.
We run this route for the quickest way to Custer each year. It might not suit if you want to see scenery, because there is nothing scenic with mile after mile of concrete and asphalt. However it is a rapid way to get where it gets really beautiful

Search this Forum for Yellowstone; a very popular topic. Look in RV Parks section for camping locations.
Of course, three weeks isn't nearly enough.

Yellowstone in the Off Season



Or Tetons across the Lake



Tetons




Just a few shots to keep the interest up,

We've been to Yellowstone and the Tetons many, many times. I would not advise trying to see them both from one campsite. You need to move from park to park or else all you'll be doing is driving.

Also, each one takes a lot more time than a one-day drive through. You're making the big effort for this major trip. Don't short change the parks. You can easily spend 4-5 days touring and exploring the different areas of Yellowstone. Get off the road and do some hiking; take in some ranger programs to really learn about the park; go to places that the many thousands around you will not go.

Each park has a wonderful web site giving suggestions on things to do and see along with campground information and road repair information. Fishing Bridge RV in the park is the best place to stay if you need hookups. We've stayed, with our 40' motorhome, at Mammoth, Madison and Bridge Bay dry campgrounds in the park. Every summer there is some construction. That's the only time they have to do it. Explore the areas just outside of the parks; i.e., drive to Cooke City and Red Lodge and Cody - without the RV. Tour the Cody Museum. It's world class. A day trip out of W. Yellowstone could be to the Ennis/Nevada City ghost town. It's awesome.

Yellowstone

Grand Teton National Park

For the Tetons, don't stay in Jackson. It's a hokey tourist town. Stay at Colter Bay RV if you want hookups. Gros Ventre (our favorite) or Colter Bay campgrounds for dry camping. The Tetons is completely different from Yellowstone in looks and things to do. The hiking is superb and for all abilities leading to lovely alpine lakes and streams. Take the gentle float trip early morning or early evening down the Snake River in the park and you just might see a moose in the water with you. We did.

If you give the two parks justice you won't have much time to drive out of your way to other places. If they're on your route home, fine, take them in.

3 weeks does seem like an acceptable timeframe to do YNP & the Tetons from GA, and still have enough time to hit the highlights and enjoy them. I'd suggest spending 3-4 full days (i.e. 4-5 nights) for Yellowstone and 1-2 full days for the Tetons. You could hit the Black Hills on the way there and perhaps Bryce on the way back, though I think I'd suggest something with a little less driving to get to - from West Yellowstone you could come down I-15 through SLC (stay overnight), then take I-15 to US 6 east to Green River, Utah, spend 2-3 nights there (there's a KOA and also a state park, both with some shade - it will be hot!) and take day trips to Arches and Canyonlands NPs and Dead Horse Point SP. From Green River you can head east on I-70 and have a beautiful drive through Colorado. (Not easy on the vehicle due to the altitude & climb, but all interstate so no winding & twisting.)

For Yellowstone, definitely stay at Grizzly RV Park. Great base camp for a rig your size, and since you have a toad, you're all set to visit the park. You can do a day trip to the Tetons & Jackson from there, but it will be a long day; you might consider a night or two at Colter Bay RV Park (if you need hookups) or at Colter Bay or Gros Ventre CGs (no hookups) and be by/close to the Tetons.

Yellowstone and Tetons are a good go to, but you are looking at mainly drive thru which takes a day at each to do. Not a lot of out walking and poke along. Tetons with just he drive thru is a full 1 day trip. Its either a good start or good ending by going to jackson and visiting the national elk refuge visitor center. The town will take a couple of hours to walk and look at all the antler related stuff. Not a big town just interesting. we stayed at the KOA which has since closed they offered rafting trips on the river and were just on the south side of the town.

Yellowstone is also a full day drive thru, depending on where you start. We have been there a couple of times never stayed in the park. its not that far from the Tetons and could possibly be driven to from jackson if you want to stay in jackson and tour around. so by staying in jackson looking at 2-3 days just in the 2 parks to drive thru and goof off some.

Rushmore is a good days drive over from yellowstone and is about 1/2 day of visit. So unless going to sturgis or other places look at spending about 4-5 hours to visit and you will need to tour by the jeep as there is not any real rv parking as I recall, may be but its very crowded there and parking hard to get. so stay up in rapid city or.......

Going to bryce is a long haul southbound to southern utah, a nice state with lots to see. we stayed in Hatch last year and day tripped to both bryce and zion. The rv park was quiet but if you needed anything had to go to panguich or when in zion over to cedar city. Cedar breaks is another good 1/2 day trip to consider while there.

Interstate is where you would have to drive to get to all these places in 3 weeks IMO and then it will depend on how you drive to get there then the road home to Ga.

Rushmore and yellowstone/tetons is doable I would think in the time period, I would recommend you limit you thoughts to such a trip and develop plans for the rest at another time. Utah has many places to visit on its own, plus close to grand canyon and........

Anyhow good luck with your plans and trip.

Ran from LaGrange, GA to Yellowstone and spent a few days last summer on the way to AK. Went to B-ham then across to South Memphis (Southhaven). Parked for 1 night at EZ Days at Southhaven, MS. Then cut up across Arkansas on to KOA Springfield , MO. Then up to KC and hung a left and went to the KOA in Salina KS, across to Denver then up to Cheyenne KOA. From Cheyenne to Rawlins, then the KOA in Dubois, WY then on into Yellowstone through the Tetons and bottom end of the park. At West Yellowstone we stayed at Yellowstone Grizzly which was fantastic.

Towed our Focus behind our 31 KE Itasca. We poked along but could have done it in 4 days easy- maybe 3 if we'd have pushed. Cutting up through Arkansas and MO added a day but we wanted to see friends along the way. ATL up 24 to St Louis then KC would have been faster but we wanted to goof off.

We found a lot of chip seal road surface (surface treatment road) off interstate in Wyoming. Windshield was hit 3 times on the moho by passing trucks and the last hit finally cracked it good. All in all though it was a fun route.

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