Trip Planning Advice Needed
This June we are heading to the Grand Canyon for 5 nights and then on to Durango for 3 nights. After that heading North to Tetons and Yellowstone. Then it's on to Cody, Rushmore, and Custer SP before ...
Forum Discussion
Strokenfiver wrote:
Hey Huffster out of curiosity about how many days are you planning for your trip? I am starting the process of planning a similar trip o starting from NY and need to keep it under 18 days.
I worked under similar restrictions until I retired. With 18 days, even pushing hard with 500+ miles/day for the first and last 3 days. Going and coming back. That leaves you with 12 days in the Colorado, Wyoming area. My advice is to pick one area to explore to minimize driving days once you get to your target area.
For example with Yellowstone Tetons as your target you could stop at Rushmore/Badlands/Devils Tower on the way out and then spend 10 days in Yellowstone/Tetons which is none too many to get a look at the parks.
Something most easterners don't grasp is the huge size of these parks, it would take you 4 to 6 hours to enter YNP from the north and drive south to Jackson Hole WY on the south side of the Tetons And so 10 days is just about right for a first visit.
The other obvious target would be Rocky Mountains National Park with Great Sand Dunes as a add-on for a day or so. You could still do the Rushmore area with that selection.
If you want to go to the Grand Canyon/Utah park loop you'd have to add another travel day each way. And Grand Canyon is a day away from the Utah parks unless you go to the North Rim. I prefer the N. Rim myself.
But whatever you do you won't have time for widely separated parks unless you plan to spend days driving from one to another.
