Glacier National Park to Wisconsin stops

In Minnesota you could stop off at Itasca State Park for a day or 2 to see the headwaters of the Mississippi. It's a beautiful state park with lots of biking and hiking trails.

Also, the North Shore of Minnesota is worth a side trip. There are many state parks, waterfalls, small towns.

LoudDog wrote:
Planning is coming together...

Questions:
Devils Tower, I don't intend to climb it and we probably don't need to hike in that area. Could it be done as a drive by with the trailer (photo below is old, we have a 30ish footer now)? Is there pull offs with RV parking or will we be able to easily find places to pull over?

Badlands NP, same question. It looks like it's possible to see most of it while driving through, but would there be parking lots and pull outs big enough and not over crowded?

I'm thinking we could do a drive by of Devils tower, spend a couple nights in or near black hills nat forest for hiking and exploring, then drive through the bad lands on the way east.

I would not pull a trailer up to the Devils Tower parking lot. Seems like there was very little room for trailers up there. Lots of tight parking spots. However right after entering the park there is a lot to the left to drop off trailers/campers. Then you can drive your truck on up to the tower lot.
The trail around the tower it not long and fairly flat once you climb up to it. We enjoyed it.

Devil's Tower - There's a KOA next to the entrance to Devil's Tower if you want to stay overnight. They show "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" on an outside screen. It was filmed there. You can't climb it unless you're certified. I drove around it in my Jeep toad. IMO, there's such a thing as being too close. Its almost 1300 feet high, and straight up. I got a picture of a mountain climber about half way up, sitting on a ledge eating lunch. I have a Canon camera with a 400mm lens. He was eating a cheese sandwich, but I couldn't tell if it had mayo or mustard on it. :)
Badlands NP. - When I drove through, I wondered if the first settlers thought they were at the end of the earth. No trees. Just rocks. And a warning at the souvenir store to watch for rattlesnakes. There's a 40 mile long loop road from I-90 that returns to I-90 at Wall Drug Store. You'll see signs advertising Wall Drug Store starting in Wisconsin on I-90. (Slight exageration). Its huge, and they sell everything. There's at least one restaurant inside. Outside, there's a concrete statue of a Jackalope. The back half is a Jackass and the front half is an Antelope. Rumor has it that they're usually seen just outside bars at closing time. You can sit on it and have your picture taken.

LoudDog wrote:
Planning is coming together...

Questions:
Devils Tower, I don't intend to climb it and we probably don't need to hike in that area. Could it be done as a drive by with the trailer (photo below is old, we have a 30ish footer now)? Is there pull offs with RV parking or will we be able to easily find places to pull over?

Badlands NP, same question. It looks like it's possible to see most of it while driving through, but would there be parking lots and pull outs big enough and not over crowded?

I'm thinking we could do a drive by of Devils tower, spend a couple nights in or near black hills nat forest for hiking and exploring, then drive through the bad lands on the way east.

There is a paved walking trail around Devils Tower. As I remember it is about 1 1/4 miles. It was an awesome walk that I consider the best part of Devils Tower.

I believe the trail around the base of Devil's Tower is only about one mile long, so wouldn't take too much time. The Badlands can easily be done as a drive through.

LoudDog wrote:
Planning is coming together...

Questions:
Devils Tower, I don't intend to climb it and we probably don't need to hike in that area. Could it be done as a drive by with the trailer (photo below is old, we have a 30ish footer now)? Is there pull offs with RV parking or will we be able to easily find places to pull over?

Badlands NP, same question. It looks like it's possible to see most of it while driving through, but would there be parking lots and pull outs big enough and not over crowded?

I'm thinking we could do a drive by of Devils tower, spend a couple nights in or near black hills nat forest for hiking and exploring, then drive through the bad lands on the way east.

No problem parking at Devils Tower and a easy walk around the base of it. We started our day at Little Bighorn stopped at Devils Tower and ended our day at Whistlers Gulch RV in Deadwood just under 335 miles for the day

Yellow Stone NP, Little Bighorn National Monument, Devils Tower, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs SD.

Planning is coming together...

Questions:
Devils Tower, I don't intend to climb it and we probably don't need to hike in that area. Could it be done as a drive by with the trailer (photo below is old, we have a 30ish footer now)? Is there pull offs with RV parking or will we be able to easily find places to pull over?

Badlands NP, same question. It looks like it's possible to see most of it while driving through, but would there be parking lots and pull outs big enough and not over crowded?

I'm thinking we could do a drive by of Devils tower, spend a couple nights in or near black hills nat forest for hiking and exploring, then drive through the bad lands on the way east.

Thanks all. Taking notes and looking things up!

Do not go by Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.
The Yellowstone Gateway Museum had promise, but it never opened. It was supposed to.
Pompey's Pillar is an interesting stop (even if you are too lame to climb is).
Miles City has the range rider's museum. It is inexpensive and quite interesting. A huge firearms collection.
X2 on Teddy Roosevelt Park - Drive Both Loops.
We had planned to stop at the Dickinson Dinosaur Museum, but after MofR, we were kind of dino'd out.
Fort Abraham Lincoln was a very nice overnight.
The Buffalo Museum at Jamestown was a waste of time.
If you have ever heard of the Kensington Rune Stone, well, it is in Alexandria. I'm glad I finally got there.
In Saint Cloud are the Munsinger Gardens. It was a wonderful afternoon.
When we tried to stop at Mall of America, we had to park about an half a mile away and they didn't have a shuttle running anymore. It is not easy to get into from across the street - or at least it wasn't then.
As you have made it to Wisconsin, if you fancy aircraft, the EAA museum is in Oshkosh.
Relax and enjoy the scenery.

Matt