So we are planning a big trip leaving out of Southern California (Orange County) out to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone and back. I've got it mapped to about 2650 miles and 13 nights to make the journey. I'd love some feedback from anyone who has made a trip like this. Where to stay? What is the best places that we simply must see? I'm locked on my time to make the trip from Aug 7 and home on the Aug 20. I set the path up to get home on time and not have too long in a driving day as my wife will not take the wheel. We are driving our 40ft 2011 Berkshire 390BH and pulling a 2012 2 DR Jeep Rubicon. It will be me, my wife, Grandma and our 3 girls ages 4, 6 and 8. I've divided the days up to each stop that give us time to take the Jeep into see something. If we need more or less time and should move the time from one spot to another I'd love your thoughts. Depart Home 7-AugPortal RV Resort - Portal RV Resort, Moab Utah 7-Aug to 9-Aug 2 nights (See Arches NP)Jellystone of Estes - Estes Park, CO Campground & RV Park - Welcome to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park? of Estes 9-Aug to 11-Aug 2 nights (See Rocky Mtn National Park)Mt. Rushmore - Mount Rushmore KOA | Camping in South Dakota | KOA Campgrounds 11-Aug to 14-Aug 3 Nights (See Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull)Grizzly RV Resort - Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park and Cabins 14-Aug to 18 Aug 4 nights (See Yellowstone and Tetoin NPThousand Lakes RV Park - Thousand Lakes RV Park, Campground and Cabins - Torrey, Utah - Home 18-Aug to 20-Aug 2 Nights (Drive Hwy12. See Bryce and Capital Reef)Home by Aug 20Ok.. These are the RV spots I chose just by googling around and the places we picked out. Any of these good, bad, add this... take away this... be sure to go here? Any help would be great. Thanks a million!!!!

Day one 725 miles? Assuming you are coming from LA. That's a long drive, I guess you may have three drivers tho. But you'll lose an hour because of time zones and get there late and tired. That really will give you one day at Arches, just enough for a drive thru. If you want to do some back road driving then that is one of the best areas in the country for it with Canyonlands right there.The same for RMNP, you will only have one day there really. And you aren't going to visit Bryce from Torrey, it's a long drive. That is another prime off road area with the Burr Trail and other trails in the area. We spent a week at Torrey last year and 8 days at Escalante.I think you are biting off too much. I'd drop Rushmore and RMNP and concentrate on Utah and Yellowstone/Tetons.BK

agesilaus wrote:Day one 725 miles? Assuming you are coming from LA. That's a long drive, I guess you may have three drivers tho. But you'll lose an hour because of time zones and get there late and tired. That really will give you one day at Arches, just enough for a drive thru. If you want to do some back road driving then that is one of the best areas in the country for it with Canyonlands right there.The same for RMNP, you will only have one day there really. And you aren't going to visit Bryce from Torrey, it's a long drive. That is another prime off road area with the Burr Trail and other trails in the area. We spent a week at Torrey last year and 8 days at Escalante.I think you are biting off too much. I'd drop Rushmore and RMNP and concentrate on Utah and Yellowstone/Tetons.BKGood thoughts. Yes, the first day is 11 hours of driving heading straight through. I wonder if we should take a day away from Rushmore and add it to Bryce or kill RMNP and make it an overnight stop over only... giving us an extra day in Bryce and an extra day Arches. We've been to Zion earlier this year... Beautiful. Don't want to kill ourselves... but then again.. coming out of LA... our goal is Rushmore and Yellowstone. Those are the 2 big ones but we are passing through Utah so wanted to add it to the mix. Not sure how many days we need to really enjoy it. I wonder is Rushmore needs 1, 2 or 3 days. It's the highlight for us to see.

Well I've been to both. I didn't think much of Rushmore to tell you the truth. It's a big parking lot and a trail. There are lots of other things to do in the area but Rushmore is a half day in our book. But Wind Caverns is worth a day as is Badlands NP. Custer SP is in the area and there is also Wall Drugs (heh).RMNP you could spend a week in easily and Yellowstone a month.

Just a couple of comments:1. We have stayed at the Mt Rushmore KOA--There's a lot to do at that RV park and I think the whole family will enjoy. Plus it's just a short drive to Mt Rushmore. While there, the children (and adults) might enjoy Bear Country USA a few miles away--a drive-thru park with lots of bears, wolves, elk and at the end a zoo of baby animals.2. We have stayed in Moab at a different RV park, but loved the area..Arches is beautiful. Just south of town is a fun place called Hole in the Rock that the children might enjoy. 3. We also stayed at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone. If you only have a few days at Yellowstone, I would recommend getting a map beforehand or as soon as you get there--West Yellowstone has a great visitor center with Rangers who are very helpful. You can drive the two different loops on two different days. Old Faithful erupts every 79 minutes or so and is worth the stop.On one hand, 13 nights is not a long time to see everything, but you sound like someone who has planned to see what you want to see in a few days--sometimes it's good to do that and then you'll know what you want to go back and see when you have more time!Have a great trip!

I definitely approve of the choice of Grizzly RV for a rig your size. If you don't yet have reservations, get them NOW!! (Yesterday would be even better.) August is still high season for YNP. 4 nights there is good; that gives you 3 full days to see Yellowstone AND the Tetons, which are right next door. You'll wish you had more time, but for hitting the highlights, three days is good. Mt. Rushmore itself is worth an hour or so, but there are tons of good things to do in the Black Hills; we once spent a week there and could have spent longer. As with Yellowstone, reservations are a must and you should already have them. Your schedule has you arriving a little after the big Sturgis motorcycle event, I think, but not much, so CGs may be very full during those dates. Your timeframe is probably not extendable, so you may have to decide to go again sometime. I think I wouldn't shave off more than 1 day from the Black Hills at most. Personally, I'd skip RMNP and allow yourself more time to get to Yellowstone & the Black Hills, and to spend time in the places you have as the main goals for this trip. You could break up that 11-hour drive the first day and not be exhausted when you finally get to the "main attractions."Good alternate choice for the Black Hills if the KOA is full: Rafter J Bar Ranch CG. Great place, but also very popular. Good luck!

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kknowlton
Explorer II
Jul 04, 2013
I definitely approve of the choice of Grizzly RV for a rig your size. If you don't yet have reservations, get them NOW!! (Yesterday would be even better.) August is still high season for YNP. 4 nights there is good; that gives you 3 full days to see Yellowstone AND the Tetons, which are right next door. You'll wish you had more time, but for hitting the highlights, three days is good.

Mt. Rushmore itself is worth an hour or so, but there are tons of good things to do in the Black Hills; we once spent a week there and could have spent longer. As with Yellowstone, reservations are a must and you should already have them. Your schedule has you arriving a little after the big Sturgis motorcycle event, I think, but not much, so CGs may be very full during those dates. Your timeframe is probably not extendable, so you may have to decide to go again sometime. I think I wouldn't shave off more than 1 day from the Black Hills at most. Personally, I'd skip RMNP and allow yourself more time to get to Yellowstone & the Black Hills, and to spend time in the places you have as the main goals for this trip. You could break up that 11-hour drive the first day and not be exhausted when you finally get to the "main attractions."

Good alternate choice for the Black Hills if the KOA is full: Rafter J Bar Ranch CG. Great place, but also very popular.

Good luck!
LindaAnn
Explorer
Jul 04, 2013
Just a couple of comments:

1. We have stayed at the Mt Rushmore KOA--There's a lot to do at that RV park and I think the whole family will enjoy. Plus it's just a short drive to Mt Rushmore. While there, the children (and adults) might enjoy Bear Country USA a few miles away--a drive-thru park with lots of bears, wolves, elk and at the end a zoo of baby animals.

2. We have stayed in Moab at a different RV park, but loved the area..Arches is beautiful. Just south of town is a fun place called Hole in the Rock that the children might enjoy.

3. We also stayed at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone. If you only have a few days at Yellowstone, I would recommend getting a map beforehand or as soon as you get there--West Yellowstone has a great visitor center with Rangers who are very helpful. You can drive the two different loops on two different days. Old Faithful erupts every 79 minutes or so and is worth the stop.

On one hand, 13 nights is not a long time to see everything, but you sound like someone who has planned to see what you want to see in a few days--sometimes it's good to do that and then you'll know what you want to go back and see when you have more time!

Have a great trip!
agesilaus
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2013
Well I've been to both. I didn't think much of Rushmore to tell you the truth. It's a big parking lot and a trail. There are lots of other things to do in the area but Rushmore is a half day in our book. But Wind Caverns is worth a day as is Badlands NP. Custer SP is in the area and there is also Wall Drugs (heh).

RMNP you could spend a week in easily and Yellowstone a month.
doctormdj
Explorer
Jul 04, 2013
agesilaus wrote:
Day one 725 miles? Assuming you are coming from LA. That's a long drive, I guess you may have three drivers tho. But you'll lose an hour because of time zones and get there late and tired. That really will give you one day at Arches, just enough for a drive thru. If you want to do some back road driving then that is one of the best areas in the country for it with Canyonlands right there.

The same for RMNP, you will only have one day there really. And you aren't going to visit Bryce from Torrey, it's a long drive. That is another prime off road area with the Burr Trail and other trails in the area. We spent a week at Torrey last year and 8 days at Escalante.

I think you are biting off too much. I'd drop Rushmore and RMNP and concentrate on Utah and Yellowstone/Tetons.

BK

Good thoughts. Yes, the first day is 11 hours of driving heading straight through. I wonder if we should take a day away from Rushmore and add it to Bryce or kill RMNP and make it an overnight stop over only... giving us an extra day in Bryce and an extra day Arches. We've been to Zion earlier this year... Beautiful. Don't want to kill ourselves... but then again.. coming out of LA... our goal is Rushmore and Yellowstone. Those are the 2 big ones but we are passing through Utah so wanted to add it to the mix. Not sure how many days we need to really enjoy it. I wonder is Rushmore needs 1, 2 or 3 days. It's the highlight for us to see.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2013
Day one 725 miles? Assuming you are coming from LA. That's a long drive, I guess you may have three drivers tho. But you'll lose an hour because of time zones and get there late and tired. That really will give you one day at Arches, just enough for a drive thru. If you want to do some back road driving then that is one of the best areas in the country for it with Canyonlands right there.

The same for RMNP, you will only have one day there really. And you aren't going to visit Bryce from Torrey, it's a long drive. That is another prime off road area with the Burr Trail and other trails in the area. We spent a week at Torrey last year and 8 days at Escalante.

I think you are biting off too much. I'd drop Rushmore and RMNP and concentrate on Utah and Yellowstone/Tetons.

BK

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