Time allotment for Black Hills/Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

You can never spend enough time in Yellowstone, but I would delete one day and spend 3 days in the Tetons.
Plan your stay in the Black Hills. See Mt. Rushmore for sure. The rest??
Our recent trip to Yellowstone Grand Tetons

Don't forget the Devils tower, and Glacier NP

In the Black Hills area there is Custer State Park with Buffalo herds and Prairie Dogs, worth a day trip. A day for Rushmore. And the third day for Wind Caverns. That leaves out the Badlands NP, Wall Drug and the Minuteman silo. But those can wait for the next trip.

You can spend 60 days in Yellowstone and not see it all. If you don't hike then there isn't a lot to do at Grand Tetons except drive to different view spots and take the ride across Lake Jenny so I'd leave your division of time as is. There are several different hot spot areas in Yellowstone you can spend a day each on.

On your trip up or back you may want to stop at Devils Tower since you'll be close to it when going between YNP and the Black Hills. It's a 2 hour visit which will give you time to walk around the paved trail around the tower.

Better make reservations for YNP soon and maybe for the Black Hills too. Custer State Park is a very popular camping spot.

Search this Forum for each of those locations to get an idea of how much time posters have spent there.
Black Hills is worth two days. Take the bus tours of Rushmore and Crazy Horse and a separate tour for the Badlands.
Suggest four days in Yellowstone including two bus tours.
A couple of days in the Grand Tetons should be enough if you don't hike.

I've been to these places several times and if I was going back with your time allotment I would do this:

2 days Black Hills, Rushmore, Badlands
2 days driving toward YNP unless you want to drive 500 miles in one
day. If you are taking 90 to Billings you can take 120 to Cody and
see some of these sites here like the Buffalo Bill museum and the
little ghost town.
Get in your toad and drive the Chief Joseph Highway to 212
(Beartooth Highway) to Red Lodge. This is a "not to miss" drive.
From Cody take the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic HWY into the East
entrance to YNP. (This is a beautiful drive, also)
5 days YNP (You'll have to come back several times to really see it
all anyway. LOL)
2 days in Grand Teton
3 days to go home.:M

Have fun.....there's no place more beautiful than what you will see here!

Its been 19 years in the Black Hills for us, and that still isn't enough. I don't know how you could do it in two days.

We are close enough to Yellowstone that we have spent a fair amount of time there. A couple of years ago, we spent more time in the Tetons than Yellowstone, and we both loved it.

Honestly, either the Black Hills and surrounding areas (Badlands, Devils Tower, etc.) or Yellowstone/Tetons are worth spending an entire vacation at. It will be tough to see much at either place with the time you have available.

It will be a full days drive from the Black Hills to Yellowstone, and Cody is worth a day itself. Part of the day driving really should include Devils Tower.

I've been to Yellowstone 3 times over the years, and there is always more to see. But for a first time driving about visit to Yellowstone allow at least 4 days, one day to tour each of the driving loops. Jackson is a fun town, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, hiking, Bar J Chuckwagon BarBQ (don't miss it), trail rides, so again at least 2 days, perhaps 4. Mount Rushmore and the Badlands is fun to tour. Mount Rushmore, not so much, up close and personal the carvings are dwarfed by the Nature around them. Custer State Park is fun and the entire area is one scenic drive after another.
Its all fun, you can't go wrong.
Happy Trails.

but I would delete one day and spend 3 days in the Tetons.

Why 3 days, instead of 2 days?


More info:
Leave Iowa: 10 hours drive(Overnight and slow on a Friday night) to Black Hills
3 nights Black Hills(Thinking Big Pines Campground)
1 overnight Billing MT(Campground- any suggestions?)
6 nights Yellowstone(Reservations made Fishing Bridge)
2 nights Grand Tetons(Thinking Colter Bay Village RV Park)
3 nights return trip(Thinking 2 night Cheyenne- Any campground suggestions, 1 night Grand Island, NE)

I cut Grand Tetons to 2 nights because I just do not see a lot to do there for us.

Please any thoughts on campgrounds or other suggestion would be great. I really want to reserve soon to be sure to get them reserved before full.



thanks for all the info so far,

Dean

When would you be staying in Cheyenne? If it's July 17-26, that's Frontier Days, and most everything has already been booked for a year.

Personally, for a 2-week trip I think your plans are great! You just can't keep adding things and those are highlights of the area so I can't see deleting any just to stay longer in one spot.

For the Tetons, I might recommend taking a gentle float trip in the park on the Snake River. You might even see a moose in the water with you! Even though you're not hikers, you could take a boat trip across Jenny Lake and hike to the waterfalls. There are other nice easy hikes which take you to lakes. The town of Jackson has a rodeo which would be fun. It also has major grocery stores for replenishing the pantry. There's a chairlift taking you to the ski resort. Colter RV park is the best place to stay if you want hookups. The Tetons are like a miniature Alps - beautiful.

For one of your Yellowstone days you might want to drive to Cody and take in a fantastic museum - high class.

Have a great trip.