Trip planning input / help request

Personally, I wouldn't go out of your way for Devil's Tower. Yes, it's a neat landmark but unless you're a rock climber, there's not a lot to do there. You could save it for another trip to the Mount Rushmore area. Add the time to the Tetons or Yellowstone.

Route yourself coming into Wyoming and taking I-80 and then 287 at Rawlins into the Tetons. Both are good for RVs.

Otherwise, your new plan is great!

Ive been doing a bit more research and planning and have made some adjustments. I don't have the specific overnight campgrounds, but will add them later.

Day 1, leave on Friday after work drive for about 5 hours and stay in MO.

Day 2 Make it to the far side of Nebraska. About 8 hours of driving.

Day 3 - go a little out of the way, but stay at Devils Tower. Ever since seeing Close Encounters as a kid I've wanted to see it.

Day 4 - stay put, see Devils Tower,

Day 5 make it to Colters Bay in the Grand Tetons

Day 5-7 Enjoy the Grand Tetons

Day 8 head to Fishing Bridge / Yellowstone around lunch

Days 9-11 Yellowstone

Day 12 - Head home, make it to mid Nebraska

Day 13 - Almost there,Missouri.

Day 14 - back home.

Was debating whether to skip DT and spend an extra day at GT or Yellowstone, but it just seems too neat not to see it. Maybe even spend the morning of day 4 there and drive to Rushmore for the afternoon since its only 2 hours and I wouldn't be towing.

This should have all "driving days" at 8 hours or less, I think 1 day is between 8&9 hours.

4runnerguy wrote:

Ranger431 wrote:
Think I'll look at paring down the trip down a bit and focus on Yellowstone and GT this year, maybe follow up with separate trips the the GC and 4 surrounding areas & Rushmore / Custer for future stops.

Good move! It's a long trip west and your kids will get more out of it if they're out of the truck and in the outdoors. One can easily spend all of the time you have (6-10 days?) in GTNP and YNP. So very much to see and do. My mother worked at one of the curio shops near Old Faithful for 10 years and always found something new to do every year.

Definitely split the camping between the two parks, as "commuting" every day would eat big time into every day.

At GTNP, take the boat across Jenny Lake and do some walking up Cascade Creek. Look for moose in the evening in marshy areas. I would split my time 1/3 GTNP, 2/3rds YNP (or more).

At YNP, stop at the Visitors Center at Old Faithful and look at the predicted eruption times for some of the major geysers and plan your day in the geyser basins around those times. Take a hike down into the canyon and view the falls from there. Check out the trout swimming below Fishing Bridge. FB CG is the only one with hookups in the park, and staying in the park means less driving every day. But another option is to stay at a CG w/o hookups but with showers (Canyon or Grant Village). That way you can shower when needed. You won't need electricity for a/c, as it just doesn't get that warm there. You also may find you don't spend much time at your campsite, as there as so many things to see and program and hikes to do.

I would also agree with leaving the dogs behind. They can't go on any of the trails and you wouldn't want to leave them behind in the trailer and have to go back in the middle of the day to let them out.

X2 -- Great advice - and If at all possible get someone to watch the dogs at home - they will be happier and in YNP they would really not have fun sitting in the Trailer.

Ranger431 wrote:
Think I'll look at paring down the trip down a bit and focus on Yellowstone and GT this year, maybe follow up with separate trips the the GC and 4 surrounding areas & Rushmore / Custer for future stops.

Good move! It's a long trip west and your kids will get more out of it if they're out of the truck and in the outdoors. One can easily spend all of the time you have (6-10 days?) in GTNP and YNP. So very much to see and do. My mother worked at one of the curio shops near Old Faithful for 10 years and always found something new to do every year.

Definitely split the camping between the two parks, as "commuting" every day would eat big time into every day.

At GTNP, take the boat across Jenny Lake and do some walking up Cascade Creek. Look for moose in the evening in marshy areas. I would split my time 1/3 GTNP, 2/3rds YNP (or more).

At YNP, stop at the Visitors Center at Old Faithful and look at the predicted eruption times for some of the major geysers and plan your day in the geyser basins around those times. Take a hike down into the canyon and view the falls from there. Check out the trout swimming below Fishing Bridge. FB CG is the only one with hookups in the park, and staying in the park means less driving every day. But another option is to stay at a CG w/o hookups but with showers (Canyon or Grant Village). That way you can shower when needed. You won't need electricity for a/c, as it just doesn't get that warm there. You also may find you don't spend much time at your campsite, as there as so many things to see and program and hikes to do.

I would also agree with leaving the dogs behind. They can't go on any of the trails and you wouldn't want to leave them behind in the trailer and have to go back in the middle of the day to let them out.

Let the kids watch "Close Encounters" then take them to Devils Tower. In the Rushmore area, Don't miss the Crazy Horse monument. Laser show at night. Rushmore, an all day trip, plus the nighttime show. Custer state park, whatever you do if there is a burro nearby DON'T roll down a window!! Funniest show in the park, someone trying to get a burro head out of a car.

If you do decide you want to stay at Colter Bay RV Campground and Fishing Bridge RV Campground (the only ones with hookups in the parks) you need to make reservations now.

Ranger431 wrote:
Appreciate all the feedback, and I think there's a lot of wisdom in these posts - thank you. Unfortunately, its too bad I have limited vacation ;)

Think I'll look at paring down the trip down a bit and focus on Yellowstone and GT this year, maybe follow up with separate trips the the GC and 4 surrounding areas & Rushmore / Custer for future stops. Kind of stinks you lose 2-3 days each way just getting there. We've made long pulls of 12 or so hours in a day on numerous occasions, but upon further consideration I don't think stringing 6-7 of these over a 2 week vacation would be real relaxing ;)
!

I think you can do more than Yellowstone/Grand Teton, just not as much as you had before. I've done three 30 day crosscountry trips with grand ambitions on stops. I had the advantage of not having to backtrack because they were part of military moves.

We did YNP/GT in four days. We had five planned a blowout cost a day and you need to plan for such things. I'll go back for two weeks one day but four let us see the major sites. We do run hard days. Out of campground by 8am and back after dark. I'm out earlier and come back for the family.

We weren't impressed with Rushmore but I want to give it a second chance given the folks here love it. We drove through Custer and it would have been real impressive had we not just left YNP.

Pick a bob and weave route to and from YNP and look for options along the way. Badlands, Cody, WY, etc. We try to do something local in every state we pass through if we haven't visited it before.

I agree with you have too much driving packed into all you want to see. The kids will get bored if all you do is pull into campgrounds late evenings and there is no time to relax and play, just have dinner and go to bed? Have you included them in the planning? Ask each one to pick out something they might want to see or do, it will be a good geography lesson disguised as trip planning help, let alone they may think you care about what THEY actually want. And YOU don't want grumpy kids.

You're trying to see too much in too short a time. While the Grand Canyon can be seen in a day,Yellowstone would take several days.There is also alot to see in the Black Hills.Badlands National Park,Wall Drug,Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore to name a few.

Appreciate all the feedback, and I think there's a lot of wisdom in these posts - thank you. Unfortunately, its too bad I have limited vacation ;)

Think I'll look at paring down the trip down a bit and focus on Yellowstone and GT this year, maybe follow up with separate trips the the GC and 4 surrounding areas & Rushmore / Custer for future stops. Kind of stinks you lose 2-3 days each way just getting there. We've made long pulls of 12 or so hours in a day on numerous occasions, but upon further consideration I don't think stringing 6-7 of these over a 2 week vacation would be real relaxing ;)

Seems like Colter Bay in GT is the place to stay - any other CG's I should consider?

As for Yellowstone, I seem to be leaning towards Fishing Bridge, but the earlier post about Grizzley seems interesting as well. But being "in the park" sure has its appeal

Our TT is 35' - as you might imagine having 6 kids...

Thanks again for all the help!