Thanks for all of the advice.
I guess I should have specified that I don't intend to spend all of those days in Yellowstone. We'll have 10 days for vacation in total. Hopefully 2 in Tetons, 3 in the Black Hills, and 5 in Yellowstone.
It doesn't really shorten the drive though. We'll have a "stop" in the Black Hills that's one day closer to home, but we'll still have to drive one day to the Black Hills from Yellowstone and then two days home.
We've had a few trips where we drive 650 miles in one day and we can do it without issue. It's the 3 consecutive days to get there that have me questioning the drive. 3 big kids can't sleep in the back of the truck. The seats don't recline, where does the middle person sleep, etc.
This last week we did:
Day 1: 470 miles in 8 hours, expressway driving
Day 2: Explore the area
Day 3: 270 miles on county roads in 6 hours, we were tired of driving by this point
Day 4-7: Camped
Day 5: 470 miles in 11 hours on county roads. UGH!!! Too much driving
Day 6-7: Camped
Day 8: 2.5 hours on the expressway home, fast without stops and it felt like a super quick easy drive.
My oldest son will be 14 next summer. How much time do I have until he has college summer classes, a job, etc. We can't wait for longer vacation time to become available because we aren't changing careers.
Is it worth it to go to these places with this pace? I guess that's what I'm really asking.
Will I regret not taking my family to Yellowstone/Tetons/Black Hills because I didn't want to drive for 3 days to get there?
