2 week road trip from MI - What to see - what to skip

[ryandykhouse]

Planning a 2 week RV trip (class C) out west in early August. Traveling with 2 adults and 4 kids ages 15, 13, 9 and 6.

The two must see's on our list are Yellowstone and Grand Canyon.

Any input? Not afraid of driving. I don't want to be traveling every day but I know I'll also be anxious and feel like there's way too much to see to be in the same place for 3 days.

Thanks in advance!

Ryan

[Mandalay_Parr]

Yellowstone is big. Easily spend a few days there in the area. I recommend the Yellow Bus guided tours of Yellowstone. You see more and learn more. Yellowstone is so big they have two tours; southern half and northern half. The live bears and wolves in West Yellowstone are also worthwhile.

Also The Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole are just South of Yellowstone. Grand Canyon is good too. The kids need to get out and run around a bit.
Might consider the Black Hills also as you are driving through.

Good luck. Your time will go fast. Colorado is also a great place to visit.

[Busskipper]

ryandykhouse wrote:
Planning a 2 week RV trip (class C) out west in early August. Traveling with 2 adults and 4 kids ages 15, 13, 9 and 6.

The two must see's on our list are Yellowstone and Grand Canyon.

Any input? Not afraid of driving. I don't want to be traveling every day but I know I'll also be anxious and feel like there's way too much to see to be in the same place for 3 days.

Thanks in advance!

Ryan

As has been said Pick ONE - My suggestion is Yellowstone - with Rapid City/Mt Rushmore and the Tetons with a run through Colorado either coming or going, just to see what you can visit on the next trip.

Too many miles and really not many smiles in a 14 day two week trip to YNP and the GC.

Can it be done sure but the fun factor/vacation part is lost, especially for the Kids. Look this over this family did it often and crammed a lot in - might be a very informative site.

Will wait to see what you decide then give additional info,

Best of luck,

[trailertraveler]

With only two weeks, I would pick one or the other, take different routes going and returning and stop to see a few places along the way.

In the case of Yellowstone; along I-80, there is the Great Platte River Archway and Museum, Fort Kearny, and the original Cabela's in Sidney, NE which even has a campground.

If you were to take US-26 West from Ogallala, NE; there is Scotts Bluff National Monument, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Guernsey State Park, Register Cliff and Oregan Trail Ruts.

I-25 will take you to Casper and then US-20 will take you to Thermopolis where there is Hot Springs State Park, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, and the Legend Rock Petroglyph Site.

From Thermopolis, WY-120 will take you to Cody where there is the Buffalo Bill Center, Old Trail Town and the Nightly Rodeo. A loop of the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Highway with a stop in Red Lodge makes a nice day trip from Cody. Cody is not far from the East Entrance to Yellowstone.

Along I-90 are the Little Bighorn Battlefield, Devils Tower National Monument, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park and many other attractions in the Black Hills area.

A visit to Yellowstone should also include a visit to the adjacent Grand Teton National Park.

If you were to choose the Grand Canyon, there is a lot to see not that far away. In the Flagstaff area are Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument. Sedona/Camp Verde/Cottonwood are about an hour South of Flagstaff with Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments, Tuzigoot National Monument, Palatki and Honaki Ruins, V-Bar-V Heritage Site, Verde Canyon Railroad, Fort Verde State Park, Cathedral Rock, Gold King Mine, Jerome State Historic Park in the area.

East of Flagstaff along I-40 are Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater,Homolovi Ruins State Park and Winslow Arizona where you can stand on the corner.

[Mfan]

Welcome. We just learned that you are ambitious. I wouldn't attempt unless I had 3 weeks.