Trip Planning: The Perfect Family Trip 2016!

[tragusa3]

Hello to all my friends here that have shared in our first, "The Perfect Family Trip". At the time, we thought that may be a one time shot. We are terribly excited to say that we have had a permanent change in our work that will allow us to have repeat after repeat!

Here's the link to the first trip. Trip Report: The Perfect Family Trip

I remember several commenting that the word "perfect" was inappropriate and not synonymous with road trips. Since our first lived up to the word in every way, keeping it in my thread title seemed fitting.

I look forward to having all your input and help in planning our Summer 2016. Reservations are key to us having a stress free trip, so we need to get an itinerary put together soon!

Here's our initial thoughts: Leave SC around June 7th, 2016 and have 6 weeks with a possible 7th if it is needed.

-Badlands
-Hot Springs
-Wind Cave
-Custer SP
-Mt. Rushmore
-Little Big Horn
-Yellowstone
-Tetons
-Glacier (optional...might be too far out for us?)

Looks like about 4500 miles round trip for us. We did 6,000 last summer and were fine with it.

I haven't researched enough to know how much time at each park yet. I'm thinking that Yellowstone is the cornerstone of the trip and deserves about 10 days. If Glacier works in, I think a large block there too, being that it's so far.

Planning with you guys was so much fun, let's start throwing out ideas, suggestions and comments!

[EcoBullet]

No, don't charge them to the trip! The new tires should be good for 60K and the trip is only about 4K, so only $80 goes to the trip.

[tragusa3]

They are...well...let's toast to adding another $1200 to the trip budget!

[EcoBullet]

tragusa3 wrote:
They have 28k on them now (stock tires). I'm guessing that by the time we leave for the trip, the trip would be the last 6k miles of their life. I'm pretty sure everyone would agree to not do a long trip like this on the end of a tires life. It's not your money, after all. 🙂

If they are Goodyear Wranglers like mine came with, you probably won't have any problem deciding about replacement by trip time. I only got about 33K, and I kept them aired, rotated, and babied.

[tragusa3]

Thanks for the input. I always hit the active button when I come to the site. I see anything that has current conversation.

For ease of using this forum as a tool to help me, it is better to have everything in one location. There may be better ways to get higher traffic, but I'm going to stick to this so I have one place to come to. Heck, the forum police would start commenting that I have too many threads if I did otherwise. Can't make everyone happy.

The only thing exciting with trip planning right now is that I am trying to decide if my current truck tires are up to the task. I want to move up to LT tires, but hoping not to give up my current tires until I've gotten all the value out of them. They have 28k on them now (stock tires). I'm guessing that by the time we leave for the trip, the trip would be the last 6k miles of their life. I'm pretty sure everyone would agree to not do a long trip like this on the end of a tires life. It's not your money, after all. 🙂

[CloudDriver]

2gypsies wrote:

Naio wrote:

CloudDriver wrote:


To the OP - This is an old thread and only those who replied or subscribed to it in the past see it.

You must be using an interface I'm unfamiliar with.

For those of us viewing the forum with an ordinary web browser, this thread shows up for everybody who looks at Active Topics anytime there is a new post, and Campgrounds and Attractions all the time.

But it's true that an old title might make people think there is nothing new, here :).

I use the 'Newest' since my last viewing and any new posts or replies by anyone come up. It makes for fast scanning of posts I want to open. You don't have to 'subscribe' to this post at all and you don't have to 'reply' to this post to see any new posts by anyone else. Try it. I think you'll like this easy way to view only new posts/replies. You do have to be 'logged in' to your username/password to see any new posts/replies.

Interesting... That's not how it has ever worked for me. I always log on to "Newest" and once there I only see the new threads that have been started in the previous 24 hours. In "My Forums" I see the threads that I have either started myself, have posted a reply to or Subscribed to, nothing else. If I delete an old thread from the list in My Forums, I would have to search for it to find it again. Threads that I have deleted from My Forums don't show up again just because someone makes a new post to them.

[2gypsies1]

Naio wrote:

CloudDriver wrote:


To the OP - This is an old thread and only those who replied or subscribed to it in the past see it.

You must be using an interface I'm unfamiliar with.

For those of us viewing the forum with an ordinary web browser, this thread shows up for everybody who looks at Active Topics anytime there is a new post, and Campgrounds and Attractions all the time.

But it's true that an old title might make people think there is nothing new, here :).

I use the 'Newest' since my last viewing and any new posts or replies by anyone come up. It makes for fast scanning of posts I want to open. You don't have to 'subscribe' to this post at all and you don't have to 'reply' to this post to see any new posts by anyone else. Try it. I think you'll like this easy way to view only new posts/replies. You do have to be 'logged in' to your username/password to see any new posts/replies.

[Naio]

CloudDriver wrote:


To the OP - This is an old thread and only those who replied or subscribed to it in the past see it.

You must be using an interface I'm unfamiliar with.

For those of us viewing the forum with an ordinary web browser, this thread shows up for everybody who looks at Active Topics anytime there is a new post, and Campgrounds and Attractions all the time.

But it's true that an old title might make people think there is nothing new, here :).

[CloudDriver]

tragusa3 wrote:
I was hoping for some suggestions on making that Glacier leg more worthwhile. Not that Glacier itself isn't worth it! Anyone else have a suggested route for the Glacier part that puts a few more destinations along the way?

To the OP - This is an old thread and only those who replied or subscribed to it in the past see it.

If you want more responses to your new question, make a new post and reference this post for background info. for those reading.

[Murphsmom]

TyroneandGladys wrote:
IMHO a must see stop is The Mammoth Site

X2 on that one. It is fascinating. I don't remember how old your kids are, but there is a program geared to kids. The tour is very interesting. Everything is inside under cover, so the weather isn't a factor here.

We were in that area at the end of May last year. The weather was a little bit of everything...rain, snow, wind and beautiful sunshine.

[rollingslow]

I would not miss the crazy horse memorial its not done but still worth seeing

[welove2drive]

I love your map! Trip planning is my therapy while not camping. I just have some info for our area. In case you need to stop in IL or MO.
Benton, IL - Rend Lake "Wayne Fitzgerrell SP" is close to the Interstate. Electric. Fill your tank on arrival.
If you need to go further north, Carlyle, IL - Carlyle Lake, take Route 127 North). "Dam West" is a corp. park, nicely groomed, some FHU or electric, you should be able to get a site M-W w/o a reservation. We always stay at "Eldon Hazlet SP" up the road(our weekend retreat), 300+ sites, electric, pool, very wooded, beautiful lake. Best sites to reserve are 7, 8 and 9 on the water. You only need a reservation on a holiday weekend.
Herod, IL "Garden of the Gods Rec. Area" is a little out of the way but such a cool place! There are 12 sites in the pines, no electric, hand pump water, no showers, $10/night deposit in drop box. No reservations. It may get full on weekends.
Hannibal, MO, "all about Mark Twain", "Mark Twain Lake SP" is nice, electric, we were there in 1998 and there were a lot of Whipporwills singing at night. Very cool!
St. Louis area:
St. Charles, MO, "Sundermeier RV Park" right in town, pricey $63/night (location, location)this is a Lewis & Clark historic town. Edmund Babler SP near Chesterfield, MO is just to the south of St. Charles. $21/night, electric. wooded. Nice SP.
And since you are not a local, for your safety, drive I-70 through St. Louis during the day and don't stop in between St. Charles and Fairview Heights, IL. Honestly, I-70 goes through the worst parts of the whole St. Louis Metro (North St. Louis and East St. Louis). You get to go over the new Stan Musial/Veterans Memorial Bridge!
Have a wonderful and safe trip!
Marcia

[2gypsies1]

If you're interested in excellent ghost towns, you might try to work in Virginia City, Montana around Ennis, MT and 287. It would be out of West Yellowstone and a little north. It's fun to be there when they have a lot of old-time demonstrations going on - weaving, candlemaking, etc. The two-story outhouse is interesting, too!

[EcoBullet]

tragusa3 wrote:
I was hoping for some suggestions on making that Glacier leg more worthwhile. Not that Glacier itself isn't worth it! Anyone else have a suggested route for the Glacier part that puts a few more destinations along the way?

If you decide to make the loop around the west side, like I suggested, you can also go check out the Smokejumper Base in Missoula. Smokejumper Base

[jalichty]

Busskipper, that would certainly add a lot of miles to the trip and, by the way, Flaming Gorge is not in Colorado, it's in Utah and Wyoming.

[tragusa3]

Busskipper, we did Colorado on our previous trip. We'll be back some day, but not next summer. Thanks for the input.