Bucket List trip

Whatever it takes to get there, Yellowstone is worth it! Go for it!

Tetons too. Custer on the next trip. You will be back.

I remember the time thing, but retired 3 years ago.

To see lots of wildlife I agree with some of the others, either Yellowstone or the Black Hills with Custer State Park. You will have a hard drive, but with school aged in the family you are probably young enough to do it. Just be careful, and remember they fine truck drivers for doing this. Avoid the Sturgis area when the bikers are in town, unless that is the reason for your tip. They take up all the hotel rooms and camping spots for quit a ways around.

A good way to see Yellowstone is to stay in Gardner Mt. You can pick up Momma in Billings, Mt. on the way. I think you can still get flights to Billings. At least 2 campgrounds open in Gardner in 2011. One is maybe 5 minutes to the park gate. Then you can just drive and hike all day. We enjoyed it, but we stayed over a week. Do not miss the Tetons. If you are Catholic go to Mass at the little log church in Teton park. We got a Bishop for a Saturday Mass on his vacation. Really neat in a small crowd. Never met a Bishop while wearing my shot pants and ball cap (outside) before. Nice guy, from Chicago.

I hope you have enough time ahead to get more than one bucket list trip. Good luck and a safe journey.

All that way for 6 days! Nuts! But that is my JMHO having just returned from the mountain states to the East Coast, allowing 5 days for the one way trip.

As pointed out 2 days are lost shuttling to & from airports, never mind a weather day & to & from the only one attraction area that there only just might be time for.

Finding sites within a NP, NFS or SPs for a rig that size is not going to be easy meaning that the camping experience will likely be just as it is at any other commercial CG anywhere in the country & not necessarily close to the attractions you want to see, e.g. staying in West Yellowstone & commuting into the park is a time consuming hike.

Then there is the little matter of fuel burned commuting across the country & what will be the return on all of that expense.

Sorry, but JMO, leave the trip till you have plenty of time.

knshook wrote:
We did one of our bucket list vacations this summer. We went to Yellowstone, Teton NP and many other attractions. We saw plentiful wildlife,especially in Yellowstone and Tetons.
Are you planning one long trip? How long do you plan to travel? There are many things you could see,and plenty of places to stay-depending on your time line. In just Wyoming, Montana and S.Dakota we saw: Yellowstone,Teton NP, Buffalo Bill Wild West Museum,Beartooth Highway,Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, Little Bighorn, Devil's Tower,Pompey's Pillar, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial,Custer State Park, Needles Scenic Drive, Badlands,Deadwood. We towed a 33 ' FW. On this trip we stayed where we could have full hook up.
In Teton NP we stayed at Colter Bay RV park, Yellowstone-Fishing Bridge RV park. To see Wild West Museum, Beartooth Hwy and Chief Joseph scenic Hwy we stayed in Cody, Wy at Ponderosa RV. To see Little Bighorn and Pompey's Pillar we stayed in Hardin,Montana at Grandview RV park. In S.Dakota we stayed at Rafter J. Bar Ranch Resort (our favorite) and from there we saw Rushmore,Crazy Horse, Badlands,Custer State Park, Deadwood, Needles scenic Drive, Devil's Tower, Deadwood.
We stayed five days in Teton NP, 9 days in Yellowstone, four days in Cody, three days in Hardin and 8 days in S. Dakota.
Since this was a major bucket list for us we didn't mind the expense of paying for FHU. That might not be your choice but hope the info helps.
This forum was a great asset as we researched our trip. So I'm sure you will get lots of helpful suggestions. How ever you do it, good luck and happy travels.

That is the trip I will be planning in a few years. Thanks for the info.

If you have never visited Great Smoky Mountain National Park, it too is wonderful. We have been to Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons, Yosemite , Moab, Oregon coast and the Smokies are almost my favorite. That would be a more doable trip in the short amount of time you have. Just a thought...

dahkota wrote:
With only 6 days, coming from Cleveland, my suggestion would be to plan to spend all of that time in South Dakota. It'll take you two days to get there, two days to get back, leaving you the 6 days for relaxation.
You can visit Rushmore, Deadwood, Custer State Park (huge!) The black hills, the badlands, Wind Cave National Park, maybe a day trip over to devil's tower. Your itinerary will be completely full just in this small area, which is a very beautiful part of the country.

Best of luck in your planning! Just remember, a truck drives a lot faster than a truck pulling a 5er. Plan on averaging about 50 MPH with stops.

We did this trip two years ago. Had an awesome time. Planning on going back maybe next year. Stayed at Beaver Lake Campground. Owned by a member here. We were treated like family. Spent I think it was 5 nights and still didn't see everything. Definately don't try to do everything on your list. Do all your research and plan to be flexible. The South Dakota part of your bucket list trip is doable in 6 days IMHO. Good luck, John

downtheroad wrote:
Oregon Coast...

X2
Oregon has some great State Parks on the coast. It is just a bit further. :)

For future bucket list trips oregon coast and central California coast. Wildlife = whales sealions etc.

With only 6 days, coming from Cleveland, my suggestion would be to plan to spend all of that time in South Dakota. It'll take you two days to get there, two days to get back, leaving you the 6 days for relaxation.
You can visit Rushmore, Deadwood, Custer State Park (huge!) The black hills, the badlands, Wind Cave National Park, maybe a day trip over to devil's tower. Your itinerary will be completely full just in this small area, which is a very beautiful part of the country.

Best of luck in your planning! Just remember, a truck drives a lot faster than a truck pulling a 5er. Plan on averaging about 50 MPH with stops.

garysol wrote:
We will have 6 days total camping time plus driving days. I plan to drive west for 2 or 3 days then the misses will fly out to meet me for the 6 days then she will have to fly back home while I make the drive....

It's suppose to be a vacation...this sounds more like work to me.
I'd re-plan your plan and trim it down some.

Anyway, whatever you decide to do, enjoy the trip.