Planning a trip out west next summer

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Here is what the Grand Tetons look like when there is a lot of smoke.

Here is what the Grand Tetons look with NO smoke.

Kaz wrote:
We're planning a similar trip, also for next summer. But your request is pretty broad: there are roughly infinity options for routes, stops, things to see, etc. Here is our route as it exists right now:



Stops include:

• Rocky Mountain NP
• Grand Tetons
• Yellowstone
• Glacier
• Little Big Horn
• Devil's Tower
• Mt. Rushmore
• Badlands

and then home.

We're in the process of identifying particular campgrounds, durations, and things to see and do at each step, but right now it looks like a 45-day trip, 5175 miles, and you don't want to know the cost. We use the 3:00/300 rule, so it's slow-going to and from.

We're also in Atlanta and would be happy to give you whatever would be helpful. Given that the discussion could run to volumes of text, though, it might be better to do it off-line. PM me and I can send you some more information.

Skip

Take stops 5; 6 and 7 off your routes. Head west at stop #23.

Also remove stops 12, 13 and 14...cause thats a big nothing!

Other than those particular spots...there is a multitude of stuff to see. Im hoping that you'll have all summer to see then!

Kaz wrote:
We're planning a similar trip, also for next summer. But your request is pretty broad: there are roughly infinity options for routes, stops, things to see, etc. Here is our route as it exists right now:



Stops include:

• Rocky Mountain NP
• Grand Tetons
• Yellowstone
• Glacier
• Little Big Horn
• Devil's Tower
• Mt. Rushmore
• Badlands

and then home.

We're in the process of identifying particular campgrounds, durations, and things to see and do at each step, but right now it looks like a 45-day trip, 5175 miles, and you don't want to know the cost. We use the 3:00/300 rule, so it's slow-going to and from.

We're also in Atlanta and would be happy to give you whatever would be helpful. Given that the discussion could run to volumes of text, though, it might be better to do it off-line. PM me and I can send you some more information.

Skip

Take stops 5; 6 and 7 off your routes. Head west at stop #23.

Also remove stops

I agree with "coolmom". CGs are very crowded during the mid-June to late August, while all the schoolkids are on summer break. Since we did go out in summer, we usually did shorter trips, leaving home Sunday morning and get to our chosen first-night CG just as the families with working parents had left. Often, if the trip was going to be longer than a week, we could get to Fridays's CG early afternoon and get to stay Saturday also.

From our viewpoint, Yellowstone and the Black Hills are "back East".

Go either early --late May into mid-June, or late--after Labor Day, if possible, to avoid crowds. Early also avoids fire season.

I would avoid as many large cities as possible for less stressful driving. Go into Nashville on I-24, take Briley Parkway around to I-24 on the north side of Nashville, go on up to Paducah, KY. Then go through central IL & cross the river at Moline. Pick your route west from there.

Unless you like tourist traps, don't waste your time in Wall Drug.

Check the dates of the Sturgis bike rally, and do not go for that week +/- 1 week, unless you like LOTS of obnoxious bike noise at every stop.

Once you nail down the stops you want to make, trip routing is easy with Good Trip Routing (free) http://www.goodsamclub.com/travel/freetriprouting/
You can also find campgrounds there. Check the campgrounds on www.rvparkreviews.com before you make your decision.
Don't miss:
Mount Rushmore (we liked the KOA in Hill City)
Cody, WY (several RV parks or you can stay at the one below)
Yellowstone (we stayed at Yellowstone Valley Inn RV Park about 35 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone)
Tetons - we love Dubois Wyoming KOA and drove into the Tetons.
Glacier National Park - we love Glacier Meadow RV Park in Essex MT. Don't miss Isaak Walton Inn.
From there you can drop back down into Colorado before heading home. Estes Park Colorado is neat.

As previously suggested be flexible in your planning, can't see much when there is so much smoke that it is even dangerous to drive. Several years ago, we spent 17 days in the smoke, could hardly see to drive let alone see the scenery.

Seems like a lot of togetherness which may work for some...
Do a search on this Forum for the places you think you might like to see, eg. `rushmore' and read on. There is a travel novel hidden in this Forum for you to access and learn from.
Adventure Caravans has a guided tour of the western parks that takes the entire month of September. They do all the hard work and the guests have all the fun. (we do NOT work for them!)

I've got a thread with a similar planning goal. I'm subscribed here!

We just returnedfrom a western trip as far as Gillette Wyoming. Do not miss:
Badlands
Mount Rushmore
Wall drug
Custer State Park and Needles drive
Deadwood
Maybe. Crazy Horse????
Devils Tower
Sturgis
We were there the end of June first two weeks of July and the weather was great. We actually visited RUSHMORE IN July 3 rd and the crowds were not bad.
Friends continued on to Yellowstone but we had to return for work.