Mt Rushmore & Yellowstone

[danager]

I asked the kids where they wanted to go this summer and I was surprised to hear my 8 year old say "The mountain with the faces on it". We had been talking about visiting the Grand Canyon for a few years, this has been pushed back due to a couple trips back home to Michigan. Nope, no Grand Canyon this year... I am okay with this though, Mt Rushmore is just as good in my books.

A couple weeks later, I am speaking with my sister about our plans. I was still unsure of the dates and details. She mentioned her husband would be off for shutdown late June/early July. Well, we landed on our dates in a matter of minutes. Sister and brother-in-law driving out from Detroit, while the kids and I drive down from Edmonton.

The kids need a pool, I like full hook ups, a fire ring and a couple trees. We do some off the grid camping, I just like the big trips to be stress free. So we all agreed on a KOA. We have the TT, including all the gear we would normally have. My sister and brother-in-law have rented a cabin. Meals will be together, taking turns cooking on our site.

We will be there for a week, the itinerary is set, one "down" day out of 5. I have a list of alternatives should we get rained out of a venue or if we are just not in the mood for what we have planned.

I could't bear the thought of driving past Yellowstone on our way home. So I planned a second week there. West Entrance KOA. Once again, it has everything we want. I am just now planning our day trips. There is so much to see, I have to try to keep the kids satisfied. There are the few landmarks we must see, we have not landed on a final list or schedule yet. I do owe my oldest a root beer for catching a mistake I made. I booked Yellowstone for June instead of July! I called to change the dates today, Steve @ KOA mentioned this happens a few times each year.

We will be visiting Old Faithful, walking the area and having lunch at the Inn. We have another day planned on the North Loop. The Upper/Lower Falls, Artists Point, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Any suggestions for sites and activities with a 9, 11 & 14 year old?

I am really looking forward to this trip. I have so much to do to the trailer to feel prepared, my list is getting longer each week. It should begin to warm up next week, so the work can begin. I have some repairs to make, some upgrades/mods finish as well. Between my work and travel schedule, the window for this work is smaller than I would prefer. In the end, I know it will all be worth it. I am really looking forward to this trip!

[Bighorns]

Getting excited after reading this post. My daughter & I are headed that way in 3 days. First stop is a weekend in Wyoming for Frontier Days and then onto Custer! Have fun on your trip!

Heading to frontier days also on Friday. Staying at the Terry Bison Ranch RV Park. Have fun...

[Uppercrust]

Getting excited after reading this post. My daughter & I are headed that way in 3 days. First stop is a weekend in Wyoming for Frontier Days and then onto Custer! Have fun on your trip!

[danager]

We got home last night, I have spent the day relaxing from the long drive (45 hours round trip, plus all the day trips...).

Wow! We had an amazing time. I had so much on my list, contingency plans for contingency plans, no time for half of it. A few things that I "took a chance on" worked out well. We all had a blast at the Chuck Wagon Dinner Show. Dinner at Old Faithful Inn was a noter treat. The kids were happy with all there was to do when we stopped. I would say all the driving, and a few days of this, proved to burn out the two youngest. I was happy to abandon the last day of planned activities to spend a day at the pool instead.

The KOA in Hill City - Mount Rushmore, was the best campground I have stayed at. There were activities all day every day. No need to register in advance, just walk up and participate. We got a site adjacent to the "Fun Zone", two sites away from my sister and brother in law as well. We had great neighbours, friendly, tidy, quiet after hours. There were a couple intense storm while we were there. Hail and high winds claimed a few people's belongings. We did see an awning converted into an RV cover. No people were hurt, and at least one family has a heck of a story.

I was not as impressed with the offerings at the KOA in West Yellowstone. I realize that the campground was virtually empty during the day, there was little to keep you there. When I do this again, I will stay in the park. It was 45 minutes from our site to anything inside YNP. I try to steer clear of the tourist traps in the city. Here we found great pizza, our favourites at the DQ and even reasonably priced groceries.

The kids brought home some unique souvenirs. Switchblade combs, friendship bracelets, candy sticks and pencils quickly consumed the budget. We managed to save a few bucks for post cards and keychains. We had some old west photos done, they are a hit so far. I took a few thousand photos, including nearly 5 good ones!

The kids were happy to get home. They missed their mom and dog. Everybody was happy to sleep in their own bed last night. I go back to work tomorrow. I will spend the next few evenings putting together a few photo albums and videos. Already looking forward to the next trip.

[Bighorns]

Hope you & family have a good time. Weather is finally starting to look like summer here. It has been kind of a wet spring & early summer, but things are looking beautiful here. With all of the rain things are very green. We have made it camping once this spring which was 2 weeks ago and it was a little cool the first night(34 degrees ). Glad the heater worked...even though it was cool and rainy it was still better than work!! Drive safe and enjoy..

[danager]

Well, this trip is a little more than a week away and I have started the countdown. 3 more days of school for the kids, 8 more days of work for dad!

I booked our chuck wagon dinner show and finalized the meals with my sister last night. Officially added Wall SD to the itinerary as well. The kids will enjoy a trip to pan for gold with their Aunt and Uncle.

Yellowstone plans are coming together as well. We will spend a day by Old Faithful. See the show, have lunch at the Inn and take in a Ranger Program. I plan to hit up some of the other touristy sites, but more going with the flow...

I have completed a lot of repairs and maintenance on the TT this summer. Tires, brakes, bearings, outside shower, LED awning strip, A/V wiring, and various paint touch ups. I still need to find a welder to replace a bent stabilizer jack. I will likely replace the brake pads on the TV before we leave, don't want any surprises on the road.

I will report back and post a couple pictures when we return!

Dan

[awoodwaring]

We are doing a similar trip. 🙂 We'll wave as we drive by. 🙂

We plan on seeing Bear Country, feeding the burros at Custer State Park, attending the ranger talks at Yellowstone, random hikes and visiting all of the visitor centers we pass. We love the information they have, and my kids collect the passport stamps. We only have 3 days at each, as it is just part of a 3 week trip.

[danager]

Thanks for the replies! As mentioned, I am looking for suggestions that will make the final cut as well as those that should be short listed.

Children will be children, and despite my best efforts to recreate my youth, I must accept that it is 2014. I am divorced, so trips like this need to cater to all four of us when possible. The kids are happy to see me slip into my regular Spring routine of summerizing the trailer and working on the few projects that prepare us for the upcoming camp tin season.

We are now debating whether or not we should take the bicycles with us. It seems to me as though the CGs we are staying in are well suited to walking. Your thoughts are welcome here as well.

[michigansandzil]

Your trip sounds fantastic!
We plan to do the same in 2 years time. The kids will be 7, 11, 13 then.

Last week we returned from 7 days at the Smokies and we all had a great time but I have to admit that my kids quickly tired with "looking at trees on a mountain." They liked seeing the cannons at civil war sites we visited (chickamauga) but the junior ranger programs and informational/educational material we learned together about the war nearly bored them to tears.
This experience has made me question just how well a Yellowstone trip will go. Am I going to spend 3 days driving to hear my kids be unenthusiastic when they've seen their 12th buffalo? Were an outdoorsy family and enjoy visiting nature but I think like you, I would choose to stay at the koa and let them swim everyday when the novelty of the area wears off. They are children after all, not adults and can't be expected to appreciate things like adults do, even if we encourage them. I would like to visit little bighorn when we're in the area, but I think that will have to wait for an adult only trip!
If you get a chance, post again when you've returned and let us know what kid activities your family enjoyed.

[campersuzid]

Not sure if it was suggested but I would recommend a swim in Firehole River in that canyon. Check the park map for the road. You'll recognize the swim area by all the cars in the parked in designated parking slots. Take a lunch and wear sturdy shoes.

[PghBob]

If your schedule permits, consider driving east on the Interstate from Rapid City to Badlands National Park (about an hour). Not only is the landscape beautiful in a way, but the kids are permitted to climb around certain areas. We've been there several times, and when our kids were young teens they couldn't wait to get out and scramble over the hills. Additionally, you may spot different kinds of animals as you drive along the park. And when you exit, you will be very near Wall, home to Wall Drug. As noted in an earlier post, the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody is first-rate and is affiliated with the Smithsonian. I think the kids will enjoy that as well. Finally, nothing beats seeing the critters in Yellowstone in their habitat. Remember, they live there and are only letting you visit. By the way, it can snow any month in Yellowstone and nothing beats the year my kids built a snowman in late June.

Bob

[tothetrail]

danager wrote:

tothetrail wrote:
I'm not sure if you know about the National Park Passport stamp program.

My sister and I started our passports in 1990! I left mine behind when I moved to Canada. She is looking for it in some boxes stored in the garage. I hope to dust it off and add a few new stamps to the collection. I also plan to start this with the kids. We go to the US almost every summer, could be the start of something fun.

I know I am passing by some great stuff on the way there and back. I wish I had two months and unlimited funds...

Awesome! Hope you guys have a blast!

[wcbass]

Be sure to take advantage of the Ranger led programs in Yellowstone. Kids love them! There is so much more to Yellowstone than driving the loops. There are many hikes suitable for youngsters. Also, check out the Junior Ranger program at the Visitor Center. Each Visitor Center has a different theme...be sure to visit all of them, and talk to the rangers. You don't really see Yellowstone until you get off the asphalt. Have a great time!

[danager]

tothetrail wrote:
I'm not sure if you know about the National Park Passport stamp program. Each unit if the National Park system (401 total units) has a unique stamp that has a changeable date. There can be multiple stamps at the different visitor centers. Especially Yellowstone, there are many different stamps there.

They sell a Passport Book (around $8 or so) and it has space for stamps from each region. This would be a fun thing for your kids to collect at each park. Once you have the passport book, the stamps are free at all the parks. Then they have a record of the date they visited each park.

You'll actually be passing Jewel Cave National Park on the way to Yellowstone. And also Devil's Tower National Monument. And if you want to stop by them, there are several others on your way back to Edmonton. There's Little Bighorn National Battlefield, Big Hole National Battlefield, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Grant Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, and even Glacier National Park. I believe that all of these sites have a "Junior Ranger Program" where the kids get to do a bunch of fun activities and earn a Junior Ranger Badge, a certificate, and sometimes a patch or other item from the park.

I am on a quest to visit all 401 units and collect a stamp from each one. I am at 353 now. I sure wish I would have started collecting those stamps when I was a kid.

My sister and I started our passports in 1990! I left mine behind when I moved to Canada. She is looking for it in some boxes stored in the garage. I hope to dust it off and add a few new stamps to the collection. I also plan to start this with the kids. We go to the US almost every summer, could be the start of something fun.

I know I am passing by some great stuff on the way there and back. I wish I had two months and unlimited funds...

[Horsedoc]

wknocke wrote:
We are planning a trip to Black Hills and Yellowstone . Planning to stay in Hardin (at the north gate) and spending 4 days, then on to Grand Teton. Is there a reason map quest routs me out and over rather than thru the park. I have a 35ft DP with a CRv Toad. If any locals have suggestions I would be happy to hear!
thanks
Wayne

Hardin?? Perhaps Gardiner? Hardin is the east a considerable distance

The north entrance road is narrow and has a few switchbacks coming from the Roosevelt Gate in Gardiner into Mammoth. The road either on the east or west side of the loop out of Mammoth is narrow and crooked. It is doable with a MN and towed, but not pleasant for you or those on the road meeting or following you.
It is a lot of fun to pull out and have lunch in the coach and take a nap however.