Yellowstone/Tetons, Spearfish/ Rushmore

[Venturer]

Hey folks , I've been starting to look at travel plans for this spring/summer. My DW wanted to go to Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore pulling our 5th wheel. As I got deeper into it I'm not so sure about trying to do all those on the same trip. When I told her she said we don't have to be back in 2 weeks anymore! I am not ready to live in my camper full time. Now my question for the ones here that have camped or just road tripped it this itinerary. From say Chattanooga Tn. head out to The Yellowstone area averaging 300 mi. a day. Set up some where 1/2 way between YS and Tetons for 7 to 10 days and do places there. Then head for South Dakota stopping mabe 1/2 way for a night or 2, and set up near Spearfish for 7 to 10 days to see stuff around there. Am I being to optimistic in my sight seeing plans or allowing too much time. I do know that since 2020 the campgrounds are harder to find but last year our Texas trip we made reservations where we wanted to stay to sight see and just winged it on the travel time making reservations on the fly. We have always been weekend warriors when we had campers before but things are different now. Thanks in advance for any insight on this.

 

[AZ2020]

I'm with your wife on this one. Plan on being away for the whole summer. You don't need to be back in 2 weeks.

Last summer we took a 3 week trip in our car that turned into 5 months on the road. Every day was an adventure!

Make sure everything is taken care of back home. You don't want to worry about the house/yard/etc. while you are gone.

 

[bigcmagor]

It's such a brutal drive to get that far west, you'll want to spend a month and see as much as you can. We drove out to Yellowstone in 2020 from Indiana and spent a week. Drove out again last year and spent a month. Our trip included the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Page Arizona, Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Moab, Zion, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. About 5,500 miles total. We were ready to be home after a month. Not sure how people live in motorhomes indefinitely.

 

[audreyh1]

Loved Custer State park in SD and from there we visited Mount Rushmore twice driving some crazy spiral roads between them. Really enjoyed the mountain goats at Mount Rushmore. Custer state park lodge had quite the fine dining featuring game. Delicious!

Driving from Tetons to Custer state park we stopped at Devils Tower for a few hours. That was cool.

Love Tetons, maybe even more than Yellowstone NP, but have visited both several times. Both need plenty of time.

Big difference between 2 weeks and full time.

If you are trying to do something in two weeks you had better fly to your destination.

 

[Ronstar]

It's such a brutal drive to get that far west, you'll want to spend a month and see as much as you can. We drove out to Yellowstone in 2020 from Indiana and spent a week. Drove out again last year and spent a month. Our trip included the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Page Arizona, Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Moab, Zion, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. About 5,500 miles total. We were ready to be home after a month. Not sure how people live in motorhomes indefinitely.

Would recommend this ^. 5000 miles without Glacier or 5600 miles with Glacier from Chattanooga. And I would plan on being away from home 4-6 weeks. And I would start booking now. Places are filling up for this summer.

We've done several road trips (no camping) and I wish I would have taken more time on some instead of having to go back again and again. We're going to Yellowstone this summer for the 4th time. Should have stayed there longer the first 2 times.

 

[wearefinishedworking]

Colter Bay campground in the Tetons was spectacular. Our son camped and we rented a small cabin. Cannot wait to go back there.

 

[street]

I'm with your wife on this one. Plan on being away for the whole summer. You don't need to be back in 2 weeks.

Last summer we took a 3 week trip in our car that turned into 5 months on the road. Every day was an adventure!

Make sure everything is taken care of back home. You don't want to worry about the house/yard/etc. while you are gone.

Absolutely agree!!
So much to see and to just take in the beauty of the landscape just in itself. One thing if you are going to Mount Rushmore, you're just a less than 3-hour trip away from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Dakota. The badlands and the park are a beautiful place. There is a lot of things to do and see there also Medora would be a full day of adventure.

 

[ABQ2015]

In 2020, I drove from New Mexico up to Yellowstone/Teton for a 3 week trip and then the same to Glacier and several Montana cities (Butte/Missoula/White Fish/Bozeman) in 2021. At least another week for each trip would have been better so that I could have spent more time in places along the way. But agree with bigcmagor that I would be ready to be home after a month or so although I was staying in hotels and cabins rather than an RV. My recommendation is a late spring or late summer 4-6 week trip to the Utah/Arizona national parks (and include Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point State Park, and Grand Canyon-North Rim) one year and a late summer trip to the northern national parks another year.

 

[CRLLS]

Don't forget Craters of the Moon. Not a touristy stop. But very breathtaking IMO. And then there is Devil's Tower too. We did a 2-1/2 week trip some 45 years ago. Drive 5-6 hours (250-300 miles) with no plan on where to stop. We just went until we found something interesting. We have done several trips out west since then. You will find it so much different from Chattanooga.

 

[flyingaway]

There are lots of places to see in those areas, I would plan for at least 4 weeks if you drive from Tennessee.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

We didn’t camp. But we spent 8 nights total on a trip to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks with a night on each end in Jackson, WY. We could have easily added several more days in the area. We flew in and out of Jackson.

 

[Montecfo]

I have been to all of those spots except Glacier. I would not try to do so much in one trip. You get beauty fatigue. Seen so much beauty and some similar that you fail to truly appreciate.

So at minimum I would go slowly. But honestly, Tetons/Yellowstone is a great trip all by itself.

Custer State Park/Badlands/Rushmore/Crazy Horse/Mammoth site...throw in some horseback riding and caving, that's an amazing trip.

Grand Canyon, Page, Flag, Antelope Canyons, Slot Canyons etc. That's also a great trip.

You will have a lot of fun regardless.

 

[audreyh1]

In 2006 we took almost three months to follow the Lewis and Clark trail from St. Louis, Missouri to Lolo Pass, Idaho. We stayed at numerous RV sites and campgrounds along the way, and visited all of the major Lewis and Clark Trail visitor centers. Visited all sort of other museums as well, and boat tours, viewing falls, hikes, etc. We also took an inital detour to visit Meriwether Lewis’s grave near Nashville, TN, at the north end of the Natchez Trace parkway.

We enjoyed Montana the most - spent quite a bit of time in Montana, a huge and varied state.

It’s wonderful when you can take your time and wander.

 

[EastWest Gal]

In 1997 we rented an RV and took a 3 week trip, circling down from the SF Bay Area to Santa Barbara, then east to Las Vegas for a day(visiting family), then to the Grand Canyon for 3 days, then stopped at Mesa Verde, through Wolf Creek Pass and up I-25, visiting a friend in Golden, CO, through Wyoming to Custer State Park and the Black Hills, then west to Washington State to visit my sister and family, then down I-5 back home.

We skipped Yellowstone due to it still being snowy and a bit out of our path.

We especially enjoyed the Grand Canyon and South Dakota. We loved seeing herds of pronghorns in Wyoming and South Dakota, Custer State Park, and a place called Evans Plunge in Hot Springs, a giant indoor pool and some hot thermal pools. There is an outdoor facility but it wasn’t open in April. Since we had our 5 year old with us, we stayed in the regular pool the whole time. We had the place entirely to ourselves. Utterly clean chemical free spring water at 87 degrees.

 

[rodi]

Yellowstone is HUGE. You'll want to do at least a day in several different areas... perhaps use the Fishing Bridge Campground in the park if you can get reservations. If you stay outside the park you have to factor driving *to* the gate, getting *through* the gate, and then driving to whatever part of the park you want to see. Remember, the Continental divide runs through the park so driving between areas within the park can involve some time driving.

Seconding the suggestion for Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons.

Mt. Rushmore is nice, but only 1 day needs to be allocated. I enjoyed Devils Postpile more.

Since it is such a long drive - spend some time within both parks. And if you decide you can be away longer - Glacier is also wonderful...

 

[Drewjd]

Fellow RV’er here as well, although we’re in a Super C motorhome pulling a Jeep Wrangler. For Yellowstone, I would make reservations asap because those campgrounds fill up fast.

As for length of time, I just recently retired. Like you, this will be the first summer where we don’t have to be back in 2 weeks. I definitely want to do some long trips, but I’m not ready to be gone for 3 months yet. We’re planning two 4-5 week trips this summer, and then thinking about longer trips for next year.

Report back on what you decide to do.

 

[skyking1]

Looking at your plan I would do as many others have suggested and trim off some of it. My gut would be to skip the dakotas part. I'd do the Grand Tetons, up into Yellowstone, and up to Glacier and then start making your way back home. Your brain will be full.
If you can time it early or late and miss the peak season, Yellowstone is magical. We have been there in both May and late September, before and after the large migrating herds of motorhomes have passed through.
In the spring it is the babies. Baby buffalo flopping down on the road and soaking up the warmth.
In the fall, it is elk in rut at Mammoth Lodge. The bear seem to be more accessible and active in the fall too.

 

[street]

All the sites that have been mentioned is really my back yard 2 to 5 hours from most of what has been mentioned. For some that haven't spent time in the west it can be very magical and a new connection to nature.

Like I mentioned and like so many other don't rush through it. I wouldn't schedule a certain number of days just play it by ear on your time here.

 

[Bamaman]

We flew to Las Vegas in June for $140 round trip from BNA--Nashville. And we took the two grandchildren ages 10 & 13 with us.

Made a circle to the Grand Canyon NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP before ending up back in Las Vegas for the rest of the week.

You can make an odyssey out of traveling "out West." But we drove 1,000 miles and saw enough beautiful scenery.

A trip to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks are a complete different trip far to the north of the Arizona National Parks.

What surprised us is how expensive travel is around Arizona and Utah--hotels, restaurants and fuel. At least very expensive in comparison with North Georgia. There's no trips for even $250 a day including food

 

[DrRoy]

It's a good plan. We started taking long trips out west 4 years ago. Often we get a VRBO for a week+. Definitely take your time. To do Yellowstone and the Tetons, 10 days is not too much. Mt. R. is just one day, but the Black Hills are nice, plus there's Devil's Tower not too far.

 

[target2019]

Crazy Horse Memorial is fantastic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Horse_Memorial

 

[Bamaman]

I once drove toward Flagstaff on I-40, and it was about 700 miles before the scenery got interesting. Thankfully much of that leg of the trip was at night when travel seems to go by quicker.

Going toward Denver and heading toward Yellowstone, it too is a long, long way traveling the plains. That's one reason I prefer to fly and rent a car once I get out there.

I'm just so used to traveling in the east where we too have beautiful scenery--from the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains up into New England. And our mountains are so close to a huge population that can easily get there.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I've traveled this area a few times. Its great, I've never had enough time. Jackson Hole is fun, but I get a little crowded out after a couple days. The Tetons area is my favorite, I enjoy staying in Dubois and taking day trips.

The Black Hills area is fun too. Traveling in South Dakota east of the Black Hills is a long drive.

 

[Phroig]

Second Custer State Park, especially as a place to stay when you visit Mt. Rushmore. We did the Utah parks on a separate trip, along with the North Rim. The North Rim is spectacular, without the crowds.

 

[Montecfo]

Crazy Horse Memorial is fantastic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Horse_Memorial

Agree. As several have said, you only need a day for Mt. Rushmore. This is true as far as it goes. But if you see Rushmore, not sure why you would not allocate time for Crazy Horse, Mammoth Site, and Custer State Park which are all very close.

Further afield, there is Badlands and Little Big Horn.

A lot to see in that immediate area.