Well actually, this road trip included 5 national parks, 1 national monument and countless national forests. It was amazing to say the least. This wasn't our first road trip, but it was by far the longest and the best!
Honestly, I was quite anxious when it came time to actually leave. I was worried about how long we were driving and all the things that could go wrong, but I reminded myself that people do this ALL the time and if there was a problem, we would just figure it out.
We did this 6,700 mile trip in 14 days, but depending on where you are coming from and how long you want to stay in each area, you could do most of this in less time if you are limited.
We live in NC and decided to take our camper and drive the entire way for two main reasons: we are trying to see all 50 states and the money saving vs. hotels and flights.
On our main travel days, we drove 10 - 12 hours between campgrounds (yes, we often camp for just one night at a time). We can almost always find inexpensive campgrounds that have full hook up options so that we can have AC and water at night. We don't always book these in advance, but will gauge how far we think we can go when we get in the car and call or book then. Also, most campgrounds will have late arrival options and we have pulled in (quietly) well after dark.
I try to plan at least one thing to get out and "see" on travel days to keep things exciting and take a break from the car but we have to plan these loosely in case we get ahead or behind. I use the RoadTrippers app to find things on our route that we are interested in.
This was our final itinerary:
Day 1 - NC to Iowa
Stopped to Explore Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Stayed at Little Bear Campground
Day 2 - Iowa to Mt. Rushmore
Stopped at Iowa's Largest Frying Pan (gotta have an Iowa picture)
Stopped at Badlands National Park
Stayed at the Mt. Rushmore KOA
Day 3 - Mt. Rushmore to Yellowstone National Park
Explored Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial
Stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Park
Day 4 - Rest Day
We slept in, set up the camper, did laundry and stretched our legs.
We also explored a little around our area of the park in the evening.
Day 5 - 8 - Yellowstone National Park & Day Trip to Grand Teton
For 3 days we explored Yellowstone National park and did one day trip to Grand Teton. In Grand Teton we drove to Jenny Lake Visitors Center, took the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked to Inspiration Point. We also drove into Jackson Hole, but I could have skipped it. In my opinion, it was very touristy and crowded and if I were to do it again, I would have spent that time taking in more of the park.
In Yellowstone National Park we did 3 full days. We separated the park into areas. Lamar Valley & Gardiner, the Upper Loop and the Lower Loop.
My favorite experience of the entire trip was the Wild West Cookout in Yellowstone. It was such a unique experience and only 240 people get to do this each day. We booked the horseback ride to the cookout, but when we arrived they told us the trail was too wet and they would have to put us on the wagons. It was still so much fun!
Day 9 - Drove to Glacier National Park
We went through the Idaho side to get to check that state off of our list and went through the Caribou-Targhee National Forest (this was a beautiful drive).
We stayed at Moose Creek RV Park - it was great and had WiFi!
Day 10 - 11 - Glacier National Park
Glacier has a very intense reservation system and you can only access most of the park with a pass between 6:00 - 3:00 each day. However, if you book a tour inside of the park, you are able to get in. We stayed in West Glacier and booked a tour of St. Mary Lake which allowed us to drive the length of Going to the Sun Road.
After our boat tour we ate lunch at the St. Mary Lodge and Resort Restaurant (try the huckleberry lemonade). By the time we were done with lunch, it was 3:00 and we could go to Many Glacier area without a reservation. The hotel and lake there are gorgeous! We just sat outside of the hotel and let the kids play in the water, but there is also a boat company there where you can rent kayaks and canoes and go out exploring.
The last day we did white water rafting with the Glacier Raft Company. It was a lot of fun and at that time had class 1, 2 & 3 rapids, so all of our kids could participate. They also have scenic boat tours if white water isn't your thing.
Day 12 - Glacier to Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Stayed at Boots Campground - this place was super simple, but had amazing views and was extremely quiet.
Day 13 & 14 - Theodore Roosevelt National Park to NC
Explored at Theodore Roosevelt National Park then headed towards home.
We did not make any stops for fun these days as we were just trying to make it home and we had already been through these states. We did make a pit stop in St. Olaf, Minnesota (IYKYK) for me to take a quick picture.
I was so glad that we did this trip! Everything that we saw was breathtaking and I couldn't recommend visiting these parks enough. Let me know if you have any questions! I love talking about travel and family adventures!
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Awesome blog. Useful info. Absolutely on my bucket list. Although, being retired, I can afford to take it slower. Last summer we drove our Tacoma with Micro lite camper from Oriental, NC to Michigan UP, west to WI Apostle Islands, to Duluth, MN, then N. Shore into Ontario, then east on the North Shore of Lake Ontario and back home. It took 7 weeks y'all!