We were able to visit some of our bucket list national parks this summer as we took two full weeks off work and committed to driving two and a half days (each way) in the car to do so.
We put 5,558 miles on the car, ate 52 sandwiches, mostly turkey (to save money and avoid restaurants during the pandemic), did a combination of camping and staying in hotels (for nice, hot showers). We took along extra masks, wipes and hand sanitizer, kept our social distance on the trails, and had the best time ever.
Several people have asked for our itinerary, so I am including it below. Note that we drove from south Alabama, but this route could be adjusted and used from just about anywhere. We got maps and a TripTik from AAA, all of which is free with your annual membership. And before we left, I printed out Junior Ranger booklets for the national parks we were visiting so the kids could start working on them during the long drive. This ended up being a good thing as, due to the pandemic, the booklets (and park rangers) were hard to find.
One rule we had for the kids was that they were not allowed to ask, "Are we there yet?" We listened to some family-friendly books ("Where the Red Fern Grows" and "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," the Hunger Games prequel) and sang to "Hamilton" and some great satellite radio tunes along the way. I even created an "I Spy"-ish car game that had us keeping score as we looked for a motorcycle driver with a red helmet, a Waffle House in north Texas (which apparently there are none on the route we drove until Missouri on the way home), livestock, churches, construction zones and more to pass the time.
Here is the itinerary. We left on a Friday and came back on the Sunday 17 days later.
Day 1: Drove to Texas and stayed in hotel north of Dallas. We love Dude Perfect, so we stopped by their headquarters (DPHQ2) just to see it.
Day 2: Drove to Colorado, and stayed in Fort Collins hotel. We were surprised to find a volcano in New Mexico, so we stopped at the Capulin Volcano (a national monument) to stretch our legs.
Day 3: Drove to Jackson, Wyoming. We stopped for lunch at a rest area where we watched prairie dogs hop in and out of their burrows in the ground. Walked around the cute downtown area and grabbed dinner outside at Snake River Brewing. Stayed in Jackson hotel.
Day 4: Woke up, bought groceries, and drove the short distance to Grand Teton National Park. We hiked Phelps Lake trail, ate a picnic lunch (yes, sandwiches), set up camp in our tent cabin at Colter Bay, and went for another hike around the lake there. (Read about our Grand Teton adventures here).
Day 5: Woke up early so the boys could fish on Jackson Lake (charter fishing out of Signal Mountain Lodge with guide Damien - highly recommend). Hiked at Jenny Lake and Moose Ponds, where we saw a bear on the trail. Ate a picnic lunch on the trail. Drove to the top of Signal Mountain, and headed back to campsite to cook the delicious trout the boys caught.
Day 6: Packed up camp, got some last beautiful views of Grand Teton, and drove about 20 miles north to Yellowstone. Learned about geysers from a park ranger at West Thumb. Watched Old Faithful erupt and walked the trail around the other geysers there. Set up camp at Madison campground and took an evening stroll by the streams (popular for fly fishing) there. (Read about our Yellowstone adventures here).
Day 7: Geology Day. Saw my favorite wonder of Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic. Walked around Artist Paint Pots and Norris Geyser Basin, home of some very smelly but neat geyers. Drove to Mammoth Hot Springs and checked into cabin there. Tried the bison and elk burgers at The Corral in Gardiner, Montana, which had outdoor seating.
Day 8: An elk visited our cabin this morning and said "hello" to us as we were sitting on our porch. We eventually went inside to keep a safe distance, and he looked at us through our window. Hiked at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and had another picnic lunch. Explored the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Ordered dinner from the Yellowstone Pizza Company, where you can get elk or bison on your pizza. Because why not?
Day 9: Took one more Yellowstone hike to Wraith Falls before driving north toward Glacier. Stayed in a hotel along the way and had laundry night.
Day 10: Woke up, went to the grocery store for supplies, and completed the drive to Glacier. We had planned on camping at St. Mary campground, as it was supposed to reopen. But due to the pandemic, it did not. So instead we stayed in a lovely cabin (which my kids dubbed a tiny house) in West Glacier. Hiked Johns Lake. Cooked dinner in the cabin. (Read about our Glacier adventures here).
Day 11: For our longest hike of the trip, we woke up early and hit the trail to Avalanche Lake. We did about 8 miles this day, and this ended up being everyone's favorite day. Took naps in and cooked dinner in the cabin.
Day 12: Hiked to Rocky Point for our last, beautiful views of Glacier and hit the road toward South Dakota. The eastern part of Glacier was closed due to the pandemic, so we definitely want to come back and explore Glacier more. Note that Google does not work in this part of Montana, so make sure you have an actual map. We drove to northeast Wyoming and booked a hotel there.
Day 13: Explored Devil's Tower National Monument. Drove to South Dakota to set up camp at Horsethief Lake near Hill City. Checked out a winery along the way (Prairie Berry Winery). Bought more groceries. (Read about Devil's Tower here).
Day 14: Mount Rushmore. Picnicked at Custer State Park. Drove Needles Highway, which ended up being our favorite part of South Dakota. Swam in the lake at the campsite before dinner, campfire and card games. (Read about Mount Rushmore here).
Day 15: Started the drive home. Made several stops in Badlands National Park so we could get our of the car and climb on the rock formations, as you are allowed to do. Ate our last sandwiches on the trip at the Badlands. (Read about the Badlands here).
Day 16-17: Drove home.
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