Help me plan my trip, Eastern Half of US

[Lowmiler]

The details:

8 weeks, May-June 2020
Me, wife, 12 yr old daughter, dog
42’ fifth wheel
Starting location northern MD

So far I’m thinking Badlands, SD as first stop, 3 days to get there, 2 days staying there
Custer State Park/Mt Rushmore as second stop, spend 4-5 days in the area,
Then off to Yellowstone for 4-5 days, taking 2-3 days to get there,
Then 2-3 days at Grand Teton?

Either way, that’s only a little over 3 weeks, need ideas to fill in the rest of the trip, without pushing hard the whole time, we want to take our time.

We like cities, too.

Suggestions?

[Ohiofinlander]

If you want to stop half way there, check out Hocking Hills in Ohio. Great area to explore and hike. Well worth the stop.

[Ohiofinlander]

Originally Posted by Ohiofinlander

If you want to stop half way there, check out Hocking Hills in Ohio. Great area to explore and hike. Well worth the stop.

Ok, if you want to stop 7 hours into your trip. I looked up where Glenside is, and Hocking is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from you. Nice layover for you though.

[Gogrampa]

In between Custer and Yellowstone if you can do no hookups check out Lost Cabin campground and Crazy woman canyon in the Bighorn National Forest US16 west out of Buffalo WY set up at lost cabin then a day trip exploring Carzywoman Canyon Rd.
one of the top adventure roads in US. Off the beaten path but beautiful country.lots of dispersed camping sites or several NF campgrounds.Good info on All Stays app.
I’ll be there mid July.

[Debdon Journeys]

I have been planning this trip for awhile. It depends on how much "are we there yet" you can endure vs abundant use Benadryl. Ok just kidding, sort of. It works for my wife since I do the long distance driving and she gets impatient after a while. I sure you have seen Cars, it talks about the road being the destination. I try to use that philosophy when planning my trips. YouTube can be a great resource of information. Long Long Honeymoon has done a great job in documenting their travels and destinations. Slim Potatohead is another. As for me I plan 2 different routes both to a from. I interlace quick stop offs or day trips to see something and get off the road and see something you just wiz by. My First stop is going to be at The Henry Ford near Detroit next is the Badlands From there to Devils tower and Thunder Basin GrassLand just south of Devils Tower Its a 8 hour drive to Yellowstone from DT and TBG. From Yellowstone I plan to head southeast towards Scotts Bluff National Monument in Nebraska. From there to St Louis to see the Arch I plan to head back home after that. I can explore east of the Mississippi in shorter trips.

[LeeandKelly]

Lowmiler,

Did a similar trip a few years ago I would recommend Mammoth Dig Site in Hot Springs SD it was my husbands favorite stop on this loop. We did a day drive to Devils Tower, since you never know if you'll be in that part of the country again.

Safe travels.

[jimp]

Go to Wall SD, and see Wall Drug store, it's a tourist thing but entaining. A chance to walk around some, good food and really good donuts. The Grand Canyon is out that way as well. The Blue Ridge Pkwy is a good drive, but not sure about that with a FW hooked up.

[Bigdomino]

Am I missing something? You said eastern half of USA Custer and Bad Lands don't seem to fit your trip. Sounds like a western trip to me.