NJ --> Grand Canyon --> Yellowstone --> Rushmore -->NJ

[cfisher523]

We're exploring the idea of taking this trip in two years - AUG 2020. I can get 23 days off work, which is tight, but would give us ~4 days in AZ, ~4 days in Yellowstone, and ~2 days in SD. This schedule leaves me with a cushion of 3 travel days in the event of mechanical issues, or if things are going well, to stop along the way to see whatever is interesting along the way.

So... has anyone made this trip, or a similar one and if so are there any "do not miss" attractions along the way? The loop we're notionally planning is interstate based and is roughly PA Turnpike to Ohio, through Indianapolis to Tulsa, Albuquerque to Flagstaff, Flagstaff to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City to north west side of Yellowstone, Yellowstone to Rushmore, then follow the GPS back to NJ. Being that we're two years out I'm not married to any specific route and the only constant is the time - 23 days is the max I can take. Oh, and this is a family trip. I'll be traveling with my wife and two kids, they will be 6 and 10. We'll be in our Alante 31R, towing our Traverse.

Any feedback, suggestions, input, etc. is appreciated. We're planning early to ensure we squeeze the most out of our 23 days. Thanks!

[Kim Gass]

You just don't have time for detours. Sedona is a gem south of Flagstaff.. Pie Town on 60 just sw of Albuquerue is a slice out of the Old West
That you are bypassing Grand Canyon GlenCanyon and the desert parks of Utah like Bryce tells me you are already sqeezed for time

Badlands in SD is worthy of its own day.

[travelingjw]

We have a trip planned to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in 3 weeks. I will be posting a "trip report" after the trip in the Campground section of JOF. Maybe there might be something in there that helps.

[cfisher523]

Two of our AZ days are slated for Grand Canyon and two days for Sedona. I'll look into Pie Town. We were thinking one day for Rushmore Monument and one day for Bad Lands in SD as well. I was thinking about burning one of my three "cushion" days in Utah, but I wasn't sure how much I would see in one day and how to pick which park if I could only see one.... Thanks for the feedback!

[curver900]

if you are hiking then 4 days in the grand canyon will be at least one day to many IMO... it is a cool hole in the ground, but 2 days is about as much as a couple of kids will enjoy... if you can Angel trail is a good hike depending on weather... lots of water.... We have been to both and spent 16 days in Yellowstone and the Tetons...
Get to the lodge and they post up the time the geysers go off.. we got to see castle geyser, and grand geyser one lasted over 20 minutes.. Sure better than ol' faithful... Note get to what you want to do EARLY ... and or do.. personal preference... though...

There isn't much in SD to be honest you would be better off spending as much time in Yellowstone and the Tetons as possible. Of course the preface there is once you have seen a mud pot you have smelled and seen them all... making the normal stops in SD on the way back Mt. Rushmore (2-4 hours), badlands 8 hours...oh and the corn palace in Mitchel SD and of course who can forget Wall Drug...

There is just so much more to do in Yellowstone and the Tetons... if you can come in from the north, go through bear tooth pass worth the effort...stay inside Yellowstone or on the north end.. then go south and stay in the Tetons... that is what we did then we went back into the park and hung out there for 3 days before we headed back.. Mt. Washburn is a great hike... turns out you can drive to the top .. but don't do it the hike is spectacular our twins were 7 at the time and they were still skipping when we got to the top...

Just my .02

Don't forget to find a place to stay around 12 months in advance..

I see you included some UT stuff.. During that time of year Bryce and those parks can be very HOT.. Those parks are more May very early June and then October.. The other thought is make that a separate trip or you will be driving all the time... My personal experience is, it is better to have quality time at a place then to feel rushed trying to get to the next place and not seeing everything I wanted to see.
we spent 18 days in Glacier this year... and got to do some really cool stuff (pass closed to cars but you could ride your bike to the top, avalanche threats) but still didn't get to do all we thought we would... plus it gave us a couple of down days to just do other things the kids wanted to do... yea they like to hike but they still want to do kid things like go carts, and mini golf etc.. breaks up the time...

Most important HAVE fun and take the road less traveled...

[travelingjw]

In regard to Utah, it depends upon when you travel. Zion (corridor) is closed to vehicles until after Veterans day. Bryce, you can drive to all the look-out points. We lucked out when we arrived in Zion on Veterans Day, didn't know this issue before

[Bassdogs]

Don't try to pack 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag. The time you have for this trip is great as most are limited to 2 weeks or less. That said, don't make your trip all about checking things off your bucket list. I would listen to what others have said so far but work your plan as an outline rather than a schedule. Each family is different and what floats one's boat will leave another family wanting something different.

Grand Canyon: Unless you are into hiking, I agree that this is a 2 day, 3 night stop. Its unusual in that as you approach the park it is basically flat and we got the feeling we were in the wrong place. No mountains or features that would lead you to think you were heading toward something spectatular. Trust me you know when you reach the rim and there is this giant, endless canyon. The hikes can be brutal but the real pain is when you decide to turn around and head back, you realize that the CG is pretty much straight up.

Our similar trip left Indy and headed to a stop at Mt Rushmore and Devils tower and then on to Yellowstone and down to the Tetons. Went out on 90 and returned to the Midwest on 80 just to mix things up. The drive across the plains is, like hiking in G Canyon, brutal. Be glad you are not in a horsedrawn wagon. We only had 2 weeks and the above kept us on our feet. You should be able to hit all the spots on your initial list but if it were me I would eliminate the G C and stay to the North and add Glacier.

[RedHorse1]

We made a similar trip in 2017. We are empty nesters and the Bride and I have been eyeing Rushmore for a couple of years and had decided to make it our first big post-retirement trip. We enjoy travelling (together) and had an excellent trip.
We left 24 Aug and returned 6 Oct so it we had a bit more time.
We started/ended in Houston and covered about 6800 miles in total.
Our route was: Houston, Durant Ok, Peculiar Mo, Tea Sd, Custer SD, Casper Wy, Moran Wy, Rawlings Wy, Colorado Springs Co, Santa Fe NM, Grants NM, Las Cruses NM, Marfa Tx, Junction Tx, and home again.
In Rushmore visit Crazy Horse memorial, we also took a day trip to Devils Tower.
When visiting Yellowstone we went thru the Tetons a couple of times and also visited Jackson.
Colorado Springs is home to the Royal Gorge train which was really nice but we prefer the Durango-Silverton train for the scenery.

We’ve visited Grand Canyon a few times (not in a trailer tho) and prefer the North Rim but I believe there are no hook-ups there (full or otherwise).

It started snowing the day after we arrived in Yellowstone (14 Sep) and that really added to our experience.

I’d suggest checking your breaks, bearings and tires before departing.
Have a great and safe adventure!

[gladecreekwy]

No buffalo selfies!
But seriously I live close to Yellowstone and even closer to Grand Teton NP so let me know if you have any questions about the area. Happy to answer if I can.

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by gladecreekwy

No buffalo selfies!
But seriously I live close to Yellowstone and even closer to Grand Teton NP so let me know if you have any questions about the area. Happy to answer if I can.

Yet every year some idiot tries.. The best one I saw was a guy drove a Corvette Convertible into a herd standing in the road near Mt Rushmore.. He wanted to get through. The top was down. His girlfriend was terrified; the look on her face was sheer horror

[Roy W.]

Plan your timing to Yellowstone carefully. A couple of years ago we got caught up in the national Park closings (resturants, gas stations, etc). They closed up on September 21st.

[gladecreekwy]

Originally Posted by Roy W.

Plan your timing to Yellowstone carefully. A couple of years ago we got caught up in the national Park closings (resturants, gas stations, etc). They closed up on September 21st.

That’s right. The campground closing dates vary but all are done by September 23 this year. Some of the hotels go later. It all online. Google Yellowstone closing schedule

[CamperForLife]

We took a 30 day, 6,000+ mile trip this summer (entire month of June) with our kids ages 11, 9 and 6. It was incredible and i would do it again in a heartbeat. We spent 4 night at Ft. Welikit Family Campground in Custer, SD. The campground was good. Full hook ups and not super crowded. You actually had a little space around you (unlike a lot of full hook up places we've been to). We spent 2 days exploring Custer State Park and I highly recommend it - make sure you stop at the visitor centers with your kids (they have activities and it's very informative to help you explore the park). Needles Highway (through CSP) is also a must. We started at the Sylan Lake entrance where you go through Needles Eye Tunnel (if you are driving a truck, make sure you pull in your mirrors!!!). We pulled off right after we went through the tunnel and spent a good hour playing on the rocks and taking pictures. It's really beautiful. Custer is small and boring but central to a lot of places. Mt. Rushmore is cool but we didn't hike (it was raining) so only a short visit for us. After SD, we went to Glacier, Yellowstone, Grant Tetons and then Rocky Mtn NP. Glacier was probably our favorite place, but Yellowstone is beautiful too. I felt like Glacier was visibly more beautiful and not at all crowded but there was more to see and do at Yellowstone with the kids. If you fly fish, bring your gear b/c Yellowstone has amazing places to fly fish. We saw tons of wildlife at Yellowstone (grizzly and black bears, wolf, elk, etc). An easy hike at Yellowstone is Fairy Falls (6 miles roundtrip). Go early and/or late afternoon to the park. You will have less crowds and see more wildlife. We stayed at Rainbow Point Campgrounds which was a few miles outside of West Yellowstone. The Grand Tetons is another visually stunning place. We didn't camp there, just spent the day. We did spend 2 nights about 1 hour south at a fabulous place called Fremont Lake Campgrounds (6 miles outside of Pinedale, WY). If you do Rocky Mtn NP (another great NP), I do not recommend staying in Estes Park at Manor RV Park unless you like to be packed in like a sardine!

Our trip took us from Georgia to Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas and back to Georgia. Well worth the time and money!!

[Hog3loves]

Just finished 94 days, yes, 94 days: Tallahassee, FL to Alaska and back. 13,871 miles.
Mt Rushmore, Custer SP, Needles, etc. Stayed at the Rafter J Bar Ranch RV Park, Hill City = Excellent.
Glacier NP (east side), ho hum. Take extra alcohol for this stop.
Route back from Alaska included Yellowstone and Tetons NPs. Stayed 6 nights at Headwaters Lodge and RV Park at Flagg Ranch, Moran, WY. It's conveniently located between both parks and allows easy access to each. 3 days in Yellowstone, one in Tetons and one day to shop/dine in Jackson Hole. Excellent facility.
Stayed at Raton Cafe and Campsites right on Raton Pass on the way home. Excellent one/two night stay location on I-25 WITH TERRIFIC VIEWS OF BOTH COLORADO AND NM.

[curver900]

east side of Glacier is awesome.. no crowds we loved it!

[SloPoke]

You mention that your route is "Interstate Based" I surely understand that would apply for the distance between NJ and your overall destination, but what about when you are travelling between the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone??? There are five National Parks in Utah alone, a stop in Moab UT maybe to see two NP's?