Hopefully I can get an idea of where to start! My husband and I will be driving from WI (about 45 min north of Chicago) with our 4 boys, 14,13,5 and 5 in late June 2013 and would like to include the following; Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Yellowstone, Cody, Grand Tetons and possibly Deadwood. We plan on doing primarily sightseeing as one of our little ones is in a wheelchair and can't go on some of the more difficult hikes/river activities.... We only have about 10 days.
We would like to be able to do/see things that will keep all the kiddos interested but we are ok with occasionally doing something that is geared towards one of their specific age groups.
I am worried I am trying to plan too much into 10 days. This is where I need help!!! We have a moderate budget, we aren't looking to break the bank but we also aren't looking for motel 6. Like I said, this is the very beginning stages so anything that is thrown out there would be appreciated!! Thanks!
Badlands/Yellowstone/Grand Tetons-VERY beginning planning stage
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We did a similar trip two years ago, only we had just a little more time. Here's my trip report -- maybe it will give you some ideas!
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/the-black-hills-yellowstone-national-park-grand-tetons.cfm
If you can get lodging in Yellowstone that would make it easier to explore the park without a lot of travel. Try for it now as spots fill up very early. Some of the interesting sites along the way do have boardwalks so the wheelchair child can participate too. Late June there should have lots of baby bison, elk etc. great time to take the kids.
Mt. Rushmore is easily done in a short time and has handicap access too.
Thanks for posting that! It was really helpful. I was wondering about Deadwood... I was there as a child before the casinos popped up and loved it but have heard mixed reviews recently. That portion may be crossed off the trip. Appreciate this!
We went with our boys a few years ago and stayed a couple of nights in Custer State Park and it was great! Also there are places to stay in the Badlands if you plan early. We also drive to Deadwood and through Spearfish Canyon and Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Beautiful!
I'll try to find specific info and reply back..
The national parks all have pages on their websites that go into detail on accessibility.
http://www.nps.gov/moru/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
http://www.nps.gov/badl/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
(They are found under the Plan Your Visit/Things to Know Before You Come tabs)
That will give you an idea of where to find accessible lodging, campsites, restaurants, restrooms, trails, etc.
There are lots of things to do with kids in the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore. Jewel Cave has one cave tour that is wheelchair accessible (Wind Cave is nearby but has no accessible tours). Custer State Park has some very scenic drives but very little in the way of accessible trails. There are lots of touristy things in that area though.
Does the 10 days include driving? Your going to need about 2 days both coming and going just to get there. Google puts it at 1400 miles(one way). That's 23 hours of driving(one way).
I'm not sure what all the one in a wheel chair can do and also that age. But most kids really like Ziplines or Alpine Slides.
I might even be tempted to camp in Custer. I'm not comfortable with camping in bear territory(millions do it every year though), but you could do that in Yellowstone or Tetons. Tetons does have some tent cabin already there. You could do one of the cabins in Roosevelt. I would for sure spend a night in Old Faithful Inn. You are already a bit late for "in Park" reservations---get your Tetons and Yellowstone reservations ASAP!!
You can see a lot of Yellowstone in a wheel chair. I would spend the better part of a full day around the Old Faithful geyser basin area-very wheel chair friendly in my mind. Our favorites were Riverside Geyser and Castle Geyser. Old Faithful doesn't require much patience, but to see the others go you might be waiting an hour or two. It's a good time to have a picnic lunch. They are able to predict 6 or 7 of the geysers(+/- a couple of hours)(OF within 10 minutes or so). The rest of them are a total crap shoot and even take days or years to go.
Its hard to imagine the number of thermal features there-geysers, mudpots, springs, etc.
There is a horse ride and wagon ride that would be good from the Roosevelt area. Usually it includes dinner too. Your younger kids would probably like it better than the older ones(but probably everyone would enjoy it). Take a ride down the Snake River-it is calm. They have everything from fishing, breakfast, to dinner on that too.
Sorry for the multi post. You really need 3-4 days in Yellowstone and then 1-2 days for the Tetons.
At Mount Rushmore anywhere from 2-5 days depending what all you want to do. I might be tempted to wait until the older kids are 16, so they could do the wild cave tour and Jewel and Wind Caves. Amazing, if they are adventurous.
Wow!! Such great replies!! This is what I was looking for! Thanks so much!!!
We are also about 14 hours from Keystone, SD if that helps.... When we travel that distance we usually will leave after lunch, travel awhile, stop for the night and then up early the following day. We could expect to be in the Mt. Rushmore area early afternoon on our 2nd day and were trying to make a circle around, coming back through Minnesota....So approx. 3 days travel, stopping at sights on our way home and 10 days are really about all we have...
But there is so much to do around Rushmore. Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Crazy Horse, Badlands, Rushmore.
But you could do a bit coming and going. I would just leave the majority of my time for Yellowstone, a bit for the Tetons and then whatever you have left for the Black Hills area.
Some of the lodging in Yellowstone is affordable.
You can stay in Old Faithful Inn and Roosevelt Cabins reasonably. Canyon offers some reasonable prices too.
Colter Village Cabins in Tetons aren't that expensive. You could even do one of the Tent cabins there for even less money. Some of the regular cabins have 3 or 4 beds. The tent cabins probably have bunk beds. Most of the tent cabins and some of the regular cabins do not have bathrooms. We didn't have a bathroom at Old Faithful Inn, but really not that big of a deal to shower down the hall. The room did have a sink(no toilet).