lyntom

Message: Has anyone driven from the east coast (we're from VA) to Grand Teton/Yellowstone?

How many days did it take you? My main concern is how many nights to allow for on the road so that I'll know which nights to reserve in YNP.

Are two nights at Old Faithful and one night at Mammoth (we want to be close to the Roosevelt area to do the cookout) enough or is it pretty imperative that we add a night at Canyon Village?

We plan to leave via the northeast entrance and head to Mt. Rushmore and surrounding area.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Lynda

justme22

Depending on how long you want your days.... Denver is about 2.5 days of driving from NJ so VA is similar. i barely stop to eat so those are about 10+ hour driving days. you have another day(almost)to yellowstone. you might be able to push it, still sleep and get there in 3. but 3.5 is more reasonable. You don't absolutely need the canyon area. old faithful and mammouth sound good, but 3 days seems too short for yellowstone. if you could do 4 or 5 you should. you have to be patient with geysers.... i am assuming you are going in the summer, so you don't have to worry about road closures if so, you should consider taking an extra day and drive thru rocky mountain national park on trail ridge road (only after may) it is really something else. have fun

HowardR

I really don't mean to sound sarcastic, but my suggestion would be to fly there and rent a car in Wyoming. Assuming that you won't be spending any more time in the Mount Rushmore area than you will at YNP, you're doing an awful lot of driving for only 6 real vacation days. Actually, you'll be doing more driving than seeing!

obxgirl

Lynda, We're from VA and visited this area last summer. We flew to Denver and drove to Wyoming and THAT was 10 hours.

Really and truly, I wouldn't have made the trip if we had to drive from VA to YS for only 3 nights. Do you have a bigger road trip planned of which this is only a segment?

We loved the cookout. It was fun and hokey and I'd do it again. Saw some of the best wildlife that night.

But really, 3 nights is just not enough to justify the trip. The place is gorgeous and you will want to spend more time there.

ronkala

Linda,
We are also from VA, the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley just south of I-66. We drove directly home from Yellowstone and it was a bit over 2100 miles. Pushing it, we still spent three nights on the road. On the way out we detoured to Colorado Springs for four days which is why we drove, and it was a three week trip for us. This year we are driving to Glacier NP and the Canadian Rockies, but we are retired and have the time for long trips.

Depending where you would be leaving from, you could spend four full days driving each way.

It's a great way to see the country




o to freetrip.com for milage, time and hotels along the way. You should plan at least three days in the park, and as stated above, it's a lot of driving for three days.

utahtea

I don't live in VA, but we do take long distance road trips all the time on vacations & I have been to Yellowstone many times.

You are looking at over 4,500 miles round trip, so I wouldn't do this trip with less than two weeks and 3 or 4 would be better. I would recommend spending at least 5 - 7 days in the Grand Teton - Yellowstone area once you get there.

It's not really worth spending 8 days on the road to get to a place for only 3 nights. Mt. Rushmore and many other destinations can be either on the way coming or going.

Utahtea

lyntom

Thanks to all for your helpful advice.
We can take at least 2 weeks, maybe 2 days more.

Ronkala, we live 1 hr. north of Roanoke off of I-64 and Rt. 220. Part of our reason for driving is that our 11-year-old hates to fly and loves to ride in the car--go figure!

If we do drive, my plan is to spend at least 3 nights on the road with a stop in St. Louis (about 10 hrs.) to see my 92-year-old aunt. I figure we will drive into Jackson late morning to early afternoon on the 4th day and spend two nights in the GTNP area. Then, on to YNP for four nights.

We will leave through the northeast entrance to drive the Beartooth and spend a night in Gillette. Then drive on to Rapid City, visiting the Devils Tower on the way. I thought we would spend two nights in that area and then on to Sioux Falls, maybe Chicago to visit a cousin (unless it is long out of our way, to Ohio to visit a friend for a night and then home.

I still haven't ruled out flying and the more I read from "y'all" the more I'm convinced we should fly. My dream is to stay on the road for a month, but that isn't going to happen. My DH just can stand to be gone that long.

Maybe I'll just give it up and go to the beach!!

Thanks again.

LYnda

lyntom

Another reason for driving: son is studying the various regions of the US. He is really interested in seeing the different parts of the country. We thought this would be a good way for him to see lots of different country--you know, as it whizzes by the car window!!

Lynda

ronkala

Lynda:
Freetrip.com shows 1956 miles, 29 1/2 hours from Clifton Forge to Yellowstone. If you have sixteen days available, and eight is used for driving, you still have eight to do the other things. Go for it and enjoy it.

If you stay at hotels offering free breakfasts and carry a cooler for lunch at rest stops, you can save valuable time by doing it.

rkkwan

lyntom - Your itinerary is absolutely reasonable with two persons driving. Even marginally okay with just one driver.

Go do it.

utahtea

Lynda,

I also think your trip is doable and will be very educational for your son. There's a lot to be said for driving though different states.

Utahtea & I love a good road trip!

lyntom

Thanks so much. I was beginning to get so discouraged that I was just about to call the whole thing off and go to the beach. Now, I am excited again.

Thanks for everything.

Lynda

mom2boys

We are planning to drive from Maryland to Yellowstone with two boys - 10 & 11 yrs old. The journey is half the fun and they are at the perfect age for such a trip. My boys have travelled extensively east of the Mississippi - but they need to experience "Big Sky" country and to see what a huge country we live in. We are also detouring north through ND, WI & MN.

ellen_griswold

Hi Lynda! Just seeing your post now and also want to encourage you! This it totally doable and you will have a blast! As others said, driving is half the fun!

We've done eight similar trips, planning a nineth for this summer (after college aged DS gets home from backpacking in europe) because both kids still want to go. And there's still so much to see and do, although we do revisit fave places. If you can squeeze out a few more days, that would be even better. But you'll see and do so much more than you can even imagine right now and you'll be glad you drove vs. flying. Have the best time and be sure to post a trip report when you return!