keepuh

My lovely wife and two beautiful daughters aged 12 and 9 are planning a road trip out west this August. We seek insight regarding extra activities or sites worth visiting along our route. Like many, money is tight for us but we wanted to pull the trigger to cash in on some brand loyalty points.

Thanks in advance!

Day 0 - Arrive in DEN, get car & sleep
Day 1 - Drive to Mesa Verde for a couple nights lodging and tour of the cliff dwellings. Are the tours from the NPS "good enough" or are the more expensive ones that much better?
Day 3 - Hit four corners (daughter's wish) and head north through UT to ????
Day 4 - Check in hotel in ID for a couple nights
Day 5 - Grand Tetons
Day 6 - Get to Yellowstone by 4:30 pm for dinner at Old Faithful Inn. Figured we'll stay a night there to be sure we don't miss the geyser(s) that night.
Day 7 - Drive around Yellowstone to ???? staying in a cabin for a couple nights
Day 8 - Charter fishing in lake am, horseback Teddy Roosevelt experince pm
Day 9 - Leave park along Beartooth Highway eventually to mid-east WY. Hotel has a water park there which the kids will love.
Day 10 - Mt. Rushmore. In and out there. Is there a lot of spillover from Sturgis? I love bikers and all but some adults there for the show may not displaying attire that I care to have my girls see. I'd think generally bikers that do come down to Mt Rushmore would tone it down at such a patriotic site but I thought I'd ask.
Day 11 - Very late flight out of DEN

fmpden

That is an ENORMOUS amount of driving for ten days. Have you checked the miles or a map? Are you a visitor from outside the US? You are schedule to spend more than half you time in a car looking out windows. You cannot get from Mt. Rushmore to Denver in a day. This trips makes absolutely no sense.

keepuh

Appreciate the comments fmpden. Some clarification: Mt Rushmore to DEN is <400 miles and about a 6-7 hr ride. No big deal there. New England to Florida in a day is how we roll. Please consider adding places of interest to your replies. I can got plenty of poo-pooing from my mother-in-law.

emalloy

The ranger led tours in Mesa Verde are great, I would not spend more for any others. If you plan to go on more than one or two, you will need more than one day there.

If you don't already have in park lodging at MV or Yellowstone, you need to call now and when they tell you they are all full, call every day as they do get cancellations all the time which don't generally get posted on the web page.

I understand about the 4 corners thing and kids, but there is nothing special there and geographers have figured out that the place you go to is not actually in the right spot in any case.

Yellowstone is wonderful and huge, there is plenty to see there other than Old Faithful. I would think the kids would be interested in seeing bison, elk etc. Driving around at that time of year can be quite slow, due to bison jams and people looking at wildlife, etc.

Hope you have a fantastic trip.

keepuh

Thanks emalloy! We're looking forward to it. Great insight on the ranger lead tours. One tour should be plenty for us.

Lodging is all set in MV and Yellowstone. Last time I was in Yellowstone was during the fires some 20+ years ago.

The kids know all about the four corners geography but it is a photo op and we'll make the most of it.

tomfuller

After leaving the 4 corners, continue west on US160 all the way to Kayenta, AZ and take US 163 through Monument Valley. Take US191 north to Moab. You will not be disappointed if you spend at least 4 hours in Arches NP. Your route to Yellowstone will take you on US191 through Price, Utah which has a nice prehistoric museum.

spirobulldog

I would cut your trip in half or even more. You are trying to do way way to much and spending a lot of time in the car. I would spend a minimum of 5 full days for Tetons and Yellowstone alone. I am going to Utah for my 5th trip in a couple of weeks. Each time I have spent 4-6 days in just one or two spots.

In Mt. Rushmore it would be a shame not to see Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, and Badlands.

I always think of a driving trip for retired people or for people who have limited walking ability not kids. This looks like a trip from hell to me. Not trying to be negative, just trying to save you some money and time. Plus, there is that many things to do at all the places you mention. I spent 5 days my first time to Moab, for instance.

Pat_in_Mich

As someone who drove from Michigan to California in 9 days and managed to see a fair amount along the way, I'm not horrified at the driving distances you propose. I love road trips!

That being said, I might drop Mesa Verde and the Four Corners from the trip. That way you'd have a smaller circular trip and it would be more leisurely. I'd probably spend a little more time in the Mt. Rushmore area. There is a lot to do there. I drove the Beartooth Highway on my trip and it was fabulous! But it is not a quick drive. We did it in the opposite direction, leaving from Billings. Google maps says 4.5 hours but I think it took at least 6.

Enjoy your trip!

Gretchen

And I would never drop mesa Verde--it is a treasure. I agree about the Badlands--they are fascinating.
You will never have a much more "boring" 7 hour drive to Denver.
I would really suggest cutting out Mt.Rushmore--I truly think this is the outlier for this trip. On the way to Mesa Verde you might hit the Great Sand Dunes for a look see.

keepuh

Thanks for some great opinions. In reality, both the four corners and Mt Rushmore are admitted outliers. One daughter wants the four corners and the other Mount Rushmore. Visiting both will help show them just how vast our great country is.

Regarding cost considerations, all hotel costs outside the national parks are free. Most of the rental vehicle is essentially free. Looking at responsible spending elsewhere. The national parks pass is a no-brainer but appropriate splurges elsewhere are on the table.....like simulated sky diving at the Solomen Center in Ogden if we don't do arches.

Arches could be really interesting and will be considered. I understand it is one of the darkest places on earth. The moonset is pretty early the day we'd visit so the stars might be amazing there. We like Cadillac Mountain in Acadia for the same reason.

We love road trips. Being together....the spontaneity and serrendipity. Granted, our style of travel is not for everybody. We did a blended (business/pleasure) road trip last year to Chicago and STL out of and back to New England. Couple nights in each of OH, Chicago and STL. We also crashed one night in PA. That was truly rediculous but we had an absolute blast.

Also there is an error in my original post. Leaving day 12 at very late out of DEN. Yes, we know that the flight will difficult but paying next to nothing using flight rewards is pretty cool.

LindainOhio

Not to sound like your mother-in-law, (who to give her a little credit, may have a bit of a reason to pooh-pooh your plan) but you are travelling to a fabulous part of the country. I really hope you allow some time to get out of the car and enjoy the scenery. The Grand Tetons are spectacular. I hope you just don't do a drive through there.

We have no trouble driving long distances but I would cut out some of your stops. They are all fabulous places to visit so it will be difficult.

We drove out west from Ohio, doing a loop--Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Yellowstone, Tetons, Estes, Kansas City. We had some long drives at the beginning and end of our trip. We were camping with 3 other families. The drive from Denver to KC and then Ohio was a drag. You are smart to start in Denver. The drive from the Tetons to Estes was the biggest surprise--not much scenery to enjoy. It was about a 7-8 hour drive, mostly ranchland.

ElendilPickle

We spent a few days in Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs last June. If you click my screen name, you can read my trip report.

What are you planning to do in Idaho? I would consider adding one of those days to Grand Teton NP. If you can't get lodging in the park, there are plenty of places to stay in Jackson.

Lee Ann

keepuh

Thanks Lee Ann. Your trip report was helpful. Idaho has hotels in proximity to Yellowstone that I can use loyalty points for....and the Potato Museum on the way. We were planning on a using the ID hotel as a camp for a day of rest and then get to the Grand Tetons. You are right.....I'll save my loyalty points for elsewhere to stay in Jackson at the same place you did. Guess the Potato Museum will have to wait since driving from Grand Teton to Rexburg to sleep and then to Yellowstone adds four hours of drive time the day before entering YS.

partmtn

Sounds fun! I've done lots of trips like this and you'll definitely get a sense of the varied country! One suggestion - rather than breezing through Utah there are tons of beautiful things to see along the way. Maybe a night at Lake Powell - you guys could do some windsailing or rent a houseboat for the night, or better yet, take a tour along some of the winding flooded canyons, going underneath stone arches.

Arches is one of my favorite places, and the river country around there is so rugged and beautiful. There are lots of bike and ATV rentals around that area to get you into the surrounding country.

Mt Nebo is a MUST, even if just driving through the state. Sounds like you guys enjoy a good road trip rather than just eating up miles on the interstate. That is quite a scenic drive up to about 11,000', passing through lots of different terrain.

I absolutely love Idaho but to be honest, breeze right through the southeast portion of the state - it's a yawn unless you live close (as I do) and have plenty of time to really explore.

As far as bikers around Mt Rushmore - yes, they're everywhere! But not in a disrespectful way; in fact most of the campgrounds are filled with retirees on their Goldwings heading to take a trip much like the one you're taking. I would not miss Custer State Park - steep entrance fee but Needles Highway alone is worth it! Although the bison will likely be less of a novelty by that point . . . And Badlands is one of my favorite places on earth. It's magical!

I wouldn't worry about sightseeing plans around YNP - once you get there you'll have a great idea of what interests you most and you can spend your time doing that! If you want to do any rafting I would suggest either southern Utah or the Gallatin River in MT - both the Snake by the Tetons and the Yellowstone at the north entrance are less exciting trips by far - but I guess they'd be great for anyone just wanting a scenic float.

Whew that was alot! Sorry but this really is one of my favorite trips and I haven't done the Utah section for a few years - guess I miss it a little bit.

stpetereb

You have lots of great advice. I wonder if some of the people looked at your dates. Utah is fabulous but in August, Arches is very hot. The same for the badlands, when we were there, at the end of July a few years ago it was over 100. We found the float trip down the snake (in Grand Teton Nation Park) wonderful when the weather is warm. We took our 11 & 12 year old grandchildren and we all loved it. I understand that many people don't like long drives on vacation but if your kids are used to it, they will love the West. I think, you will want your time in Yellowstone, no matter how many times we visit or how long we stay, we always wish we had a longer time there. I am sure you will have a great time.

keepuh

Thank you all for the varied words of wisdom. We are doing the fiery furnace hike in arches....which is pretty appropriately named for how hot it will be. Has anyone driven Rte 128 (Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Parkway) before? Is a better ride through rte 89 in UT or 15 through WY? I think I know the answer but thought I'd ask...

PeaceOut

This would be the trip from hell for our family, especially if our kids were 9 and 12. I suggest you drop the Mt Rushmore piece of it, and see more of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. Yikes.

utahtea

Hwy 128 http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2013/travel.html is a beautiful scenic byway from Moab, Utah to I-70 and is just a small section of The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Parkway http://www.us-parks.com/scenic-byway...hway-utah.html

We've done both Rt 89 in Wyoming and I-15 in Utah. I actually think I like the I-15 better but both are good drives.

Utahtea

Hez

Unless you're landing really late at DEN, or have a reason to stay in Denver why not get a couple miles under your belt as the drive to Mesa Verde is about 8 hours. You could make it to Salida in about 3 hours.

While you're near Mt Rushmore, if you have the time, Custer State Park has a great wildlife loop where you're pretty much guaranteed to see buffalo, and also Crazy Horse which is a similar concept to Mt Rushmore but still being carved and massively bigger than Rushmore. The story behind it is fascinating - http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/. It's only 20 minutes or so from Rushmore.

Also - at Mt Rushmore there's a trail that goes down closer which is well worth the extra time (it's an easy trail, and if you're lucky you might see a marmot or two).

Sounds like a great trip to me! Hope you have an awesome time.

InSandy

Since it popped back up I'll tell you that our trip to Mt Rushmore during Sturgis a few years ago was by mistake. But we loved it! Can't imagine the area withOUT all the motorcycles, it was so much fun. I still have a picture of the parking lot at Crazy Horse absolutely crammed with cycles. That being said it did take longer to get everywhere. BUT there was never anything my boys shouldn't have seen. Maybe if we had gone right into Sturgis?, but we stayed in the parks and had a good time.