Roadtrip to Yellowstone from Los Angeles
 

Hello everyone,

I have never done a roadtrip before (especially with small kids 5 and 2), but am interested in a roadtrip to Yellowstone. I have a few questions and if you have suggest an itinary...greatly appreciated.

How many days is good enough for the overall stay? I'm driving from Los Angeles.
What are the good restaurants along the way?
What are the things to do or see along the way to Yellowstone?
What would be a good lodging place?
If someone could suggest an itinerary, that would be awesome.

I don't know yet when is the trip, I'm just planning ahead. When is a good time to do this? Thanks so much in advance!

There are many things to see along the way to Yellowstone, depending on the road you take. Google map an itinerary and see what comes up along that itinerary. For example, if you take I-15 up, Cedar Breaks, Bryce and Zion are quite close and would be worth a detour. It all depends on the route and the time you have for this trip.

That is a long way to drive with two small children from LA especially if you have never done a road trip before.
Personally I would either fly into SLC and rent a car, or take your first trip closer to home. Maybe Yosemite?

I'm with jamie99 on this. I just got home last night from a road trip. Sacramento to Yellowstone/Grand Teton NP. There is a lot of nothing between California/Nevada and Idaho/Utah. It takes two full days of driving from SoCal to YNP/GTNP. I told my husband last night that if we were to go back, I'd fly to Jackson, WY. Lodging in the parks are expensive and we didn't see too many young children.

I'd stick closer to home for your first road trip.

Thank you for your suggestions. It's true...I'm nervous about it too as my kids constantly need to be entertained. :)

I just google mapped it from Los Angeles to Yellowstone (Old Faithful Inn)and I got 14 hours, 59 minutes. That is quite a bit of driving but doable over 2 days if you have enough time. That your kids need to be constantly entertained of course complicates things. As noted above, you will be passing very near some stunning scenery in Utah that it would be a shame to miss.

For Yellowstone itself, I would try to stay 4 nights. More is better but 4 gives you a good taste for the park. Try also to have 2 nights in the Grand Tetons which are just to the south of Yellowstone and very deserving of some time. If you have more time, you may want to add a night in Cody or some time to drive the Beartooth Highway.

Since you are planning well in advance, it is best to stay at the in park lodges. Yellowstone is huge and staying at 2 different locations (maybe Old Faithful Inn and then Canyon or Roosevelt) is ideal to cut down on driving time. the lodges in the park fill up fast and so you should call as early as you can to book.

So, if you do not have time to drive two days each way, plus enough time to adequately see the parks - what about flying?