Seeing the U.S.
 

My family (myself, wife, daughter-14, sons-11 & 7) is in the process of seeing the United States. Every 2 years, We intend to pack up and take a 2-3 week road trip so the kids can see as much as possible before they are grown. We have been Southwest (Kentucky to San Diego and back, via Grand Canyon). and now we are going west again but taking a more northerly route. Here are the plans so far:
KY to MN (3 days)- kids want to see the Mall of America. Me too!
SD (3 days)- staying in State Game Lodge, Custer State Park. Rushmore, etc. The more I investigate SD, the more time I want to spend there!
Yellowstone (4 days)- Three Bear Lodge-comments?
Overnight in Salt Lake, then San Francisco (3 days)-suggestions please.
Current plan is to follow SF with Yosemite, but time is running short at this point. We have 2 days between SF and Zion Natl. Park- Cliffrose Lodge (3 days) followed by a 3 day journey home to KY.
I am looking for input on itinerary, lodging, etc. Any and every suggestion or opinion would be helpful.

just time for a quick comment right now. SLC to SF is over 700 miles and 12+ hours depending on how many stops you need.

Also - when is the trip? Makes a <b>big</b> difference re routes from Yosemite.

Oops. The trip is in June 2008. Yes, I know there are a few VERY long drives, but we travel well together and the long ones are broken up with three and four night stays.

Yes, when is an important question. I'm guessing summer since kids are school aged.

You will probably find more things to do in the Black Hills that you will have time for! I'd like to suggest a hike up Harney Peak, the highest peak east of the Rockies. It's about a 6 mile round trip hike, but it is not too difficult even for kids your age. (I did this hike when I was a kid in the '60's and then took my kids in the '90's when they were younger than yours are.) Our kids probably hiked twice as far was we did because they'd go up the trail to &quot;scout it out&quot; and then come back to us to report! At the top is an abandoned stone fire lookout (which was still in use when I was a kid). The scenery and views are spectacular!
After your hike, you can enjoy a picnic lunch or have lunch at the Sylvan Lake Lodge dining room, which is pretty spectacular in itself. The trail to the top of Harney Peak begins at Sylvan Lake and that's a beautiful spot to visit even if you don't do the hike.

Thanks!

Mozilla,

Since you are coming all this way, you should include Bryce Natl Park on your route back. Maybe do 2 days Zion - 1 day Bryce.

This is fine, but remember at least 1/3 of your time will be spent driving. I would either stick to UT and CA. Or SD and MN. You can do what you have in mind, but this is just flying through everything to say you saw it. I had rather experience it. A person could easily spend 3 weeks in Utah alone. Same goes for Northern California. If at all possible, stay in the National Parks. It is so much easier than to try and drive back and forth from a location outside the parks.

Yosemite is my all-time favorite! It would be a shame to miss it. I would cut a day or two out of other destinations, myself, like the Mall of America, or even SD and/or Yellowstone. Yosemite is awe-inspiring.
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I agree skip the Mall of America, but don't skip Yellowstone or the Black Hills. Skipping MN will add an extra day or three considering stopping and a more direct route to the Hills. That will allow time for Yosemite.

I think spirobulldog is on the right track. Save SLC, SF and Yosemite for another trip. Perhaps in 2 years you could do a 3 week road trip to the Pacific Northwest and fit them in there. For this trip, they just don't make alot of sense to me.

You already have said you want to spend more time in South Dakota, and you haven't given yourself any time on the North Shore in MN. You could still hit Yellowstone and swing through a bit of Colorado on your way home, but IMHO going any farther west is cramming in too much.

As a California native, it pains me to say this ;) but I think you've got to cut California out of this trip and save it for another time. I think that if you include it, you will be shortchanging yourselves - you wont see much of California and you will have to cut time out of your other destinations to make the haul out here.

I like the suggestion to do the west coast in a couple years.

I agree with the last three posters. Give Yosemite and the West Coast more time in a separate trip.

On this trip, see more of Minnesota, Wisconsin lakes, etc., less long haul driving.
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