AKNixon

I am travelling from Arkansas and have twelve days. I would like to go on the following itinerary and need suggestions on lodging, etc..
Day 1 to Sioux City, Idaho
Day 2 to South Dakota (The Badlands; Mount Rushmore)
Day 3 to Yellowstone (2 nights)
Day 4 Yellowstone
Day 5 to Montana and Glacier National Park (2-3 nights)
Day 6 & 7 Montana
Day 8 Mount Ranier/Portland
Day 9 Portland
Day 10-12 Boise, Idaho to Salt Lake City to Denver

John

I assume you mean Sioux City, Iowa

emalloy

When are you planning to take the trip? In Yellowstone, try to get lodging in the park. If they say they are booked, call and keep calling as they get cancellations from folks who reserved a year ago and now find they can't make it.

spirobulldog

Your trying to do WAY to much, IMOP. With just 12 days and including drive time pick just one place to visit.

WhereAreWe

Agree, you are trying to do way too much. Black Hills (Badlands and Mt. Rushmore area) have enough for 3-4 days or more. Yellowstone should take at least 4 days. Glacier would be several days. You're really just passing through these places instead of seeing them given the little amount of time you're spending at each.

If I was doing this I would skip the Mt. Rainier/Portland part and just add those 5 extra days to the Black Hills, Yellowstone and Glacier. Even then you are still rushing through those places. Portland and Mt. Rainier are easy enough to fly to and are really quite a ways out of the way for a 12 day road trip.

Having said that, when is this trip? Some roads are closed for the majority of the year on this route.

And what is your goal for the trip? Do you want to just see these places or actually get out and hike?

nytraveler

Agree you are trying to cover a huge amount of territory.

Is this a solo trip? If not, how many/who in the party.

Is this strictly a road trip - mostly looking out the window - or do you actually want to get out and see/do things that will take time?

And when is it? Will the weather be decent?

polly229

That sounds rugged. If I had 12 days, I'd spend at least 5 at Yellowstone, 4 at Glacier, and 3 in SD. But then I'd have to teleport between parks. Not sure if you can get between any two of them in one day - I have done them all separately - but I think a day to get from one to the next would be a grueling day. Also Glacier is very, very large and Yellowstone is huge, so just getting around within the parks once you get there will take a lot of time.

Rapid City and Hill City are reasonable locations for seeing Badlands/Rushmore (and Custer State Park is a don't miss!) but I think Rapid City is currently having mudslides, if by some chance you are going soon. My recommendation for Yellowstone is one of the hotels or cabins around Old Faithful for convenience. Would not like the other areas of the park unless I have at least 5 or 6 days, in which case we sometimes stay at Old Faithful half the time and Mammoth (or Gardiner) or Canyon the rest. You could book a chain like a Best Western in West Yellowstone that can be cancelled, then try to get cancellations in the park practically up to the day you leave. When we went to Glacier we spent the first part of our stay at Lake McDonald, then went to Many Glacier for the rest.