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I'm heading out of Atlanta in June with a teenager, a golden retriever and a minivan. Our rough plan is to make a big "loop" in 3+ weeks that works like this:
Atlanta - Memphis - Ozarks - Oklahoma City - Amarillo - Albuquerque - Mesa Verde - Great Sand Dunes - Colorado Springs - Denver - Grand Teton - Yellowstone (main goal) - Devil's Monument - Sioux Falls -- Rushmore/Wind Cave/Badlands - St. Louis - home
Those aren't necessarily the only stops -- just the main route / things we're most interested in seeing. I have SEVERAL questions with which I'd love help. Note that our "lodging" plan is to camp 2 - 3 nights, then hit a hotel for one night. Most of the camping I plan to occur in the back of the minivan (because I can lock it!), but we are taking a tent, as well, in case there are times that will work better. Also, I'm the only driver, so I'm hoping to keep the drives to 3 - 4 hours a day when possible and no more than 6 on a rare "long" day.
Questions:
(1) I've seen some suggestions on the drive from Denver to Grand Teton, as well as the drive from Yellowstone up through Montana before cutting across to South Dakota. My biggest concern there is that I had planned to board our dog in Jackson before entering Yellowstone (we have reservations at a tent site in the park for two nights), but that means heading south again upon exiting to pick her up (whereas it seems like leaving to the north would be best if we want to hit Bear Tooth Pass on our way east). Suggestions on how to do that effectively (or alternatives?)??
(2) The dog question. She's mature and well-behaved, but I'm a little worried about her encountering wildlife (or even possibly attracting it to our tent/vehicle overnight by barking). She's smart and not at all neurotic, so I think she'll adapt well to new surroundings, but can I rely on her having sound instincts if she smells a bear or if there's a rattlesnake nearby? We don't really plan on doing much in terms of "backcountry", but I gather you don't have to step very far off the road before snakes/bears/coyotes, etc. might be encountered.
(3) The "sleeping in the minivan" question. I'm a little worried, with all that I'm reading about bears, that being IN the car is actually LESS safe when it comes to middle-of-the-night visitors. While we can certainly try our best, I think it's very UNLIKELY (keep the teen in mind) that I will make it from Atlanta to Yellowstone without having lots of "food smells" (and/or lingering crumbs) in the car...and even if I do an AMAZING job of getting rid of that (and vacuuming), I don't think there's a Rubbermaid container in existence that can mask the scent of yummy dog food (which we'll have to have!). Thoughts on this? And do I need to have the same concerns throughout the Colorado/Wyoming area (i.e. even outside the park)? I'd really rather not get mauled in the middle of the night.
Finally, I'm scouring the internet for "places of interest" along our route -- we love to wander, and I'm finding I'm already doing more "planning" than I want to, but it's out of necessity, I think, given the season, having a dog with us, etc. Caves, hot springs, swimming holes, waterfalls, easily accessible overlooks, drive-ins, awesome campgrounds, great dog parks, must-visit restaurants -- any info re: any of those is MORE THAN welcome, as well!! Thanks, and please forgive the length of this post!
You might consider going as far north as Casper or Sheridan, WY to board the dog, then continue on to Yellowstone and/or Teton then swing back through on your way to Rushmore/Black Hills
Atlanta - Memphis - Ozarks - Oklahoma City - Amarillo - Albuquerque - Mesa Verde - Great Sand Dunes - Colorado Springs - Denver - Grand Teton - Yellowstone (main goal) - Devil's Monument - Sioux Falls -- Rushmore/Wind Cave/Badlands - St. Louis - home
As the mom of a teen and a tween and also as someone who has been to most of the places you've mentioned that you're planning to go to, I would strongly make the suggestion that you cut out the portion of your loop that goes through the southwest. I'm in Buffalo, WY and I've driven to FL, going through Atlanta. I've also driven from here down to NM. Believe me, there is too much to see for you to do it in 3 weeks and not return home feeling like all you did was drive, drive, drive. Cut back your destinations by making it 2 trips. Save 1/2 of it for next year if you can. If Yellowstone is your main goal, then visit the northern portion this time around.
I would suggest you come this way through Memphis to St. Louis, then up through Souix City, IA and head west on I-90 at Souix Falls, SD. The drive across SD is going to be boring, but it's no less boring than the drive across NE or even worse, KS. I've driven the full length of all 3 and prefer SD. It has a few interesting and strange sites along the road. You can camp at the Bad Lands. I've done that and it was pretty cool. I would plan to stay in a hotel in Souix Falls, SD or Mitchell, SD (and if you're in Mitchell before 5pm then check out the Corn Palace). There's also a Cabela's in Mitchell if you like sporting goods stores.
This route would take you to the Badlands then Mt. Rushmore, then Wind Cave.
I can tell you from experience, the drive across SD, NE, KS, or TX will be the worst part of your trip and it will be long long hours of driving so be prepared for that and just kick it out in one day so you can get on to the fun of the trip.
Those aren't necessarily the only stops -- just the main route / things we're most interested in seeing. I have SEVERAL questions with which I'd love help. Note that our "lodging" plan is to camp 2 - 3 nights, then hit a hotel for one night. Most of the camping I plan to occur in the back of the minivan (because I can lock it!), but we are taking a tent, as well, in case there are times that will work better. Also, I'm the only driver, so I'm hoping to keep the drives to 3 - 4 hours a day when possible and no more than 6 on a rare "long" day.
Questions:
(1) I've seen some suggestions on the drive from Denver to Grand Teton, as well as the drive from Yellowstone up through Montana before cutting across to South Dakota. My biggest concern there is that I had planned to board our dog in Jackson before entering Yellowstone (we have reservations at a tent site in the park for two nights), but that means heading south again upon exiting to pick her up (whereas it seems like leaving to the north would be best if we want to hit Bear Tooth Pass on our way east). Suggestions on how to do that effectively (or alternatives?)??
Where is your camp reservation at within the park? The park is huge and it's not a quick drive from Yellowstone's entrance to Jackson - not with tourist traffic.
I'll be honest with you - I do NOT tent camp in Yellowstone. Obviously plenty of people do and it's rare that anyone gets attacked in their tent, but it's just something I refuse to do. I will not camp there unless I'm in a hard-sided camper or a car.
Your dog isn't likely to attract a bear, but, depending on where you're planning to camp, wolves could be an issue and they hate dogs. Of course, if your dog is camping inside the minivan with you, then it's not an issue. You can definitely take your dog to Yellowstone with you, but you will not not be able to take her onto any of the boardwalks or into any buildings. If you can leave her in the minivan with the windows down and in a way where she cannot escape the van (maybe tied in with a leash), she should be fine. It's not going to be ungodly hot in the park in June. Just take precautions to attempt to park in shady spots and make sure she has water and that the windows are down. If she's a major barker, consider putting a bark collar on her at those times so she isn't barking at every person who walks by.
(2) The dog question. She's mature and well-behaved, but I'm a little worried about her encountering wildlife (or even possibly attracting it to our tent/vehicle overnight by barking). She's smart and not at all neurotic, so I think she'll adapt well to new surroundings, but can I rely on her having sound instincts if she smells a bear or if there's a rattlesnake nearby? We don't really plan on doing much in terms of "backcountry", but I gather you don't have to step very far off the road before snakes/bears/coyotes, etc. might be encountered.
IF you're only there for 2 nights, it's a guarantee that you won't be doing any backcountry hiking. I'm assuming you've never been to the park, therefore there are TONS of sites to be scene by driving the loop of the park. It takes a good 3-4 days to actually walk all of the geyser basins and to see all of the road attractions and that's with very little time spent dilly dallying. If you want a chance to see wolves, you'll need to attempt to be in Lamar valley before dawn or at dusk when they begin to come out of their dens.
Oh, tip - take a pair of binoculars. You might need them in Yellowstone to see bears, wolves, etc.
(3) The "sleeping in the minivan" question. I'm a little worried, with all that I'm reading about bears, that being IN the car is actually LESS safe when it comes to middle-of-the-night visitors. While we can certainly try our best, I think it's very UNLIKELY (keep the teen in mind) that I will make it from Atlanta to Yellowstone without having lots of "food smells" (and/or lingering crumbs) in the car...and even if I do an AMAZING job of getting rid of that (and vacuuming), I don't think there's a Rubbermaid container in existence that can mask the scent of yummy dog food (which we'll have to have!). Thoughts on this? And do I need to have the same concerns throughout the Colorado/Wyoming area (i.e. even outside the park)? I'd really rather not get mauled in the middle of the night.
Valid concern, but as I said above, I don't tent camp in grizzly country. There are certain campgrounds in Yellowstone that are going to be a little more iffy when it comes to grizzlies. Specifically - Slew Creek in Lamar Valley and Pebble Creek, at the north end of the valley. Those two are rustic campgrounds and aren't overcrowded, which is nice, but that valley is loaded with predators. If you're camping in a busy place like Mammoth, Old Faithful, Norris, or any of the other busy developed campgrounds, you don't need to worry quite so much about attracting the critters, but they are still there. If a bear were to attack your minivan, I would think your dog would have already alerted you to its presence and you would be peeling out of the campground. In June, you aren't going to be hot at night if you're keeping all the windows up. Don't worry about that. It will be cold at night so keep that in mind.
Finally, I'm scouring the internet for "places of interest" along our route -- we love to wander, and I'm finding I'm already doing more "planning" than I want to, but it's out of necessity, I think, given the season, having a dog with us, etc. Caves, hot springs, swimming holes, waterfalls, easily accessible overlooks, drive-ins, awesome campgrounds, great dog parks, must-visit restaurants -- any info re: any of those is MORE THAN welcome, as well!! Thanks, and please forgive the length of this post!
Well, if you're going through Mt. Rushmore, around mile marker 184 on I-90 you should look north for a good view of Devil's Tower and save yourself the trouble of driving the hour out to it and back and then you should plan your next night's stay in Buffalo, WY. If you do go to Devil's Tower, walk around the tower and take note of how the tower affects the forest. The portions that are to the north and always in the shadow of the tower remind me of the pacific northwest.
Moving on to Buffalo, we're at the foot of the Big Horn Mtns. We have the largest outdoor swimming pool in the state and it's completely free. It's in town at the park. There are at least 4 campgrounds in town here (Indian Campground is nice with lots of trees) or you can drive up the mountain and camp at a forest service campground for about $10/night and our mountains are relatively grizzly free (they claim there aren't any but we all know there might be a couple). From the Big Horns, you can head to Cody for your next night's stay and be sure to check out the Buffalo Bill museum. It's an awesome museum and a must-see if in Cody. The route from Buffalo, WY over the Big Horns is the quickest way to Yellowstone. I've done the routes up through MT and you just end up with a lot more time driving and several hours of it isn't scenic at all. From Cody, you can go up to Sunlight Basin and go into Yellowstone through the Cook City entrance, or you can go in through the east entrance of the park - I guess it depends on what campground you're staying in.
Having taken many very long roadtrips around the country, my best advice to you is to focus on experiencing your trip, rather than on seeing it. Yes, it means going to fewer landmarks than you are planning to go to, however, it will make for more lasting memories. Raft down the snake river, hike around Devil's Tower, get up early to go look for wolves in Lamar Valley (hint, where ever the people are standing with scopes, that's where you want to go and ask what they're looking at), go swimming in the Fire Hole River in Yellowstone - it's warm.
IF I were you, I would plan to hit yellowstone about 1 week into your trip, spend as much time there as you need in order to experience the park because it's just awesome and like no where else you'll ever go, and then head south to Jackson Hole. Pretty town but not one of my favorite places - I think it's over-rated and snobby. Then getting from Jackson to Denver, there are many different routes you can take. If you head to Casper, WY from Jackson, you would go through Dubois, then Riverton, then Shoshone to Casper. At Shoshone you could detour north through the canyon to Thermopolis and spend an afternoon swimming at the hot springs there. In Casper there's the Western Trails Museum - highly recommend that. There's a natural bridge arch down towards Wheatland. It goes over the river down there and I believe it's a state park and that it has a campground. Your next stop would probably be Denver. At that point you could evaluate your time line, figure out how much time you have left and how long it would take to get home from there with the additional stops. Mesa Verde is worth the visit if you have time. The narrowgage steam train from Durango, CO to Silverton is a great experience. Bridal Veil Falls in Telluride and really pretty. If you go to Durango, you may as well drive south about 1/2 an hour to Aztec, NM and visit the Aztec ruins. They're pretty cool too, then drive towards Farmington, NM to get a view of Shiprock.
Well, I wrote a fairly incoherent book so I'll stop now! Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them.
Way too much traveling in too short a time to really experience the major destinations unless you're satisfied to have simply driven past them.
As well, there's a lot of opportunities for spontaneous stops in your traveling route through the mountain areas, Black Hills, etc., which your schedule isn't likely to accomodate. While the daylight hours are long, seeking out a campsite and stopping travels to set up camp and have an enjoyable evening typically means stopping no later than the late afternoon/early evening. And it still takes time to break camp in the AM if you've had the time to make a breakfast and enjoy it.
IMO, if your mini-van isn't a conversion van set-up (look at rigs like a Roadtrek Class B RV), you'll find that those days that you spend "camping" in it will be very tiresome very quickly. If you've got all the gear for car tent camping on a long-term travels comfortable scale ... which includes cooking/cleaning gear and the ability to take daily showers ... then you'll have a very full mini-van of gear. You'll do better to plan your travels around tent camping if that's your pleasure rather than escaping from that to the every few days motel "escape" from the camping.
If anything, I wouldn't cut your destinations by 1/2 as Land Girl suggested ... I'd cut it by 66%.
I don't see a problem with the mini-van camping, but, as Sunsprit suggested, utilize the tent whenever possible. My mother in law and my son went on an Alaskan adventure last summer that took them to Alaska for 6 weeks with nothing but a tent and a Chevy Aveo. It can be done and it requires excellent packing skills. Plan to dress in layers. You'll potentially need cold weather clothing in Yellowstone. It would be best to have a wind breaker / waterproof coat that you can layer underneath with other clothing. You should bring 2 pairs of shoes each and that's it. You want a backup pair in case your shoes get wet. Limit your clothing - you can always stop at a laundry mat.
I would suggest tent camping except when in Yellowstone and otherwise except when it's raining. Nothing worse than having a soaking wet tent that you don't have time to dry out.
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