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Not sure if this is in the correct forum. I plan on taking some time off work and taking a road tip to see Yellowstone National Park.
I'll be driving from Chicago IL and wanted to see if someone can suggest the most scenic route to take and some places of interest to see along the way.
This will be a first road trip of this kind for me, the only other one I've done was to Niagara Falls with a stop in Ohio for several hours at my brother's place.
Basically looking for tips, advice, etc. Maybe there's a forum where stuff like this is discussed in great detail? Would hate to miss out on anything by taking a boring/incorrect route.
The easiest and most scenic route would be I-90 west through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
In South Dakota you have Badlands National Park, Wall Drug (the ultimate kitschy tourist trap), the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore, Deadwood/Lead, Sturgis, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park). If you've got plenty of extra time and it's open, the Iron Mountain Road (US-16A) in the Black Hills is awesome. There's also Crazy Horse, but it's an extremely overrated and expensive tourist trap.
Wyoming - Devil's Tower National Monument is about a 45 minute drive off I-90 in NE Wyoming.
If you're coming during the summer - I'd take I-90 to Laurel, MT, and then drop into Yellowstone via US-212 over Beartooth Pass.
If Beartooth Pass is closed, you'll have to take I-90 to Livingston, MT, and enter Yellowstone via US-89.
In South Dakota you have Badlands National Park, Wall Drug (the ultimate kitschy tourist trap), the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore, Deadwood/Lead, Sturgis, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park). If you've got plenty of extra time and it's open, the Iron Mountain Road (US-16A) in the Black Hills is awesome. There's also Crazy Horse, but it's an extremely overrated and expensive tourist trap.
This is a must if you're going that close to Yellowstone........ you don't want to miss it.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Make it a 'round-trip'. There are lots of great routes, do the Beartooth (NE Yellwstone, is a must see anyway)
I like route 14a from Sheridan, Wy to Lovell. Burgess Jct is my dream location, if I am ever widowed.
Tetons is a must.
THermopolis, is good on a chilly day.
If you need a place to stay in Black Hills, I like the Main Street Hostel in Lead, SD. IT is wonderful, better than most hotels, and has cooking and lounges, Great bike trail nearby
For Americana... Consider the Enchanted Highway in ND, or Carhenge, Sandhills of Nebraska
You might want to take I-90 one direction and I-80 the other. If you took I-90 to get to Yellowstone and then, when you were done seeing Yellowstone went directly south, you could also visit Grand Teton National Park, which is absolutely spectacular and actually almost borders on Yellowstone. Jackson Hole, near there, is a fun place to visit. You could then drive on to Salt Lake City (only going on I-15 for the last stretch of the way, since Highway 89 is much more scenic). Then you could drive back to Chicago from Salt Lake City on I-80. It would just make it so that you had different scenery each direction.
if you end up staying on I90, check out Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument located right next to I90 in SE Montana, you could spend as little as an hour exploring the site and terrain around Last Stand Hill and the Visitor Center or opt for a self-guided auto tour and explore the entire battlefield in more depth.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,698 posts, read 58,012,579 times
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If you have the time... take the route from Jackson, south to Bear Lake, UT, then to SLC via Ogden. from SLC head to Dinosaur, CO, then Steamboat Springs, and then south to Glenwood springs / Aspen / Independence Pass, then Vail and east on I-70 to Denver, then I-76 to I-80, (with a jog to Sidney, NE for Cabelas).
More Time? Add the superb Utah National parks, and Mesa Verde (SW Colorado) (can be hot in Summer). You can still cut through Glenwood Springs / I-70 / 76 / 80.
If on I-80, schedule a day for Pioneer Village in Minden, NE. A NE inventor of plexiglass (Chicago) recreated an entire village, and has a large collection of prairie Americana. Of course there are many other things to enjoy, such as Ollies Big Game bar in Paxton, NE. Search Roadtrip USA. Or Scenic Byways.
The easiest and most scenic route would be I-90 west through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
In South Dakota you have Badlands National Park, Wall Drug (the ultimate kitschy tourist trap), the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore, Deadwood/Lead, Sturgis, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park). If you've got plenty of extra time and it's open, the Iron Mountain Road (US-16A) in the Black Hills is awesome. There's also Crazy Horse, but it's an extremely overrated and expensive tourist trap.
Wyoming - Devil's Tower National Monument is about a 45 minute drive off I-90 in NE Wyoming.
If you're coming during the summer - I'd take I-90 to Laurel, MT, and then drop into Yellowstone via US-212 over Beartooth Pass.
If Beartooth Pass is closed, you'll have to take I-90 to Livingston, MT, and enter Yellowstone via US-89.
Badlands National Park is beautiful! I can't remember the route but be sure to stop by Buffalo Bill Dam as well. Extremely scenic!
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