Heading out to Yellowstone today, driving from Kentucky. Going alone. Driving a Subaru Outback. Plan on car camping/boondocking as much as possible. I have 2 weeks and no itinerary really. I have a few things I want to see.... Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Tetons, Crazy Horse Memorial, Buffalo Bill Museum..... what am I missing?

Plan on taking 2 days to see everything at the Buffalo Bill Museum. It's huge but worth taking the time to see it all. Cody is a neat town with good restaurants so the extra time will be worth it.

Jim

If not too expensive for your plans I highly recommend a private tour guide in Yellowstone for a day. They know way around and good spots way better than you could plan from books and friends. Ours had gone out to work at a lodge at 18 and just stayed. 30+ years ago!

Happy to share name if you like.

Add a cruise through Needles Highway in the Black Hills. Very impressive. If you are well ahead of schedule the Badlands are an interesting drive but fairly time consuming. The beauty is very subtle unless it has recently rained which doesn't happen too often.

The breakfast Cruise on Jenny Lake in Grand Teton Park is an excellent way to see totally unspoiled areas in the Yellowstone area. The boat trip offers views you will get no other way, you will usually see wildlife and the meal on the island is wonderful. Highly recommend this and sign up early as it usually fills up.

I've been through Yellowstone and Teton Parks many times - But - Get the Gypsy Guides for these parks and any other national parks you tour for a great commentary that follows your trip.

https://gypsyguide.com/

Highly recommended.

If you have time - hike around Jenny Lake. If you have waterproof boots, hike into Cascade Canyon until the snow gets too deep. Beautiful views of the Teton's on the approach.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
If not too expensive for your plans I highly recommend a private tour guide in Yellowstone for a day. They know way around and good spots way better than you could plan from books and friends. Ours had gone out to work at a lodge at 18 and just stayed. 30+ years ago!

Happy to share name if you like.

^^^^^
Great idea. Back in 1978, when I was 14, my parents and I were on a vacation from Daytona Beach to New Mexico, and stopped at Vicksburg Battlefield in MS. My dad hired a local guide, an elderly Southern lady who I remember being in her 90’s, who knew EVERYTHING about Vicksburg and the battles there. (Of course, I was 14, so maybe she was only in her 60’s LOL...) Point is, we learned tons of stuff that wasn’t in any of the guides or pamphlets. Worth the cost for sure.

I’d take a day and drive South out of Yellowstone to Jackson Hole ... another great drive is Bear Tooth Pass out of NE Yellowstone to Red Lodge.

MDS

You mentioned car camping/boondocking. Hopefully you’ve already made reservations if you plan on camping in any parks.

OTOH if you really want to find places to boondock may I suggest you get the iOverlander app. It is a crowd sourced map of places to boondock (as well as other camping options) all across North America. We use it all the time!

Enjoy the trip!

For a no frills spot to put your tent, check out this site, solo even easier.

https://freecampsites.net/?utm...rce=web_app_manifest

I’m off Monday the 14th, dogging in SD.

Since you’re in the neighborhood, you might stop at Fort Robinson, just west of Chadron, Nebraska. Pretty place, and there aren’t many former Army posts in the West with more history. If the Indian Wars interest you, then you could stop by Wounded Knee, which lies between Fort Robinson and Rapid City.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will definitely check all of these options out!

Chief Joseph highway on your way in or out. Beartooth highway out of the NE gate up to Red Lodge MT if it's open yet.

In Yellowstone always……no….never feed the bears.

The small town just outside of the Northeast gate has a number of tourist trap stores... one has an amazing display of the various wild life found in Yellowstone. I can't remember the name of the store but it was full of the 'junk' you usually buy when on a trip like this... but I highly recommend checking out the store and their critter display if you are near there. Also pay close attention in the Yellowstone museum at the comparison between the recent eruption of Mnt St Helens and the one that created the current Yellowstone. The difference is something like a 1/2 lb of Tannerite and a hydrogen bomb....

Just returned from Yellowstone, etc. From Seattle drove to Mt Rushmore, then back through Wy to Cody. BTW, had dinner at the Irma Hotel in Cody and listened to the live 2 Cowboy band. Drove into the park the next day, then south to Jackson Hole, Colorado, New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley then back north to Seattle.

Third time to Yellowstone. It's nice but a Zoo with the world tourists descending on it and all that goes along with that.

JHole is the Aspen of Wyoming and not a place I enjoyed much. Something about a bunch of NY/New Jersey accents in Wyoming that gave me the same feeling as hearing nails on chalk board.

Driving all that way, you really owe it to yourself to secure reservations and camp several nights inside Yellowstone and/or Grand Teton. Both are unique national treasures, best enjoyed by spending a few nights there, camping and outdoor recreation has exploded during the months of this pandemic yo-yo.

Reservations are a must, nothing worse than visiting national parks or, the wilderness in-general and getting caught up in the traffic jam of day-visitors who are simply there to take an 'I was there picture' and check the box of destinations. Secure a site or, two, take-in a Ranger-led hike and create lasting memories.

Keep in mind time & distance, you've got quite a list of destinations which should fill your itinerary, do some planning at least, as back tracking will frustrate you to no end, especially given the cost of gas. Other locations to consider: Little Big Horn Battlefield, Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, Wall Drug outside of Badlands , Fort Laramie NHS.

The battle site where Custer was slaughtered..Little Bighorn. Very worthwhile for the historical minded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...ld_National_Monument

I’m headed out that way in a week. My plan is to see more of central Wyoming but I do plan to visit the Tetons area for a day. I mostly look forward to the change of scenery with wide open spaces. Finding cool vehicle/air/rail/equipment museums is plus for me.
There is the National Military Vehicle Museum in Dubois WY. They advertise having over 400 vehicles.
The Dinosaur Museum in Thermopolis is well reviewed.

Are they still telling people to wrap their cars in a tarp to keep the rodents out

https://www.google.com/amp/s/n...-wrap-151953522.html