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GRAND CANYON/YELLOWSTONE 3 WEEK TRIP- Suggestions Please
Posted on 2/7/18 at 6:20 pm
Posted on 2/7/18 at 6:20 pm
Gonna be heading to the Midwest - starting at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in August/September.
Will head North into Montana/Wyoming/Dakotas and back south to Louisiana.
What are my must sees and will 3 weeks be enough time?
Will head North into Montana/Wyoming/Dakotas and back south to Louisiana.
What are my must sees and will 3 weeks be enough time?
This post was edited on 2/7/18 at 6:43 pm
Posted on 2/7/18 at 6:34 pm to whg335
thats barely any of the midwest
Posted on 2/7/18 at 9:30 pm to whg335
Spend more time in the Tetons, and less time in Yellowstone.
If you can afford to take a detour to see Glacier, do. I would actually do it over the Grand Canyon.
If you can afford to take a detour to see Glacier, do. I would actually do it over the Grand Canyon.
Posted on 2/8/18 at 6:35 am to whg335
Are you driving the whole way or flying somewhere, renting a car and then dropping car off at the end and flying home?
If driving the whole way I would suggest going through Petrified Forest National Park. It is right off of I-40 and can be seen pretty quickly. The painted desert and petrified forest areas are cool and lend themselves to nice pictures.
On the way north from Grand Canyon, stop at Bryce and/or Zion. Bryce is gorgeous, and may actually be prettier than Grand, only because it isn't on such a massive scale.
When leaving Yellowstone, I would suggest heading north to I-90 and then east. That way you can go to Little Bighorn and then staying on 90 takes you to Rapid City (Mt Rushmore) and you can also hit Badlands NP on the way to Sioux Falls. From there, I-29 can take you to Kansas City and head home from there.
If driving the whole way I would suggest going through Petrified Forest National Park. It is right off of I-40 and can be seen pretty quickly. The painted desert and petrified forest areas are cool and lend themselves to nice pictures.
On the way north from Grand Canyon, stop at Bryce and/or Zion. Bryce is gorgeous, and may actually be prettier than Grand, only because it isn't on such a massive scale.
When leaving Yellowstone, I would suggest heading north to I-90 and then east. That way you can go to Little Bighorn and then staying on 90 takes you to Rapid City (Mt Rushmore) and you can also hit Badlands NP on the way to Sioux Falls. From there, I-29 can take you to Kansas City and head home from there.
Posted on 2/8/18 at 6:50 am to PJinAtl
I recommend staying in a cabin on the North Rim if you can get it.
2nd Bryce and Zion, add Canyonlands to it too. Pretty easy to hit all 3 on your way north.
Beartooth Highway leaving Yellowstone is an amazing way to leave the park.
Mt Rushmore and the Indian thing are both extremely lame. Hit the cave national parks over there over those or skip it altogether. Devil's Tower is a better choice as well.
2nd Bryce and Zion, add Canyonlands to it too. Pretty easy to hit all 3 on your way north.
Beartooth Highway leaving Yellowstone is an amazing way to leave the park.
Mt Rushmore and the Indian thing are both extremely lame. Hit the cave national parks over there over those or skip it altogether. Devil's Tower is a better choice as well.
This post was edited on 2/8/18 at 6:52 am
Posted on 2/8/18 at 11:50 am to Dam Guide
quote:AGREE. The drive from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is a beautiful 45 miles.
I recommend staying in a cabin on the North Rim if you can get it.
2) All of Hwy 12 is AMAZING. It boasts the last uncharted area in the United States. Wow. website
3) the mountains near Boulder, Monticello, and Moab (Warner Campground) are really cool.
4) Flaming Gorge in northern UT
5) the Tetons deserve a lot of attention. I agree, more than Yellowstone.
6) Glacier NP
This post was edited on 2/8/18 at 12:09 pm
Posted on 2/8/18 at 12:55 pm to bayoubengals88
Hwy 12 before you get to Boulder (Larb Hollow Overlook)
At this point you're among the aspens in alpine country, but you can see Capitol Reef NP and a distant range. It was stunning. I'll never forget it.
At this point you're among the aspens in alpine country, but you can see Capitol Reef NP and a distant range. It was stunning. I'll never forget it.
This post was edited on 2/8/18 at 1:23 pm
Posted on 2/8/18 at 1:31 pm to Lima Whiskey
quote:
If you can afford to take a detour to see Glacier, do. I would actually do it over the Grand Canyon.
Yeah, I'd do Glacier over everything else in the continental US.
Beartooth Pass was a good recommendation. When headed south you can probably work in the Medicine Bow range; there is a beautiful highway near Laramie that is worth the extra time.
With three weeks you'll have to prioritize. Including Glacier may be pretty difficult.
Posted on 2/8/18 at 1:36 pm to whg335
I highly recommend the Mighty 5 in Utah. It would be mostly on your route with very few detours.
My Mighty 5 Trip
My Mighty 5 Trip
Posted on 2/8/18 at 1:39 pm to bayoubengals88
quote:
Hwy 12 near Boulder (Larb Hollow Overlook)
Highway 12 south of Torrey is just a great drive, including he switchbacks and hike at Calf Creek Falls south of Boulder. And very little traffic.
Posted on 2/8/18 at 1:50 pm to Tigris
We thoroughly enjoyed staying a night at high elevation in June at Pleasant Creek Campground, but will have to check out Calf Creek Falls next time!
This post was edited on 2/8/18 at 1:54 pm
Posted on 2/8/18 at 2:37 pm to bayoubengals88
quote:
Hwy 12 before you get to Boulder (Larb Hollow Overlook)
I agree. That HWY 12 drive is other-worldly. It was nearly as impressive as any of the parks we visited. I had read about it a bit before driving it, but I was not prepared for how cool it was. I'll also remember all the cattle we had to look out for due to open grazing.
Posted on 2/8/18 at 4:17 pm to whg335
quote:A lifetime isn’t long enough to see everything in the American West, 3 weeks is about the minimum that I would recommend for a trip like that. I’d start at the North Rim and go to Zion -> Capital Reef -> Arches & Canyonlands (Moab) to see most of Utah, Bryce is cool too but it isnt worth spending a bunch of time at. If you drive past Coral Pink Sand Dunes or Kodachrome Basin State Parks in UT they are worth stopping at too. From there I’d head to Durango to see Mesa Verde and the San Juan Mountains, even though they’re in a National Forest and not a Park I think they’re better Mountains than RMNP. Ouray is a really cool town in the San Juan’s and you can rent a Jeep or side by side to drive some of the iconic passes (black bear, imogene, engineer, & cinnamon) in the area in a day or two. Head up towards Rocky Mountain National Park but stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the way, it’s not big enough to spend days at and you need a permit to do any hiking below the rim but you should at least stop at some of the view points. I think it’s a more impressive Canyon than the GC. It’s about a 7 hour drive through high prairie to get to Jackson from RMNP but it’s not terrible. If you make it to the Dakotas before heading back make sure to stop at Wind Cave NP and there is a cool missle silo just north of the Badlands but make sure to make reservations months in advance if you want to tour it. (Sorry for the scrambled mess, I didn’t have much time to type this out)
will 3 weeks be enough time?
Posted on 2/8/18 at 6:04 pm to whg335
Thank for all the suggestions - Keep em coming
Posted on 2/9/18 at 7:36 am to Lima Whiskey
quote:
Spend more time in the Tetons, and less time in Yellowstone.
I see this posted often on this board and can't understand why. Both are great but very different and Yellowstone is a lot bigger. Maybe since I live in the mountains the Tetons don't excite me as much as someone from the south but when I visited the parks last year I spent my time 65-35 Yellowstone. The waterfalls, geothermals, and wildlife are stunning.
Posted on 2/9/18 at 9:07 am to 8thyearsenior
quote:Probably. Yellowstone let me down after hiking 35 miles in GTNP
Maybe since I live in the mountains the Tetons don't excite me as much as someone from the south
Posted on 2/9/18 at 9:53 am to whg335
Chico Springs north of yellowstone is one of the coolest experiences ever. It was a natural spring that you were able to swim in. The temperature was constantly around 97* so no matter how cold the weather was you are able to swim. It also has a bar connected to it.
This post was edited on 2/9/18 at 9:54 am
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