Hi reader,
A couple of years ago we took a year "off" life and traveled A LOT.
Eight weeks of those travels took us from National Park to National Park around the country. And what better way to celebrate America today than to recall our greatest adventures!
Below is the itinerary of our trip. At that time we were still living in Atlanta, GA and that is where we begin…
Atlanta to Monroe, LA to Dallas, TX to Albuquerque, NM to Williams, AZ. It took us 3 days to get to our first national park from Atlanta, GA and we strategically stopped to visit family along the way. We stayed at a hotel in Albuquerque using credit card points and made sure that a place for dinner was within walking distance.
For the most part, our travel days were kept to 8 hours or less. We knew we would be driving a lot, and we wanted time in the car to be enjoyable and not something we dreaded. The only exceptions were on the way out (Dallas to Albuquerque) and a few stretches on the way back home.
Petrified Forest. This national park wasn't on the list, but the exit was LITERALLY on our route and when your goal is to see a bunch of national parks, it's hard to say no to one that is just right there!
Admittedly, we mostly did a drive through. We stopped, took pictures, but didn't do any major hiking. We also thought the forest would have more trees… which there are plenty of, but it's not what you'd expect. ;)
Grand Canyon. We stayed 5 nights at the Williams KOA and we'd do that again. The location was great, the camp was clean and kid-friendly. The best ice cream is at the Canyon Creamery, which is in a visitor center just outside the park. There's an ice cream shop in the town of Williams that we visited, but if you read the reviews, you'll understand why we can't recommend it.
FYI - unless you stay inside the Grand Canyon itself OR in the village (which is just outside the park), it's a full 1 hour ride to get to the south park entrance. Because we were there in summer, it's not recommended to be on the trails between 10am and 4pm. Fortunately, we were still on East Coast time so we got up at 4:30am, were on the road by 5am, got to the park by 6am and ready to go to the trail by 6:30am.
Also FYI - Grand Canyon doesn't do daylight savings… so in the summer, they're PST.
We had a "standard" hiking breakfast that we ate on the road every morning we hiked, and I prepared it the night before: oatmeal with fruit for the kids, oatmeal with eggs for myself, and smoothie for the husband. He blended and chugged while everyone else was getting dressed.
Altitude sickness, heat exhaustion, fatigue, and dehydration are a 100% legit concern here as the temperature RISES as you hike down into the canyon. Heed warnings, drink water and electrolytes, and eat all the salty snacks!
We hiked for 3 days, and rested for 1. The only thing we'd do differently is to stay another night so we could go to the park another day!
Bryce Canyon & Zion. We stayed 5 nights at the KOA and enjoyed our stay there. There isn't as much shade as the Grand Canyon, so keep that in mind if you're fair-skinned like me. We shopped for groceries in Flagstaff, AZ BEFORE we left for Bryce.
We spent 2 days hiking at Bryce Canyon and then made the trek to Zion on day 3. I say trek because it was a 2 hour drive back to the park. :(
Lesson Learned: We actually PASSED Zion on the way to Bryce, which gave us a sunken feeling knowing we'd have to backtrack. If we did this again, we'd stay 2 days near Zion first and hike both days and then go to Bryce for 3 days (hike for 2 and rest for 1).
The best ice cream is in the town just outside the park inside a shopping center with mining, horses, and other "old town" type of things. Huckleberry ice cream was good, and while it's all up and down these states, it's seasonal so take advantage while you can.
Both parks were great, and it's worth getting up early to beat the crowds. Bryce Canyon wasn't too crowded, so we didn't use the city shuttles to the park. Zion, however, was overly crowded, making the experience a little less magical. We snagged the second to last parking spot at 7am!
Capitol Reef. We visited this park on a travel day, at the recommendation of one of you! We hiked two trails and ate a picnic lunch on the grass.
Horseshoe Bend. We also stopped here on our travel day and it's worth the stop! Definitely wear sunscreen or an SPF shirt - there's zero shade!
Arches & Canyonlands. We stayed 5 nights in a tiny house in Moab, which was a lot of fun! It was the first time we had a fridge, stove, and oven since we left Georgia, and we took full advantage of potato fries every night and a tub of ice cream from the local grocery store (saving money over the ice cream shops!). Super cute town with all of your major amenities, which was nice if you needed to replenish anything along the way.
It is VERY hot in Moab with highs easily over 100F in the summer, so again, hydration, electrolytes, and salty snacks are a must. We were up early here as well, trying to get our hiking in before it got too hot. Our cut-off time was about 11am, but fortunately, the trails aren't too long and we were able to hit the major spots in 2 days.
We drove to Canyonlands while staying at Moab, and that was another 1 hour drive to the park. We didn't do any hiking there - just took the picture, got the sticker, and left. Canyonlands is far from any lodging or gas or any civilization, so I'm not sure if there were better lodging/travel options than what we did. It's worth looking into if this park is on your must-see list.
This was the two week mark since we had left home, and we were all feeling the fatigue set in. Being close to the park was helpful, because we could hike early and rest significantly the rest of the day. The smoke from fires in California and Oregon was also really bad, which may have played a part because breathing was difficult, but we needed the rest anyway so we weren't really complaining (other than not being able to see the mountains that were just ½ mile away!).
Salt Lake City. Our original plans had us going to Vernal, UT to see Dinosaur National Monument, but the KOA we booked at didn't have air conditioning and the average daily temperatures were near 90F. We don't sleep well when it's so warm, so we canceled that stay and went to SLC for 3 nights instead. We stayed in an AirBnB, which was okay - we all would have rather gone to Vernal.
Next time I'd keep the Vernal stop and just make sure our cabin had air. We were enjoying the outdoors and camping so much that this stop kind of put a damper on the overall vibe. Not complaining, just a lesson learned for next time.
Yellowstone & Grand Teton. We stayed 6 nights at a KOA in West Yellowstone and we'd definitely do that again. The KOA was super close to the park and to town, making it really easy to get up and on the road quickly. There are two ice cream stores on the main street in West Yellowstone, and both serve from the same creamery. One had a better selection than the other, so be sure to check them both out before you buy. The ice cream was good, either way!
We spent our first day at Yellowstone, doing the Old Faithful trails. Day 2 was at Grand Teton, which was a 3 hour drive away...
Lesson learned! Grand Teton was one of our favorite parks, and we wished we had stayed nearby and been able to visit for more than one day. Next time, we would have stayed there first for 2-3 days and then gone to Yellowstone for another 3-4 (hiking/rest). If you're planning something similar, be sure to check the map because that may mean shuffling some previous stops around in order to not backtrack.
The weather was great for Day 1 at Yellowstone and Day 2 at Grand Teton (the only nearby ice cream was at one of the visitor centers), but it turned very cold and rainy on Day 3. We ended up staying at the cabin that day but ventured out with all the clothes we brought with us on Day 4. We were out for maybe an hour, but it wasn't enjoyable by that point so we went back to camp. The skies cleared and temperatures rose for Day 5, but that's our "rest" day and had already planned on laundry, homeschool, and meal prep at the cabin so we weren't able to do much serious hiking.
Yellowstone is stunning and is worth an extra day at the park, but do be aware that traffic is a concern. The main road is 2-lane, and several cars had stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures of wildlife. No biggie if it's 5-10 minutes, but this caused massive delays and it turned a 3 hour drive home from Grand Teton into 4 hours…
(If you're keeping up, that's 3 hours there, 4 hours home, and a 15 mile hike in between!)
Hailey, ID. We stayed at an AirBnB for 5 nights and while we loved the cottage, we could have stayed one less night. This town is super cute and our cottage was close to a city park where the kids could get out and just play.
We spent one day driving to Craters of the Moon National Monument which was VERY fun, but it was also backtracking… AGAIN! (notice a pattern here?) There really isn't any place to stay near Craters, so next time we would have included this stop as part of our travel day. It's absolutely worth seeing, so I wouldn't skip it!
We also spent another day hiking in the Sawtooth National Forest, and there are plenty of trailheads in the Hailey/Ketchum area. This stop was also partial rest as we were recovering from Yellowstone/Grand Teton and gearing up for Glacier.
Hamilton, ID. We stayed at an AirBnB for 3 nights as a quick stopover on our way to Glacier (remember when I said we were trying not to drive more than 8 hours a day?). We booked a rafting trip out of Missoula, which was a lot of fun and a great way to break up all the hiking. We instantly fell in love with Montana, and we would have tried every drive-thru coffee shop if we had more time!
Hot Springs. I'm not entirely sure if we stopped here on the way to Haily, or on the way to Hamilton, or on the way to Glacier… but here's the deal. GPS took us THROUGH the Sawtooth Mountains and literally on the side of the road was a river with hot springs. REAL LIFE ACTUAL HOT SPRINGS!
We pulled over, dipped our toes in the water and immediately decided we had to swim for a bit. We changed into our suits and hopped right in! This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, partially because of the hot springs and partially because of the spontaneity. We're all so very glad we did this, and it's an experience we would have otherwise missed if we took the highway.
Glacier. We stayed 5 nights at the KOA in West Glacier and we'd do that again. The camp is close to the park, very clean, and kid-friendly. The best ice cream is in West Glacier, on the right as you leave the park.
Parking inside Glacier is VERY limited, so you absolutely have to get up early to get a spot. We were up at 4:30am (again) and out the door by 5am (again) because it takes 1 hour to get to the main parking lot (Logan Pass). We were by no means the first on the road, and when we arrived at 6:15am, the parking lot was nearly full!
We didn't stay on the east side, but instead chose to drive through the park and then re-enter on the other side. This took 2 hours to drive, so plan accordingly (again, parking!).
Everything at Glacier is picturesque, and it's absolutely worth every minute of effort you put into managing the people aspect. We hiked a lot for 2 days, and then spent day 3 and 4 hanging out by Lake MacDonald, on the OPPOSITE side of the main road. We found a spot where there were only 2-3 other families, packed a lunch and just sat in awe of the land around us.
This was our favorite park overall, and unfortunately it was the first time where we sat and just enjoyed ourselves while resting inside the park. With so many people at the parks and having to drive so far for some of the spots, it was hard to do this often… especially when you're focused on all the trails… but this is something I'd change for next time - intentionally plan down time, such as a simple picnic lunch, at a quiet spot inside the park.
Theodore Roosevelt. We stayed 3 nights in Amidon at a super cute campground, but considering we passed the park on the way there, we should have stayed somewhere west of the park in order to prevent backtracking. The park is in the town of Medora, which was also cute, but REALLY overpriced for lodging. Amidon was more affordable, but an hour away… pick and choose, right?
The best ice cream is in a strip mall in Medora (not the stand alone shop at the corner). Theodore Roosevelt was nice, and the prairie dogs are super cute, but hiking was a bit of a let down for us. Maybe it was because we just came from Glacier, or maybe it was because you had to cross a river to get to the major trail… in either case, this was a one-day stop for us and we were happy with that.
Mt. Rushmore / Badlands / Wind Cave. We stayed 3 nights in an AirBnB in Rapid City and we'd do that again. We finally started learning our lesson with the backtracking so we actually visited Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave on our travel day to Rapid City from Amidon.
Mt. Rushmore was very cool, and way bigger than I thought it was… but it was very, very busy. So many people from all over the world and that too took away some of the magic. Wind Cave requires reservations and charges fees to see the caves - even if you have a park pass (which we were very disappointed about) - so we chose a trail that would give a good overview of the park. Every park is beautiful in its own right, and I'm sure the caves would have been amazing, but since we weren't able to see them, this stop wasn't one of our favorites.
It turns out that Badlands was on our way to Missouri, so we rearranged our days to stop there on our next travel day. That gave us 2 full days of rest in Rapid City, which was needed.
Lesson learned Badlands deserves at least half a day, lol. It was very similar to what we had already seen, yet different at the same time. There's a bit of driving, but the trails would have been worth it. Plus being so far north, the weather was a bit cooler… so it was like the arid desert of Utah, minus the heat!
St. Louis Arch. We stayed with friends in Missouri and visited the Arch on a travel day towards Chicago. This too is way bigger in person than pictures could do it justice! We spent time walking on the grass barefoot outside, which was nice after walking on gravel or on dirt paths for so long! The visitor center is underground with a very nice education set-up (masks are required, FYI).
Indiana Dunes. We stayed with family in Chicago and visited Indiana Dunes on a travel day towards friends in Michigan. We packed a picnic lunch and ate on the beach, but getting to the park/beach wasn't easy. It's right up against a state park (which charges for entrance) and the national park is tucked behind a neighborhood off the beaten path. If you can bear with the frustration of the layout of the park, it's a nice spot to see Lake Michigan.
Mammoth Caves. This was on our way home and after Wind Cave, I made sure to do some quick research… and realized that you needed reservations AND pay additional fees to do this park as well. This wasn't part of the original plan, so we nixed it and we'll go back for a long weekend another time.
Got questions? Send them my way and I'll answer as many as I can! ♥
Have a Happy 4th!
♥︎ Tiffany
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