# Vacation to Rushmore and Yellowstone



## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

We are leaving in 7 days for a 2 week vacation from Ill. to Rapids City SD and on to Yellowstone in Montana. Looking forward to the time with my family away from work. Any suggestions concerning roads (towing routes), campgrounds or sites to see , outside of the usual Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer National Park, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

Hey Mark

I'll follow this thread with interest. We're leaving in two weeks. Badlands, Custer State Park, Yellowstone, Rockies, and last but not Eugene T. Mahoney State park on the way back to IL. Our trip will last just over 4 weeks.

Looking forward to comments on these locations and routes.


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## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

j1mfrog said:


> Hey Mark
> 
> I'll follow this thread with interest. We're leaving in two weeks. Badlands, Custer State Park, Yellowstone, Rockies, and last but not Eugene T. Mahoney State park on the way back to IL. Our trip will last just over 4 weeks.
> 
> Looking forward to comments on these locations and routes.


warning- Sturgis, Douth Dakota motorcycle rally 1st week of August. Lots of traffic from all directions.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Mark...
You will probably be passing through the BIG HORN MOUNTAINS. (WY) Shell Falls is a nice scenic stop. Watch out for free ranging cattle. Lots of wildlife on the roads at night. (moose, deer, etc)

Cody, WY has some nice tame Whitewater Rafting that you and the kids would love. I took mine and they loved it. Cody is a cool town as well.

Yellowstone is a treasure...but don't leave out GRAND TETON NP. Admission is included in your Yellowstone pass. Jackson Hole is beautifully unspoiled. Great camping at Jackson Lake. Jackson, WY is also a cool town. Take a photo under the antler arch in town square. Also see Jenny Lake, and drive to the top of Signal Mt. Awesome view of the mountains, glaciers and valley.

Enjoy your vacation. You will be in some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable.


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

illinoisboy said:


> warning- Sturgis, Douth Dakota motorcycle rally 1st week of August. Lots of traffic from all directions.


Mark

Thanks for the Sturgis warning, we'll miss it by a week which seems pretty safe to me. It doesn't really get rolling until the week of August 9th this year.

Jolly

That tame white water rafting sounds like a good idea for my family too. Thanks


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

I agree with JollyMon - if you are that close to Grand Teton NP, it is a must see. If you want really tame rafting, they have scenic raft trips within the park by private companies. We did that and it was a wonderful experience. Those mountains are the most beautiful I've ever seen. Of course, Yellowstone is awesome. Have a great trip!


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## bojibnd (May 17, 2004)

Hey Mark

You need another couple of weeks to see everything around Yellowstone. Jolly is right about Cody, you can see the Buffalo Bill museum. It's like 3 museum's in one. The Remmington gun section is awesome. I would also recommend the Little Bighorn Nat'l Monument (Custer's Last Stand) in Montana (60 miles north of Sheridan right on I-90). I'm actually heading up to Yellowstone next weekend as well. Going to spend a week and head back.
Have fun.

Boji


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## bojibnd (May 17, 2004)

Hey J1mfrog,

When your at Mahoney Park, not that there's not a ton of things to do there, but check out next door and see the SAC air force musuem, a great exhibition of air force planes and jets (all different sizes -all inside.). Or on your way through Omaha, stop at the Henry Doorley Zoo (13th st exit) #1 family attraction according to a Disney magazine (I can't remember the name). 
Have fun!
Boji


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## And4togo (Feb 18, 2004)

Wow it seems there will be afew of Outbackers at Yellowstone around the same time, we will be there around July 22 through the 28th we are in the Bridge Bay CG, perhaps we may see another Outbacker there.
Rob


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

Fishing Brdige RV Park from August 6 - 15. Hope to see some of you there.

Jim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Wow! I wish I had time to go too! I'll have to wait until next season. Darn!

Boji's right! Little Bighorn is a great place to go. A learning vacation is fun too. It's so cool to stand on the hill and look out over the battlefield and just imagine how it all happened.


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## Kenstand (Mar 25, 2004)

I hope to make the trip to Yellowstone sometime in the future. I have a question for those now making this trip or who have gone in the past. How far in advance should I have everything arranged? Do I need to begin getting reservations six months or a year in advance or can I wait until closer to the actual trip?

I hope to be a Yellowstone visitor in 2005 or 2006.


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

If you're staying at the RV park in yellowstone, you can make them very early (I think a year) becasue it's run by a vendor (Xanterra). I did make my reservation early because I knew what I wanted to do but I don't know how necessary it is to make them that far in advance.

If you're staying in one of the campgrounds run by the National Park Service, you can't reserve that far in advance, I think it's somewhere between 3 and 6 months. Again I reserved as early as I could because I knew my plans, but I don't know how necessary that is.

For this vacation, I've got plans for my plans. Hope my family doesn't mind the bugle going off for wakeup call to keep the agenda on schedule.


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## bojibnd (May 17, 2004)

We're going to be at the W. Yellowstone KOA July 18th-22. We're going to do some sight seeing in Idaho as well. We made reservations in March. Its our first big trip with the 21.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I would suggest making reservations as early as you are allowed. (depends on place) Main summer months are the busiest. Campsites can still be had on a first come first served basis in the park. If you have a specific location in mind, it's best to have reservations.


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## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys- heading out tomorrow morning-see you all in a couple of weeks God willing and the creek don't rise !!


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## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

Back from our trip last weekend and we want to thank everyone for their suggestions. The east entrance to Yellowstone was closed the entire time of our trip, so we went to the north entrance through Montana and Hardin ( Little Bighorn ). Did the whitewater rafting at Gardner ( took all the girls) and we loved it, on the way home went through Jackson Hole, Wy. and saw the beautiful Tetons and visited all the sites that you guys recommended. All the campgrounds in Yellowstone were open while there, but we had not made any provisions for dry camping, so we had not planned on staying there, next time we will. I need some help in that are anyway. Thanks again for making our vacation time a little more rewarding.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Sounds like a great trip! Glad you had a good time.

Mike


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Glad you had a great trip. What was your favorite thing about the trip?
What type of wildlife did you see?


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## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

NDJollyMon said:


> Glad you had a great trip. What was your favorite thing about the trip?
> What type of wildlife did you see?


Favorite part of the trip was the white-water rafting with all my girls-special moment for everyone. 2nd favorite-riding the Teton Tram to the top of the mountain-what a view from 7000ft. We saw a lot of Elk, Bison, Antelope, Bear rear-end (mother with cub going away from us ), Moose, and otters mostly in Yellowstone. It's not like it used to be- I remember when I was a kid, the bears at Yellowstone would saunter right up tpo the vehicles and lean on them begging for food. Not quite like that any more-unless we didn't get to the right part- and the wildlife seems to have moved farther into the wild away from the push of people. My kids will miss out on that-but at least they've seen the grandeur of the outdoors in that area.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Glad you enjoyed! The Rangers do a good job of keeping people away from the bears. Bears will get too dependant on humans for food, and become a nuisance. (like the problems at Yosemite)

STUPID PEOPLE are the most abundant life form in YELLOWSTONE. (See my Yellowstone stories) Next thing you know, parents are trying to put their kids on the bears back for a picture!


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## CHERYLLR (Mar 5, 2004)

Hey We were in the Grand Tetons on July 31st the Aug 4th. Then went on to Yellowstone and stayed at Fishing bridge on Aug 4th to Aug 6th. Went to Devils tower on Aug 6th and then to Mitchell SD. Did Mount Rushmore and stuff last year. We also stopped at the UP of Michigan on the way home to NJ.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Did you see any UFO's near The Devil's Tower?


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## CHERYLLR (Mar 5, 2004)

No UFOs but a big rock.


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