Trip to Yellowstone

[PERRYC]

New poster. Leaving on a one month loop trip from San Diego, CA through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, to Cody, WY To visit Yellowstone. Then on to Custer, SD to visit MT. Rushmore. From there to Colorado for Rockey Mt. NP. After that Santa Fe, NM and on to the petrified Forrest
Bullhead City and home. Any suggestions on best places to stay or must sees would be appreaciated.

[BFlinn181]

Too many wonderful sights along the way to list, sounds like you've got quite a trip planned. Be aware of winter in Yellowstone. By the end of September many lodges, cabins, and campsites in the park will close. Check at YNP website for complete list of closures.

[Ann n Gene]

Side trip to Lake Mead when in Las Vegas to see Hoover Dam and the new bridge downstream a half mile or so, Las Vegas to St. George to see the sights there and see Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks on way to Salt Lake City. If you have time, a side trip to Arches and Canyon Lands N. P. at Moab. So much to see along your route you could spend a year making that circle, going to be fun making the choices of what to see on this trip and planning your next loop to see much more. The west is amazing. Yellowstone deserves a week by itself. Estes Park, Co. and Rocky Mountain National Park are great also, and the drive up Big Thompson Canyon from Longmont to Estes Park is breath taking. You will likely see snow in Yellowstone and parts of the park road can close for the year during Sept but the Animals will be coming down to the valleys for the winter so they are easier to spot. There are campgrounds everywhere on that route and most of them are great, way too many for me to even remember the best ones. Take your time and enjoy, it will be a wonderful trip and you are going at a good time, with school started the crowds will be less and the traffic much less, besides it is cooling off and the weather should be great. Enjoy.

[cutrell01]

WOW! Quit a trip you have planned. Too many places to give you some suggestions. My advise is that you do a lot of internet looking.

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by PERRYC

New poster. Leaving on a one month loop trip from San Diego, CA through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, to Cody, WY To visit Yellowstone. Then on to Custer, SD to visit MT. Rushmore. From there to Colorado for Rockey Mt. NP. After that Santa Fe, NM and on to the petrified Forrest
Bullhead City and home. Any suggestions on best places to stay or must sees would be appreaciated.

No matter what you do, make sure you see the EVENING show ay Mt. Rushmore

You can also see the night rodeo in Cody. Fun !!

[Chickadee]

Perry C:

G'morning from the prairies of South Dakota.

There are SO MANY sites that could be considered "NOT TO MISS" along your route that all most of us could do is make mention of some. You'll just have to pick what to see. In any case, a short one month (4 weeks) just isn't enough time to enjoy ALL the wonderful places you're planning on. Sounds like a fun, albeit, whirlwind trip. Have a great time!! Oh....stop at Devils Tower just E. of Gillett, WY and N. of the freeway on your way over to the Black Hills (Custer) from Cody.

Steve & Lynette

[PERRYC]

Thank you guys. We will definitly will stop at Devils Tower. Wasn't that the mountain in "Close Encounters"? We are in no hurry but are concerned about weather in the north.

[RVThere]

Have done that loop a few times coming from the east and still have not seen it all. Here are some suggestions:

- stop by the Pawn Stars shop in Vegas (go early)
- if warm enough, a dip in the Great Salt Lake (impossible to sink!)
- from SLC to Yellowstone, you will go through Jackson, WY and the Tetons
- My Dad always used to say 'Winter comes early to Yellowstone'. Beware.
- x2 on the Devils Tower stop suggested above.
- Also watch as you drive over some higher passes from Y'stone to SD
- Custer SP to see the bison and Crazy Horse while in SD. Also the Badlands and the Minuteman Missle silo
- Great Sand Dunes in CO
- Meteor Crater in AZ

Safe travels!

[twogypsies]

...and you're doing all that in one trip? Very ambitious! Really keep a watch on the weather into Sept/Oct. Have fun!

[Possum]

Not to forget "Wall" and "1880 Town" as must see tourist traps. We had a great time at both locations.