One month ago today I requested your input as my family attempted to throw together a last minute trip. Somewhere. Anywhere.
You all came through in spades and we had offers of hospitality across the country. Literally. California to New Jersey and dozens of places in between. When we viewed our map of options and discussed traveling to places farther than planned, we decided to revisit an idea we’d put to bed a few years ago.
Heading west.
Matt did the full blown western tour when he was a kid. RV and all. I’ve heard his stories and for a man who isn’t prone to sentimentality, he sure has fond memories of that trip with his family. We threw around the idea of taking our crew for a couple years but opted for a time when they were older. Until a month ago when we realized we have wide open calendars which may not always be the case. So, why not go for it?!
So we went for it.
This new adventure seemed exciting but abandoned the initial idea of traveling to see friends and family, since the majority of our friends don’t reside in national parks. Ok, none of them do.
Budget was a consideration from the start so we tried to get creative with our new plans. Listed below, I have outlined our itinerary and will follow up this post with another on travel budget ideas. Many of these will be obvious and you’ll likely question my originality but I’m hoping there are a few “pearls” you can use for future travel.
To start, itinerary:
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- Indiana to Hays, Kansas
- Hays to Colorado Springs, CO. (Seven Falls, Garden of Gods)
- Colorado Springs to Granby, Wyoming (Pike’s Peak, Air Force Academy. Wish we’d included Red River Gorge and tour of Compassion International, especially given lack of said trait that particular day.)
- Granby (YMCA Snow Mountain)
- Granby to Estes Park (Lake Granby, Grand Lake, Trail Ridge Road- Continental Divide and a dozen other cool stops.)
- YMCA Estes Park (Hiked Bear Lake and Alberta Falls. Enjoyed YMCA amenities.)
- Estes Park to Pinedale, Wyoming (Downtown Estes Park before departing. Taffy Shop, Stanley hotel and Donut Haus are local favs. We ate Fresh Burgers in the Dino Mart and didn’t die. Good burgers for a gas station.)
- Pinedale to Jackson, Wyoming (Tetons, enough said ❤️. Jenny Lake hike to Inspiration Fall is a must. Gros Ventre Slide was a goal but our favorite stop was a trail at a pull-off lined with boulders on way. Two boulders mark the trailhead of a short path with amazing views and what locals call The Wedding Tree.
- Tetons Day. (Other favorites in Grand Teton National Park include Mormon Barns, Signal Mountain, Rockefeller Preserve and Bar J Chuckwagon for fun. Jackson Resort was beautiful but we didn’t partake in the activities.)
- Tetons to Yellowstone. (View from Jackson Lake Lodge worth the stop in a BIG way. Don’t miss this. Once in Yellowstone, I’d recommend spending at least one day on each loop and another day to pick up Lamar Valley and anything you might’ve missed. If you have more time, super!)
- Yellowstone Day (We enjoyed Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Fountain Paint Pots, Mud Volcano, Fountain Geyser, Grand Prismatic hike from Fairy Falls. The place is packed with awesomeness. Check out a travel guide. We used four because each had a different spin- National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Fodors and Insiders’ Guide.
- Yellowstone to Rushmore (We liked Mammoth Springs and loved viewing all the historica lodges. I’d recommend a stop in Cody, WY or Deadwood, SD but our day was botched due to bison standstill so we had to cut something off.)
- Rushmore (We only saw Mt. Rushmore and did the Alpine Slide at Rushmore Tramway. We should’ve seen Crazy Horse, explored Badlands, etc. Another trip.)
- Omaha and Home.
I’m a recovering FOMOer and Matt had to remind me several times this was a fact finding trip so we would be better equipped for a return in a few years. This itinerary is by no means comprehensive or perfect. BUT, given a ten day lead time I was grateful for the way it panned out. I’d love to hear your favorite spots if you’ve visited these areas!
Give me a shout if you have any questions. I’m an expert on how to peanut butter bread while balancing six plates on my lap while Matt does 84mph down a Montana highway. Other than that, I’ll give my best educated guess.
Stay tuned for the Traveling West on a Budget with Fourteen Kids. I’ve got a cool budgeting giveaway that will make planning your next getaway, and everyday life, a little easier!
Huge thanks to everyone who kept us with us via TickingTimeMom on Facebook. Your encouragement and stories of your own western adventures kept us fueled and moving, even on the rough days.