How is this for an August 2008 itinerary?

Hi All,

We are coming over to the USA from the UK probably in August 2008 to do a fly drive tour of South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado and obviously taking in the various attractions along the way.

A tentative itinerary is something like this. Dates to be confirmed.

9/8 Fly to Denver (from the UK) and overnight at a relatively close airport hotel.

10/8 Drive to Rapid City and overnight.

11/8 See Mount Rushmore %26amp; Crazy Horse, Custer State Park and overnight at Rapid City.

12/8 See Bear Country, Wind Cave NP and Badlands NP, overnight at Rapid City.

13/8 Drive through Deadwood, Spearfish to Devil%26#39;s Tower and overnight in Hulett(I think).

14/8 Drive to Cody and overnight.

15-17/8 Tour Yellowstone NP, overnight in West Yellowstone or the park itself each night.

18-19/8 Tour Grand Teton NP, overnight in Jackson.

20/8 Drive to Satatoga or Laramie (or similar) and overnight.

21/8 Tour Rocky Mountain NP (Grand Lake etc) and overnight in Estes Park.

22/8 Drive to Denver and overnight in the city.

23/8 Fly home to the UK from DIA.

24/8 Arrive in the UK

How does that sound? There is no reason for us to spend any great time in Denver as we were there for 5 nights on a trip in 2006. We loved it, but it will be quite familiar I would guess.

I am unsure where to stay when visiting Yellowstone NP. Ideally just a place to crash after a days sightseeing would be fine, but would like somewhere with a few bars and restaurants. Most people recommend West Yellowstone, I guess travelling from Cody each day is a no go?

I%26#39;m sure there are lots of ';must sees'; that I have missed from the list. The attraction list is by no means complete, but it is a start. Anything that anybody would like to add would be much appreciated.

Look forward to your comments.

How is this for an August 2008 itinerary?

Sounds like a great trip!! I%26#39;ve added some ideas on each day for you......

9/8 Arrive Denver. Stay at an airport hotel, many chain motels/hotels near the airport.. If you get in early enough.. you may want to drive north toward Fort Collins or Cheyenne.

10/8 I would think about staying in Custer SD or inside Custer State Park. Much closer to all you want to see, and very pretty. We stayed at a small, inexpensive motel in Custer called The Custer Motel.(http://www.presidentsresort.com/CusterM.htm ) It was nothing fancy, but for 2 nights it was a great location and we saw most everything on your list.

11/8 See Mount Rushmore %26amp; Crazy Horse, Custer State Park make sure you drive the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, great views of animals. We saw deer, elk, buffalo and some very friendly burros! Also, the evening program at Mt Rushmore is very nice!

12/8 See Bear Country, Wind Cave NP and Badlands NP, overnight at Rapid City. Also maybe visit Jewel Cave Nat Mon, we liked that cave much better than Wind Cave. We did both tours during our 2 day trip there. Another fun thing to do is Gold Panning, Wade%26#39;s Gold Mill in Hill City was great!!

13/8 Drive through Deadwood, Spearfish to Devil%26#39;s Tower and overnight in Hulett(I think).

14/8 Drive to Cody and overnight. Make sure you see a rodeo and also visit the Buffalo Bill Museums.

15-17/8 Tour Yellowstone NP, overnight in West Yellowstone or the park itself each night. You need to get reservations NOW for inside the park. I got some 2 weeks ago for our trip a week before yours, and very little was available. Look at Canyon or Lake area for 1 or 2 nights, then West Yellowstone for the other 1 or 2 (or if you can get into Old Faithful even better).

18-19/8 Tour Grand Teton NP, overnight in Jackson. Maybe a Float Trip on the Snake River.

20/8 Drive to Satatoga or Laramie (or similar) and overnight.

21/8 Tour Rocky Mountain NP (Grand Lake etc) and overnight in Estes Park. Not much time here, but you have time for a Bear Lake area hike and driving Trail Ridge Road.

22/8 Drive to Denver in the afternoon, prior to rush hour. Maybe stay in the Lodo area. Possibly see the Rockies play baseball that night!

23/8 Fly home to the UK from DIA.

24/8 Arrive in the UK

How is this for an August 2008 itinerary?

The previous post sounds good but I would add that you might want to stay in Keystone, SD close to Mt. Rushmore. Laramie is a good stop on the way to Denver. It will take about 6-7 hours from Jackson Hole.

Also if you are interested in history you might want to include a trip to the Battle of Little Bighorn on the day you go to Devil%26#39;s Tower. You could stay somewhere more in the middle of Wyoming like Sheridan.

Thanks both for the replies.

It is good to know that I am not far off then. As long as the routing is close, the logistics can fall into place over time, although I am very aware of the need to book now if I want to stay in Yellowstone NP itself. I took a look at the Xanterra website the other day and to be honest there wasn%26#39;t a great deal left. What there was left though was quite reasonably priced, so these options might not be up to much? I stayed in Yosemite NP in 2006 at Curry Village and the cabins without bathrooms were neat, but the waits for external showering facilities were horrendous. With this in mind, I would want something with a bathroom/shower in the actual room.

Of course the other alternative is to stay outside the park. West Yellowstone seems to be recommended but the prices seem high for pretty basic motel rooms. I guess it%26#39;s hello to summer pricing in and around Yellowstone NP???

Do you think it%26#39;s worth having 2 nights in Cody? There seems to be a lot of posts indicating there is a fair bit to do there.

In relation to the SD part of the trip. We were just going to base ourselves in Rapid City and venture out from there. I don%26#39;t mind a bit of a drive to get to attractions each day.

As for Denver, we stayed at the Ramada on E.Colfax last time (we were on a budget) and despite the slightly dodgy reviews though it was fine. We%26#39;d like to stay in the city though for this possible one night so we are close to everything. We also have to get our fix of the Cheesecake Factory!!!

Thanks again for your replies. On with the planning....

ju123,

Don%26#39;t epend just on the Xanterra website for Yellowstone lodging. Call directly. My friend just recently called when the website showed no availability for her dates in July 08 and there was much more availability than showed on the website (which was none)

You%26#39;ll have a great time!

You%26#39;ve planned yourself a great trip. Keep in mind Sturgis Ralley is aug 6-12 2008 and it will be busy. Great time of year with all them motocyclists though. Badlands NP is a must imo but it%26#39;s not that close to Black Hills and visiting Badlands NP (don%26#39;t forget to visit Wall), Bear Country and one of the caves all in one day will be hard.

For Cody. Yes, much to do in Cody like the awesome BB museum, the niterodeo, Buffalo Bill SP etc.

Also don%26#39;t forget to drive Chief Joseph Hw (wy296) and especially Beartooth Pass (wy212) and enter Yellowstone by it%26#39;s NE entrance. If accomodation inside the NP is booked, you may try Gardiner at the N entrance and make your way around Yellowstone from there and stay West Yellowstone after.

My advice for BH is to stay in Custer, Hill City or even Keystone-lol-

Tet

I thought I%26#39;d utilise this thread rather than start a new one. Now that I have got over the shock of hearing about a tornado ripping through Downtown Atlanta (where we head on Thursday) and also the planning that has been involved on that trip, I can get back to thinking about the itinerary for our potential August trip to Colorado, Blackhills, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

I appreciated all your advice on inside park bookings but we are just not in a position to be able to confirm dates etc and it looks as though that option might be closed to us by the time we get some concrete dates in place.

I have no real issues with the initial part of our itinerary which will start in Denver/Colorado Springs and make our way up via RMNP to the Blackhills area and then across to Cody. We are probably going to have 4 days to see Yellowstone NP and the Grand Tetons, and will travel into the park from Cody. I have no problem with driving the figure of 8 route, but am just interested in best places to overnight.

Am I right that a ';doable'; route could be to enter via Cody, and then head upto Gardiner MT, overnight, then continue the next morning and end up in West Yellowstone, overnight. From there would you recommend more exploration of YNP and another night in W Yellowstone, or continue south to GT and Jackson Hole? I have heard 3 days in YNP and 1 in GT is an ideal introduction for a newbie, but I don%26#39;t want to shortsell myself in GT, especially as we would like to do a float trip in there somewhere.

After Jackson, and having explored both parks it will be a straight drive down to Denver, for a couple of days in the city (we%26#39;ve been before and love it) and then a flight to the UK from DIA.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ju123

ju123

Regarding this part of your trip:

20/8 Drive to Satatoga or Laramie (or similar) and overnight.

21/8 Tour Rocky Mountain NP (Grand Lake etc) and overnight in Estes Park.

**************************

We are doing a similar route from the Tetons to Estes Park,CO. If you end up going to Saratoga

there is a neat B%26amp;B in Riverside, just south of Saratoga.

http://www.spiritwestriverlodge.com/

We will be staying there and then traveling southeast to Grand Lake (about 2.5 hrs), and then driving Trail Ridge Rd (a must see if you travel to RMNP) onto Estes Park and then onto Denver after staying in Estes Park.

Have fun planning!

When people suggest at least 3 nights in YNP, the rationale is sometimes left unclear. Allow me to explain ours.

We prefer lodging in the park, no matter its cost or rusticity, to ';feel'; the national park experience.

We find that the variety of terrain, the many walks and hikes, the hugely diverse volcanic activity, the number of wildlife species, the placid and rushing waters, et al, contribute to a multi-day experience.

In theory, one can drive the figure 8 loop, hot out at a place or two, run with and through the crowds, and leave, to tell friends and family, ';We did Yellowstone';. Untrue. Many details, large and small, have been sacrificed.

Most people who ';did Yellowstone'; in this manner are the ones who are frustrated because they now know how much more was to be seen and cherished.

Every day brings new weather, new perspectives, new opportunities to see wildlife in the same and different habitats. It%26#39;s important to allow yourself the time, the freedom, to stop the car and watch a herd of bison appear over a rise, one, two, hundreds at a time, walking, sometimes loping, toward you and cross the road, muttering, grunting, snuffling, turning their huge shaggy heads left and right, eyes sometimes blazing, guarding the calves, heading to the next meadow and river, crossing it, is a sight you cannot forget. There goes one or two happy hours!!!

Most of us go back for more. Did we really see what we thought we saw? Did we take photos? No one will believe this.

And to watch, both morning and evening, the grizzly and black bear, coyote and wolves, elk, moose and bison, and more, appear seemingly from nowhere, sometimes from the woods or a land fold near us, often from the woods bordering the valleys. Just watch that woods line, very carefully; there, to the left of the tallest tree, here come the ... And, yes, most of us go back to such viewpoints, and there are many, on the same trip. There goes innumerable more hours.

To search the cliffs and river banks for Bald Eagle, Osprey, Dipper, and in season, the incredibly beautiful Harlequin males, playing in the rapids (whilst the females are tending their nests!!!) before heading back to the Pacific, and the Swans and White Pelicans... There goes many more hours.

A dusk to dark, ever changing delight, a wildlife observer%26#39;s, geologist%26#39;s, human%26#39;s experience with the wild.

The fresh, if sometimes sulfuric air near the geyser areas, the cool, clear, star lit nights, beckon.

And so I return for yet another visit in September, probably for six nights.

I apologize for writing so much...

Don%26#39;t apologize, voyaging..it makes me yearn for July!