Itinerary for May/June 2008- Please advise

Here is our itinerary for our trip- please advise. Thanks in advance for comments.Last summer we did Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, western section of Yellowstone National Park(Mammoth area and Old Faithful), Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole.

Tentative Itinerary for Summer 2008

May 27- Fly to Denver-arrive at 12:30 and drive through Cheyenne to Lusk, Wyoming- Best Western Pioneer Inn.

May 28- Drive to Keystone, South Dakota- 2 nights- K Bar S Lodge-Tour Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

May 29- Finish tour of Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, eat lunch at Wall Drug.

May 30- Drive to Sheridan, Wyoming- Travel thru Deadwood, SD. and Devil’s Tower- Sheridan Wingate Inn

May 31- Tour Battle of Little Bighorn and drive to Cooke City, MT- Cooke City Super 8 Motel

June 1- Tour Eastern loop of Yellowstone National Park- drive to Cody, Wyoming- 2 nights- Cody Cowboy Village

June 2- Tour Cody Museums, etc. and see Cody rodeo.

June 3- Drive through Yellowstone National park eastern entrance to Grand Tetons and Jackson, Wyoming- 2 nights Sundance Inn.

June 4- Walk through Jackson Hole, tour museums and shops.

June 5- Drive from Jackson to Laramie,Wyoming- Hampton Inn.

June 6- Drive to Denver and fly home at 3 pm.

Itinerary for May/June 2008- Please advise

you are doing a whole lot of driving, why not consider flying into a closer airport. also think about allowing more time for yellowstone. it%26#39;s a huge park and takes a few days to do it justice. also be mindful of the weather and anticipate snow, as you are sure to see some that early in june. i hope you enjoy your trip, it sounds like a grand adventure!

Itinerary for May/June 2008- Please advise

CeCe,

On May 29, are you planning to go out to the Badlands? Wall Drug is a fair distance from Rushmore/Crazy Horse %26amp; Custer. I wouldn%26#39;t go to Wall Drug to just have lunch. The only way I would visit Wall Drug would be to incorporate it with the Badlands. It%26#39;s touristy and just not worth the drive to me; however, it is a quick diversion after seeing the Badlands loop.

Custer State Park is a large park, and I think you may be underestimating the time to see it.

From your itinerary, it looks like you and your family probably aren%26#39;t big hikers, which is fine. However, I would try to take the time to get out of the car and enjoy Yellowstone and the Tetons. You are already familiar with Yellowstone/Tetons from your previous trip. You can spend a quite a bit of time in the canyon area just taking some short walks. It%26#39;s a beautiful area. I would also probably spend less time in the town of Jackson. I would check out the shops in the evening and spend my days and even early evening in the Tetons even though you have been here. Maybe you would be interested in a float trip, weather permitting? You will find some great wildlife in both parks as you know. If you go out around Oxbow Bend in the Tetons in early evening, you have a chance of seeing moose---always a find! The Tetons hike to Hidden Falls is also a must do if you haven%26#39;t already done it. Be sure to see if the boat across Jenny Lake is running. There are also some neat small churches to visit, and some neat exhibits. There is a commemorative photo exhibit to the movie Shane, which was filmed in the park. Of course, you may have already seen these things.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for all the great info. We did a raft trip last year. I had surgery for tears in my achilles tendon and a bone spur last August so I have to be very careful walking.We may limit our Keystone trip to Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. What about going straight from Keystone to Cody, spend the night and go through Cooke City one day into Yellowstone. Then stay another two nights in Cody touring museums,rodeo etc. I can try and get reservtions for one night in the park.Where would be a good place to see stay and see areas that we did not see last year? Then make our way through the Grand Tetons to Jackson Hole.

Sorry for the additional post but the reason we are doing a lot of driving is because I got great prices for airplane tickets flying into Denver- about $250 each for three of us. I also got a great rate on a SUV for the 10 days.

I%26#39;ve made some changes to the itinerary-

May 31- Tour Battle of Little Bighorn and drive to Gardiner, Mt- Best Western Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

June 1- Drive from Gardiner to Cooke City, Mt. through Yellowstone National Park, then to Cody, Wyoming- 2 nights- Cody Cowboy Village.

This should be less driving and more time to see areas of Yellowstone that we have not seen.

CeCe - I know you%26#39;re pretty knowledgable about Yellowstone from your trip last year, but I%26#39;m not sure what time of year that was. I expect you know Yellowstone weather is unpredictable in May and early June, but you may be surprised to know that to a lesser degree it is also true for the other areas you are traveling.

Snow in Laramie in early to mid-June that can close the roads for a bit is not unheard of. I wouldn%26#39;t change my plans, but you need to keep on top of weather while you are traveling. If there is a late snowstorm forecast, you could change your plans, such as driving Jackson to Casper to Cheyenne %26amp; by-pass Laramie.

Spring is not really a season we have in Wyoming. We usually do have a fall, but typically we jump from Winter into Summer! Pack layers and certainly make sure you have some gloves.

Thanks Shell Net for the info. I just changed my plans and we will drive from Jackson thru Casper to Cheyenne and stay in Cheyenne at the Hampton Inn.We were in Yellowstone last year in late May also but were not aware of problems that could occur with snow in Laramie. In Atlanta we just don%26#39;t have to worry about that!!!

Just a question. What route were you planning for this leg of your trip? Over the Beartooth Highway???

May 31- Tour Battle of Little Bighorn and drive to Cooke City, MT- Cooke City Super 8 Motel

I have changed my itinerary- see new post under Final Itinerary. We now plan to drive from Sheridan, Wyoming through Battle of Little Big Horn to Gardiner, Mt. and spend two nights touring YNP. We will then drive from Gardiner through Cooke City to Cody for two nights. Any ideas please advise. Thanks

Cece- Thanks. I was just concerned about the Beartooth Highway. So far this winter, we have had a lot of snow. Depending on the spring, it could or could not delay the opening of the Beartooth.

But, your new route is probably via Chief Joseph Highway and should be just fine.