Newport, RI to: Black Hills/Yellowstone/Tetons

[JnScattle]

Looking for recommendations on routing and site seeing from:

Newport, RI to San Diego, CA in October

***VIA***

Black Hills > Billings > Yellowstone > Tetons

Will have about 21 days to make the journey. Advice? Recommendations on sites NOT to pass up seeing? Weather experiences in early October? Route recommendations?

Thanks!

[elchilero53]

Wow! That's a nice trip! It will take you about 4 days to get to Rapid City depending on how you want to break up the trip (approx 1900 miles). You should make good time once west of the Mississippi River.

There are a lot of things to see in the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood, Custer State Park). On the way to Yellowstone, be sure stop by Devil's Tower north of Sundance WY, then on to Yellowstone. Be prepared for mountain snows if you go over into Montana. Yellowstone will probably have snow showers as well. It snowed in Yellowstone last year when we left Rapid City SD and headed south to New Mexico. That was in September. From Jackson, you could cut over to Idaho and onto I-15 then turn south thru Salt Lake City. From there, you could stop and see Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and Zion on the way to Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, perhaps a day trip to Death Valley would be nice. It is about 70 miles from town. And Hoover Dam with the new bridge a little downstream from the Dam. Don't miss Red Rock Canyon west of town and Red Rocks State Park north of town. From Vegas, it's a day drive down to the LA area and San Diego, your destination. It's about 332 miles. You've got a good rig, so have a safe trip!

[JnScattle]

Thanks for the feedback!!

[elchilero53]

Originally Posted by JnScattle

Thanks for the feedback!!

I neglected to mention Badlands National Monument outside Wall SD. It's an interesting stop with a lot of wildlife. This about an hour or so east of Rapid City on I-90.

You could take a break and visit Wall Drug, an interesting tourist trap worth the time.

[JnScattle]

Aww, good additional items. These are the little locations we are looking to enjoy along the way. Thanks!

[rovinglion]

Headed the same way from Albany NY to Southern CA in 12 days. Stopping in Wisconsin Dells for a couple days, then on to the Black Hills, Livingston MT (Yellowstone 7 days), then on to Cedar City UT for the canyons with a stop in Salt Lake City on the way. Finishing up with a few days in Vegas and then on to Riverside CA. Primarily sticking to the interstates, especially through the mountains. My rig could probably handle the Bear Tooth Pass out of Red Lodge, but I'd have to sedate my better half and stow her in the windowless storage space underneath the Crusader. Plan on making Vegas by the end of September. Y'all have fun along the way. You could take 6 months and still have a list of things you didn't see. Just make sure to take some cold weather gear. Weather in that area can change in a hurry. I've seen the temperature change 80 degrees (-40 to +40) in two hours while stationed in MT.

[jrowe0521]

there are 5 entrances to yellowstone. the north east and south east go over the mountains. use the others if you choose. we went in at the south from jackson WY and exited north into Montana. take the main road out of north. there is a back road also, but is very narrow and winding. we stayed at a state park a few miles north of Jackson. they only have a few electric sites. jackson is a great place to visit. there is RV parking in the center of the town. yellowstone camping has no electirc. we have a senior national park pass. $15 saved us $25 each park. we also went to Rapid city ND to see Mt Rushmore. stayed at a walmart south of Rapid city. there is good rv parking at mt rushmore after you climb the long and steep mountain rd. then east to badlands in SD. great trip

[Ray and Ann]

If at Las Vegas don't miss the tour of Hoover Dam--very worthwhile.

Originally Posted by elchilero53

Wow! That's a nice trip! It will take you about 4 days to get to Rapid City depending on how you want to break up the trip (approx 1900 miles). You should make good time once west of the Mississippi River.

There are a lot of things to see in the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood, Custer State Park). On the way to Yellowstone, be sure stop by Devil's Tower north of Sundance WY, then on to Yellowstone. Be prepared for mountain snows if you go over into Montana. Yellowstone will probably have snow showers as well. It snowed in Yellowstone last year when we left Rapid City SD and headed south to New Mexico. That was in September. From Jackson, you could cut over to Idaho and onto I-15 then turn south thru Salt Lake City. From there, you could stop and see Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and Zion on the way to Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, perhaps a day trip to Death Valley would be nice. It is about 70 miles from town. And Hoover Dam with the new bridge a little downstream from the Dam. Don't miss Red Rock Canyon west of town and Red Rocks State Park north of town. From Vegas, it's a day drive down to the LA area and San Diego, your destination. It's about 332 miles. You've got a good rig, so have a safe trip!

[Wilco]

Some additional suggested stops;
Little Big Horn battlefield (Custer's last stand). It is right off of I-90 (Crow Agency exit in Montana) north of Devil's Tower NM. Budget 2-4 hours to visit the battlefield. Continue west on I-90 to either the north or west entrances to Yellowstone. I would plan to stay in West Yellowstone so you can get campsites with full hookups.

On the trip south from Salt Lake City, take a short detour off I-15 on I-70 east to Arches NP and Moab UT. Budget a day to hike in Arches NP.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon may still be open and you are relatively close when you are at Zion NP. Half a day to get there from Zion and a day to Las Vegas from the North Rim. If you are in the military or retired military, there is an Air Force Famcamp at Las Vegas.

While in San Diego, take day trips to Yosemite and Sequoia NPs or spend a couple of days camping in Fresno and visit the parks.

[AFDON]

I noticed nobody talked about Wind Cave, not far from Mt Rushmore or Lewis and Clark Cavern in Mont. How about the Corn Palace in Nebraska?

[fanrgs]

Be prepared for cold weather in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs and some campgrounds will be closed by that time. I worked there in snow in mid-September a number of years ago.

It may also be too late for US 14 through the Bighorn Mountains in WY, but it is a really scenic drive if there is no snow. Be sure to stop in Cody for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West-- a place I could spend days! And one of my favorite WY campgrounds is at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake. They have FHU sites if the weather is really cold, but also have some with no hookups.

Also, consider US 191 from Jackson to Flaming Gorge to the Moab, UT area on your way to Bryce and Zion. That would get you to Arches, Canyonlands, and Capital Reef NPs if you are interested in seeing those.

[jwfrede]

I just returned from a month photographing in Yellowstone/Tetons to central PA. Direct route for you is probably I80 and you'll want to avoid Chicago. I stayed in a campground in Michigan City and then got up about 5:30 eastern time and drove by on I80/90 around 5 am local. Still heavy traffic but moving at about normal speed. I've also heard that 9-10pm is a good time to get past. I94 and I294 north looked like heavy traffic when I went by. I355 didn't look bad. It was a Tues am.

The Beartooth highway is very scenic getting into Yellowstone, but didn't make that route this year. If you don't go that way you could go through Cody,Wy. The Buffalo Bill museum, housed with 3 or 4 other museums is fantastic. I spent about 5 hr there, so a great alternative entrance. Also, the Beartooth closes sometime in Oct due to snow.

Fishing Bridge campground in Yellowstone does have full hookups. Not sure about availability in Oct. The sites are tiny, barely enough to shoehorn in a truck and trailer, but close to east side of park with access to Old Faithful, Yellowstone Canyon, and Hayden Valley. Also stayed at Grizzly RV in West Yellowstone, could walk to restaurants, but 45 min to Old Faithful and 1 hr to the canyon area. Very good RV park.

If you like photography don't miss Oxbow bend at sunrise in Grand Teton NP. Plenty of room on the side of the road. I stopped by there pulling my 25 ft trailer on the way out for my 4th morning there hoping for some clouds or a moose in the water but no dice. Stayed in Colter Bay campground (north end)with full hookups and at Gros Ventre at the south end with no hookups. You can't drive in with a trailer, although I did see 25 ft motorhomes, but Schwabacker's landing is another great photo spot and there are often moose in the area.

Jeff F

[John48]

If stopping at Rushmore, the night show is fantastic, especially for veterans ! You can go late in the day, have dinner right there and then catch the night show. Enjoy the trip, too bad ya don't have two months !!!

[AFDON]

Originally Posted by AFDON

I noticed nobody talked about Wind Cave, not far from Mt Rushmore or Lewis and Clark Cavern in Mont. How about the Corn Palace in Nebraska?

Wasn't thinking, The Corn Palace is in Mitchell S.D.

[JnScattle]

All, we appreciate the ideas and suggestions and will be compiling to develop our route.

With only 3 weeks of leave between Newport and San Diego, we will have to make this a preliminary scouting trip for when we have 2 or 3 months to enjoy it.

Keep the suggestions and recommendations coming. Thanks!

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by elchilero53

I neglected to mention Badlands National Monument outside Wall SD. It's an interesting stop with a lot of wildlife. This about an hour or so east of Rapid City on I-90.

You could take a break and visit Wall Drug, an interesting tourist trap worth the time.

And don't forget the ICBM missile silo nearby...pretty awesome.
Exit 116.
https://www.nps.gov/mimi/planyourvisit/maps.htm

[Jakieboy]

So much to see and do in a limited time. Fortunately, by October many of the most popular RV parks are not crowded. Once you are clear of the prairies, I would recommend you9 stop at Mountain View RV Park near Sundance, WY. Just off the freeway and close enough to Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Custer and Devil's Tower to do all in one day's drive. Then further West to Grand Teton, and hope you can get reservations at Colter Bay. Spend a few days there and you can see most of Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and the town of Jackson in a few days. South to Green River, UT, and spend a few days at Arches and Canyonlands NP's. Spectacular. Then on via I-70 to Zion NP is a day's drive. Stay at Zion River RV Park, close to the park, and really nice location. Then a day's drive to Las Vegas to see Red Rock Canyon NM and other sites. Take at least two days between Las Vegas and San Diego. LA area traffic is hellish, all the time, every day. Stay East if you can and go through Riverside, not LA. Lots to see in LA area, but nothing to compare with the NP's in Utah and Wyoming.

[dwebster]

A couple of places that we found interesting were the dinosaur dig in Hot Springs, South Dakota and the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody, Wyoming. From Cody, a beautiful day trip is The Chief Joseph Highway . The scenery is breathtaking. We love the route from Buffalo, Wyoming to Yellowstone. I pull a fiver with no problem along US 16. This area is always one of my trip Highlights.

[Dennis King]

Also don't miss Scenic S.D. Located in the badlands just across from Wall Drugs. 1800's town with jail outside for photos and general store and post office with a lot of history. Bar and restaurant with sawdust on the floor. Cool place!