We are planning a road trip from North Alabama to Yellowstone for the summer of 2018. It will be in mid-June. We are looking at 9 or 10 days total. I have looked at it several different ways. I know it will be a thrash to try everything we want to do in 10 days. We could possibly flex a little here or there. This is my current plan (not final by any means). Day one - Jackson County, AL to Omaha, NE with a lunch stop near the St. Louis Arch. Day Two - Omaha to the Rapid City, SD area with a possible stop in the Badlands. Day three - Mount Rushmore and possibly the Crazy Horse memorial and then drive north to Devil's Tower. End the day with a stay in Cody, WY Day four - Possibly check out museums in Cody then head into Yellowstone and see as much of the southern loop as possible. End the day in West Yellowstone, MT (We have two nights reserved there already). Day five - See as much as we can of the rest of Yellowstone and end the day back in West Yellowstone. Day six - Leave Yellowstone by the southern exit toward Jackson, WY. Take photo ops in the Tetons and perhaps a meal in the Jackson area. Head south to Moab, UT. Day seven - Drive through Arches NP with stops for photos and drive into Canyonlands NP for one stop at the Island in the Sky area for views and pics. We then drive south to Albuquerque, NM. Day eight - head east on I40 to OKC with possible Route 66 stops here and there. Day nine - the final thrash from OKC back to Jackson County, AL. I possibly have one day to use somewhere else during the trip. We are not big hikers, so our stops would be mainly sightseeing with some walking and possible short hikes. Can anyone give me advice or info on whether or not this itinerary is something we can accomplish? I would say the ten day window is our maximum amount of time. Any suggestions?
Reply to this The classic road trip! My only suggestions would be:
Day 2 - yes, stop at the Badlands NM and hit Wall Drug while you are at it.
Day 3 - Skip Crazy Horse and head north from Mount Rushmore to Deadwood and Devils Tower.
Day 4 - Tour the northern loop instead of the southern loop on your way to West Yellowstone
Day 5 - Tour the southern loop, but instread of heading back to West Yellowstone head south to Grand Teton and Jackson Hole then continue south to a less expensive area for accommodations, like the towns around Bear Lake. This cuts out backtracking and reduces the driving distance on Day 6 to Moab giving you more time in Grand Teton..my favorite park...or see Arches at sunset...beautiful lighting
Day 6 - Rather than driving to Albuquerque in one day, stop at Mesa Verde NP which is on the way or Monument Valley which is a bit out of the way.
That's it! Have a great trip.
Reply to this The museums in Cody need an entire day to do them justice. If visiting Deadwood, I would skip them to get more time in Yellowstone.
Be warned that Arches at this time of year will be incredibly hot and crowded. You may run into issues finding parking. If the park is near full, Island in the Sky makes a great alternative. Alternatively, the road north along the Colorado is also great.
Reply to this Thanks. We have done some research on Deadwood, and it doesn't really seem like a place of interest for us. If I was only going to tour one museum in Cody before we left for Yellowstone, which one would you recommend?
Reply to this Deadwood has a lot of western history...Wild Bill Hickok was shot there and is buried there. That's also where the "dead man's hand" comes from. No need to spend much time there.
Reply to this In response to: Msg #201526
Depends on what you like. The Buffalo Bill Historic Center covers the reality of life on the frontier and Buffalo Bill in incredible detail. It requires several hours to see everything. I blogged about my visit:
The Real, and Fake, Wild West. If you are more interested in the "Wild West" mystique, Code also has Old Trail Town, a recreation of Cody in the frontier days.
I would also consider skipping both to get more time in Yellowstone. The park is huge and the roads are slow. The drive from Cody is one of the most scenic in the United States and well worth time to stop and look at stuff along the way.
Reply to this 
