National Park itinerary

Detailed Itinerary: South Dakota, Wyoming, & Montana Road trip

Published on December 27, 2023January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck4 Comments

Over the summer, Patrick and I explored four national parks within a two week road trip. It was definitely one of my favorite trips we’ve ever taken so I wanted to share the itinerary I created. Of course with any big trip, plans can change so we didn’t get to everything listed on this itinerary, but most! I’m mentioning it here to give various ideas if you are planning a similar trip! We wanted to have options and back up plans which is why some days are packed. Combining these locations across a two week trip is convenient and makes for a perfect road trip! I mention the campgrounds we stayed at for reference and those that I’d recommend. Keep in mind, most campgrounds within the parks book up quickly, typically up to 6 months in advance so be prepared if you plan to camp! We also used the app campendium to find free campsites.

Check out my other blog posts to prepare and plan for a national park trip if you are looking for more tips.

Badlands National Park & Wall Drug Store, South Dakota

day one 🚐

After driving in from the East, we officially started our trip in South Dakota with the intent of spending time in Badlands National Park. We only planned for one full day within the park and while we could stayed for longer, it was doable to see most highlights within a day.

Badlands highlights in one day:

Take a picture at the Badlands national park sign upon entering the park
Stop at big badlands overlook
Hike notch trail (1.3mi) *be sure to get here early if you want to experience this hike with less people!
Hike window trail (.3mi) same parking lot as notch
Hike door trail (.8mi) same parking lot as notch
Stop by visitor’s center
Drive badlands loop road and view overlooks
- yellow mounds
- pinnacles overlook
On the way out of the park, stop by Wall Drug store and check out some iconic historical highlights:
- free ice water
- 5 cent coffee
Drive to Center Lake campground (1.5 hr from wall drug)

🌛Center Lake Campground (Custer state park fee required as well as campsite fee)

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

day two 🗿

Wake up early and drive to see Mount Rushmore (30 mins from camp) *we got to the monument at 5:30am and had the place to ourselves!
Take a photo at amphitheater/viewing deck
Walk along the presidential trail (.9mi loop)
Continue driving to Grand Teton NP (8hr)
Camp at free dispersed spot

🌛 Upper Teton View – Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsites

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

day three ⛰

We spent four days in Grand Teton national park. This was by far one of our favorite parks we’ve ever been to. Since there’s so much to see and do between the park and the nearest town, Jackson Hole, I’d allow at least three days to fully explore. To save a little money, we stayed at a free campsite for a couple nights before going to a campground. The free campsites in the area are primitive and aren’t reservable so there’s no guarantee you’ll find a spot each night which can add stress, but the benefit is it’s a safe and free place to sleep!

Sunrise at schwabacher landing (wear layers in the early mornings, it’s cold even in the summer!)
Drive into Jackson hole and stop by cowboy coffee for coffee and breakfast
Drive along the Teton park road and see outlook areas for wildlife:
- Oxbow Bend Turnout
- Cascade Canyon Turnout
- Teton Glacier Turnout
- Glacier View Turnout
- *Schwabacher Landing
- Teton Point Turnout
- Snake River Overlook
- Elk Ranch Flats Turnout
Stop at visitor’s center
Spend time exploring Jackson Hole
Dinner in town: hand fire pizza

🌛 Upper Teton View – Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsites

day four 🏔

Watch sunrise at mormon row
Hike to Delta lake (9 mi roundtrip) via lupine meadows access
- We unfortunately didn’t get to finish this hike because Patrick got altitude sickness in the middle of the hike! Learn from our mistake and prep yourself with plenty of snacks, water, and time to adjust to the altitude in the area before taking on a big hike.
Drive along scenic highway and stop at pull off spots
- our favorite was mountain view turnout :)
Sunset at schwabacher landing

🌛 Upper Teton View – Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsite

🚿 Showers are available at Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, and Headwaters at Flagg Ranch.

day five 🥾

Wake up early to hike parts of cascade canyon (we started at string lake)
- Along the way enjoy popular spots like:
  - inspiration point
  - hidden falls
  - jenny lake loop
Watch sunset from Jenny Lake scenic drive area
Check into campground

🌛Jenny Lake campground, tent only

day six 🐻

Hike around taggart lake (4 mi round trip)
Drive into Jackson and spend time exploring and souvenir shopping
Kayak or swim in Jackson lake
Go back to any favorite spot for one last sunset in the park!

🌛 Jenny Lake campground, tent only

Read more:
Things To Do in and Around Badlands National Park
Two Days in Yellowstone 
Grand Teton National Park travel guide
Tips For Planning a National Park Trip

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

day seven ⛲️

We spent a day and a half exploring Yellowstone. We definitely could have spent much more time exploring, Yellowstone is massive! However, we were able to see some nice highlights throughout our short but sweet time in park. One thing to note about Yellowstone is you will spend a lot of time driving to various spots (especially if your time is limited like ours was) but the views while driving are stunning and worth being in the car!

Drive to Yellowstone NP (2 hr from Grand Teton)
Explore the old faithful area
- See old faithful erupt (you can look up predicted eruption times online) this iconic geyser does erupt every 60-90 minutes!
Walk along boardwalks to see other geysers and pools in the area. Some of our favorites:
- Castle geyser
- Daisy geyser
- Spa geyser
- Morning Glory pool
- Grotto geyser
- Grand geyser
- Beauty pool
Stop by visitor’s center
Drive to grand prismatic spring and hike to overlook (1.5mi)
Drive to camp

🌛 Canyon Campground (showers included in reservation)

day eight 🦬

Wake up early and drive to Hayden valley to watch bison! (our favorite experience in the park)
Drive to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and stop by various look out points:
- park in South Rim Rd to see view with Artist Point
- drive to North Rim Rd to see lower Lookout Point
- drive down the road to Grand View
- inspiration point to see a farther view
Drive to Lamar valley to view more wildlife. We unfortunately didn’t see many bison in this area due to the construction occurring in the park at the time.
Drive to see mammoth hot springs to see minerva terrace
Drive to camp for dinner
Catch the sunset back at Hayden valley (we ended up seeing a bison herd commuting to find a place to rest for the night, such an amazing experience to witness).

🌛 Canyon Campground

Glacier National Park, Montana

We ended our two week road trip with our last few days in Glacier national park. This part of the trip offered us some of the most incredible views we’ve ever seen! Glacier is extremely popular and crowded so it requires advance planning to ensure you book vehicle reservations (needed during peak season) and campgrounds. During peak season, the park is separated into four sections that require reservation tickets to enter during designated time periods as an attempt to limits crowds. More information on this can be found on the park’s website. Also, be sure to have bear spray on every hike in Glacier!

day nine 🚐

Drive to Glacier national park (7 hours from Yellowstone)
Check into camp

🌛 Fishcreek campground

🚿 Showers are available at camp

day ten 🏔

Wake up early to hike to avalanche lake
- Walk the trail of the cedars nature trail (1mi loop) continue hiking to avalanche lake (4.5 mi round trip)
Drive and stop along the ‘going to the sun’ road
Stop to see look out points along the way to take pics:
- The Loop– Hair pin turn on the road that allows views of stunning mountains
- Weeping Wall– Named after a cliffside that has water dripping from snowmelt onto the road and your car!
- Big Bend – Located just after the Weeping Wall, the best spot for photos or to watch the sunset :)
- Logan Pass – The highest point on the road, also where the visitor’s center is located
- Jackson Glacier Overlook– Pull off area to view Jackson Glacier
- Saint Mary Falls – Trail head for Saint Mary Falls starts at this pull off
- Wild Goose Island – Stop here to get a photograph of the famous island in the middle of Saint Mary lake!
- Rising Sun– Cute area to stop in for a restroom break or snacks
Get huckleberry ice cream as a reward!
Check into camp

🌛 Fishcreek campground

day eleven 🏔

Wake up early to drive to logan pass visitor’s center to hike the high line trail (parking lot here fills up extremely quickly!)
Hike the high line trail (~14 mi round trip)
- Due to extreme rainy and snowy weather conditions, we weren’t able to finish the entire hike but it was still one of the best experiences we had while visiting the park! We were hiking within the clouds at times! These kinds of weather conditions are typical while hiking in higher altitude, be sure to check the weather before hiking in some areas.
- The high line trail is definitely worth trying even if you only plan to hike for a few miles, the views are incredible!
Stop by lake McDonald and go for a swim to relax after a long hike.

🌛 Fishcreek campground

day twelve 🥞

Sleep in and enjoy breakfast at camp
Drive to Polebridge area of the park
- Explore the area, check out the Polebridge general store (super cute and has amazing pastries!)
Drive back up to the going to the sun road to explore pull off areas
Watch sunset at big bend

🌛 Fishcreek campground

Big bend stop along the ‘going to the sun’ road

day thirteen 🥾

Drive to logan pass visitor’s center to park
Hike to hike hidden lake overlook trail (2.7 mi)
- We were only able to hike to the overlook area and not down to the lake due to bear activity. Be sure to look up park closures in advance before planning certain hikes!
Drive to the Many Glacier area
Explore and stop in the Many Glacier hotel
Hike the grinnell glacier viewpoint trail (10 mi roundtrip)
After a long last day of exploring and hiking, get some huckleberry ice cream!
Relax at camp for final night

🌛 Fishcreek campground

Two Week Out West Trip Itinerary: Colorado and Utah

Published on March 22, 2023January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

Last Summer, I went on my first cross country road to explore five different National Parks within Colorado and Utah. Traveling from Ohio, I knew very little about States out west and I spent several months doing research, making reservations in advance, and planning out a two week itinerary for my boyfriend and I. This trip included time in the Rocky Mountains National Park and time within Utah exploring 4 out of the 5 National Parks in the state. If you’re planning a similar trip, I hope this itinerary I developed is useful or gives some ideas to add to your own road trip itinerary!

Two Week Itinerary

Day One: Travel Day

Since we were traveling from Ohio, we decided to break the drive out to Colorado into two days. We stopped in Nebraska on our way after about 13 hours of driving. We found a hotel near Omaha, NE for the night.

🌛 Hotel in Omaha, NE

Day Two: Travel Day

On our second day, we left Omaha bright and early for a 7 hour drive to Boulder, CO. Once we arrived in Boulder we spent time walking around town and exploring Pearl St. which is an iconic spot in downtown Boulder that features fun shops and restaurants. My favorite part of this day was spending time at a free campsite we found just outside of Boulder, CO. This campsite was about an hour from downtown Boulder and 45 minutes to Rocky Mountains National Park.

Tips:

I found all of our free campsites off the Campendium or freecampsites.net
We purchased the America the Beautiful National Park pass which was $80 and covers entrances to all National Parks.

🌛 Beaver Reservoir Dispersed Camping

Day Three: Rocky Mountains National Park

On day three, we woke up bright and early to enjoy sunrise at our campsite before heading into Rocky Mountains National Park. On our way into the park, we stop in downtown Estes Park for some breakfast. We found Kind Coffee which was definitely a favorite stop of ours! After some coffee and breakfast we spent our first day hiking in the Bear Lake area and hiked to Bear, Nymph and Dream lakes. After hiking in this area, we stop at the visitor’s center and explored more of Estes Park. For the next two nights we stayed at one of the campgrounds in the Park, Glacier Basin.

Tips:

I wrote a blog post about our experience in RMNP if you’re looking for an in depth guide, read here.
Campground reservations can be made 6 months in advance, so if you know your dates book as soon as you can!
Rocky Mountains National Park requires a vehicle reservation to enter the park during certain hours. I discuss this in depth in my post dedicate to RMNP.

🌛 Glacier Basin Campground

Day Four: Rocky Mountains National Park

Our second full day in RMNP was a busy one! We spent our entire morning hiking to Mount Ida. From the Glacier Basin campground, this trailhead is about an hour away. The best part about the drive there is driving along the iconic Trail Ridge Road which is the highest highway road in the country! It was incredible to experience the views and the road during sunrise. We saw so much wildlife and almost had the entire road to ourselves since it was so early. To hike Mount Ida, you can park at Milner Pass parking lot. This hike was a strenuous 9 mile hike but the views were some of the best I’ve ever seen! After this hike, we went into town to take a shower. We found a local laundry mat that had showers for visitors that cost $4. That evening we had dinner in town at the Bird & Jim, which was delicious!

🌛 Glacier Basin Campground

Day Five: Travel Day

We were pretty exhausted after a long hike the day before so we slept in and took our time leaving Colorado. We stopped in Estes Park for the last time and got another cup of Kind Coffee before starting a 6 hour drive to Moab, UT. We planned to car camp once we arrived to Moab and we were surprised to find several camping areas off the main road that were first come first serve. We picked the first one we could find which was Upper Big Bend Campground and paid $20 for a spot that night. This night was extremely hot compared to the nights we just experienced in Colorado. The campsite we chose was about 15 minutes from Arches National Park which was super convenient.

Tips:

I have a blog post dedicated to our time in Arches National Park with more details of our experiences, read here.
Arches National Park requires a vehicle reservation to enter the park during certain hours. I discuss this in depth in my post dedicated to ANP.
All campgrounds in the area we stayed were $20 per night for a camp spot.
The campgrounds off the main road that we found had no running water, no showers, and no flush toilets.
Moab, UT is known as boondocking country, meaning there’s a lot of free camp spots surrounding Moab! Check out Campendium or freecampsites.net to find a free spot. Most are quite a drive from the park which is why we decided to pay $20 to be close.

🌛 Upper Big Bend Campground

Day Six: Arches National Park

We woke up around 3:30am tired but excited to drive into Arches National Park for the day. We drove to Delicate Arch trailhead to begin a sunrise hike to this iconic arch. It took about an hour to hike to the top and we made it just before the sun started to rise. Delicate arch is incredible in person and much bigger than I imagined. We spent a couple hours admiring Delicate Arch before hiking back down. Afterwards, we explored more Arches in the park. It was extremely hot so we didn’t last long out in the heat. This night we ended up booking a hotel room to escape the heat and it was definitely worth it!

🌛 Scenic View Inn and Suites Moab

Day Seven: Arches National Park/Travel Day

We slept in and explored downtown Moab before heading back into Arches National Park. We spent some more time driving through Arches National Park admiring Arches from a distance and stopping along viewpoints. We also took some time to explore Park Avenue which was one of the coolest spots we visited in the park. Afterwards, we prepared for a 4.5 hour drive to Bryce Canyon National Park. Once we arrived, we stayed at a free camp spot, Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping which is about 15 minutes from the park.

🌛 Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping

Day Eight: Bryce Canyon National Park

We only planned for one day in Bryce Canyon so we woke up early to make the most of our time. We started the morning at Inspiration Point for sunrise, this was an incredible spot but I imagine any spot in the park is amazing to watch sunrise. After sunrise, we drove to Sunset Point to hike the Navajo and Queen’s Garden loop trail. This was the perfect hike to do with only a day in the park. We were able to see the highlights of the park and spend time admiring all of the hoodoos! We ended the day by driving to Zion National Park which was a 2 hour drive.

Once we arrived in Zion, we went to Zion Outfitters to pick up rented gear for the Narrows hike. We then went to a free camp spot we found but ended up booking a reservation at Gooseberry Lodges last minute due to extreme heat temperatures and a thunder storm that was predicted. This was a great decision and gave us a comfortable place to sleep each night while visiting Zion. Gooseberry Lodges offer small private cabins for an affordable price and the location is about 45 minutes from the park.

Tips:

I have a blog post dedicated to our time in Bryce Canyon National park, read here.
Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping was an awesome free spot, the spaces were spread out and there was cell service which was a first!
I have a dedicated post to our time in Zion, read here.

🌛 Gooseberry Lodges

Day Nine: Zion National Park

Our first day in Zion was a full day! We started the day bright and early with a sunrise hike to Canyon Overlook which was one of my favorite memories, the views from this one mile hike were amazing. Afterwards we drove into Springsdale which is the closest town to Zion and got breakfast sandwiches from Deep Creek Coffee. Our next hike was The Narrows which was one I was most looking forward to as we planned our trip. We had already picked up our gear the night before which saved time. We got on the shuttle near the visitor’s center to begin our hike to The Narrows and got off at shuttle stop #9. We spent about 4 hours hiking in the Narrows. That night, we ordered dinner from a local spot near our cabin and enjoyed some time out by the fire after a long day of adventuring!

Tips:

During busy season, Zion requires visitors to use their shuttle system to access most trailheads. The shuttle is free and the easiest spot to pick up the shuttle is at the visitor’s center.
Canyon Overlook is one of the only areas you can drive in your personal vehicle to get to.
I would definitely recommended renting the gear if you plan to hike the Narrows.

🌛 Gooseberry Lodges

Day Ten: Zion National Park

On our second full day in Zion, we planned to hike to Observation Point. This hike offers one of the best views in Zion and a lot safer then Angel’s Landing! Be sure to read my blog post about Zion if you’re planning to hike to Observation Point as there’s a lot to know in advance. After an afternoon hike to Observation Point we spent the rest of the day walking around Springsdale, souvenir shopping and catching up on laundry.

🌛 Gooseberry Lodges

Day Eleven: Travel Day

We slept in and drove into Springsdale to stop at our favorite coffee shop one last time, Deep Creek Coffee. Our last National Park on this road trip was Capitol Reef National Park, which is about 3.5 hours from Zion National Park. The drive to Capitol Reef from Zion is a bit boring and as you enter the nearby towns to Capitol Reef, it feels like you’re in a Western movie. Capitol Reef is quite literally in the middle of nowhere so restaurants and shops are very limited. Since we arrived to the park later in the afternoon, we didn’t hike but spent time exploring the scenic drive which is about 8 miles one way to Capitol Gorge. This is a historic drive that offers stunning views of the park, definitely a must see. After a long day of traveling, we checked into our hotel for the next two nights, Capitol Reef Resort.

Tips:

I wrote a separate blog post about our time in Capitol Reef that provides more information about our time in the park, read here.

🌛 Capitol Reef Resort

Day Twelve: Capitol Reef National Park

Our first full day in Capitol Reef was actually my birthday so I picked the activities we did this day! I was most looking forward to hiking to Cassidy Arch which is an iconic spot in Capitol Reef. The hike to Cassidy Arch was tough but definitely worth the view at the end. Afterwards, we explored the fruita district of the park and stopped by Gifford Homestead for fresh pies, which were amazing! We also planned to hike the grand wash trail which is another popular spot in the park, but due to extreme heat temperatures we only hiked the beginning on this trail before turning back.

🌛 Capitol Reef Resort

Day Thirteen: Travel Day

We woke up early and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before leaving Capitol Reef. We started our trip back to Colorado with a plan to stop in Vail, CO for the night. Vail is about 5.5 hours from Capitol Reef National Park. This trip felt longer than other days, most likely due to general exhaustion from a long road trip! Once we arrived in Vail, we camped at Camp Hale Memorial campground. This campground was stunning and so scenic and quiet. It truly was the perfect way to end our road trip. This campground was about $30 for the night and it was available to reserve in advance but when we arrived there were plenty of empty spots available as well.

🌛 Camp Hale Memorial Campground

Day Fourteen: Travel Day

From Vail, CO we woke up around 4am to drive towards Des Moines, IA for our stopping point. We drove about 12 hours to get to a hotel for the night. We arrived around dinner time and ordered in food at a nearby restaurant and went to bed early to prepare for another long travel day!

🌛 Hotel near Des Moines, IA

Day Fifteen: Travel Day

We left Des Moines bright and early and headed back towards Ohio which was about an 10 hour drive. We arrived home mid afternoon after a long two week road trip! This road trip gave me some of my best memories and it was definitely worth all the early mornings, days without service, heat exhaustion, and long days in the car.