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wadecool
12-30-2018, 10:47 AM
I am planning a trip from Kentucky to Yellowstone and would like to run my itinerary by the experts to see how it looks. Some background and parameters: It will be me, wife, and 2 12 year old girls. and we have 2 weeks. We are driving a 2018 Ford F-350 dually towing a Premier 34BHPR 38 ft travel trailer. In order to maximize vacation, make good time, and keep girls from going stir crazy in the truck the trip out will be driving at night. I work third shift and mostly 12 hour shifts so driving at night isn't an issue for me. I have cousins in Rapid City and Gillette, WY who will be joining us in a convoy to Yellowstone and the Tetons.

7/17 - Leave Kentucky 8pm, arrive Rock Port Rivers Edge Campground in Rock Port, MO around 8am 7/18. Girls will swim and hang out in camper while i sleep.

7/18 - leave Rock Port, MO around 4pm, arrive Rapid City 4am 7/19 staying at Rapid City KOA. After I get a nap, tour Badlands, Mt Rushmore and hang out with family.

7/20 - leave Rapid City 8am and head to Hardin, MT KOA via Gillette WY and arrive at Little Bighorn Battlefield 2pm.

7/21 - leave Hardin, MT 9am to West Yellowstone, MT KOA via I-90, arriving 2pm

7/21 through 7/26 - tour Yellowstone NP

7/26 - leave West Yellowstone KOA 9am via US 191, arrive Virginian RV park in Jackson, WY 12pm. Drive through Grand Teton NP and see a few sights.

7/27 - Leave Jackson, WY 9am, arrive Cody, WY KOA 2pm. Tour Buffalo Bill Museum and drive the Beartooth/Chief Joseph Highway.

7/29 - Leave Cody, WY 9am, arrive Kennebec, SD KOA 8pm.

7/29 - Leave Kennebec, SD 3am, arrive Kansas City KOA 1pm on 7/30.

730 - leave KC KOA 8pm, arrive home at 6am.

To those in the know, how does this trip look? Any advice? Any other forums or threads I should be posting this on?

Thanks in advance,

Adam

ChuckS
12-30-2018, 02:17 PM
Why not drive from West Yellowstone thru the park and exit out south entrance of Yellowstone into Tetons. Then drive out south entrance right into Jackson Hole.

Very easy drive with your setup... we spend at least 4 weeks every year at Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP

SummitPond
12-30-2018, 03:28 PM
I am planning a trip from Kentucky to Yellowstone ...

As you are touring the Badlands there's a Minuteman Missile Silo (I believe it is a National Monument) that is worth a tour. Check their web site for making arrangements - you need at least 24 hours notice.

Also consider stopping in Mitchell, SD at the Corn Palace.

Cody State Park provides some views of Mount Rushmore that are breathtaking, plus as an added benefit you might see some of the wildlife. There are also National Park caves in the area.

Happy trails. That is quite an ambitious trip!

notanlines
12-31-2018, 05:28 AM
"Tour Buffalo Bill Museum and drive the Beartooth/Chief Joseph Highway." Good plan, and also take in the youth rodeo , held every evening in the summer. Your girls and you will enjoy this.

Racebug
12-31-2018, 07:16 AM
we are doing a similar trip in June this year. Cody to Jackson hole to west Yellowstone and then down to escalante for a week.

captcolour
12-31-2018, 07:33 AM
Make sure you take into account the time zone changes going and coming when factoring in driving. I remember when we made our "out west" trip years ago, got near the KOA in SD and was only going to be 2pm local time, so called ahead and found another one an hour farther to make the next day to the Badlands shorter and give us more time there. At Yellowstone, we stayed at Coulter Bay near the Tetons which was really nice. Better make reservations soon!

mace14638
12-31-2018, 08:54 AM
Sounds like a great trip! We spend a week every summer in our 5th wheel at Bridge Bay campground on Yellowstone Lake. A night or so there is a good base for exploring the park. Have a great trip!

bfam5
12-31-2018, 11:39 AM
Mt Rushmore and Badlands on the same day from Rapid City KOA is a lot of driving.

We did a 7 week cross country trip during the summer of 2018. We could have always used more time at each place we visited.

If you know your dates, I would attempt to get reservations inside Yellowstone vs West Yellowstone. We stayed 5 nights at West Yellowstone and that drive in and out of the park each day got old and tiring.

We have 3 boys and kept them entertained with audio books during the drive.

Have a great trip!

notanlines
12-31-2018, 03:16 PM
Bfam, I concur with your comment concerning the travel from Rapid City to the bad lands, etc. Too far to make both in the same day. However, remember he's towing 38' of 5th wheel. Too long for Yellowstone parks.

ChuckS
01-01-2019, 10:32 AM
There is really no nice place inside YNP to camp with that size RV. They are rebuilding Fishing Bridge RV campground on east side of YNP but no info on what the length allowance will be.

However, towing inside YNP will be nonissue

Wyldfire
01-01-2019, 10:54 AM
I would add https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm
to the trip. Schedule a tour down to launch command. Kids will love it and very historical. Just off the interstate between Wall and Rapid City

koko
01-01-2019, 12:56 PM
The idea of driving through from West Yellowstone, exiting by the south entrance and into Teton National Park, touring TNP then on to Jackson might be a good idea - then you won't be backtracking back into Teton National Park from Jackson. The road from Jackson to TNP can be really crowded. Your trip sounds awesome no matter which way you go.

mace14638
01-01-2019, 05:26 PM
I take my 38’ 5er to Yellowstone every summer.

bfam5
01-01-2019, 11:27 PM
Scratch Fishing Bridge RV Park. Just saw that it is closed for all of 2019 due to construction.

JRTJH
01-02-2019, 07:58 AM
Scratch Fishing Bridge RV Park. Just saw that it is closed for all of 2019 due to construction.

Fishing Bridge RV Park is closed for renovations and the park rangers I talked to 2 years ago told me that the remaining park campgrounds, many of which do not have reservations, will be absorbing that camper traffic, so their suggestion was to either reserve a campsite or don't plan on being able to stay inside the park.

Fishing Bridge is the only RV campground inside Yellowstone that has full hookups. All the remaining sites are "primitive camping" with access to showers and fresh water in some, but not all. Where showers are available, they are "pay as you go" and some campgrounds include 2 "shower tokens" daily with each site.

If I were planning a trip with a "longer than about 25' camper" I would not expect to find a suitable campsite inside the park on a "hit and miss" venture. Most campers tend to look for the most level and largest site available, even if they are tent camping or have a small trailer, so the larger sites usually fill up first. I would definitely make reservations. Either inside the park if no hookups are needed or in West Yellowstone, Cody (a long drive to the park) or one of several campgrounds near the north entrances to the park in Montana.

Canonman
01-02-2019, 02:28 PM
We travel to Teton NP as often as we can. Our favorite place to stay is Gros Ventre campground which is inside the park and easily accommodates rigs of your size. Lots of animals and beautiful scenery close by.
We avoid the town of Jackson Hole like the plague. Way overcrowded and the roads are a challenge with any RV. Your plan to stay in West Yellowstone in spot on. Access to RV camping in the park is severely limited. Teton will be much less crowded and the scenery locations there are some of my favorites.
Happy to help with suggestions of places to see in either park:)

wadecool
01-02-2019, 03:14 PM
I should add that I have some experience towing campers. Specifically, after Hurricane Katrina, i hauled over 50 campers (30ft avg) from Northern Indiana factories to locations in Southern Miss, Louisiana, and Florida. Our hard dates (reservations currently set in stone) are West Yellowstone KOA 7/21-7/26, Virginian RV Park 7/26-7/27. I haven't booked anything else.

I want to take my family's interests into account and Badlands and Mt Rushmore are on their list.

Coming from Rapid City heading to West Yellowstone, we will have to spend the night somewhere along the way. Although my current Itinerary includes stopping at Little Bighorn Battlefield, I initially thought of spending a night in Cody but want to see the Museum and drive the Beartooth and can't get that accomplished in one night. (random thought was to spend a night in Cody, see the museum, then just drive from West Yellowstone to the Beartooth and make that one of our 5 Yellowstone tour days).

This plan is still very fluid...
I want to thank everyone for the advise thus far. It is much appreciated!

travelin texans
01-02-2019, 03:41 PM
If you're going to Mt Rushmore then Crazy Horse is also a must see. We enjoyed Crazy Horse more, less commercialized, less crowds & an up close view plus the how it all started video was great.

ChuckS
01-02-2019, 06:47 PM
I’d consider a different route than Beartooth Hiway. The road is under major construction just east of “Top of the world” due to road washout ....

We were at Top of the world last Sept and no way I’d tow on that stretch in its current condition.

wadecool
01-04-2019, 02:33 PM
Taking into account the girls needing burn energy after driving long days and shortening the days somewhat as well as all of us being on same sleep schedule, i have updated the itinerary:

With u getting another day off here’s my updated itinerary:

7/17 - leave home at 3am arrive KC KOA 2pm

7/18 - KC KOA to Kennebec, SD KOA 8am to 6pm

7/19 - Kennebec KOA to Rapid City driving through Badlands and Wall Drug on way 8am to 2pm. Tour Mt Rushmore after setting up camp

7/20 - rapid city to Hardin, MT via Gillette, WY 9am to 3pm. Go to Little Bighorn battlefield in afternoon

7/21 - Hardin, MT to West Yellowstone KOA 9am to 3pm

7/26 - West Yellowstone to Jackson WY 7am to 1pm. Tour Tetons in afternoon

7/27 - Jackson to Cody 7am to 3pm. Tour museum and beartooth highway in 2 days

7/29 - Cody to Ft Collins KOA 6am to 2pm. Drive through RMNP.

7/30 - FT Collins KOA to Topeka KOA 8am to 6pm

7/31 - Topeka KOA to home 8am to 6pm

bfam5
01-04-2019, 04:25 PM
I love trip planning. There are so many possibilities. Sounds like a great adventure.

Remember to have fun, even if it means not hitting everything on the list.

travelin texans
01-04-2019, 07:02 PM
I love trip planning. There are so many possibilities. Sounds like a great adventure.

Remember to have fun, even if it means not hitting everything on the list.

What's even more fun is retiring & just going without planning wherever the wind blows you!
I agree, have a great trip even if you have to skip a place or two, there's always next year.

notanlines
01-05-2019, 03:03 AM
I was glad to see you dump the "visiting with relatives" out of your itinerary. You are going with two 12-year-olds. Not high on their list. One wet blanket to throw on your well-planned party: Visiting Little Big Horn. If I made my grandgirls visit the battlefield I would no longer be their favorite grandfather! Unless there is a particular interest or a family tie-in, safe your money. Been there, done that!
Uh, touring RMNP after setting up camp after 2 PM and then heading out? You will barely have time to get to the entrance gates.
As a number of members mentioned, relax a little, don't be afraid of dropping one or two destinations, and make sure the girls have the time of their lives. You and Momma have a lifetime to make these trips on your own.

dsttexas
01-06-2019, 08:20 AM
Go online to RVTripWizard.com and enter your itinerary to get mileage and times between all stops, as well as locations of all RV stops available near your route. This is a great tool for RV trip planning. You can manually reroute from it's suggested route easily as well.

bfam5
01-06-2019, 08:50 AM
Go online to RVTripWizard.com.

+1
This was very helpful on our cross country trip. We also saved a bunch of money by finding smaller, non affiliated campgrounds compared to starting exclusively at KOA.

dsttexas
01-06-2019, 09:03 AM
I don't know... Traveling 5-10 hours every day for 10 days straight seems like a lot. Add in daily closeup/hitchup then unhitch/openup along with fuel and lunch stops and sightseeing. Whew! 15 days maybe.

JRTJH
01-06-2019, 09:31 AM
I don't know... Traveling 5-10 hours every day for 10 days straight seems like a lot. Add in daily closeup/hitchup then unhitch/openup along with fuel and lunch stops and sightseeing. Whew! 15 days maybe.

Those were my thoughts as well. Two 12 year old girls "sitting in the back seat EVERY day" for 10 days ??? My kids would have revolted on day 3 and it would have become a "shut up and sit there" or "let's change the plans"... Chances are my DW would have sided with the girls (strength in numbers) and I would have been outvoted.....

10 days of "non-stop driving/sightseeing"?? Definitely going to need a vacation to recover from the vacation....

I know people do it this way, and they survive and have pictures to prove they were there..... I've always found that "looser, more laid back" plans provide for a day to just sit and enjoy or have fun when needed makes for happier, smiling 12 year olds..... YMMV

travelin texans
01-06-2019, 09:53 AM
+1
This was very helpful on our cross country trip. We also saved a bunch of money by finding smaller, non affiliated campgrounds compared to starting exclusively at KOA.

With a couple young girls along staying at KOAs is probably a good plan, they usually have children's activities in the evenings, might help with the long hours of traveling.

Northofu1
01-06-2019, 10:45 AM
After doing our 16 day 8000 km trip to Canada's East coast (we loved it) it became quickly apparent that all the dropping/setting up - packing/ hitching up became tiresome and time consuming. From now on when we travel fair distances its Walmart's followed by a minimum of 5 day stays at a park. It suits our lifestyle. In June we have a 5 day Cape Cod / 5 day Boston / 4 day, either Vermont or New York trip planned. A walmart at the beginning and one at the end.

Robert Campbell
01-06-2019, 10:48 AM
I understand what it is like making a trip like this in a limited amount of time. There is a KOA in Interior, SD within 5 miles of the Badlands and very close to Wall, a wonderful little town with 5cent coffee and free water (you will see the billboards) and the Minuteman site. We then stayed at a KOA near Custer State park. It has a great visitor's center and you can drive through the park to enjoy its scenery and animals. Mt Rushmore was nice but we spent very little time there. I strongly encourage you to visit the Sitting Bull park. It is privately owned, has an amazing visitor's center and offers tours that take you on the monument which is under construction. They encourage you to take home rocks from the mountain as souvenirs. It also helps you understand the the process of building Mt. Rushmore. Have safe travels and remember to allow yourself time to enjoy your family.

Robert Campbell
01-06-2019, 12:22 PM
My wife corrected me. It is not the Sitting Bull Monument but instead Crazy Horse. Sorry for the mistake.

Phil Saran
01-06-2019, 01:28 PM
I looked at the website for RVTripWizard.com The only negative I see is the $39
fee to join. I can use mapquest.com for free.

Other than that the trip sounds wonderful and all those area's are on our list for
upcoming trips over the next couple of years.

Mainer
01-06-2019, 05:07 PM
Did Yellowstone in '15 with an xTerra pulling a 204 RBS Bullet:eek:. Learned 25 ft length is measured from front bike pedal to counterweight box on back (350# tongue weight grows exponentially with any fresh water or only available storage:whistling:). We were 44 ft and did get into Mammoth Hot Springs. If you want to do distance, Walmart, etc. is the way to go, fast, cheap, no reason stick around. We hit the places that were interesting while moving.

wadecool
01-06-2019, 05:12 PM
After doing our 16 day 8000 km trip to Canada's East coast (we loved it) it became quickly apparent that all the dropping/setting up - packing/ hitching up became tiresome and time consuming. From now on when we travel fair distances its Walmart's followed by a minimum of 5 day stays at a park. It suits our lifestyle. In June we have a 5 day Cape Cod / 5 day Boston / 4 day, either Vermont or New York trip planned. A walmart at the beginning and one at the end.

I have considered the Walmart idea and if it were just my wife and I that would be the plan. After making girls sit in the truck all day, I want them to have some swimming to look forward to.

wadecool
01-18-2019, 09:33 PM
This trip seems to be constantly evolving so I'll post the latest version of the itinerary. The best favor you can do is rip it apart because it helps me plan...

Latest thoughts:

We decided we want 2 nights in Cody and 2 nights in Tetons so something had to go, and it would up being Little Bighorn Battlefield.

We knew we wanted to see Cody and Jackson/Tetons along with Yellowstone so it made more sense to stop in Cody first and end in Jackson rather than circle around Yellowstone in previous plan.

Only destination i haven't decided on a landing spot is the Tetons. Only options for full hookups I see are the Virginian and Fireside Resort, both of which seem like glorified parking lots based on many reviews. Gros Ventre campground sounds awesome but the idea of first come/first serve make the planner in me nervous, and the idea of dry camping makes my wife nervous. As an Eagle Scout who spent many, many nights "roughing it", I'm good with 2 nights without hookups, but my wife and 2 12 yr olds might have issues with the nighttime temps and being limited to the water in fresh tank (42gal). Can someone ease my fears here or present me with an option I've missed?

Changes are in bold.

7/17 - leave home at 3am arrive KC KOA 2pm

7/18 - KC KOA to Kennebec, SD KOA 8am to 6pm

7/19 - Kennebec KOA to Rapid City driving through Badlands and Wall Drug on way 8am to 2pm. Tour Mt Rushmore after setting up camp

7/20 - rapid city to Cody, WY via Gillette, WY 9am to 5pm. 2 nights in Cody, seeing Museum and driving Beartooth Highway.

7/22 - Cody, WY to West Yellowstone KOA 9am to 3pm

7/27 - West Yellowstone to Jackson WY 7am to 1pm. Tour Tetons and Jackson.

7/29 - Jackson to Denver East KOA in Strasburg 5am to 4pm. Route from Jackson will be south to I-70 eastbound at Silverthorne, CO.

7/30 - Strasburg, CO KOA to KC East KOA 3am-2pm

7/31 - KC KOA to home 8am to 6pm

captcolour
01-19-2019, 06:45 AM
We stayed at Colter Bay. It is on the north side of Grand Tetons, so a little closer to Yellowstone. I think you could stay there for both Yellowstone and Tetons, so you wouldn't have to drive over to West Yellowstone and avoids having to pick up and move. Just a thought.

Jdaviso
01-22-2019, 03:16 PM
Looks like a great trip. Hoping to take the family through there in a few years.

KCSA75
01-22-2019, 07:15 PM
We also stayed at Coulter Bay. If I'm not mistaken, the RV campground had full hook-ups. I know there was water and electric.

When traveling from Jackon/Tetons to Denver I would suggest US-26/US-287 from Moose, WY through the Wind River Range to Rawlins, WY. Then I-80 to Laramie, US-287 to Fort Collins, I-25 to Denver then I-70 to Strasbourg.

You won't have as many mountains to deal with and the drive through the Wind River range is beautiful.

North of Denver, there is a bypass (E-470) that takes you out by the airport and lets you miss most of the city. A lot less traffic but be aware, it's a toll road and the toll could be steep with a trailer.

Canonman
01-23-2019, 07:02 AM
We've stay many nights in Gros Ventre. They do have some new "improved sites" with power. We've never found it a problem dry camping and MUCH prefer Gros Ventre to Coulter Bay. Sites are more spread out and spacious. It's a large facility with a fresh water fill station at the entrance and dump station on the way out. Restrooms are clean and have running water and flush toilets.
Lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery close by as well. As for availability, if you arrive mid-day you should be OK.

JRTJH
01-23-2019, 08:12 AM
Adam,

In post #35 I think your first sentence pointed directly to the style of RVing that most of us follow: The trip seems to be constantly evolving Trust me when I say that even as the trip is in progress it will evolve. When the kids in the back seat see the roadway billboard advertising "The World's Biggest Ball of Yarn" or "Free Ice Cream and Pie With Every Meal" or "CARHENGE NEXT EXIT" and you start hearing the "Dad, can we???" Remember that the journey is just as important as the destination.

If you take the attitude of "put on the blinders, to hell with what we want along the way" it will become a miserable trip for everyone. Enjoy the trip, the days on the road are not "hours to endure" but they are also a "part of the trip, so let's enjoy them too".....

Trust me when I say that "billion dollar airlines run on schedules" and you see how many flights are either "cancelled, delayed or postponed"..... If the pros can't keep on a "minute by minute schedule" why would "mere mortals" even try ??????

Enjoy your trip and plan on the unexpected. Being flexible means enjoying the trip as well as the destination.....

MidMOTraveler
01-28-2019, 04:21 AM
Plans are always fun but need to be realistic.
I think your using something like Mapquest to get your drive times? They use posted speed limit I think and towing we never get that good of time.

We have found that 50-55 miles per hour is closer to estimate travel time. This takes into account fuel and pit stop breaks.

Your first day is going to be stressful as I -70 from St Louis to KC is always busy with semi ‘s day and night. I drove part of this for 25 years.
KC Royals have a home game on 7/17 but that shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Stay flexible, better to enjoy your trip than to have everyone upset because you are worn out

Just my 2 cents.

wadecool
01-28-2019, 01:33 PM
Plans are always fun but need to be realistic.
I think your using something like Mapquest to get your drive times? They use posted speed limit I think and towing we never get that good of time.

We have found that 50-55 miles per hour is closer to estimate travel time. This takes into account fuel and pit stop breaks.

Your first day is going to be stressful as I -70 from St Louis to KC is always busy with semi ‘s day and night. I drove part of this for 25 years.
KC Royals have a home game on 7/17 but that shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Stay flexible, better to enjoy your trip than to have everyone upset because you are worn out

Just my 2 cents.

I used Google maps for the mileage only. I averaged 55mph on interstate part of route and 50 mph for off-interstate roads, not counting any roads in Yellowstone/Tetons since they are in a world all their own.

wadecool
06-08-2019, 06:53 AM
An update to our trip, now just 37 days away. We have decided to travel from KY to SD via Indianapolis, Peoria, and Des Moines. It will be a 2 days drive with one night stay over in between.

7/17 - leave home at 3am arrive Des Moines West KOA 3pm

7/18 - Des Moines West KOA to Keystone, SD 6am to 5pm

7/19 - Tour Badlands, Mt Rushmore

7/20 - rapid city to Cody, WY via Gillette, WY 9am to 5pm. 2 nights in Cody, seeing Museum and driving Beartooth Highway.

7/22 - Cody, WY to West Yellowstone KOA 9am to 3pm

7/27 - West Yellowstone to Jackson WY 7am to 1pm. Tour Tetons and Jackson.

7/29 - Jackson to Cheyenne KOA 8am to 4pm

7/30 - Cheyenne KOA to KC East KOA 3am-3pm

7/31 - KC KOA to home 8am to 6pm

ken56
06-09-2019, 01:57 AM
If you can handle that sleep schedule and fit in all the touring you want to do then it sounds like you have it under control. The only thing I would add is tour Crazy Horse along with Rushmore. They are not very far apart and I think the girls might enjoy the museum and the presentations they do.


As far as the Bad Lands is concerned I pulled my 30ft. trailer through it on our way to Rapid city. There are pull outs for the views and mountain goats to see but there is nothing there really but a moonscape. Cool to see but for us it was just a drive through thing. The main road through pops you out at Wall and the famous Wall Drug. Large parking lot on the west side near the store. Might be worth putting on the list for shopping for the girls and souvenirs.


Have you invested in a National Park Pass? Might be worth the purchase price for as many parks as you plan to visit.

captcolour
06-09-2019, 05:08 AM
Trip looks good and similar to what I have done in the past including Des Moines KOA and KC East KOA. We stopped at an archeological dig in the Badlands probably 20 years ago now which was very interesting.

JRTJH
06-09-2019, 05:45 AM
While in Hill City area visiting Mt Rushmore, I'd include a drive through Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Monument and a 2-3 hour drive through the mountains around Mt Rushmore. There are tunnels through the rocks that are barely wide enough for a modern pickup to fit, certainly DON'T attempt to tow through that road, but for us, was a "must see" event.

Wall Drug, while a commercial (money making) site, is definitely worth a couple hours as is the Minute Man Launch Site which is nearby. If you're into aircraft/aerospace history, Ellsworth AFB has an excellent display of vintage USAF aircraft and some "in depth" local military history.

While in Hill City, you can do a walking tour of the "downtown area" to view "life size statues" of all the presidents. They are placed throughout the town center and it can become an "Easter egg hunt" type event for kids as they search for the next statue.

For us, if we'd have only stayed "one night as a drive through" we would have been very disappointed at all we would have missed because of the lack of time in the area.

Racebug
06-11-2019, 10:25 AM
we are doing a similar trip, different campgrounds. we will be in cody 17th and 18th and then on to west yellow stone.

Huntme
06-25-2019, 01:26 PM
Spends some time in the badlands,you will not be disappointed,my opinion Rushmore was not all cracked up to be,not worth the money,that said Tetons are for a better word, Unbelievable,so is Yellowstone,I spent too much time in Yellowstone,not enough time in the tetons,most is worth seeing.
An Oregon camper.

77cruiser
06-25-2019, 04:50 PM
Been through Yellowstone twice, first time was OK second was boring, I guess once you've seen 1 bison you've seen em all. Drove the Beartooth that was awesome, like to drive going to the sun road someday.

Tonkatoy77
06-25-2019, 06:02 PM
Reading through these comments is getting me really excited for our trip. We are doing a very similar trip, except coming from the west coast. Our trip is going to be 18 days. We are going to Silverwood theme park, Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Cody, Tetons, then back home.

OP, I’m not sure if you are into guns or not, but Weatherby just moved their headquarters to Sheridan Wy. They have a visitor center and have factory tours.

Huntme
06-25-2019, 06:14 PM
Reading through these comments is getting me really excited for our trip. We are doing a very similar trip, except coming from the west coast. Our trip is going to be 18 days. We are going to Silverwood theme park, Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Cody, Tetons, then back home.

OP, I’m not sure if you are into guns or not, but Weatherby just moved their headquarters to Sheridan Wy. They have a visitor center and have factory tours.

I'm glad Wetherby moved,to a state that Appreciates guns,and gun companies.

Huntme
06-25-2019, 06:24 PM
If you have a Canoe or Kayak,and can take it with you,do so,you wont regret it.

Huntme
06-25-2019, 06:26 PM
If you have a Canoe or Kayak,and can take it with you,do so,you wont regret it.

You will want it in the Tetons.

sourdough
06-25-2019, 06:27 PM
This thread has been going a while and understandably so talking about some of the most beautiful places in our country. I've followed this thread from the beginning but haven't re-read all of it this evening but I thought I would throw this out for the OP;

You will be going into some of the most beautiful places in this country. I think the Grand Tetons are somewhat "forgotten" when discussed with Yellowstone but they are a marvel just by themselves to me. Yellowstone is unmatched and really requires a LOT of time to get a good feel for it. The bad thing are the hordes of people there which, to me, detracts a bit, but then again, there isn't another Yellowstone.

One caution I would mention; prior to our first trip to Yellowstone a friend who went every year stressed the importance of securing your food, and yourselves, from the wildlife - it IS their home. He told stories of the bears turning over dumpsters, taking things etc. We logged it and went to Yellowstone via Grand Tetons and Jenny Lake. Camped at Jenny Lake (breathtakingly beautiful). In the middle of the night all heck broke loose from a campsite up the way and after all kind of noise and yelling the blasted off. In the AM we went down and talked with other neighbors; a grizzly had come into their camp because they failed to take the proper precautions with the food stuffs and literally ripped (shredded) a metal cooler (pieces all over) to pieces and tore up their other stuff.

If you're not familiar with the big animals and the things you need to do to be safe, study up. They can, and will, visit you close up.

Tonkatoy77
06-25-2019, 06:28 PM
I'm glad Wetherby moved,to a state that Appreciates guns,and gun companies.



Adam Weatherby has put up a few videos on You Tube that said California was basically running him out of the state. It’s too bad that some people lost their job, but I understand why he made that decision. He said 18 people did pack up and move with them. I can’t wait to visit their new facility! I just wish I had $2400 to drop on a 6.5-300 Mark V deluxe. [emoji7]

Huntme
06-25-2019, 07:42 PM
I was born to hunt,and forced to work,that is wear the travel trailer comes in.

wadecool
07-13-2019, 02:53 AM
This thread has been going a while and understandably so talking about some of the most beautiful places in our country. I've followed this thread from the beginning but haven't re-read all of it this evening but I thought I would throw this out for the OP;

You will be going into some of the most beautiful places in this country. I think the Grand Tetons are somewhat "forgotten" when discussed with Yellowstone but they are a marvel just by themselves to me. Yellowstone is unmatched and really requires a LOT of time to get a good feel for it. The bad thing are the hordes of people there which, to me, detracts a bit, but then again, there isn't another Yellowstone.

One caution I would mention; prior to our first trip to Yellowstone a friend who went every year stressed the importance of securing your food, and yourselves, from the wildlife - it IS their home. He told stories of the bears turning over dumpsters, taking things etc. We logged it and went to Yellowstone via Grand Tetons and Jenny Lake. Camped at Jenny Lake (breathtakingly beautiful). In the middle of the night all heck broke loose from a campsite up the way and after all kind of noise and yelling the blasted off. In the AM we went down and talked with other neighbors; a grizzly had come into their camp because they failed to take the proper precautions with the food stuffs and literally ripped (shredded) a metal cooler (pieces all over) to pieces and tore up their other stuff.

If you're not familiar with the big animals and the things you need to do to be safe, study up. They can, and will, visit you close up.

I appreciate the bear advice. This our first vacation with an opportunity to see apex predators, but hopefully with a long lens. Our accommodations are smack in the middle of a packed KOA so I'm not to worried there. I am going to make sure the cooler is locked down during our park days as we plan on picnic lunches in the park.

wadecool
07-13-2019, 02:53 AM
I want to thank everyone again for all of the great advice! We are a few days out now from pulling out of KY and are very excited. It will be me, wife, two 12 year old girls and my aunt piled into a crew cab truck for several days in a row. I suppose it's time to teach the girls how to play the license plate game.

travelin texans
07-13-2019, 08:35 AM
I want to thank everyone again for all of the great advice! We are a few days out now from pulling out of KY and are very excited. It will be me, wife, two 12 year old girls and my aunt piled into a crew cab truck for several days in a row. I suppose it's time to teach the girls how to play the license plate game.

If you have some kind of electronics with headphones to download several of the 12yos movies you'd be amazed at how well those 2 will travel. Unfortunately the aunt will still be stuck back there watching the "Little mermaid" repeatedly.
Our last 2 GMC trucks had the rear seat entertainment & for traveling with our grandkids it was priceless, all we heard was "movies over, start another one". Never once heard "are we there yet?" or "how much further?".

wadecool
08-03-2019, 10:20 AM
I want to thank everyone who gave me advice for this trip. It was the adventure of our lives and we wouldn't have had as good of a time without advice from you! I still haven’t uploaded all our photos but will post when I do.

2019 Western Adventure Trip Report

July 16th - Drove to Lexington and picked up truck at Enterprise (2019 Ram 3500 DRW w/Cummins diesel. I could tell right away the truck was going to be a beast but was nervous about driving a dually around. I brought DD along to help remember all the info we were to hear during camper walkthrough and I took her to breakfast. We went to dealership to pick up camper, a 2020 Sunset Trail 331BH. It was a beautiful camper and the folks at dealership couldn’t have been nicer. After a walkthrough on how to operate slides, appliances, and dumping tanks, we headed home. In retrospect, I should have asked more questions about dumping tanks (more on that later). I backed camper into yard beside house and DW, DD, and I began loading up camper for the trip. DW worked til 5pm that day so it was a whirlwind packing job and in the process I left the TripTik at home.


July 17th - We left KY at 3am heading for Des Moines West KOA, 665 miles away. Our group in truck was myself, my aunt, DW, DD and her best friend. Bringing two 12 year old girls on a road trip like this could have been a nightmare, but they did great. Arrived in Des Moines in just under 12 hours. I enjoy driving and the 1 ton dually allowed an effortless tow. We didn’t experience any trailer sway in wind, passing semis or anywhere else. It was a one handed drive for the majority of the trip. I stop for fuel every 200 miles or so, and will stop anywhere in between if I need to hit the restroom or stretch my legs. I have a Pilot/Flying J RV plus card and had already planned out all my fuel stops along the way. I used the RV pumps at Flying J, and the big truck pumps at Pilots. We made good time, the truck (rated to pull over 20K) didn’t even know the travel trailer (about 10K loaded) was behind it. I set cruise on 73mph and used my IR temp gun to check tires and hubs at every stop, no issues the entire trip. When I hauled FEMA campers after Katrina I had a lot of bad luck with blown trailer tires so I had the dealership give me a second spare to carry in bed of truck in addition to the one attached to the bumper. I never needed them, thankfully. Des Moines KOA was great and I recommend it.

July 18th & 19th - Left Des Moines at 4am heading for Rapid City, SD. We stopped off at Badlands NP and Wall Drug, which the girls loved. We carried on to Rapid City, made camp at Rushmore Shadows RV Park and spent the next day and a half visiting with family and seeing Mt Rushmore. My parents flew in to Denver while we were here, and drove up in a rental. I made my first dump of tanks here and found that since camper has full bath up front and half back at back near bunks, I had 2 dump tanks and one hose so I would get the pleasure of dumping black first, then grey (as I have researched), then disconnect hose and hook up to other connection and repeat the process. This was something I was dreading but it went well and wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Rushmore Shadows is a members only campground (I think they do rent sites to non-members) with nice amenities. My cousin is a member and reserved a great site for 2 nights.

July 20th - Left Rapid City with 3 vehicle convoy (us, my parents, and my cousin and her kids) and met another cousin and his family at the Flying J in Gillette. From there, our convoy (plus a truck pulling another camper) headed for Cody, WY via HWY 16 over the BigHorn mountains. My cousin was driving a 18 1500 Ram pulling a camper of similar size to ours so he was much slower up and down the grades than us. Honestly, the 3500 Ram Dually acted like it wasn’t hardly pulling anything. I learned to love the exhaust break on this truck! I hardly needed to touch the brake pedal. Arrived in Cody, set up camp and just relaxed for rest of the evening. Cody KOA was nice with lots to do for the kids. I saw a lot of advice to stock up at Walmart in Cody before going to Yellowstone and they were right. The two grocery stores in West Yellowstone had a good selection but prices were much higher.

July 21st - Drove from Cody up Chief Joseph Hwy to Beartooth Hwy. This was probably my favorite part of the entire trip. We stopped at a pull off at the top and had a snowball fight in the snow, in late July! Very cool! After driving back to Cody, we went to Nite Rodeo which was a little hokey for me but the girls loved it.

July 22 - Convoy headed to Westgate KOA in West Yellowstone via east Yellowstone entrance and through the park. We didn’t encounter much slowdowns except for some construction on the east side where the road wasn’t paved. We arrived at KOA about 6 hours later, set up camp, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. At some point during our stay at Yellowstone, our refrigerator starting giving out a fault code. It would flash a red light 5 times in a row. I looked in manual and it said there was an issue with internal controls and we should take to a dealer. We decided to manage as best we could for the rest of the trip. Our trailer had an outside kitchen with a good size dorm fridge that stayed cold while hooked to shore power so we put most things in that. I also brought a 60 quart and 65 quart cooler so we used those for traveling between power hookups. The fridge would randomly work then quit working. We tried all 3 settings, auto, gas only, and electric only, it didn’t matter.

July 23-26 - Toured Yellowstone, leaving camp at around 630am each day to get ahead of the crowds. We saw Old Faithful, had a birthday lunch for DD at Old Faithful Inn, and saw rest of Upper Geyser basin. We also saw Tower Fall, did the Old West Cookout at Roosevelt, saw Mammoth Hot Springs. I must say that the Westgate KOA was great. Friendly workers, huge camp store with great selection (although expensive) of groceries, RV supplies, and souvenirs. Many times across many websites I read that “you can’t see it all at Yellowstone” and it’s true. We had planned 4 full days of touring but by the end of the third day we were wiped and ended up spending the 4th day sleeping in, swimming in pool, and just relaxing.

July 27th - Left West Yellowstone heading for Jackson WY going south through Idaho and via WY 22 across Teton pass. I read a lot of reviews of that pass and its 10% grades and how scary it was. After how well the truck had handled the trailer up til now, I felt we could handle it and I was right. Going up the truck would accelerate up the grade if I asked it to but we stayed slow to enjoy the view. Going down, I set the cruise on 20 mph and put the exhaust brake on auto and the truck did the rest. I had to tap the brakes a few times because of an RV ahead going slower than us but it was awesome. We arrived at Fireside Resort in Jackson Hole in early afternoon and set up camp. We toured downtown Jackson, had dinner at Pinky G’s (awesome!!) bought some souvenirs and drove through GTNP in late afternoon looking for wildlife (saw some Pronghorn).

July 28th - we did the Jenny Lake hike (via the boat ferry) to Inspiration Point and it was awesome. We spent the rest of the day making a run to Albertsons (first major grocery store since Wal-mart in Cody) and walking around shops in Jackson again.

July 29th - drove from Jackson to Cheyenne KOA, leaving around 8am and arriving in Cheyenne in late afternoon. Cheyenne KOA was nice, people were friendly, bathrooms and entire campground was spotless. It took a minute to get used the the all gravel campground (felt like were were in a scene of Raising Arizona). DW and I went to Cheyenne Walmart and it was “different”. Wife saw at least one drug deal in parking lot and we both got a very weird vibe there.

July 30th - Left Cheyenne KOA heading for KC East KOA at 3am sharp. I had a 680 mile run ahead of me and I wanted to get as much done before sunrise as I could. We made it to Big Springs, NE by sunrise and I did good on drive. I would go around 200 miles between stops for fuel and would stop at rest areas to stretch my legs occasionally. We arrive at KC KOA late in afternoon, set up camp, and girls went to swim. KC East/Oak Grove KOA was nicest we stayed at! Super friendly workers and we even had delicious BBQ delivered right to our site.
An interesting happened at 245am as I prepared to dump all the tanks for the last time before turning camper into dealer. I dumped black and grey tanks at rear connection for half bath without incident, then reconnected hose to forward connection to dump main tanks. I reached for the black tank valve and it was GONE!!! I looked with flashlight and could see the hole in the enclosed bottom of trailer where it should be but somewhere between Cheyenne and KC it fell off. I took it very ease going in and out of truck stops, construction areas, and anywhere else significant bumps in the road existed.


July 31th - Left KC KOA around 330am and headed home. Made it through St Louis right before rush hour got bad and rest of trip was smooth sailing. Arrived home around 3pm and unpacked camper and truck.

August 1st - I took truck and camper back to RV dealer and Enterprise location, picked up my car and headed home. RV dealer was very apologetic about the lost groceries and inconvenience from our refrigerator issues. She said there has been other issues with that brand of refrigerator. She said the missing black tank handle wasn’t a big deal.