Wyoming and South Dakota 2 Week Itinerary

Drive from Cincinnati, OH to Macon, MO. We stopped in Hannibal, MO to see the Mark Twain boyhood home and museum.

However, it turned out to be a fun stop for a couple of hours to get out and stretch. Also, it feels like you are going back in time.

Drive to and stay in Ogallala, NE. Sometimes you just have to put some miles on the road to get where you are going.

Drive to Grand Teton National Park and stay at the Colter Bay Village cabins. Unfortunately, the cabins are a bit pricy for what you get, but the location is right by Jackson Lake in the middle of the national park. There are also RV sites, but they fill up quickly.

In the morning we did a Snake River scenic raft tour with Teton Scenic Float Tours. When we went, it was open to any age. However, looking at there website, they list the minimum age as 4.

Additionally, there are some rapids in the park part of the river, but we were with young kids so we opted for the “scenic tour” south of the park near Jackson.

Afterwards, we had lunch in Jackson. Also, we stayed to watch the evening Jackson shootout. They have been showing this free play for 65 years! Additionally, it shows every night from 6-7 in the summer (except Sundays).

In the morning we went to ride the Jenny Lake Ferry. It pays to get there early as we had about and hour line to get on. Once we made it across the lake, we hiked to Hidden Falls, which is an easy 1 mile roundtrip hike. If you prefer, you can skip the boat and hike around the lake, but it will add an extra couple of miles each way.

In the afternoon, we went for a swim in Jackson Lake. It is perhaps the most beautiful and scenic backdrop for any swimming spot I’ve ever been! However, we did have a storm roll in and cut swimming short. Additionally, there are kayaks you can rent nearby.

We left Grand Teton to drive to Yellowstone National Park, which is just a couple of hours to the north. We stopped on the way to our campground at West Thumb Geyser Basin and Yellowstone Lake.

After checking into Maddison Campground, we stopped over to see Old Faithful, which erupts about every hour and a half.

On our first full day we drove to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Falls. Also, some people might be tempted to skip the canyon and falls and just focus on the geysers and thermal features. However, the falls and canyon are not to be missed.

After leaving the canyon, we stopped at Norris Geyser Basin on our return to our campground.

We left by 4am to catch sunrise at Lamar Valley. This is where everyone told us to go for wildlife and your best chances are early before the heat of the day. We did not see any bears, unfortunately. However, we saw more bison than you can count and even we even saw a wolf, which was a highlight.

Afterwards, we drove the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, MT and looped down to Cody, WY before returning to our camp. It was a long drive, but has beautiful scenery. If you are coming or going, it is definitely worth taking this route. However, I was a little nervous to do it with a tow vehicle, so we decided to drive the loop so it would just be the car.

In the morning, we hiked the trails at Upper Geyser Basin. Additionally, here we saw Old Faithful, Daisy Geyser, Riverside Geyser and Morning Glory Pool.

In the afternoon, we swam in the creek by Maddison campground, which the kids loved. Afterwards, we had dinner in West Yellowstone.

Additionally, we returned in time for an evening hike at Grand Prismatic Overlook (the picture at the top of this page).

After leaving Yellowstone, we drove to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. On the way, we stopped for lunch in Cody, WY.

Also, when we arrived, we stayed at the Mt Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch. Additionally, they had a pool and water slide, which of course the kids loved.

We had prescheduled a horseback trail ride with the KOA, since they have their own stables. Afterwards, we went swimming at the campground.

Also, in the evening, we attended the night showing of Mt Rushmore. However, be aware that it gets incredibly busy in the summer and you will need to arrive early to get a seat. Unfortunately, the amphitheater was full when we arrived so we had to stand in the back, which made it hard to hear.

We visited Custer State Park, which is beautiful. Also, a lot of people think it should be a designated national park. However, I don’t think the locals want it to get the increased traffic!

After Custer, we drove the Iron Mountain Road. This is a popular motorcycle drive, so you are sure to see some bikers driving through.

Also, we stopped back to Mt Rushmore to see the visitor center and the giant president sculptures during the day.

You will see a lot of signs for Wall Drug! However, even though it is a tourist trap, you have to make a quick stop at Wall Drug, SD.

Afterwards, we drove to Albert Lea, MN to spend the night.