Day 1
Fly to Denver and overnight in an airport hotel.
Day 2
Denver CO to Cheyenne WY (110 miles)
Collect your motorhome then travel into Wyoming to the state capital of Cheyenne. Stop by the Terry Bison Ranch which is home to over 2,000 grazing bison and visit the State Capitol Building and Museum. Cheyenne Frontier Days take place at the end of July so book your RV campsite well in advance as space gets tight for the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. Tonight’s suggested spot is Camp Cheyenne.
Day 3
Cheyenne WY – Black Hills of South Dakota (240 miles)
Head north into South Dakota to the Wind Cave National Park, where you will find two very different worlds - one of caves deep within the earth, the other sunlit uplands. Bison and elk roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. If time permits you could also visit the active paleontological dig at the Mammoth Site. There are a handful of campsites around the town of Hot Springs for your overnight stay.
Day 4
Hot Springs SD – Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial – Badlands National Park SD (150 miles)
Your first stop of the day is at the iconic Mount Rushmore, where Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are immortalised in vast rock carvings. A short drive away is the no less impressive but less well known Crazy Horse Memorial, honouring the Native American warrior. It’s an astonishing work in progress, begun 70 years ago with another estimated 30 years to go.
A suggested location for the night is at Cedar Pass Campground but before turning in for the night you might want to watch the sunset over the buttes, gullies and canyons of Badlands National Park.
Day 5
Bandlands National Park SD – Spearfish Canyon - Devils Tower WY (190 miles)
A day of enjoying epic movie locations. But first of all you might want to drive for an hour into Rapid City for brunch and to explore the vibrant downtown. The onwards - the drive through Spearfish Canyon was the location for Kevin Costner’s winter scene in “Dances with Wolves”. Afterwards it’s onto the dramatic Devil’s Tower where “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was filmed. Overnight at the campsite here.
Day 6
Devils Tower WY – Medora ND
Drive north to today’s destination – Medora in North Dakota – the gateway to the spectacular Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Theodore Roosevelt began the process of creating the national park system after he spent time in this region as a rancher. Spend two nights at one of the campsites in and around Medora. Whilst you’re here, take in the nightly outdoor Medora Musical and Pitchfork Fondue dinner in the summer with the dynamic landscape of the North Dakotan Badlands as your backdrop.
Day 7
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Enjoy a full day in this beautiful, sprawling national park, where the Great Plains meet the rugged Badlands. There are a couple of visitor centres just outside of the park which are useful for information on where to find scenic overlooks and trailheads to have a walk along the easily navigable trails. Spot bison and elk as you wind your way through the sprawling landscapes.
Day 8
Medora ND – Billings MT (258 miles)
After your two night stay, hopefully you’ll be refreshed for a relatively early start to head further west into the beautiful state of Montana, towards Billings, to visit today’s iconic site – The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Discover the fascinating history of this battle, from both sides – the U.S. federal troops led by General Custer versus the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors, led by Sitting Bull.
Just a few miles down the road from here is tonight’s suggested campsite in the town of Hardin.
Day 9
Billings MT – Cody WY (153 miles)
Drive back into Wyoming and the wild west town of Cody. Named after William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, this town was created by the intrepid Western showman in the late 1800's. Spend the afternoon at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. It’s made up of five museums, the main one being the Buffalo Bill Museum, tracing William F. Cody’s life with multimedia displays. It also includes the Draper Natural History Museum, with wildlife exhibits, which will get you in the mood for your next adventure in Yellowstone. This evening you could go to a traditional Western show with a chuckwagon dinner given by the Cody Cattle Company.
Day 10
Cody, WY
A day to immerse yourself in the wild west. Steer yourself to downtown’s Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill himself. If you’re there in the summer months, catch The Wild Bunch reenacting a shootout in front of the hotel. Take a Cody Trolley Tour to see the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, pioneer homes and the historic district. Stroll through Old Trail Town, which features 25 restored historic buildings just off the Yellowstone Highway - these structures, furnishings and artifacts are all authentic.
Perhaps this evening experience the Cody Nite Rodeo, an amateur series which runs through summer, to give you a taster of the cowboy life.
Days 11, 12 & 13
Yellowstone National Park
Drive westwards into America’s very first national park – Yellowstone. As it’s such a huge park with so many areas to explore, we suggest three nights at one of the campsites in the park – Fishing Bridge RV Park.
One of the world’s largest active volcanoes lies beneath Yellowstone, but the first major eruption of the Yellowstone volcano occurred 2.1 million years ago. Half of the worlds hydrothermal features are found at Yellowstone such as geysers, hot springs, mudpots. It’s also home to the largest concentration of mammals in the US, with 300 species of birds, 16 types of fish, 67 species of mammals including bears, wolves, bison, elk, lynx, moose, fox and antelope.
The most famous sight of the park is the Old Faithful geyser – a must-see as its eruptions are pretty predictable, so you should get some good photos. Just a final note - be prepared for four seasons in one day if you’re visiting in Spring or the Autumn, and even in July and August the temperatures can fluctuate massively.
Day 14
Yellowstone - Grand Teton National Park WY
Its just a short drive from the south entrance of Yellowstone into Grand Teton National Park, which is dominated by the majestic Tetons, a part of the Rocky Mountains. Drive the 42-mile Scenic Loop through the park to take in breathtaking view after breathtaking view. Then it’s onto your final night at the Colter Bay RV Park.
Day 15
Fly home
It’s a 280 mile drive to Salt Lake City and your flight home, so please note you will have to book the Early Bird option to return your motorhome. Alternatively, add another day and overnight near to Salt Lake City
