Day 1
Fly to Denver
You will need at least one night in a hotel before picking up your motorhome so we can either book you into an airport hotel or somewhere in the city if you’d like to explore Denver.
Day 2
Denver Colorado – Cheyenne Wyoming (110 miles)
Pick up your motorhome and head north through Colorado into Wyoming. Your destination is Cheyenne – the state capital and gateway to Cowboy Country. The recommended campsite tonight is Camp Cheyenne.
Day 3
Cheyenne Wyoming to Wind Cave National Park (270 miles)
Today you can tick another state off your list as you drive through Nebraska. The landscape is typical mid-western, which is to say that tumbleweed is one of the main features….but it’s worth the journey as you head into the beautiful countryside of South Dakota. Wind Cave National Park is known for the vast underground Wind Cave where the walls have honeycomb formations. Above ground the park's prairie and pine forests are home to bison, elk and antelopes. There are some beautiful hikes. Also nearby is Hot Springs where you will find Evans Plunge Mineral Springs (the worlds largest natural warm water indoor swimming pool) and Mammoth Site an active fossil dig where you can see Ice Age Fossils.
The suggested campsite tonight is Elk Mountain Campground which is beautifully rustic with deer and buffalo roaming up to the fencing, although please note there are no hookups or amenities. If this isn’t your scene, then there are several full service campsites in the area!
Day 4
Wind Cave National Park – Mount Rushmore (40 miles)
You’ll know to visit Mount Rushmore, one of the most iconic sights in America, but you must also visit the Crazy Horse Memorial – a giant mountain carving of the famous Native American Chief, started in 1948 and still being completed by his family. Overnight at the Mount Rushmore KOA, but you might want to spend a couple of nights here as there’s the dramatic Badlands National Park to visit and also the fascinating site of the Battle of the Wounded Knee.
Day 5
Mount Rushmore – Deadwood – Devils Tower (120 miles)
Follow in the footsteps of Wild West figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and go north to Deadwood – this town is justifiably designated a National Historic Landmark. Dating back to 1876, Deadwood rose in notoriety when outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers came to town looking for gold and a good time. With re-enactments and quirky museums, it’s a fun place to visit.
Then onwards to Devils Tower – a massive 1267 foot rock, standing in solitary splendour above the tree-lined Belle Fourche River Valley. Its a sacred site of worship for many American Indians and also the movie location for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” You can stroll a trail around the rock in about 20 minutes or take the 3 mile Red Beds Trail. Overnight at the Devils Tower KOA campsite.
Day 6
Devils Tower – Cody (315 miles)
It’s a fairly long but simple drive along the interstate to Cody where you must visit the brilliant Buffalo Bill Historical Society. It’s a great little town, founded as the “Wildwest way into Yellowstone” so expect rodeos, gun fight re-enactments and cowboy music. Overnight suggestion Cody Pondersosa Campground.
Day 7
Cody – Yellowstone National Park (100 miles)
Take the stunning drive through Shoshone Canyon to the eastern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. You need to expect the odd traffic jam in the park as that’s when the folk ahead are stopping to view the wildlife, so just take this in your stride and admire the spectacular surroundings where you’ll see moose, bear, deer and more. Stop at Old Faithful – a geyser so named because it faithfully shoots thousands of gallons of boiling water 150 feet into the air at regular intervals throughout the day. We suggest you stay at Grant Village campground for two nights so that you get the most out of this fabulous national park (open June to September).
Day 8
Yellowstone
Devote a whole day to the park so you can see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with it’s twin waterfalls which are twice the height of Niagara and the many geothermal pools and geysers.
Day 9
Yellowstone – Colter Bay Village (40 miles)
Drive to the South Entrance of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park with its spectacular mountains. Your destination is the lovely Colter Bay Village which offers cabins and camping on the shores of Jackson Lake. There are lots of activities on offer here such as swimming, kayaking and horse-riding, and they also offer a shuttle bus to popular park locations and the town of Jackson. You’ll need to book ahead in peak season and you might want to think about staying here for more than one night.
Day 10
Grand Teton – Lander (140 miles)
Drive away from the Grand Tetons through the Great Divide Basin to the town of Lander. On your journey you will pass through The Wind River Indian Reservation, home of the Shoshone and Arapahoe Indian Tribes. Visit Fort Washakie and the grave site of Sacajawea and Chief Washakie, the last Chief of the Shoshone Tribe. Suggested overnight in Sleeping Bear RV Park.
Day 11
Lander – Laramie (235 miles)
Continue your journey down through Wyoming, taking a detour loop to travel through the spectacular Medicine Bow National Forest and visit Saratoga Hot Springs’ Hobo Pool. Then continue onto the town of Laramie. In its early days, Laramie was such a riotous rip-roaring railroad town that it made good sense to build the territorial prison here. At the Wyoming Territorial Park, you can still look into cells where desperadoes such as Butch Cassidy once did their time. There are several campgrounds to choose around Laramie, check out www.koa.com/campgrounds/laramie.
Day 12
Laramie – Fort Collins (75 miles)
For your last night on tour, you’ll be staying in Fort Collins - the town that Money Magazine once designated as the best place in the United States to live. Located in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains this is somewhere to relax after all the spectacular sites and sights of the last few days. You could visit the Anheuser-Busch brewery to see their wonderful horses and sample Budweiser and you might enjoy visiting one of the several micro-breweries. Suggested overnight stay at Fort Collins Lakeside campground.
Day 13
Fort Collins – Denver – flight home (60 miles)
It’s a short drive back to Denver to drop off your motorhome and transfer to the airport for your flight home.
