Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

End of summer 2021 we decided to "squeeze" in one more camping adventure. When we start planning a trip we often start with a main destination. Then, as we begin planning we find other sites to visit, or stay for a while, along the way. This trip was planned around the prize gem that was a campsite in West Yellowstone. 

We decided to go north on our trip west to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We left home around 2pm towing our new, to us, travel trailer. First stop down the road was a Costco for gas and pizza. We made it to our first overnight stop in Bismarck, ND around 10:15p. We chose a KOA Journey for an easy in-and-out stop and it was exactly as expected.

Day 2 was hit the road and go. We stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park at the Painted Cavern Visitor Center. There was a small herd of bison and a beautiful view. As we drove on to Medora it began to rain. We stopped at the South Unit Visitor and did the first part of the Scenic Drive. The prairie dog town is impressive! Even in the rain, we were able to get a great glimpse of their community. After one of the tightest gas station stops with our travel trailer to date we headed to Bozeman, MT. 

Bozeman was another single overnight stop. We stayed at the Bozeman Trail Campground. It was right off the highway, easy pull thru sites, and had full hook ups. Our only minor complaint was the proximity to a railroad. But we all still slept well. Our only tourist stop in Bozeman was Museum of the Rockies. They have an amazing dinosaur exhibit- our dinosaur lover was in heaven! Even if Dinos aren't your thing, this is a stop worth checking out. We spent a few hours
wandering through the museum.

That afternoon we drove down to West Yellowstone. What a beautiful drive! 

We were able to reserve 5 nights at West Yellowstone KOA. This is the site that inspired our trip.  It was a great home base to tour the park. Along with the usual KOA amenities this campground also has an indoor pool. The pool was a highlight after our long park days. The KOA is a few miles from the park entrance and we were lucky enough to not experience the often long entrance wait. We always try to get a relatively early start to our park days (before 8a is best). 

Our first day entering Yellowstone N.P. started at 7:30a at the West Gate entrance. We used the GyPSy guide to tour the North Loop. We loved Geyser Basin and Lower Falls hike. Day 1 animal sightings- bear, elk, bison. We got back to camp, exhausted, around 6p. 

The second day we got to the gate early again. We used the app to tour the South Loop: Prismatic Springs, Old Faithful (we watched once from ground level and the second time from the deck of the Old Faithful Inn). Day 2 animal sightings- wolf! elk, bison.

What was planned to be our third day touring Yellowstone we made a last minute, wild decision to trek over to Idaho and visit Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. It was awesome! We climbed through a lava tube- Indian Tunnel (be sure to get a cave permit), hiked up Inferno Cone, and drove the 7 mile loop. We made a stop in Idaho Falls on our way back to West Yellowstone to grab some food. Our spur of the moment day trip was worth the extra time in the car.

We spent our last full day driving through Yellowstone N.P. down through Grand Teton N.P. again using the GyPSy Guide app. We had a late lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge. Day 4 animal sightings- black bear.

Our time at West Yellowstone KOA wrapped up and we reluctantly packed up to move on. Our last morning we took our time making a big breakfast and getting on the road. We got to the park gate around 9:45a and had the longest line and heaviest traffic (car and animal) of the whole trip. We towed our camper through the parks and east of Grand Teton to Dubois, WY. By the time we dropped our camper at KOA Dubois/Wind River we had to hustle back to Moose, WY for our scheduled float trip. At the recommendation of friends we took an evening float trip down the Snake River with Solitude Float Trips. This was definitely a trip highlight for me. We saw a moose, beaver, bald eagles, and lots of ducks. 

Our campsite in Dubois was lovely and backed right up to the river. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay and enjoy it. It was time to make the long, but beautiful, drive home. To break up the drive we stopped in Thermopolis at the Wyoming Dinosaur Museum. We then headed to the north east corner of WY to Devils Tower National Monument. We arrived just before the visitor's center closed for the day. We were able to get our park passport stamped and watched a group of climbers navigate the tower. 

We spent a short night at the Rapid City KOA, waved to the Black Hills, and pushed to get home.