A road trip is the best opportunity to make more memories and to forget your worries. As you travel across the parks, you will have many stops to see the historical sites, stopping and taking in the small towns and the locals, clicking lots of pictures, visiting the wonderful landscapes, etc. If you are planning to take a road trip, Yellowstone and Badlands road trip is the worthy one to take. This road trip includes parks like:
- Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
- Badlands National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Custer State Park
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
The perfect time to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks is during summer where the snow has moved to the highest peaks, wildlife is active, flowers are blooming, and the weather is warm. You can visit both the parks which are in close proximity.
The Yellowstone National Park is very popular for hot springs and geysers. Old Faithful is a geyser where most visitors would love to see. And the Grand Teton National Park offers an abundance of wildlife and beautiful mountain scenery.
Drive to the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks:
The direction from where you travel will determine which of the parks to be visited first:
- Seattle to West Yellowstone will almost take 11 hours driving through the fastest route on the I-90 W.
- Denver to the Grand Teton National Park through the Moran entrance is under 8 hours drive taking the US- 287 N.
- Chicago to Grand Teton’s Moran entrance is under 21 hours drive taking the I-80 W.
- Salt Lake City International Airport to the Granite Canyon Entrance which is at the south of Grand Teton National Park is almost 5.5 hours using the I-15 N via Idaho. You can also drive through southern Wyoming on US-89 N, which will add about another half hour.
The best time for this road trip is from the month of July through October where all of the roads will be open.
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park lies in southwestern South Dakota which is about 244,000 acres of pinnacles, spires, and sharply eroded buttes. And they are protected by mixed-grass prairie in the United States of America.
Getting into the Badlands National Park
- You will have to follow SD 377 two miles north to the interior entrance and another one is half a mile to the Badlands Loop Road.
- The Badlands Loop Road is a beautiful way to see the north unit of the national park.
- The two-line paved road is good for motor vehicles but you will have to follow the speed limits.
Wildlife is popular in the Badlands Loop Road. Most of the visitors take Loop Road to enjoy the beautiful overlooks and trailheads. The Loop Road also provides views of the park, gives access to the hiking trails, and has informative displays.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Taking a road trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park from the snow-capped peaks of northern Colorado to the high plains of Wyoming. You will see the snow-capped peaks, geological curiosities, scenic lakes, and the cowboys on horseback riding along the way.
Directions
It is about a 390-mile road trip that starts from Denver which is in Colorado, crosses the Rocky Mountain National Park, and moves north into Wyoming where you can see the world of sagebrush and the beautiful skies occur at intervals throughout by the occasional cluster of civilization. Driving here is really amazing in all the seasons but parts of it are impassable during winter where the snow buries the roads.
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument lies in the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah. You can see over 1,500 bones covered in the rock in Quarry Exhibit Hall. Dinosaur National monument also preserves the cultural histories of the thesaurus for almost 10,000 years.
Dinosaur National Monument is famous for dramatic river canyons and fossil findings. There many more activities like hiking, rafting, camping, etc are popular in this place. The canyons and deserts, rivers, and mountains offer shelter for coyotes, lions, peregrine falcons, and white-tailed prairie dogs. The best time to visit the Dinosaur National Monument is from January through July. You will at least need two days to explore this place.
Custer State Park
Custer State Park is a beautiful state park located in South Dakota. It is a state park but it has more amenities than the national park offers. The tunnels and the winding road are best for an unforgettable road trip. Throughout the Custer State Park, you will see the wind-open spaces that offer views of bison roaming the prairie. When your car windows are rolled down, money may come to say hello. You will also see donkeys along the way. You will need at least 3 days to take a road trip and to explore the beauty of the park.