Cross Country Trip to Yellowstone

Take off a couple weeks from work and go see the United States.

ITINERARY:

Day 1 (Wednesday)

• Spend the day driving to Dearborn, MI (519 miles, 9 hours and 13 minutes)

Day 2 (Thursday)

• Spend the morning at the Ford Rouge Factory watching the assembly of Ford F-150s, visiting the multi-sensory Art of Manufacturing Theatre, learning about the Rouge at the Legacy Theatre, viewing historic vehicles, etc.
• Drive through Detroit, MI (10 miles, 17 minutes) and find a place to eat lunch
• Drive to Mackinaw City, MI (289 miles, 4 hours and 38 minutes)
• Walk around Mackinaw City, conduct a taste test of the various fudge shops in town, wade in Lake Huron
• Drive to St. Ignace, MI (8 miles, 13 minutes) and check-in for the night at the Comfort Inn Beachside (request a lake view room)

Day 3 (Friday)

• Watch the sun rise over Lake Huron from your private patio or deck
• Leave early, drive to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (126 miles, 2 hours and 47 minutes) and hike to Miners Castle Point, wade in Lake Superior at Miner's Beach, eat lunch, etc.
• Begin driving towards Medora, ND--drive at least to Duluth, MN (305 miles, 5 hours and 53 minutes) before finding a place to stay for the night

Sunrise over Lake Huron

Miner's Castle Point

Day 4 (Saturday)

• Continue driving to Medora, ND (570 miles, 9 hours and 38 minutes if you stayed in Duluth)
• Stop in Jamestown, ND along the way to visit the world's largest buffalo!!
• Drive the remaining distance and find a hotel around Medora

Day 5 (Sunday)

• Rest
• Visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, stop at the visitor center, and drive the scenic loop
• Drive to Rapid City, SD (238 miles, 4 hours and 14 minutes) and check into the Grand Gateway Hotel for one night
• Rest and then drive to Mount Rushmore National Memorial (25 miles, 36 minutes) arriving before 9:00 p.m. for the evening program

Mount Rushmore

Day 6 (Monday)

• Enjoy the hotel's slide and pool before checking out of the hotel
• Return to Mount Rushmore National Memorial to hike the Presidential Trail and go to the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center
• Drive to Devils Tower National Monument (132 miles, 2 hours and 23 minutes)
• Hike around Devils Tower and stop in at the visitor center to learn more about the history of the area
• Drive to Sheridan, WY (166 miles, 2 hours and 47 minutes), known for the best water in the United States according to a local resident, and stay the night

Devils Tower

Day 7 (Tuesday)

• Drive to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park (251 miles, 4 hours and 32 minutes)
• Explore Upper Basin which includes Old Faithful Geyser, Firehole River Walk, Black Sand Basin, Biscuit Basin
• Briefly stop at Midway Geyser Basin to see the Grand Prismatic Spring
• If time (and energy), go to the Lower Geyser Basin for the Firehole Lake Drive and Fountain Paint Pots
• Check in to the Old Faithful Inn for 3 nights (make reservations here or anywhere else in the park WELL in advance - staying in the park saves you a lot of driving time)

Upper Geyser Basin

Day 8 (Wednesday)

• Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and take the time to do a couple of the Upper and Lower Falls' hikes
• Stop and see Sulpher Caldron and Mud Volcano
• Spend some time in the Lake Yellowstone area

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Lower Falls

Day 9 (Thursday)

• Go in search of wildlife (searching is required if you go during mid- to late summer, all other times are best to see a variety of animals)--Park Rangers recommended driving to the Tower Roosevelt area, which is a higher and less traveled point in the park
• On your way to Tower Roosevelt, stop at Norris Geyser Basin
• On your way back from Tower Roosevelt, stop at Tower Fall to see the fall and buy some ice cream

Tower Fall

"Hunting" for Bison

Day 10 (Friday)

• Leave Yellowstone and drive to Jenny Lake, WY via Grand Teton National Park (59 miles, 1 hour and 30 minutes)
• Visit the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and hike around Jenny Lake
• Drive to Jackson Hole, WY (26 miles, 50 minutes) and plan to stay for the evening
• Explore Jackson Hole
• Ride the Jackson Hole Alpine Slide

Day 11 (Saturday)

• Spend the day driving to Springdale, UT (574 miles, 9 hours and 37 minutes) and find a place to stay 2 nights

Day 12 (Sunday)

• Rest
• Explore Zion National Park by going to the visitors center, driving the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, visiting the Zion Lodge, hiking the Emerald Pools Trails, hiking to Weeping Rock, taking the Riverside Walk, enjoying the variety of views, etc.

Day 13 (Monday)

• Drive to Moab, UT (345 miles, 5 hours and 38 minutes) and check into a hotel
• Go into Arches National Park, stop at the visitor center, and explore the entire park (minus Delicate Arch, you will hike that tomorrow)

Day 14 (Tuesday)

• Check out of the hotel before 7:00 a.m.
• Hike Delicate Arch first thing in the morning (it is too hot in the summer to do this hike during the day)
• Begin the long drive home (2,033 miles, 33 hours)--at this point you should assess how you feel and decide how fast you want to get home (we chose the quick route and put in a couple consecutive long driving days)

Considerations from the Ride Home

• Drive home via I-70 until St. Louis, MO and then take I-64 
• Leave I-70 at Kansas City and drive south to spend a day at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO
• Stop and see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO
• Leave I-64 and drive south to Mammoth Cave National Park
• Stop at Louisville, KY and see Churchill Downs