Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Vacation to YellowStone

This summer I am taking the wife and two kids (17 and 14 ages) out west on a driving vacation to Yellowstone. Leaving Missouri, going north to South Dakota, over into Montana, then south into Yellowstone, out the south side of Yellowstone to Jacksonhole, then Denver, Colorado Springs and back home. Obviously the main point of the trip is Yellowstone. Along the way there/back we will hit the big, well known attractions like Mount Rushmore, Pikes Peak, etc. My question, who has recommendations for hidden gems, lesser known sites, off the beaten path type stops than shouldn't be missed.
Thanks

Outskirts of Custer South Dakota jewel cave national monument I believe it's called. Pretty interesting tour, definitely worth checking out. Also around Custer area is a large mammoth dig site that is a musuem, also pretty interesting. Sorry can't remember name off top of head, might have to do some googling.

Beartooth highway. Antelope valley in YNP.

The Hayden Valley of the Yellowstone River at dusk for a good chance to see huge herds of elk and buffalo, the 16th Street mall in Denver to be reminded why you do not want to legalize marijuana in your state, the firearms museum in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY for a spectacularly extensive collection of firearms, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta, CO for an interesting look into the history of the Santa Fe trail, to name a few.

That sounds like fun, I’ve never been up there. If you have never been to Grand Canyon, I highly recommend it!!

Mammoth Graveyard, Hot Springs,SD like mentioned above, is worth the stop. Custer State Park, also close by is worth the time.

Cathedral Spires in Custer SP is a couple mile hike and has some of the most interesting and beautiful rock spires you'll ever see. We hiked in to see the spires on the recommendation of a couple other people we talked to in the park and it was the highlight of the area for us. Bring a camera. I think we saw 2 other people on our afternoon hike to the spires.

I'm a history buff and the Custer Battlefield put a visual to all I had read about the battle. If that sort of stuff interests you.

In YNP, bring optics and spend some time in the Lamar Valley early and late in the day if you want a chance to see animals. We've seen some great stuff glassing in the Lamar region.

Have fun! A couple of our most memorable family trips were tent camping in YNP when our kids were teenagers.

Beartooth HWY and Custer battle sight, Devils Tower is worth the side trip, even if you just drive past.

In order of awesomeness:

Custer State Park Wildlife Loop.
Wind Cave or Jewel Cave.
Hike Harney's Peak (now called Black Elk Peak by some).
Free geological and fossil museums on the campus of SD School of Mines and Technology.
Mammoth site dinosaur dig.
Badlands Natl Park.
Little Devil's Tower.

I'll second the Beartooth. But it's high, 12,000 feet. Other entrances don't ask for such a climb.
Little Bighorn battlefield is okay. The other thing you might want to consider is minimizing the Interstate travel once you get west of the Missouri River. The secondary highways are usually pretty good, you can make decent time, and it's not BORING. The countryside physically changes a LOT at Pierre, Bismarck, et cetera in the Dakotas.

Devils Tower is worth the trip. I enjoyed it as much as I did Yellowstone.

Try to spend time getting up to Glacier National Park. One of the most beautiful places on the planet and then drop down the west side of the Bob and buy some cherries to eat on the way to Yellowstone. Best time is a week or two after the 4th of July.

That's a big loop with a lot to see. I hope you've set aside enough time.

When you visit Mount Rushmore, don't forget the Crazy Horse Memorial is nearby.

Make sure you have hotel reservations for each night. My wife and I learned the hard way and spent about three hours trying to find a hotel with a vacancy.

When in Yellowstone get out looking for wildlife early and late. You'll see more and there will be less people out then, especially in the early am.

How many days do you have?

This! LBH was practically a religious experience for me because I had studied the battle for so many years.

Been to Yellowstone twice but I need to go back because I have not seen a Grizzly yet.

Thanks for the recommendations.
I have 14 days scheduled for the trip. 4 nights in Yellowstone booked more than a year ago. Just trying to fill in and plan the coming and going now.

You will have a great view of the Hayden Valley from the turn-out located at 44.60776 degrees latitude and -110.38704 degrees longitude. I highly recommend it.