National Parks Quest: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and More!

How many National Parks have you visited?

We Took the Trip!

In my previous blog post about our National Parks quest, I mentioned that we were allowing my son to choose the parks we’d visit using his fourth-grade National Parks pass. After almost a year of planning, we finally took the trip—and had the time of our lives. He chose Yellowstone and Grand Teton as the focus, but as we planned, we added a few more parks along the way. I’m so excited to share our itinerary and how we made a 3,400-mile road trip with two kids an unforgettable adventure.

Beforehand: Plan, Plan, and Plan Some More!

I joined every planning group I could find on Facebook. I asked all the questions and continuously refined our lodging and itinerary as I learned more. I especially loved listening to the Dirt in My Shoes podcast, which provided park-specific episodes and tons of helpful insight. I also tuned into other travel podcasts and found that hearing different perspectives really shaped how we approached the trip.

The Itinerary:

We left St. Louis the Saturday before Memorial Day. It was a quick turnaround after school let out, but leaving early helped us beat some of the crowds—totally worth it. Here’s how our trip unfolded:

• Saturday: Drive to Denver, CO

• Sunday–Tuesday: Rocky Mountain National Park (via Estes Park)

  • Bear Lake Corridor

  • Dream Lake Hike

• Tuesday–Thursday: Grand Teton National Park (via Jackson, WY)

  • Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point

  • 

    Schwabacher Landing, Jackson Lake

• Thursday–Saturday: Yellowstone National Park (via West Yellowstone, MT)

  • Moose Falls, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring from Fairy Falls Overlook

  • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Artist Point, Lower Falls view, Artist Paint Pots, Grand Prismatic Spring boardwalk 

  • Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Lamar Valley

• Saturday: Yellowstone (via Silver Gate, MT)

  • Another day exploring Lamar Valley and the stunning Beartooth Highway

• Sunday: Nightly Rodeo in Cody, WY

• Monday: Mount Rushmore National Memorial (via Keystone, SD)

• Tuesday: Badlands National Park, then return to St. Louis

Yes, it was a lot of packing up and moving—but we got to see so much. Some drives were long, but there was always something new and beautiful to take in, which kept spirits high.

Highlights:

When I asked my boys (ages 8 and 10) to share their favorite parts, they both had highlights from every single stop. Wildlife was a major win—they were amazed by the variety, and we kept a running list of what we spotted. Over the course of the trip, we saw:

• 13 bears (!), several moose (including calves), a coyote den with pups, osprey, pronghorn, baby bison, a fox, prairie dogs, wild turkeys, and marmots.

They were also blown away by the rodeo in Cody—it was their first, and it did not disappoint. My older son was fascinated by Old Faithful and the other geothermal features in Yellowstone, while my younger son loved making friends at each place we stayed. Both of them really embraced the spirit of the adventure.

Recap:

Would we do this trip again? Absolutely.
There’s almost nothing I would change. My boys were at the perfect age to handle the drives and hikes, and they truly appreciated the experience. I came home so proud of them—and deeply grateful for the memories we made together.