Need Advice Trip to Yellowstone/Rushmore

[steve zannella]

We are will be traveling from San Diego to Yellowstone, approaching from the west and then on to Mt Rushmore and Moscow Iowa in 42' Marquis. Need information on where to stay and what roads to take or not take. We have a truck atlas which shows no truck routes thru Yellowstone. I was hoping not to back track if possible. The Co-Pilot is a nail biter so no scenic byways allowed. She already has freaked out heading I70 west from Denver up by Vail.

[Stan Simpson]

Steve,

We have done that trip many times, albeit from the east, thus stopping at the Black Hills, and then to Yellowstone.

You can travel all highways in Yellowstone with a motor home. The giant tour buses (Prevost, MCI. etc.) are all over the place. Coming from the west, you can stay at any of the parks in West Yellowstone, MT which are within a mile or so of the west entrance to Yellowstone. Last summer we spent two whole weeks in YNP and it was awesome! Be sure not to miss the Upper and Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, along with the well known thermal attractions.

As for the Black Hills, stay OFF the Needles Highway with a motor home. The best route in to the Monument is US 385/US 16 to Rte 244. There is ample motor home parking at the Monument. If you are towing, leaving the coach at a campground and going via auto.

There are hundreds of things to see and do in both places. Be sure to see Badlands National Park just south of Wall Drug on your way out of the Rapid City area.

Have fun and safe travels,

Stan

[Robert Mathis]

Steve, I would also stay in West Yelowstone, probably Grizzly RV park. very nice, clean and comfortable. You can also try to stay at Coulter Bay, but the size of your rig will severely limit which spaces you can fit. There is a campground near Moran Junction, on the road to Dubois that is plain, but adequate for access to Jackson and the Tetons. I would recommend that you exit Yellowstone to the South, visit the Tetons and Jackson for a day or so, then go East to Dubois, Wy. There is a really nice KOA in "downtown" Dubois, right on the banks of the Wind River. We stay there every time we go West, just because it is so peaceful to back the rig in beside the river and listen to the water run by all night. Then go East and North to Rushmore. I've done that route several times in the old 37' Discovery and Three times in the Beaver.

[Joel Ashley]

As mentioned, don't get started onto the Needles Highway in the Black Hills with your coach... see photo.  We quite frankly see Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore as too touristy anymore and avoided them the last big trip.  That doesn't mean you should if you haven't seen them for awhile.

Consider dry camping at Elk Mountain Campground near the headquarters of Wind Cave Natl. Park, and toading through the backroads there.  The campground has only a few sites large enough for our big units, so try to arrive there at an optimum time of day for finding spots.  Jaunt south to Hot Springs to the wild horse sanctuary nearby, and the Spanish Mustang Ranch to the east.  From Wind Cave head north to Custer and put in at the Beaver Lake RV Park on the highway west of town; call well ahead for reservations.  Say Hi to the owner for me;  he's a great guy heavily involved with the Good Sam organization, and who carefully and expertly monitors his very active park.  He helped temporarily repair our awning when it got stuck in the out position, spending a good deal of time in the process, and has a well equipped workshop he allowed me to use.  

From his location you can readily visit via toad the Crazy Horse Monument and access the Needles and Custer State Park, and Custer has all the banks, provisions, hardware, and etc. you could want.  The only place I can't recommend is the Natl. Museum of Woodcarving - it looks enticing but we wouldn't go again.

I would recommend though the Little Bighorn monument if you can jog up that way.  The 7th Ranch is another excellent nearby RV park with great hosts, and you may not have been to the Monument since the Indian memorial was installed.  Whatever else you do there, don't miss the van tour by the Crow Tribe.

The one issue we find with this country is the frequency of fires.  We left Custer just as a big one flared up near where we'd been at Elk Mtn. Campground, then had to drive through stifling Wyoming smoke just to get from Custer to Sheridan.  It was hard to find an area where smoke wasn't an issue, but that's just part of traveling the West in midsummer.

Joel