Our Great Big Western USA Roadtrip

On the road with a bug splattered windshield

After years of planning, it's done. Our great big roadtrip to see the scenic wonders of the Western USA. The seed was planted ages ago in 2006 when we came up with our 10 year plan of summer vacations, and Yellowstone National Park made the list of places to take our kids before they grew up. The first attempt to visit in 2010 was thwarted when I discovered that the Old Faithful hotels book up a full year ahead of time for the peak summer season. In 2011, I had to cancel our reservations for lodging when we moved to Malaysia, an event which opened us up traveling all over the world, not just the USA. 2015 was the year when we finally succeeded.


A lot has happened in the last five years since that first attempt. My youngest child is now 10 years old and can walk for miles. What a difference that makes! I was worried that being global travelers would somehow diminish the experience of not needing a passport for our trip. How would the USA compare to walking on the Great Wall of China, hiking around Australia's Uluru/Ayer's Rock, or seeing the ruins of Pompeii?

Yellowstone was the main reason for our trip, but as I stared at the roadmap, our journey grew and grew until it encompassed five states. We started in eastern South Dakota and made our way westward, like the pioneers, and watched the passing landscape change from rolling prairies to high mountain passes and alpine meadows. Along the way, I met a variety of folks who are making a living doing what they love -- rock climbing, river rafting, and selling toys. When it was all said and done, here's where we ended up going.

Day 1: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

We flew in to Sioux Falls since it was the biggest commercial airport nearest to the easternmost place I wanted to see. Admittedly, I knew nothing at all about Sioux Falls and didn't research it at all, only planning to rest my head there for the night. Is it weird that I was surprised to find a waterfall in the middle of downtown? I guess that's where the city got its name.

The waterfall which gave Sioux Falls its name.

Day 2: De Smet, South Dakota

As a big fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder books when I was a kid, De Smet where On the Shores of Silver Lake, Little Town on the Prairie, and The First Four Years all take place has loomed large in my imagination. I thought it would be a shame to skip it since we were already "so close." My husband claimed that an extra 5 hours of driving didn't count as close, but I prevailed by declaring I would do it with or without the rest of the family.

Fangirl visit to the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Day 3: Minuteman Missile Site and Wall Drug

The Minuteman Missile site showcases the now deactivated nuclear warheads pointed at the USSR during the Cold War. Tickets for the underground bunker control center are gone soon after the Visitors Center opens at 8AM. We got there at 4PM, so all I got to do was stare down the missile silo right off the major highway and contemplate the threat of mutual destruction.

A bigger hit with the kids was our visit to Wall Drug. You can't miss it as there are signs along the road for miles and miles. Kitschy souvenirs, a soda fountain, free water and room to play made it an excellent place to take a break from hours of driving.

Rapid City served as our base for Days 3-6. We stayed at the historic and haunted Hotel Alex Johnson which is located next to the Town Square with lots of shops, restaurants, and presidential statues in walking distance. Be sure to take a few minutes to explore the surprisingly urban Art Alley.

Riding the jackelope at Wall Drug

Day 4: Badlands National Park

After reading so many books set in the Badlands, I didn't want to look at too many pictures beforehand. I wanted to come upon the Badlands suddenly and marvel at that unexpected, wandering rift in the earth that has enthralled people for centuries.

Related posts:
Badlands Door Trail - A Short Hike with a Big View
A Great Day in the Badlands

Good time in the Badlands

Day 5: Needles Highway and Mammoth Site

The Needles Highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota takes you along a winding road full of rock spires, tunnels so narrow that a tour bus barely fits through it, and the Eye of the Needle Rock formation.

July is prime time to visit the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota because that's when all the excavations occur. Professional and volunteer paleontologist unearth so many fossils during this one month that they spend the rest of the year prepping and analyzing their finds. 

Can you spot the mammoth fossil? This is the real thing, not a faux Dino dig.

Day 6: Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse

If some big bad enemy of the USA wants to prove their might, defacing Mount Rushmore is one of the popular ways to do it in comics, TV shows and movies. The Crazy Horse Memorial is the Native American's response to the symbol of white imperialism just up the road. It's a work-in-progress that will be the world's largest stone carving when it's done. With only seven people currently working on it, it will be generations before it's complete, if ever. Despite that, the memorial receives over a million visitors each year.

Saying hello to George and Abe while Tom and Teddy hide.

Day 7: Devils Tower, Wyoming

Ever since I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind when I was a kid, I've been both scared and intrigued by Devils Tower. I was so excited to see it on the map between Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore and knew that we had to spend the night there. Alas, no alien mother ships made an appearance.

Devils Tower rises above its surroundings.

Day 8: Cody, Wyoming

Master showman Buffalo Bill Cody spread the image of America's Wild West around the USA and Europe with his traveling show featuring cowboys, Native Americans, sharp shooters and trick riders. Even Queen Victoria was said to be a fan. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a top notch museum that manages to educated both adults and kids without boring them. The Cody Nite Rodeo which takes place at 8PM every day in June, July and August is another can't-miss event in town.

Days 9-11: Yellowstone National Park

This is America's first National Park and the place where all our trip dreaming started. With waterfalls and canyons, geysers and hot springs, bison and grizzlies, Yellowstone is nature at its best. We hit the 45th Parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole just so that we could check Montana off our list. Bonus: I got to see Old Faithful blow on my birthday. Old and faithful... that's me. (Note that reservations for the Old Faithful Inn fill up a year ahead of time for peak season, summer bookings.)

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as seen from Artist Point

Testing the hot springs with my infrared thermometer. Highest temp measured was 151F (66C).

Days 12-13: Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole

Located immediately south of Yellowstone, Grand Teton is a natural extension of the roadtrip. Beautiful in its own way, the Teton mountains rising up behind the area lakes is a gorgeous sight to behold. We went horseback riding up buttes, floating down the Snake River in a raft, hiking through the park, and up an aerial tram to the top of a mountain resort. Jackson was such an expensive town that I joked the exchange rate was 2:1 compared to the average American town.

Our first sight of the Teton Mountains across Jackson Lake

Day 14: Idaho and Salt Lake City

We made our way through Idaho barely intersecting with the Oregon Trail for a bit. We all got through without catching dysentery. Our trip ended in Salt Lake City. (I had considered flying out of Jackson, but the airfare was almost double.) We took the opportunity to visit the Mormons and their Tabernacle where their famous choir and organ performs. The Temple Square was a collection of architecturally interesting buildings from the acoustic wonder of the Tabernacle to the soaring spires of the temple. 

Salt Lake City Temple, home of the Church of Latter Day Saints

Day 15: Fly Home

All good things must end. I felt blessed to get this chance to explore some of the best scenic wonders in America. They hold their own against all the other Must See places around the world.

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