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Routes of travel around Grand Tetons and to and from Craters of the Moon


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We are planning a 6,000 mike trip from Ohio with various stop (Badlands, Mount Rushmore, yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Craters of the Moon to name a few) June of 2016. We have a 13'2" tall and 39' long 5th wheel. Looking for some input for traveling around the areas with the rig. My main concerns are traveling in the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons area, over to Craters of the moon and then back across Wyoming to Custer, SD area.

 

My questions are :

1) What are the best roads to travel on going to and from or which roads should I avoid.

 

2) What roads have clearance issues I need to be concerned with.

 

3) Any roads that I wouldn't be allowed on with the 5th wheel.

 

4) Any other tips or concerns I should have.

 

Thanks,

Scott

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traveling anywhere within the Rocky Mtns will involve some long steep grades, so be prepared for that regardless of whatever route you choose.

Going from Yellowstone back east between Cody WY and Buffalo Wy you have a choice of 3 routes (14A, 14, 20) to cross over the Big Horn Mtns. I think most here would agree that route 14A is to be avoided by any big rig RV.

Inside Custer SP in the Black Hills of SD, there are 2 roads with narrow, low clearance tunnels (10.5 - 12.5 ft), the Needles hwy and Iron Mtn Rd. These are secondary roads that you would not normally use with any RV, but be aware that you wont fit through, just in case you make a wrong turn.

You didn't mention it, but in case you go to Glacier National Park in northern Montana, be aware there is a length restriction, that eliminates RV's from Going To The Sun Hwy. That's the narrow, twisty road that crosses over the mountains between east/west Glacier.

Otherwise its just personal preference choices of how far out of your way will you go, to avoid some long steep climbs or descents.

My only other comment would be to try to limit your destination stops to a handful so you can spend enough time at each to really enjoy it. Otherwise you spend all your time driving, when you have a limited time to get there, see the attractions and get back home.

 

PS: I would much rather see Glacier NP that Craters of the Moon NM. But that's a personal choice

Jim

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You might want to order online from the publisher, not from Amazon which is way more expensive, the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers'. It is extremely helpful in giving you a preview of what to expect on those roads. Even though we love mountain driving in the West, we always referred to it before heading out just to refresh ourselves.

 

As to Yellowstone and Grand Teton area, you will be just fine in the parks themselves. However, don't get on Hwy 22 (Teton Pass) from Victor, ID to the Jackson, WY area. It's very steep. Coming in to Jackson from the south, any of the highways are o.k. - 89/191/287. Coming into West Yellowstone is an easy drive. Leaving Yellowstone to Cody is doable with a RV. Hwy 89 into northern Yellowstone is o.k. However, it's not recommend you leave or enter Yellowstone via the northeast entrance - steep and hairpin turns. It's an excellent drive, however, for a siteseeing drive with your truck.

 

If you look up the official national park web sites they give excellent information on the roads, repairs, things to do and campgrounds.

 

http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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...Going from Yellowstone back east between Cody WY and Buffalo Wy you have a choice of 3 routes (14A, 14, 20) to cross over the Big Horn Mtns. I think most here would agree that route 14A is to be avoided by any big rig RV...

I believe Jim is referring to US-16 not US-20 as US-20 takes a more southern route from Worland to Thermopolis then Casper and into Northern Nebraska. Another alternative to US-14, 14A or 16 is to take WY-120/MT-72 from Cody to US-310/212 to I-90. This route will miss going through the Bighorns, but take you past the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument on the way to south Dakota.
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Thank you for the help so far. Any help I get will be great. Although we have RV'd over the rest of the country I am nervous about this area. Plus it is our 1st major trip with this large 5th wheel. I don't want to end up on a road that I shouldn't be or sitting in front of a height obstacle with no where to go!! I will get the maps out tonight again and look at the roads you are all talking about and make sure we address them in our route. It has been a month of mind boggling navigation through the stacks of maps and tourist info and campground books getting this planned! groan.....

 

Any other opinions on Glacier National Park vs Craters of the Moon? We only have time for one!

 

Scott

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Definitely go to Glacier rather than Crater of the Moon.

 

If, by chance, you begin your trip from Ohio by coming up a southern route to I-40, just north of Flagstaff, AZ on Hwy 89 is Sunset Crater Volcano Nat'l Monument. Walking on the trail through the volcanic remnants will give you a good feeling of the volcano. The drive is a loop bringing you back onto Hwy 89 a littler further north of where you began. Along that easy drive is Wupatki Nat'l Monument, a neat Indian ruin to explore. Here's the park link. Keep in mind that all the national parks/monuments have excellent web sites with camping, road info., things to do, etc. Check them out. Just before you get to the Sunset Crater fee booth on the left is the entrance to a beautiful forest service campground, Bonito. It is in a lovely sitting on the volcanic area. Some sites can handle big rigs. We've been there often with our 40' motorhome. No reservations though so plan it so you spend the previous night fairly close and pull in during the morning when folks are leaving. This park gets a lot of one-nighters so there are always sites available in the mornings. There are flush toilets but no dump station and no hookups.

 

http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm

 

How much time do you have for your trip? If coming in from Flagstaff that opens a new can of worms. . . the awesome national parks of southern Utah, but then, that can be a whole other trip! :) However, you could work in the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff. Just continue north on Hwy 89 to Hwy 64 at Cameron. Head west into the park. Definitely stay at Trailer Village in the park - full hookups near the Rim edge and the free park shuttle stops right at the campground entrance!

 

Instead of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon you could instead do the North Rim which is a lot cooler and quieter with fewer people. For that you would continue north on 89 from Sunset Crater to Alt 89 toward Jacob Lake. You would have a steep climb near Jacob but many RVers do it, including us. Another route to the North Rim is staying on 89 through Page, AZ and on to Kanab, Utah - no big hills. At Kanab you would then head to Jacob Lake - another uphill but not as high as coming in from the east toward Jacob Lake, then take 67 south from Jacob Lake to Grand Canyon North Rim. There's a full-hookup park in Jacob Lake or just before the Grand Canyon entrance, on the right, is DeMotte national forest campground - no hookups but a very nice place to stay a night or two. One-fourth mile further on Hwy 67 on the right is a well maintained flat gravel road heading west. Take it about 1/4 mile and you'll begin to see many spots in the national forest to just park and boondock. It's very pretty and you won't be alone...it's popular.

 

So....if you've come this far and want to skip the southern Utah parks for another time you can then head toward Grand Teton Nat'l Park. Get back to Jacob Lake and then toward Kanab, UT but before Kanab is tiny Fredonia, AZ and Hwy 389 on the left. Take it west and it becomes Hwy 59 at the Utah border. You can then take Hwy 59/9 west to I-15 and head north to the Tetons. Or....when you get to Utah on Hwy 59/9, turn right and you'll get to the Zion Nat'l Park area. Stay in Springdale and the free nat'l park shuttle will pick you up in this small nice town to take you for a tour of Zion. There's also the park campground in Zion, Watchman, which has electric and a dump station/water fill. You'd fit in many of those sites but reservations become scarce so do it early. It's a beautiful place to stay.

 

So many choices! Can you see why folks keep coming back to tour the West? Hope I didn't confuse you too much. :)

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't see how many days/weeks you plan for your trip. The Teton's and YNP are a 10 day minimum to see it all including the surrounding towns and areas (Cody and the Buffalo Bill Museum, Thermopolis, Jackson, Wind River Canyon, Chief Josepf Highway, Bear Tooth Pass and Red Lodge, Powell and the Japanese Camp, Laramie and Cheyenne, Snake River Canyon, not to mention the cool places in between WY and you home--Deadwood, Sturgis SD, Hill City, Devil's Tower, Little Big Horn etc). I have been going to the Teton's for 4 years now and keep finding new things and enjoy seeing old things again. The point is the time factor is important and you can spend a lot of time and money traveling just all around WY and have a wonderful trip!

Don Kostyal

CMSgt, ret USAF

 

A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life."
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Scott -

 

My wife and I drive from our home in PA to MT and back every year, and have probably made this trip at least 25 times now. We have traveled on all of the roads previously suggested, plus many others in that part of the country that you WOULDNT want to EVER drive on, I suspect, and have towed a variety of different types and sizes of trailers getting there and back over the years, including our present 40' long 5th wheel.

 

We now keep our trailers, and other toys, in MT year round near where we stay on the Yellowstone Rive north of the Park so we don't have to contend with towing an RV to get it there, but we still drive through Ohio and on to Rapid City, where we always stay at least a couple nights, and drive into and around the Yellowstone area, including Montana, Wyoming and Idaho continuously all summer (May to October) so I have at least some sympathy of your concerns and what you'll be faced with.

 

First, don't try to do too much, go too far and see too many things. Most of us do that on our first trip west. I probably did that every time I went, and still go, west - or at least my wife tells me I do. A 50 mile drive into and around Yellowstone can sometimes take you as long as a 250 mile drive elsewhere. Those 100 other rv'ers in front of you on the road, 98 of whom shouldn't be there in the first place, those damn buffalo who think they own the highway just because they live there, and those Japanese tourists who must own 95% of the world's cameras and feel the need to test them out on every tumbleweed they pass, will all slow you down. Plus, It is a Looog way from Yellowstone to Glacier, and no matter how pretty each of them is, unless you think you'll never return there, or unless you have a month or more for your entire trip, i wouldn't want to plan to see them both in the same trip.

 

Second, make sure to know ahead of time where the road construction is, or will be. The west is notorious for summer road construction, and Yellowstone area tops the list in that regard. There is no way that I'd want to tow my 5th wheel through a lot of it, and in fact we avoided driving through some of that construction most of last summer. Many people drive through these construction zones with RVs and then gripe afterwards that they would never do it again -- DUH? Well, why the heck did they do it in the first place?

 

Lastly, if it were me, I wouldn't tow my 5th wheel in Yellowstone at all if I had a choice to do otherwise. It is just sooooo much easier to stay outside the Park, and leisurely drive in and out during the day. However, that being said, the best and easiest way into Yellowstone to the Tetons and then down to Craters of the Moon, is to stay on I-90 from Rapid City. all the way to Belgrade, MT, and take 191 south to West Yellowstone. Then, I would stay on 191 into the Park, past Old Faithful, and on down to Jackson and the Tetons. Go south from Jackson following the Snake River to Moran Junction, and past the Pallisades Dam into Idaho (remembering that as long as you're following the river there won't be any big mountains to climb.)

 

John

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  • 2 weeks later...

Scott -

 

My wife and I drive from our home in PA to MT and back every year, and have probably made this trip at least 25 times now. We have traveled on all of the roads previously suggested, plus many others in that part of the country that you WOULDNT want to EVER drive on, I suspect, and have towed a variety of different types and sizes of trailers getting there and back over the years, including our present 40' long 5th wheel.

 

We now keep our trailers, and other toys, in MT year round near where we stay on the Yellowstone Rive north of the Park so we don't have to contend with towing an RV to get it there, but we still drive through Ohio and on to Rapid City, where we always stay at least a couple nights, and drive into and around the Yellowstone area, including Montana, Wyoming and Idaho continuously all summer (May to October) so I have at least some sympathy of your concerns and what you'll be faced with.

 

First, don't try to do too much, go too far and see too many things. Most of us do that on our first trip west. I probably did that every time I went, and still go, west - or at least my wife tells me I do. A 50 mile drive into and around Yellowstone can sometimes take you as long as a 250 mile drive elsewhere. Those 100 other rv'ers in front of you on the road, 98 of whom shouldn't be there in the first place, those damn buffalo who think they own the highway just because they live there, and those Japanese tourists who must own 95% of the world's cameras and feel the need to test them out on every tumbleweed they pass, will all slow you down. Plus, It is a Looog way from Yellowstone to Glacier, and no matter how pretty each of them is, unless you think you'll never return there, or unless you have a month or more for your entire trip, i wouldn't want to plan to see them both in the same trip.

 

Second, make sure to know ahead of time where the road construction is, or will be. The west is notorious for summer road construction, and Yellowstone area tops the list in that regard. There is no way that I'd want to tow my 5th wheel through a lot of it, and in fact we avoided driving through some of that construction most of last summer. Many people drive through these construction zones with RVs and then gripe afterwards that they would never do it again -- DUH? Well, why the heck did they do it in the first place?

 

Lastly, if it were me, I wouldn't tow my 5th wheel in Yellowstone at all if I had a choice to do otherwise. It is just sooooo much easier to stay outside the Park, and leisurely drive in and out during the day. However, that being said, the best and easiest way into Yellowstone to the Tetons and then down to Craters of the Moon, is to stay on I-90 from Rapid City. all the way to Belgrade, MT, and take 191 south to West Yellowstone. Then, I would stay on 191 into the Park, past Old Faithful, and on down to Jackson and the Tetons. Go south from Jackson following the Snake River to Moran Junction, and past the Pallisades Dam into Idaho (remembering that as long as you're following the river there won't be any big mountains to climb.)

 

John

John,

 

Thank you so much for the information. Sounds like I need to connect with you as a tour guide out there! Some day when the wife retires we definitely want to go out and do it right and spend long periods at a time touring around out there. For now we just have to settle for the highlights.

 

Our plan right now is to make our way from Mitchell and the Corn Palace to Custer, SD area. From there we will shoot across mid Wyoming via I25, 20 and 26 into Moran and up to the North end of the Tetons. We are going to make that our base for a few days and see the Tetons and go up into the southern half of Yellowstone. From there we will go across to Idaho to Craters of the Moon. Spend a couple days there and then make our way back across the same way we came out there through Wyoming heading to the Badlands and Mt Rushmore area for 3 days. We then will unfortunately head for home at that point. We are definitely not taking the 5th wheel through the parks with us except for getting to and from the campground ( I think it is Ft Collier or something like that) through Grand Teton. Just concerned about the mountain traveling while heading in and out of Grand Teton to Craters and then back through again. Planning a couple long days of travel so hoping it doesn't turn into nightmarish long days!! Lol There is any main interstates heading through the area so there isn't much we can do about routes of travel I guess. Just don't want any surprises.

 

We are planning for a separate trip later to hit the upper part of Yellowstone and Glacier and some other Northern sites. Maybe try to get to the coast.

 

Thanks again John for the help.

 

Scott

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I didn't see how many days/weeks you plan for your trip. The Teton's and YNP are a 10 day minimum to see it all including the surrounding towns and areas (Cody and the Buffalo Bill Museum, Thermopolis, Jackson, Wind River Canyon, Chief Josepf Highway, Bear Tooth Pass and Red Lodge, Powell and the Japanese Camp, Laramie and Cheyenne, Snake River Canyon, not to mention the cool places in between WY and you home--Deadwood, Sturgis SD, Hill City, Devil's Tower, Little Big Horn etc). I have been going to the Teton's for 4 years now and keep finding new things and enjoy seeing old things again. The point is the time factor is important and you can spend a lot of time and money traveling just all around WY and have a wonderful trip!

We are planning a total trip length of 19 days. While we are still working we just need to try and hit the highlights. As we discovered on our previous lower west trip there is so much more to see than you realize. Some day we hope to go and spend extended times in locations and really see the sites. We know we have a rushed trip but hoping to make the best out of it with our time and with all the driving we will have from Ohio.

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Definitely go to Glacier rather than Crater of the Moon.

 

If, by chance, you begin your trip from Ohio by coming up a southern route to I-40, just north of Flagstaff, AZ on Hwy 89 is Sunset Crater Volcano Nat'l Monument. Walking on the trail through the volcanic remnants will give you a good feeling of the volcano. The drive is a loop bringing you back onto Hwy 89 a littler further north of where you began. Along that easy drive is Wupatki Nat'l Monument, a neat Indian ruin to explore. Here's the park link. Keep in mind that all the national parks/monuments have excellent web sites with camping, road info., things to do, etc. Check them out. Just before you get to the Sunset Crater fee booth on the left is the entrance to a beautiful forest service campground, Bonito. It is in a lovely sitting on the volcanic area. Some sites can handle big rigs. We've been there often with our 40' motorhome. No reservations though so plan it so you spend the previous night fairly close and pull in during the morning when folks are leaving. This park gets a lot of one-nighters so there are always sites available in the mornings. There are flush toilets but no dump station and no hookups.

 

http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm

 

How much time do you have for your trip? If coming in from Flagstaff that opens a new can of worms. . . the awesome national parks of southern Utah, but then, that can be a whole other trip! :) However, you could work in the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff. Just continue north on Hwy 89 to Hwy 64 at Cameron. Head west into the park. Definitely stay at Trailer Village in the park - full hookups near the Rim edge and the free park shuttle stops right at the campground entrance!

 

Instead of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon you could instead do the North Rim which is a lot cooler and quieter with fewer people. For that you would continue north on 89 from Sunset Crater to Alt 89 toward Jacob Lake. You would have a steep climb near Jacob but many RVers do it, including us. Another route to the North Rim is staying on 89 through Page, AZ and on to Kanab, Utah - no big hills. At Kanab you would then head to Jacob Lake - another uphill but not as high as coming in from the east toward Jacob Lake, then take 67 south from Jacob Lake to Grand Canyon North Rim. There's a full-hookup park in Jacob Lake or just before the Grand Canyon entrance, on the right, is DeMotte national forest campground - no hookups but a very nice place to stay a night or two. One-fourth mile further on Hwy 67 on the right is a well maintained flat gravel road heading west. Take it about 1/4 mile and you'll begin to see many spots in the national forest to just park and boondock. It's very pretty and you won't be alone...it's popular.

 

So....if you've come this far and want to skip the southern Utah parks for another time you can then head toward Grand Teton Nat'l Park. Get back to Jacob Lake and then toward Kanab, UT but before Kanab is tiny Fredonia, AZ and Hwy 389 on the left. Take it west and it becomes Hwy 59 at the Utah border. You can then take Hwy 59/9 west to I-15 and head north to the Tetons. Or....when you get to Utah on Hwy 59/9, turn right and you'll get to the Zion Nat'l Park area. Stay in Springdale and the free nat'l park shuttle will pick you up in this small nice town to take you for a tour of Zion. There's also the park campground in Zion, Watchman, which has electric and a dump station/water fill. You'd fit in many of those sites but reservations become scarce so do it early. It's a beautiful place to stay.

 

So many choices! Can you see why folks keep coming back to tour the West? Hope I didn't confuse you too much. :)

A few years ago we did the lower half of the west and hit Colorado (Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, etc) and then hit Utah. The drive from Colorado to Utah was a magnificent drive through the Rockies. Even ran across the Sand Dunes on our drive the we didn't even know was there! Briyce and Zion were spectacular. Bryce was our favorite of the big 3 parks. Petrified forest and so on was all amazing. Hoping for a similar experience with this trip. The wife and I both went out west when we were kids with our families but don't remember a whole lot of it. Some day when we retire we will be able to spend extended times in areas and truly get to explore it all.

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I work in Custer State Park as a summer volunteer. I agree that the best way from Custer to Yellowstone is taking I-90 to Mt and then Hwy 191 down to West Yellowstone.

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I work in Custer State Park as a summer volunteer. I agree that the best way from Custer to Yellowstone is taking I-90 to Mt and then Hwy 191 down to West Yellowstone.

TXTiger,

 

We are headed from Custer to Grand Teton and staying by Jackson lake by the north entrance to Grand Teton. We will then go up into the southern part of Yellowstone with Grand Teton being our home base while out there. Since we will be at the southern end we were planning on coming across 26 into Moran and up to northern Jackson Lake Jackson Lake and staying there I am assuming 26 will be a fine route to travel on. It is about the only other east-west crossing other than going up to 90 and coming all the way back down through Yellowstone to get to Grand Teton? Thoughts on that? It seems like if I relied on 191 to come all the way down through Yellowstone that would take a lot of time and miles.

 

Thanks, Scott

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