The Trip Itinerary

The Trip West - Days 1 - 9

Our first leg of the journey started at the Streetsboro KOA campground. It was a perfectly location to use as a base for exploring places the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park and a few stops along the way.

South Dakota - Days 10 - 18

Our time in South Dakota combined scenic drives, western history, wildlife, and some of the trip’s most memorable landscapes. Using the Badlands area and the Black Hills as our base, we explored Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and Wind Cave National Park.

Highlights included wildlife drives through Custer State Park, hiking in the Badlands, scenic roads through the Black Hills, and learning about Cold War history at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

South Dakota offered a great mix of scenery, history, and outdoor adventure, making it one of the most diverse stretches of the trip.

Yellowstone - Days 19 - 30

We left South Dakota behind and headed into Yellowstone National Park, splitting our stay between Canyon Campground and Madison Campground to better explore different areas of the park.

Our days were filled with geysers, waterfalls, wildlife, scenic drives, and hikes, including visits to Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, and West Thumb Basin.

Camping off-grid at Madison Campground also brought a few challenges, as cold and cloudy weather made keeping our camper batteries charged difficult. Even so, Yellowstone became one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Grand Tetons - Days 31 - 34

After leaving Yellowstone, we continued south into Grand Teton National Park and stayed at Colter Bay Campground. We spent our days exploring many of the park’s most popular areas, including Jenny Lake, Taggart Lake, Bradley Lake, Oxbow Bend, Signal Mountain, Mormon Row, and the Snake River overlooks. Early mornings were important for both parking and wildlife viewing, and several days started before sunrise to experience the park at its best.

Canyonlands, Arches, Moab - Days 34 - x

After leaving Grand Teton National Park, we made our way south into Utah and set up camp at Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab. Staying at Dead Horse Point gave us a perfect home base for exploring Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and the surrounding Moab area.

Over several days, we explored some of Utah’s most iconic desert scenery, including Mesa Arch at sunrise, Delicate Arch at golden hour, Dead Horse Point overlooks, and the dramatic canyon views along the White Rim and Shafer Trail areas. The parks required a surprising amount of driving between trailheads and overlooks, but nearly every stop provided another unforgettable view.

We mixed longer hikes with scenic drives, stops at petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks, and evenings spent exploring Moab. Early mornings became important once again, especially in Arches and Canyonlands, where parking lots filled quickly and sunrise light transformed the landscape.

Mesa Verda, Balloon Fiesta - Days 34 - x

Leaving Utah behind, we continued into Colorado and New Mexico, combining ancient history with one of the country’s most unique festivals.

Our visit to Mesa Verde National Park was impacted by the federal government shutdown. Although the park remained open, all tours and hiking trails were closed during our visit. Even so, we were still able to view several cliff dwellings from overlooks and the visitor center area. We also made a side trip to Four Corners Monument before continuing south.

After an overnight stay at Black Mesa Winery & Cidery through the Harvest Hosts program, we arrived in Albuquerque for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Poor weather prevented the balloons from launching, but we still enjoyed watching many of them inflate and perform “candle sticking” before sunrise, creating an unforgettable scene across the field.

Winding Our Way Home - Days 34 - x

As our western adventure came to an end, we began making our way back east with stops in Memphis and Lake Barkley.

Using Tom Sawyer's RV Park as a basecamp, we explored Memphis highlights including Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Sun Studio, while enjoying evenings overlooking the Mississippi River.

Our final stop was Lake Barkley and Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, where we slowed the pace, relaxed, fished, and reflected on the trip before heading home.