The Road to Yellowstone National Park

Leg 1: Home to Farnsworth Cabin in Allegheny National Forest

We left home at 4:00 AM hoping to get a good start before breakfast. There wasn't much of note on the drive except for the horse carriages in Pennsylvania Dutch territory. We also found a nice state park with a pond where Lily took a quick dip. The stone cabin in Allegheny National Forest was just what we needed with bunk beds for Lily and a bald eagle waiting for us by the trout spawning pools in the morning.

Leg 2: Pennsylvania to Chicago, IL via the Toledo Zoo

Leaving the cabin we saw some white tailed deer and a bunch of wild turkeys on the road. We made a short visit to the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium where Lily spent a bunch of time at the touch tank (despite nothing being within reach). She liked the gibbons and gorillas.

Our arrival in Chicago came late that evening but we had a full day in the city after that. Lily liked the hotel pool and we strollered her 3.5 miles along the lake to Navy Pier so she could ride the ferris wheel. The real star of the day ended up being the Chicago Children's Museum which only Caroline went into with Lily but she said it was even better than Boston. We had dinner in Chinatown that night.

Leg 3: Pennsylvania to Sioux Fall, SD

The drive to Sioux Falls was very long and we made a mistake in calculating it and so didn't realize that until we were already behind schedule. We stopped to play mini-golf in Madison, WI but it was during this stop when we realized how much driving was left and so hustled through the game. Lily still had fun.

We arrived in Sioux Falls at night and were just happy to be done with the drive, though crossing the Mississippi River and a red sunset were highlights. Lily discovered the audiobook for James and the Giant Peach which became the soundtrack of the trip.

The waterfall area that Sioux Falls is names after is beautiful. We took it easy in the morning, knowing it was over 100 degrees in Badlands National Park and that we were camping and so wanting to arrive in the evening. That gave us a good amount of time at the falls.

Leg 4: Sioux Fall, SD to Badlands National Park

The original plan was to have a short driving day to Badlands so that we could spend the day there and then have time to visit Devil's Tower the next day. However, we could see a few days in advance that it was going to be too hot in Badlands for afternoon adventuring and so we decided to find a stop on the way instead.

We spent most of the afternoon at the Chamberlain, SD town pool where Lily had a fantastic time and showed off her development as a swimmer.

Our arrival in Badlands successfully delayed, we drove into the park just before sundown and were amazed by the beauty of the park as it almost springs up in front of you out of nothing. The road is flat and boring and then you pass through the park entrance and the Badlands wall falls away, revealing itself.

Camping in the park was great and we spent the next morning driving the wonderful ring road and stopping at the scenic overlooks. Before leaving we (thankfully) decided to take the detour to Prairie Dog Town where Lily met a whole colony of the little guys and we saw our first bison heard.

Leg 5: Badlands National Park to Billings, MT

We left Badlands via Wall, SD and the famous tourist trap Wall Drug, where we had lunch. This stretch of driving was probably the worst of the trip. We did a six hour run with few stops. At one point Google Maps put us on a 100 mile stretch of one-lane 80 MPH speed limit "highway" where there was one exit/cross street the entire time. It was really just a road made for trucks to cut a corner of I-90. Arrow straight and no stopping. Thankfully Lily had become a great rider by that point.

When we got to Billings we drove through a huge thunderstorm lighting up the sky around us and then... we did laundry, slept, and went to Target and the grocery store to prepare for camping in Yellowstone.

Leg 6: Billings, MT to Yellowstone National Park

There are two choices for entering Yellowstone from Billings. One is to take the faster route across I-90 and enter via the popular North Entrance at Mammoth Hot Springs. The other is to take the scenic route across the Beartooth Highway and in via the little-used Northeast Entrance and the Lamar Valley.

We chose the scenic route and its climb to nearly 11,000 feet via a set of winding switchbacks. Considered by many to be the most beautiful stretch of road in the country, it did not disappoint. On a clear morning we started the climb up from Red Lodge, MT and crossed into the park and Wyoming in the early afternoon.

Near the top of the road is a popular overlook where a colony of ground squirrels, chipmunks, and at least one marmot have basically self tamed and eat from the hands of visitors. This isn't great (and I don't know what they do in the eight months of the year when the road is closed) but Lily and all the other kids loved it. Park rangers spent the next week explaining why this is bad!

On the way down from the peak to the park entrance we spotted a mountain goat and stopped at alpine mountain passes and clear, cold ponds.

Next up, into Yellowstone...