Family of 4, parents are 44-45, kids 7 and 9 yo.
Day 1 - Friday:
Landed in Bozeman, MT, 12:30pm
Picked up the car
Lunch at Mr. Burrito - not recommended
Drove to Big Sky resort
Stayed at Shoshone hotel
Dinner from chet - not recommended
Sleep
Day 2 - Saturday
Free breakfast @ chet
Lone Peak Expedition, 11,160 feet summit
Lift and gondola
Base camp activities
Bungee trampoline
Giant swing
Marble run
Outdoor Pool
Cooked pasta in room
Day 3 - Sunday:
Free breakfast @ chet
Packing
Ousel Falls
Zipline above Gallatin River
Drove to Bozeman
C’mon in
Hot tub!
Outback steakhouse
Day 4 - Monday:
Chill day at the hotel
Went to Walmart to buy a few stuff, like a thermal shirt for elad. 116 dollars later..
On the way we noticed our front wheel had lost more air (we’ve had issues with it almost instantly after picking up the car from the airport).
Went back to the airport to replace our car
Lunch at Bourbon, BBQ, was nice though the kids didn’t like the food
Back to the hotel for R&R
Montana Science Museum: thought the kids are too old for it but we’ve had a great time.
Next door: Board game store. Enjoyed exploring and tried to learn how to play Photosynthesis… weren’t so successful.
Quiet night at the hotel.
Day 5 - Tuesday:
Lewis and Clark Caverns
Virginia City MT - can probably skip.
Show, like mini broadway
Vast empty fields, madison river was beautiful
Laundry night
Collected things for RV and made lists
Day 6 - Wednesday
American museum of computers and robotics - mixed family reviews on this one
Return car at airport
Meet friends who joined our RV trip.
Big boys toys, RV pickup
Walmart - from 3:30 - 8pm, including lunch stop
Yellowstone, gardiner, 10pm-ish, 1.5 hour drive
Was scary to drive the RV at night for the first time
Day 7 - Thursday
Made sandwiches for the first hike
Entered Yellowstone park for the first time
4th grader free park entrance
Bunsen peak
4.2 mile (?), 1300 FT elevation
9:30-ish - 12 to the top, enjoyed the views, sandwiches, down by 2
7 yo complained most of the way
Mammoth springs, walked the boardwalk, 3 stops
Dinner @ parking lot
Dumped RV water (grey - sink, black - toilet)
Did it wrong
Husband was impacted :)
Yellowstone Hot springs (8 min from RV camp) -
beautiful, warm, hot cold water walk, cold plunge 66F, hot tub 106F
Day 8 - Friday
9am, Rafting @ yellowstone river, 8 mile, pretty, not that cold
Dumped RV water
Lunch @ Yellowstone RV park
Upper falls view, grand canyon of yellowstone
Short hike towards something lake, really nice views of the huge canyon and the cyan water
Checked in at Canyon Village RV park
No hookups (no electricity, no clean water for the RV)
No wifi, no data (in most of the park)
Showers allotment, 2 per RV, per day :O (can buy for $5)
Bears - were told they smell toothpaste
Bought family postcards to send abroad
Steak dinner on BBQ
Bought wood, lit a bonfire
Smores with the kiddos
Went to sleep before 10pm!
Day 9 - Saturday
Skipped Dunraven Pass Overlook Trail : https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/dunraven-pass-to-mt-washburn-trail
Smart move in hind sight, it was harder then the first hike where we went up to Bunsen Summit
Worked on writing postcards to mail our family abroad
Stopped by visitor center to get ideas for smaller, easier trails (that Alma will survive)
Visited the museum
Drove to “the brink of the upper falls”, enjoyed the view and walked until the “Canyon Bridge”
Beautiful views
Drove to “the brink of the lower falls” - went down and up the 10 switch backs
Reconnected with Moriel around 6pm in the campground
Sleep: Canyon Village RV park
Day 10 - Sunday
Went to the post office to send the family postcards, only to find out it’s closed on Sunday
North Rim (of grand canyon of yellowstone) trail
Left an RV at Inspiration point
Drove to Waktipi lake - where we left our RV
Passed through “Canyon bridge” that we visited yesterday
“the brink of the upper falls” - skipped this time
“the brink of the lower falls” - waited for Moriel to do the 10 switch backs
Lookout point
Grand view
Inspiration point
Picked up RV and drove to pickup the other
Saw mud volcanoes along the route
Sivan was feeling sick, sore throat etc
Dinner: Lake hotel dining hall @ 5:30pm
Nothing to write home to, $160 per 4 person family, but the food was meh.
Sleep: Grant RV park
Got here at 8pm
Day 11 - Monday
Lazy morning
West thumb geyser basin
Fun on the lake
Rented a motor boat and spent 1.5 hours driving around.
Was very nice except for the way back when the water were choppy and our butts were aching.
Dinner: Grant dining hall
Canceled and cooked our own dinner
Sleep: Grant RV park
Day 12 - Tuesday
Old faithful
Midway basin
It rained prior so the scenery was half obscured and very unique
Cooked light lunch in the parking lot
Drive back to bozeman - 2.5 hours
Random stop along the route
Was so so windy that the RV felt like it’s shifting
Walmart stop to return unused items (including food cans 😂)
Fuel - prep to return RV
The RV park included free entrance to the hot springs
Spent 8-10pm enjoying the water and showers
Last trip drink on the picnic table
Sleep: Bozeman hot springs
Day 13 - Wed
Pack RV
Propane refill
Got to RV return around 10am
Got to airport at 11:11 (11 min too late for bag drop for the 11:45am flight)
Got rescheduled for a 12:45pm flight, through ORD
Original plan/ Itinerary:
08/28 - Day 1
Shopping: Walmart / Costco
Sleep @ Yellowstone RV Park, near Gardiner here
Activity: Yellowstone Hot Springs, 8 min drive from RV park
08/29 - Day 2
Leave after breakfast, do:
Mammoth Hot Springs: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/mammoth-terraces
Upper Terrace Loop Drive: https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/us/montana/upper-terrace-scenic-drive-loop
Bunsen Peak: https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/us/wyoming/bunsen-peak
Arrive back around 5:
Dinner: somewhere around gardiner
[Activity: Yellowstone Hot Springs, 8 min drive from RV park]
Sleep @ Yellowstone RV Park, near Gardiner here
08/30
Leave after breakfast
Rafting (booked 9:00-11:00)
Back at gardiner
[Activity: Yellowstone Hot Springs, 8 min drive from RV park]
Lunch of some kind in gardiner
Drive to canyon village:
Dunraven Pass Overlook Trail (or day after): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/dunraven-pass-to-mt-washburn-trail
Sleep
Canyon Village campground
Ordered 2xSites
08/31
North Rim trail
Scenic drive - South Rim Drive - multiple spots to stop
— Grand Canyon of Yellowstone ( got a recommendation), link
Artist Point: Renowned for its breathtaking views of the canyon, especially in the morning light.
Upper Falls Viewpoint: Located along the South Rim Drive, this spot provides a great view of the 109-foot Upper Falls.
Sleep
Canyon Village campground -
Ordered 2xSites
09/01
Sleep: Grant Village
Dinner: Lake hotel dining hall 5:30pm 8 guests - booked
09/02
Old faithful: https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/us/wyoming/observation-point-loop-trail
West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/us/wyoming/west-thumb-geyser-basin
Fun on the lake!
Dinner: Lake hotel dining hall 5:30pm 8 guests - booked
Sleep: Grant Village
09/03
Long drive (3 hours) to Bozeman
Sleep: Bozeman hot springs
09/04
Fly back to NY, 11:45 am