Itinerary

Choose to spend the first night after your flight at a hotel at your leisure or pick up your motorhome on arrival and start your journey. We highly recommend spending a few days in Colorado’s Mile High Capital, Denver before starting your motorhome trip. A beautiful city with a thriving culture scene and diverse neighbourhoods, you’ll get to visit the historic Union Station with its delightful restaurants and coffee shops, climb the impressive Capitol Building, taste Denver’s craft breweries and, if you time your trip right, even experience some live music at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, one of the most iconic music venues in the world – all before starting your road trip.

When you are ready to start your trip, collect your motorhome from the Denver depot and head north to begin your journey into the former Wild West in Wyoming’s state capital, Cheyenne. The drive is an easy hour and a half, and your overnight will be at the Cheyenne RV Resort.

Once you’re in town, stop by the Terry Bison Ranch, home to more than 2,300 grazing bison or visit the impressive State Capitol Building and State Museum. If you happen to be visiting in July, make sure to book your RV pitch well in advance as the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days take place annually at the end of the month.

• 176km from Denver to Cheyenne

Head today for the Black Hills of South Dakota. It may be a long drive – just under 4 hours – but it’s worth it. The Black Hills are home to some of the USA’s most iconic landscapes with scenic byways boasting awe-inspiring views around every corner, fascinating rock formations and forested rolling hills. You’ll spend your overnight at the Elk Mountain Campground in the pretty frontier town of Hot Springs. Nestled in a sandstone canyon with beautiful turn-of-the-century buildings, explore the rich local history, visit Wind Cave National Park just north of the town or explore the active paleontological dig at The Mammoth Site.

• 389km to Hot Springs

Stop by the iconic Mount Rushmore National Monument on your way to Badlands National Park today. You’ll get up close and personal with some of America’s most famous presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. Afterwards, visit the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial honouring the Native American warrior. An impressive sight despite being a work in progress, the memorial will stand 563 feet high and 641 feet long when complete.

Take Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway for dramatic views as you make your way to Badlands National Park. You’ll spend your overnight at Cedar Pass Lodge RV and Campground. Badlands National Park offers stunning scenery, and there’s no better way to end the day than watching the sunset over the park’s otherworldly buttes, gullies and canyons.

• 241km to Badlands National Park via Mount Rushmore

On your way to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming today pass through Rapid City to experience the hip, historic downtown and visit the Journey Museum, before driving along the Spearfish Canyon scenic byway for the breathtaking panoramas of the lesser known Spearfish Canyon. Its idyllic beauty will beckon you for a stop or two, before you carry on your drive to your final destination, Devil’s Tower.

A jaw-dropping geological formation that looms 1,200 feet above Wyoming’s rolling prairies, Devils Tower astounds with its otherworldly presence and is a mecca for both hikers and rock climbers. Your campground is on site, and you’ll find some magnificent stargazing come nightfall.

• 305km to Devil’s Tower via Spearfish Canyon

Today, you’re going to divert up to Medora in North Dakota because it’s well worth the drive. Known for its Wild West recreations and incredible location in the Badlands of North Dakota right next to the beautiful scenery and wildlife of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora is an iconic stop in America’s West. See bison, elk, wild horses and golden eagles and discover how Teddy Roosevelt first created the USA’s National Park Service.

Your overnight can be taken at Medora Campground or Cottonwood Campground, and we highly recommend watching the nightly outdoor Medora Musical and having the Pitchfork Fondue dinner with the dynamic landscape of the North Dakota Badlands as your backdrop.

• 402km to Medora

Today you’ll be covering a few more kilometres across the rugged plains of Montana before immersing yourself in some Native American history at the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn where Colonel Custer famously lost his life. You can visit both the battleground and the historical museum. End the day just a 45-minute drive north at the KOA Campground in Hardin.

The next day you’ll continue on to the former frontier town of Cody in Wyoming and the Ponderosa Campground for your two night stay. Made famous by the legendary Buffalo Bill, Cody boasts the Old Trail Town which is a re-created frontier town with well-preserved log cabins and a saloon from the 1800s so visitors can experience what pioneer life was like, as well as the Buffalo Bill Western Heritage Centre – an affiliate museum of the Smithsonian in DC – for those who want to brush up on their history. Other worthwhile ventures include hiking or fishing in Buffalo Bill State Park, going for a guided horse ride through Red Canyon or visiting the Draper Natural History Museum in preparation for the wildlife and ecology you’re going to see at your next stop, Yellowstone National Park.

• 692km over two days to Hardin and Cody

Head north today from Cody to Red Lodge in Montana to join the epic Beartooth Highway. A stunning high mountain pass into the park, this is the most spectacular way to enter Yellowstone National Park.

One of America’s most incredible natural wonders, Yellowstone offers visitors an opportunity to experience what the North American continent was like before recorded history across its 2.2 million acres of unspoiled wilderness. From the world’s most extraordinary collection of geysers and hot springs to geological wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the echoes of wolves in the forests in the night, you’ll want at least 2 days here to properly explore.

Expect an animal jam on your drive – this is a traffic jam caused by animals like bison, moose or elk – strolling along or grazing on the road. Feel free to stop for a picture as long as it’s not a bear. Your campground for your stay will be at Yellowstone National Park Lodges’ Fishing Bridge RV Park.

• 321km to Red Lodge and Grant Village

Today you’ll drive the short distance from the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park to Grand Teton National Park. A majestic part of the famed Rocky Mountains, park boasts 310,000 acres of lush valley floors, mountain meadows, alpine lakes, diverse wildlife and the jagged peaks of the Tetons. A wonderful stop for both nature lovers and outdoor adventurers you’ll get a taste of the Alps in America as you’ll be situated just next door at the Colter Bay Village RV Park.

On the opposite edge of the park you’ll find the cosmopolitan Western town of Jackson. Renowned for its beautiful ranches, fine dining and ample opportunities for outdoor recreation, you’ll want to pass by the historic downtown with its wooden sidewalks and Town Square that features arches made of antlers from the nearby National Elk Refuge. You’ll also find the National Museum of Wildlife Art which has paintings by Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keefe.

• 64km to Colter Bay Village and Jackson

This last morning will be an early start as you will need to book the Early Bird option to return your motorhome today at the Cruise America depot in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Alternatively, add another day to your itinerary and take your time to enjoy the sights of southern Idaho – like Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve – and northern Utah as you leisurely make your way to Salt Lake City to return your RV and catch your flight home.