Summer Road trip from Dallas to Yellowstone

[jxlqr]

In June My family's going to take a road trip from Dallas to Yellowstone national park. Could anybody give some trip advice?
We have a seven year old boy and he is anxious to experience camping.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Yellowstone is a fantastic place to go for a family trip.

Having said that, you really haven't told us enough for anyone to give you much "advice."

How long do you have for this trip? Have you ever gone camping/roadtripping before? and of course, What kind of things do you have questions about?

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

A camping RoadTrip would be a great way to let your son experience something of what the US has to offer in the way of relatively unspoiled nature. There are a few things you'll need to keep in mind as you prepare, however. Probably the first thing to realize is that setting up and taking down your campsite will take longer than just checking into and out of a motel. Also you don't want to be arriving or leaving in the dark. So you're not going to be able to drive as far on any given day. To give yourselves some time to hike around the places you camp, and to be able to make a couple of stops each day to get out and stretch, you should probably limit each day's drive to 500 miles or less. And you should probably plan out where such a pace will put you each night and start making reservations. While there are often two or more motels in most towns and at many freeway exits, campgrounds tend to be fewer and farther between, and summer sees their most crowded conditions. State parks and national forests are usually your best bets for lower fees and occupancy rates. National parks tend to get booked up early. This is especially true of Yellowstone which is one of the nation's most popular parks and has a very short season. Try for a spot in Yellowstone, but if you can't get one try in any of the surrounding national forests (Shoshone, Bridger-Teton, Caribou-Targhee, Gallatin, Custer) and keep checking back in with Yellowstone for any cancellations.

You should also plan on staying in a motel every third night or so just to get a really good night's sleep, take a hot shower, and maybe use the pool. And plan on taking different routes up and back to maximize the amount of new country your family gets to explore. The most direct way would be roughly following US-287 (and parallel Interstates) through Denver up to Yellowstone. That route takes you near to Rocky Mountain National Park and through Grand Tetons National Park. A slightly longer route would be Dallas/Amarillo/Albuquerque/Salt Lake City. That would also take you past several other very worthwhile national parks and monuments including Petroglyph, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands and Arches. Your son is practically the perfect age for the Junior Ranger Program. Be sure to sign him up for it at each national park and/or monument you visit.

AZBuck

[jm98]

I done few trips from Plano to Yellowstone. Your best camping options are in Colorado and Wyoming in June time frame. Texas panhandle and NM will be likely very hot for camping. You may be consider Colorado Springs for a night of camping or Cabins.

I stayed just outside of West Yellowstone in a RV/Camp site off Hwy 287 (Yes, same 287 that goes through Ft. Worth). The owner and managers on site were very friendly and accommodating. The RV site is by the lake and you have option to do tent camping and/or renting cabins. However watch-out for wildlife at night if you will be doing tent camping.

Cheers,