Denver/Mt Rushmore/Yellowstone/Salt Lake

[bittell]

Hi from the UK

Does anyone have any tips on the above route. My family and I plan on flying into Denver from the UK in June / July and driving the above route to fly out of Salt Lake 2 weeks later.

We have had fantastic road trips in the US in previous years but have not been up to this area before and would like to know how available hotel accomadation is around the Yellowstone area - do you have to pre-book ?

Any tips or info would be really appreciated.

Many thanks

[Quebec Gen]

Road Greetings Bittell and welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

Does anyone have any tips on the above route.

Denver has many attractions including its airport. You can use one of the many Colorado scenic byways to get from one point to another.

Here's a post on places to visit on your way to Wyoming and South Dakota and an interesting article on SD. In Wyoming, you can retrace the story of the emigrants by following the path of the historic Oregon Trail. At the end of July, Cheyenne is the host of the Frontier Days, a 10 days celebration featuring rodeos, concerts, food and more.

SLC is a neat city, very clean, lots of historic buildings. Temple Square is particularly amazing during the spring and warm season with its clusters of colourful flowers. This Is The Place Heritage Park is a nice location for a family picnic. Their Visitor Center offer a free exhibition on Mormon History and you can visit the nearby Old Deseret Village for a small fee.

You might be interested in reading Tim Cahill's book about Yellowstone NP for some good input on off the beaten path destinations within the park and other useful infos.

would like to know how available hotel accomadation is around the Yellowstone area - do you have to pre-book ?

I guess it's up to you wether you want to take chances or if you want to obey a strict schedule. Yellowstone must be a pretty busy place during the summer but so is almost any National Park in the US and personally, I've never had any problem on finding a room anywhere... Maybe I was lucky, who knows, but I have to admit I've never been to Yellowstone!

Of course, the earlier you begin looking for a room the better your chances are to find decent and cheap lodging! I'm not usually fond of reservations but in your case I think I'd make an exception since you are not travelling alone and might be needing more than one room (??). You might want to check out that link for an overview of available lodging options in or close to the Park.

Have a great trip!
Gen