Epic Must Visit 3 National Parks Road Trip

So you want to plan an Epic Must Visit 3 National Parks Road Trip? Planning a roadtrip is logistically difficult, and where to start when planning can be overwhelming. This will help you figure out how to plan a roadtrip to visit 3 of the most epic National Parks, Grand Tetons National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. This National Park road trip will navigate you through 4 states Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. There are a couple of road side attractions that depending on your time availability may be worth the detour. This post will cover all these little detours along the way.

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We have created the perfect packing list to get everything you need for your small town getaway into one lightweight personal item. Flights are getting more expensive, and carry-ons have become a charge for almost every flight. Getting everything you need into the perfect personal item is one of the best tricks to keep costs low.

2 Week National Park Roadtrip

Although, there are many options for a National Park road trip we think making Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier National Parks into a two week adventure is the perfect way to explore and experience them all. Your Yellowstone road trip will cover the major sites through the park, including the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Old Faithful. No 2 week national park road trip would be complete without including all the best places to explore along the way. Grand Tetons is chock full of beauty and a reliable moose that can almost always be spotted along one of the hiking paths.

There are so many National Parks out west, and you could easily spend a lifetime trying to explore them all. This national park roadtrip will help you explore 3 of the most epic parks in the United States. From Glacier National Park and its crown of the continent to Yellowstone and its reliable Old Faithful geyser, to the epic and jagged lines of Grand Teton pass in Grand Tetons National Park.

Salt Lake City to Yellowstone Road Trip

Salt Lake City Utah was where we started our adventure and this location offered quite a few advantages. First, they have an abundance of RV rental options, we went with Outdoorsy and it was relatively pain free. (keep an eye on mileage and on generator usage restrictions, as the costs can add up). This location will let you explore yet one more state on your adventure if you haven’t ever been to Utah, and the airport has direct flights from most major airports.

If you have some time, you can run out to experience the Great Salt Lake, warning in the summer it can get very hot, so make sure to pack water and sunscreen when you head out that way. The lake is vast and is unlike anywhere else in the United States as it is the largest lake of salt water in the USA.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are directly west of the Salt Lake City airport and are only about an hour and half drive. The pictures you can get along this area are completely epic. If you are looking to create some instagram moments make sure to pack to bright colors that will really pop against the white sands and blue skies.

There are some happy brewery options in the Salt Lake City area, depending on where you are staying you can’t go wrong hitting the closest one, but Proper Brewing Co. was for sure the most fun with pool tables, shuffle board and skeeball.

If you are going the RV rental route, recommend getting your groceries for the week before heading out of Salt Lake City, we went the Smith’s Food and Drug route because you can schedule your order up to a week ahead of time. They were on time, and if they were out of an item they would upgrade to the larger size. This saved a ton of time from having to do the shopping and it made getting on the road that much faster. Sign up for their rewards program, and it might just save you a couple bucks in the process.

Then pick up your RV and start heading North. on I-80 E. The drive is about 5 hours long and although it seems like a long drive just enjoying the views along the way will make the drive seem so much shorter.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

You enter Jackson Wyoming, everyone calls it Jackson Hole, which is not the name of the town but is the name of the whole valley. There is a lovely airport just outside of the Grand Tetons National Park southern entrance. If you are looking to fly in to a local spot that would be the place. If you like us, were looking for the rambling roadtrip adventure then you are in the right place.

Jackson is tourist central, there are hotels and restaurants, coffees shops and a huge visitor center located in the town. It is a relatively small town but it caters to a lot of options. If you come during peak season, meaning July-August it is going to be busy. Make sure to make reservations anywhere you want to go to because even walking around the sidewalks get very full.

If you are looking for some shopping, there are some lovely smaller local shops that had some amazing options, if you walk just one street over from US Highway 191. If you are on the main drag, make sure to stop by Jackson Town Square it has an archway made entirely of elk antlers that is super cool. If horse drawn carriages are your jam, you can find one to take you around and show you the town right down here.

We recommend hitting up Cowboy Coffee Co. make sure to try the Huckleberry Mudpot or the Cowboy Cubano for that jolt you are looking for.

It is definitely worth the visit to Jackson and to wander around and enjoy the old west feel, but we moved on after just an afternoon, it felt very crowded in the summer and if you are like us, looking for the nature feels more about being out in the mountains and trees than in the crowds.

Grand Tetons National Park

The Grand Tetons National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The mountain range is jagged and raw, and because it is so young (less than 10 million years young to be exactish). There are so many things to do and hikes to explore the area.

The highlights are Jenny Lake and the boat ride across it, the hike to Inspiration Point and beyond if you are feeling up for it, and keeping your eyes out for all the beauty nature provides.

If you plan ahead you can find RV parking in Grand Tetons National Park, but if you are a little late to that party, (it starts a year in advance) there are still plenty of options in the area especially further south in the Jackson area.

Plan to stay 2-3 days in the area, it can get very busy and hiking in the area can be taxing if you are not used to high elevation. If you stay a little further north you can stay in one spot and potentially visit both Yellowstone and Grand Tetons from the one launch location. Remember that each park will require seperate entrance passes, unless you invest in the America the Beautiful Pass which allows access to all National Parks and lands for a full calendar year.

Once you have spent your time exploring the Grand Tetons, your next stop is Yellowstone. The drive from Grand Tetons Visitor Center to Old Faithful is just under two hours.

Yellowstone Itinerary

You are now on your way to Yellowstone road trip, explorer status is triggered. You can do this! On the way you will pass the Continental Divide (on this road trip you will pass this a lot) but if you have the time stop and grab a photo. Pull off at any of the overlooks that speak to you, day one is about getting the lay of the land. You will spend 3-4 days here. So day one is all about just figuring out the major roads (this is pretty easy there are only 4) and navigating around. If you are moving to a new campsite, today would be the day to move in and get settled. A highlight for tonight would be to hit sunset at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, this is the perfect spot to enjoy the sunset over the canyon. You also will be more likely to see some wildlife in the early evening. We saw an elk and some bison right next to the walking paths.

Take your time and really enjoy all the park has to offer, but make sure to come very early so you can see Old Faithful first thing, before the crowds are so big, you can barely stand on the boardwalk surrounding the geyser.

No road trips to Yellowstone would be complete without seeing some of the amazing wildlife the park has to offer, early mornings and early evenings are the best times to spot the critters, but make sure to observe the speed limits so you don’t hit any of this wildlife while you are in their home.

If you are unsure about your Yellowstone trip planning, start with the epic and move your way down, Old Faithful hit early in the morning, Grand Prismatic Overlook is a must, also get there early parking can be a bear. (haha, see what I did there. On that note also be sure to look over the bear safety tips before traveling out west.)

Spend a day in the north side of the park, exploring the Mammoth Falls and the boiling river. If you still have more time, the best opportunities to see the wolves, (practice animal safety here people) is on the north east side of the park. It can be driven through and the loop is totally worth a day of your time.

Time to head out of Yellowstone and continue the drive north, this next leg is another 5 hour drive, but trust me it is totally worth it to get all the way to Helena Montana for dinner and hopefully a little exploring.

Things to do in Helena Montana

The National Park road trips continue to Helena Montana, and the opportunity to explore all the things to do in Helena MT. The first thing you must do is go explore the state capitol. It has an epic mural on the third floor dedicated to the women that helped to shape Montana and the Helena community. It is beautiful and a little unexpected beauty and inspiration in the lovely building. It is worth the hike up the wide staircase to see the inspiring murals in person.

Breweries in Helena MT are numerous, but can I recommend Ten Mile Creek Brewery in Last Chance Gulch. The area around the brewery is perfect for walking, and with plenty of restaurants and interesting shops you can easily spend a whole day just exploring this area.

The City of Helena is a really cool spot to break up the long drive to Glacier National Park, and with the food and drink options you will be glad you stopped. When you wake up early and refreshed you will be ready to head up to Glacier National Park, and the next leg of the drive is only a short 3 hours long. You can easily do some exploring once you get settled into your spot for the next 5 days.

How to get to Glacier National Park

You are asking how to get to Glacier National Park? From the south there are four major entrances to the park, but your best bet is to plan to get lodging in the park if at all possible. If you can’t do that the next best option is to stay as close to the park as you can.
The itinerary for Glacier National Park will greatly depend on where you stay, and how much time you have left for your exploring.

Day 1: Arrive and get settled, and then drive Going-On-The-Sun Road for sunset

Day 2: Wake up super early, and make the hike up to Grinnell Glacier

Day 3. Go take some time to explore Lake McDonald

Day 4. Morning drive on Going-On-The-Sun Road, pit stop for hikes (waterfalls) that catch your eye

You literally can’t go wrong with an of the many itineraries for Glacier National Park, but this is probably the perfect way way to explore one of the most beautiful parks. Although your Glacier National Park trip is wrapping up, I am hoping you will be back some day soon, because national parks road trips are the best.

The National Parks have been hit, but you need to make your way back to Salt Lake City to return the RV and fly back home right? So there are still a lot of fun things to see and do on your way.

Cherry Picking Farm

First up, is to hit a cherry farm along Flathead Lake, and compete with your family on who can fill the biggest basket of u pick cherries. This is best done starting in July the later in the month the better. You get to pick your own cherries at some of the cherry picking farms that are 100+ years old. Many are family run and make the perfect spot to get out of the RV and stretch your legs. U Pick Flathead Cherries is only a little over an hour south of West Glacier, but actual drive time will depend on where you end up staying in or near the park.

After this delicious pit stop, your road trip national parks adventure continues around Flathead Lake to The National Bison Preserve which is just one more hour south.

National Bison Preserve

The National Bison Preserve is the perfect spot to see as many bison as your heart can desire. They are most active in the morning and evening so mid- day isn’t the best time to be there but you will still see over 300 bison while you drive through the preserve. Your national parks road trip will continue to one of the most unique, and remote places on this list. The next leg of the drive is a little brutal, and you may want to find a spot along the way to stay for the night, we stayed in Hamilton Montana and parked the RV on some private land we were able to book online. It was on a horse farm so the kids woke up to the site of gorgeous mustangs looking for their breakfast!

Craters of the Moon

Craters of the Moon is on of the most unique places on this road trip to national parks. It almost looks like you have landed on the moon, and considering it is still an active lava field (though it is currently dormant) it could become active again at any time.

Many old movies were filmed there, to give them the out of this world feeling, and when you arrive you can totally embrace the other planet vibes. I seriously wanted to film a sci-fi movie, in my spare time.

There is camping available here and if you have a night and am to spend you should totally hit it up!

Shoshone Falls Park

Shoshone Falls Park is located in Idaho and is one of those amazing hidden gems that you must see to believe. It is the perfect last stop on this national park roadtrip because it an EPIC waterfall, seriously it is epic. It has a lovely park, that if you plan ahead you can pack a lunch and relax and enjoy the views.

There are also some walking paths to see the Shoshone falls from different angles. This feels like a short drive as it is just 2.5 hours south of the Craters of the Moon, but you still have a ways to go to get back to Salt Lake City. It is amazing that you are at the end of your trip, take a moment to reflect on literally how far you have come, and how much these experiences meant to you and your roadtrip buddies.

The 3 hour drive to Salt Lake City, will finish up your national park trips this time. You have made it, at 1600 miles roundtrip you have put some miles behind you. 3 National Parks is by far an achievement and you should be proud that you are undertaking this adventure. Have patience with each other, because it can be stressful, but in the end the memories made are completely worth it.

Time to go do whatever fills your cup!