It’s that time of year again.
Travel planning season!
I’ve learned to take a #wycwyc approach to travel. If I don’t then nothing gets planned and travel never happens. So I ponder locations for a bit. Do a little research here and there. Look at flight options at lunch. Day dream of destinations while procrastinating work. And slowly book parts of trips as I can fund them.
Last week I asked the 9 Year-Old where he would like to go next year.
He said, “Mom, I liked our California trip but….”
I was like, “Uh oh, here it comes. Does he already not want to travel with his naggy mom?!?”
“I REALLY liked the Utah trip better. Can we do something like that again?”
I smile big and said, “Of course!”
If you haven’t seen our video, this will give you the Utah trip overview even more so than the pictures.
Just thinking about that trip makes me smile. Watching the video, I get a tear.
So we looked at the map on the wall (I keep a fun US map hung up in the kitchen so I can teach the kids the states — soon it will be a world map, I just have to find a good one) and he blurts out,
“Wyoming!”
“Can we go to Wyoming?”
“Sounds good to me.” I said, and the researching began.
I’m seriously thinking of making this an adventure with both boys next August. My youngest will be 4 and a half. It sounds scary and exciting to travel with them alone but I think we can handle it. I love making this Mom-Son(s) travel tradition and I can’t wait for the three of us to share adventures together!
I can honestly say, besides Yellowstone, I know nothing of Wyoming. So if you have suggestions, advice, tips, or must-sees, please leave me a comment. I’d love incorporating your suggestions if I can!
Laurie
September 2, 2014Do Yellowstone!!! Honestly...one of the best kid friendly parks...tons of easy hikes, animals to look for gysers...its the best...and then drive to grand Teton, just south of Yellowstone. Stay in Canyon village..right in the middle of the park. Its shaped like a figure eight
Jessie
September 2, 2014I drove across country after college (in 1992) and spent time in the area, and we are planning a 2 week road trip of the area in 2017 to correspond with a solar eclipse. What we did in 1992: --The drive from Salt Lake City up to Utah was beautiful - we camped in north eastern Utah- one of the best camping on the trip --I can't remember if we actually stayed in Jackson Hole, or just drove through on the way to the Park. That drive was beautiful. --We camped for 3 nights in Yellowstone - I will admit the thought of bears scared me (the people next to us didn't listen to the rangers and left their cooler under their picnic table and a bear did get in it!) --After camping we stayed in a Dude Ranch outside of Cody. It was very small, but rustic and we got to go horseback riding. We went into Cody for the evening and went to a Rodeo which was so much fun --On our way to Cody we went on a "float trip" - ie no rapids, but very pretty --After Cody we gunned it for South Dakota --a long drive! And camped near Mt Rushmore. In 2017 I think we are planning on flying into Salt Lake City, driving south in Utah to see some of the parks, then heading into Colorado (where I have family), then back up into Wyoming for some site seeing (have to get back to a rodeo!) and then hope to rent a house near Jackson Hole which we will use as a home base to visit the park, go hiking etc. My kids will be 11 and 8 at the time. One of the hesitations I would have about bringing a 4.5 year old, is you will want to go horseback riding and it isn't like you are going to be walking around in a ring and the terrain isn't real flat, so would you feel comfortable (and would he even be allowed?) to be on his own horse while you were on your own horse.
sherijung
September 2, 2014Fort Bridger is also pretty cool for boys if you can fit it in. I wished we had stayed longer at Grand Tetons, but you can spend quite a bit of time at Yellowstone and still miss a bunch. My then teenage son bought a book about all the horrible ways to die at Yellowstone, so now I'm anxious just at the thought of your little guy running around the (boiling) hot springs, or getting too close to a buffalo (seriously, you can get crazy close). Check out the live cam at Old Faithful. In the winter, I watched a bunch of buffalo wandering by one afternoon, right in the area that is stuffed with people during the summer, which is very close to the main park lodge.
Caroline
September 3, 2014Wyoming is one of my favorite states. You are going to have an amazing time. I could talk at length about all that we love in Wyoming but I will attempt to keep this short. My blog has more specifics on what to do in Yellowstone and the Tetons as well as pictures. Yellowstone is a must. My daughter was five when we first visited Yellowstone and the Tetons and she had a blast. The only thing is there is a lot of walking, along boardwalks and up and down stairs. She spent a fair amount of time on my husband's shoulders. Yellowstone is really spread out so be prepared to do a lot of driving. I agree with Laurie, Canyon Village is a nice area. You'll want to stay in the park versus outside the park because of its size. Be sure to do the Junior Ranger program in each of the parks. Grand Teton is my favorite national park and I highly recommend visiting. The mountains are breathtaking. There are some easy hikes if you do take Little Bean and there's plenty to do if you don't want to hike. There is a running path in front of the Tetons and would make for an incredible walk/run with the boys. You can go rafting on the Snake River although I think this may take place in Jackson versus the Tetons or Yellowstone. We have not done it so I may be wrong. Jackson Hole is also a must stop. Their town square is great and you'll want the classic antler arch picture. There is a huge grassy area and we often grabbed ice cream and let the kids run around in the grass. This summer we stayed at the Snake River KOA just outside of Jackson and it was really nice. The Snow King Alpine Slide is so much fun. It's a little pricey but one of my kid's favorite activities in the area. The Bunnery, which is near the town square, has these amazing pancakes made with oats, millet and sunflower seeds. Love stopping there. This summer we drove through DuBois, WY on our way to the Tetons and the scenery is incredible. I have added this area to my list of places to explore during a future trip. DuBois is in the Wind River Valley and near the DuBois Badlands. This is also along the Centennial Scenic Byway which is a beautiful drive. Happy planning!!
Christine
September 3, 2014Yep, get to the Tetons and spend some time rafting or canoeing or something on the Snake River. Both your boys will have plenty to be excited about in Wyoming...
Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy
September 3, 2014When I was young we did a several-day "pack trip" from Jackson Hole and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life - riding horses, camping in the woods, and fishing :) I think he's close to the age I was then.
Mark
September 3, 2014In addition to the great scenery mentioned, Wyoming has some of the darkest night skies in the country. If you can time your trip for the period in between last quarter moon and just after new moon, that would be ideal. Go to the gray it black zones on this map and spend at least an hour or 2 one night: http://djlorenz.github.io/astronomy/lp2006/overlay/dark.html Also I can make an additional recommendation to see the total solar eclipse in 2017. I saw one near Munich in 1999. NOTHING can prepare you for how incredible the experience is. You like to travel, so you have no excuse. See www.eclipse2017.org for details (credit to Dan McGlaun for the site). Make sure you are within the path of totality!
Jill
September 3, 2014We went three years ago and drove through Beartooth Pass ( which has been called the prettiest road in America) to Yellowstone where we spent 3 days - which wasn't enough to see and do everything we wanted. We stayed in West Yellowstone which was 30 minutes from the park and had very affordable lodging.( If you go to see Old Faithful be prepared to sit and wait for it to go off for 30 minutes to an hour so bring something to keep the boys from getting bored waiting.) Then we headed to the Grand Tetons staying in very expensive lodging in Jackson Hole. The highlight for me was a very easy float trip down the Snake River - just long enough to keep the kids attention and we saw some wildlife. Wyoming is a beautiful state with so many outdoorsy things to do I know you will love it!
Karen
September 25, 2014I have lived in Wyoming pretty much my whole life and there are beautiful things to see and interesting things to do in many areas of the state, but based on the idea of you taking a vacation with your son Yellowstone/Jackson would have to be my suggestion for the best thing to do in Wyoming. But know that what you see experience in that area is vastly different then the rest of the state, do not paint the whole state with the same brush! We have done rafting in Jackson and it was a wonderful trip. There are numerous rafting companies in Jackson, we used Barker Ewing rafting for our trip and did their breakfast combo trip--you raft down the river, stop for a wonderful breakfast and then get back on the river for white water. They also have an overnight trip. We have visited Yellowstone many times but have never stayed in Yellowstone, we always stay in Cody. There is a wonderful lodge called Elephant Head Lodge that has cabins and horseback riding. Cody is also home to the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. I am poor at vacation planning, which is why I visit this site frequently, so I don't have any recommendations as to how to best organize your trip to see it all, but I would suggest that you include Jackson and Yellowstone for sure with perhaps a visit to Cody. In my honest opinion, I think your little guy may still be a bit to young to be able to enjoy the vacation in the way you and your older son could. I hope you have a great time visiting our state!
Linda Whittington
April 20, 2015Hi Roni I lived in Jackson Wyoming for 10 years and worked in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park with the Park Service for MANY Summers. . .so I know a lot about Wyoming. . .or at least the NW corner of the state. Yellowstone is amazing and the geysers etc. are awesome. But you HAVE to see Grand Teton National Park. Those mountains are incredible and you can hike, kayak, horse back ride etc. The town of Jackson aka Jackson Hole is a lot of fun too. There are around 10,000 people who live there, lots of shops and great restaurants. There is also whitewater rafting based out of the town of Jackson. You can also book a wildlife expedition tour. The wildlife is unreal, lots of big animals like moose, grizz and black bears, elk, bison. I worked for a company called "Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris" as a guide and our job was to take people into the park to look for wildlife. The owner, Jason Williams is so great and I HIGHLY recommend them if you're looking into doing something like that. Enjoy!! Wyoming is awesome!
Roni
April 21, 2015That's where we are going! We are doing 3 days with O.A.R.S.! I will check out the organization though!