The Great American Road Trip Challenge~4.5 years · 48 states · one loop
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Leg 10 · Summer

The Northern Rockies

Geyser basin under the peaks

The Northern Rockies

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Tap a pin to open that stop's first day · numbers follow the driving order

Through Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming: Coeur d'Alene and Boise, the lava of Craters of the Moon, Sun Valley, and Missoula; Glacier's Crown of the Continent and the Montana capitals of Helena and Bozeman; then Yellowstone and the Tetons, Buffalo Bill's Cody, the battlefield at Little Bighorn, Devils Tower, and the Old West capital at Cheyenne.

Alpine blue and glacier grey

Time it right

Summer is the window here — Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road and Yellowstone's high roads are only fully open from roughly July into September, and the valleys are best for wildlife at dawn. Cody's nightly rodeo runs all summer; Cheyenne Frontier Days is late July.

14

Stops

38

Days

32

Things to do

3

States

Jump to a day

517Lake & Falls518Long haul to Boise519Capital & Greenbelt520Foothills & History521East to the lava522The Lava Fields523North to Sun Valley524Bald Mountain & Ketchum525North to Montana526River & Smokejumpers527North to Glacier528Going-to-the-Sun Road529Many Glacier530Lakes & Boats531Free Day532South to Helena533Capital & Gold Gulch534South to Bozeman535Dinosaurs & Downtown536South to Yellowstone537Old Faithful538Rainbow Springs539Canyon & Wildlife540Lamar & Mammoth541Free Day542South to the Tetons543The Range & the Barns544River & Wildlife545Jackson546Northeast to Cody547Buffalo Bill & the Rodeo548Northeast to the battlefield549Last Stand Hill550South to Devils Tower551The Tower552South to the capital553Capital & Frontier554South to Colorado

Stops, in order

  1. Stop 1Spokane & Coeur d'AleneSpokane & Coeur d'Alene, IDDays 517–518

    A river-city and a jewel of a lake at the gateway to the northern Rockies — falls in the middle of downtown, and a resort town on the water.

  2. Stop 2BoiseBoise, IDDays 519–521

    Idaho's surprisingly hip capital — a geothermal statehouse, a green riverside path through the middle of town, and the largest Basque community in the country.

  3. Stop 3Craters of the MoonCraters of the Moon, IDDays 522–523

    A vast, otherworldly sea of black lava, cinder cones, and caves — so alien that Apollo astronauts trained here.

  4. Stop 4Sun ValleySun Valley, IDDays 524–525

    America's original destination ski resort in summer bloom — mountain trails, a charming town, and Hemingway's final home.

  5. Stop 5MissoulaMissoula, MTDays 526–527

    A laid-back university and river town in western Montana — a surf wave downtown, and the home base of the nation's smokejumpers.

  6. Stop 6Glacier National ParkGlacier National Park, MTDays 528–532

    The Crown of the Continent — knife-edge peaks, glacial lakes, and the incomparable Going-to-the-Sun Road, all still home to grizzlies and mountain goats. A full stay.

  7. Stop 7HelenaHelena, MTDays 533–534

    Montana's capital, born of a gold strike — a domed statehouse, a walkable gold-rush main street, and a soaring cathedral.

  8. Stop 8BozemanBozeman, MTDays 535–536

    A booming college town in the mountains with one of the great dinosaur museums in the world and hot springs all around — the northern gateway to Yellowstone.

  9. Stop 9Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park, WYDays 537–542

    The world's first national park, sitting on a supervolcano — geysers and rainbow springs, a golden canyon, and valleys teeming with bison, wolves, and bears. A big, unmissable stay.

  10. Stop 10Grand Teton & JacksonGrand Teton & Jackson, WYDays 543–546

    The most dramatic mountains in America — the Tetons rise straight off the valley floor above lakes, barns, and the winding Snake River, with the Old West town of Jackson at their feet.

  11. Stop 11CodyCody, WYDays 547–548

    Buffalo Bill's own town at Yellowstone's east gate — a superb five-in-one western museum and a rodeo every summer night.

  12. Stop 12Little Bighorn BattlefieldLittle Bighorn Battlefield, MTDays 549–550

    The windswept hills where Lakota and Cheyenne warriors defeated Custer's cavalry in 1876 — now a moving memorial to those who fell on both sides.

  13. Stop 13Devils TowerDevils Tower, WYDays 551–552

    America's first national monument — a colossal, fluted stone tower rising from the plains, sacred to Native nations and famous from 'Close Encounters.'

  14. Stop 14CheyenneCheyenne, WYDays 553–554

    Wyoming's capital and a living monument to the Old West and the railroad — home of the 'Daddy of 'em All' rodeo. The last stop before Colorado.