Wyoming

Hit the road by 6am and head to GRAND TETON NP - Head to Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center pick up your sticker and to get a park map. - 2.5hr drive from Lander OR - Jenny Lake Visitor Center which is 3hrs from Lander, further into the park, and closer to some of the interested hikes. No cost to get into the park since I have the America the Beautiful park pass.

BOOKED 7/22/22!!! Cost: $260 for 1 nights - $301.44 w/ taxes due at time of reservation Cancellation fee is 5% of deposit. Cancellation within 24 hours of arrival results in forfeiture of deposit. [ Google Review ] The cabin was super cute and spacey! A little high priced but it was nice to only be 20 minutes from the grand Tetons. There was a stove as well so that was nice! Check in was quick and easy as well as check out. Has a bar and a restaurant 17min drive to and from GRAND TETON National Park

Listed as a good spot for star gazing! https://townofdubois.org/facilities/facility/details/Dubois-Scenic-Overlook-21 [ Google Review ] A hidden gem. Amazing place for sunset. Great view of the badlands formations and mountains beyond. We came in October and though it was 37 degrees F outside and sunny, the wind was insane. We were freezing to the bone and our eyes started tearing up. Totally worth the view. When we went, we were the only ones there. It was nice to have the entire vista to ourselves. There is a dirt/gravel road the leads all the way up to the vista. We thought it was too steep for a car so we got out half way and walked the trail. Then we realized there indeed was a different road a car could go on. Driving is probably the better option. The walking trail was very steep and the fast cold wind can make breathing very hard.

Hit the road from Denver to Lander between 5-6am Arrive between 11-12pm

BOOKED on 7/22/21!!! Cost: $232.13 for one night 2 queen beds [ Google Review ] Came in rather late but Don at the front desk checked me in quickly and was very accommodating. A bit pricey but probably the nicest and newest in town. King size bed with plenty of huge soft pillows, the bed was comfortable. Nice modern room with a very large LG Smart TV and most regular cable channels. Very spacious shower with good water pressure and plenty of lavatory supplies. Forgot my toothbrush so Don got me what I needed, no charge. Full hot breakfast omelets, sausage, biscuits n gravy, hot n cold cereals, full assortment of pastries n breads, fresh fruit, and a fridge with assorted yogurt, milk and silk milk. Brilee was beyond helpful with a late check-out. Having a grocery store and gas station right next door is ideal.

Potential dinner spot if we find ourselves in Lander around dinner time. [ Google Review ] Great atmosphere, portions are not out of control like so many restaurants, actually had room for dessert. Good food, friendly staff. Only drawback I saw was the kitchen isn’t big enough to keep up when large numbers of orders come in at once. That being said, my wife and I enjoyed watching the chef work.

[ Google Review ] Lots of great baked goods! The coffee was not my favorite beans flavor. But I’ll be back for coconut cake.

Wake up early (6am) and drive to Yellowstone NP via the South entrance - Figure about 1.5hr drive - Look to go to Grant Visitor Center for the hikes you want to do. That is 35mins north of the South entrance. Spend the day hiking - Drive back to Togwotee Mountain Lodge to stay for the night [ Google Review ] This is such a beautiful place! We came and it was nice weather. We saw old faithful, and it happened 10 minutes after predicted though. It was pretty cool. But you mostly just saw the mist. I would still recommend going and seeing it erupt. Also, we went in early summer, and there were so many bison! They were everywhere! We also so a lot of cool hot springs that were very colorful! It wasn't too busy there. I think Yellowstone national park can be a good place to go for a vacation or if you live closer, just a weekend adventure! I think somebody could spend a week here and never get bored! They have nice hotels that you can stay at too. Note: May 13th is when Yellowstone's south entrance is scheduled to open for wheeled vehicles.That would save drive time between GRAND TETON NP and Yellowstone, for what seams to be about 3hrs. Google is showing me that it’s 11mins from GRAND TETON NP from the south entrance. That doesn’t include the 40mins it would take to get from the south entrance to Grant Visitor Center. https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm

Cost: $530.58 for 2 nights - queen size bed [ Google Review ] Ended up here when the flooding in Yellowstone changed our plans, and we're so glad we did! Dan was super friendly and made sure we had everything we needed, including some amazing suggestions for local food. We loved hanging out in the teepee in the evenings, and their dog Lizzie made it even more fun. Will definitely be staying again the next time we are in the area! 1hr drive to Grand Teton NP. Further north and more west from Togwatee Mountain Lodge