(Monday, June 9th to Wednesday, June 18th, 2025) – What an amazing road trip, so many beautiful and wonderful sights – at times it was sensory overload! We were left (and remain) in awe of God’s creation. The road trip began on Monday, June 9th, as we left home and drove to Rapid City, South Dakota (about 10.5 hours of traveling). During our travels, we enjoyed listening to a very entertaining audiobook. In the late afternoon on Monday, June 9th, we settled into our room at the Comfort Inn & Suites Conference Center in Rapid City, our base for the next two nights.
(Tuesday, June 10th, 2025) – This morning, we met Jean and Jeff Johnson in Hill City, SD, for a ride on the 1880s train (from Hill City to Keystone and back). Jean and Jeff are friends who moved to Rapid City about four years ago. We also had lunch with them after the train ride at the Powder House Lodge restaurant in Keystone, SD. We enjoyed beautiful weather on this day, in the mid-80s and sunny.
Our next adventure included scenic drives along both the Iron Mountain Highway and the Needles Highway on our way to Lake Sylvan (located in Custer State Park). We stopped at a few places along each highway for some photo opportunities. On one of the stops, we could see a sideways peek of Mount Rushmore. We took a walk around Lake Sylvan, and then enjoyed a soft serve ice cream cone at the Lake Sylvan Store – Yum!
(Wednesday, June 11th, 2025) – Today was a travel day as we trekked from Rapid City, SD, to Cody, Wyoming. We continued to enjoy listening to the audiobook while driving through the Big Horn Mountains, taking in the beautiful scenery. We stopped for lunch at the Sagewood Cafe in Buffalo, WY, and were treated to one of the best BLT sandwiches we’ve ever had. We arrived in Cody, WY, late in the afternoon and checked into the Moose Creek Lodge for our one-night stay. It rained a bit that evening during our stay in Cody, one of only two days on the trip when we had rain. We ate supper at Wyo-Dough Pizza, located within the Cody Craft Brewery & had a delicious pizza.
(Thursday, June 12th, 2025) – We departed the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody, WY, in the morning and began the drive towards Yellowstone National Park. We began using our AudioGuide app when we entered the park boundaries and found it immediately to be a tremendous resource (and it was throughout the entire time within the park). Our initial “must-see” destination within the lower loop of Yellowstone was to visit the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone” – both the upper and lower falls. We followed the AudioGuide’s directions to several locations that offered visually stunning views of both falls, including Artist’s Point, Brink of the lower falls, Lookout Point, and Grand View Point. Before visiting the Upper and Lower falls, we stopped at an overlook of Yellowstone Lake, and a pullover to view mud volcano areas, including Dragon’s Mouth Spring (very smelly indeed!).
After the amazingly stunning views of both the Upper and Lower Falls, we stopped to view the Porcelain Basin, part of the Norris Geyser Basin. The Emerald Spring was in this area, as well as the Congress Pool, Sunday Geyser, and Hurricane Vent. Emerald Spring is a 27-foot-deep pool that is lined with sulfur deposits. The yellow color from the sulfur combines with reflected blue light, making the hot spring appear a magnificent emerald green color.
We concluded our first day at Yellowstone by watching Old Faithful erupt at about 7:55 p.m. (after checking into the Old Faithful Snow Lodge). We arrived at the viewing platform in plenty of time and had a seat in the front row. There were over a hundred or so gathered to watch, and at the conclusion, there was applause; it sort of reminded us of being at a fireworks show. We dined at the Obsidian Dining Room in the Snow Lodge before watching the Old Faithful show. We ordered and split two menu items: the Fried Potato, leek and mushroom ravioli, and the Idaho Red Trout with fire-roasted artichoke, snap peas, onions & lemon sauce. It was a delicious meal!
The room at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge was nice, but it lacked basic amenities such as air conditioning, a television, a refrigerator, or a microwave. We really only missed the air-conditioning as it was quite warm in the room. Additionally, cell phone service was limited or non-existent in this area. We were essentially “off the grid” for about 36 hours. Across the parking lot from the Snow Lodge stands the historic and iconic Old Faithful Inn, which was opened in 1904. The interior contains four stories of balconies, but only two are open to the public. With its log and limb lobby and massive stone fireplace, the inn is an example of the “Golden Age” of rustic resort architecture. The structure is the largest log hotel in the world.
(Friday, June 13th, 2025) – My morning walk brought me to Old Faithful for the predicted 5:50 a.m. eruption. This morning was a crisp 40 degrees and sunny, and only about 10 or 12 others were at the Old Faithful viewing platform with me (compared to hundreds that gathered here the prior evening). As I was keeping a watchful eye on Old Faithful, my peripheral vision noticed something large moving slowly along the perimeter of the viewing platform. I turned to see a bison taking a leisurely stroll around the platform in the direction of the Old Faithful Lodge. Hardly anyone noticed it, and one family, with their attention focused on Old Faithful, didn’t even see it as it passed behind them, no more than 20 feet away. It seemed surreal at the time, but this likely happens all the time here – haha!
Today’s adventures in Yellowstone included a visit to the Midway Geyser Basin to see the Grand Prismatic Spring. The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest and one of the most brilliantly colored hot springs in the park. We walked together along the boardwalk around it. With the steam rising above the spring and the ground level proximity, it was difficult to get a good look at it. We heard about a viewing platform that would provide a better look at the Grand Prismatic Spring, a short hike from the Fairy Falls Trailhead, so we headed there next. The hike to the overlook was about 30 minutes each way, and parts of the trail were very steep. The overlook provided a spectacular view of the Grand Prismatic Spring, and there were a couple of bison sightings along the way.
We continued our journey around the Lower Loop towards the West Thumb/Grant Village area, with narration by the Audio Guide, and made stops at Kepler Cascades (waterfalls) and the Continental Divide. In searching for the Lake Yellowstone Restaurant (which we found out didn’t open until 5 p.m.) we encountered a large elk along the edge of the road. We ended up having lunch at the Grant Village Restaurant and were seated at a table overlooking Lake Yellowstone. I ordered the Montana Wagyu Beef burger, and Linda had a cod fish sandwich. Wagyu beef cattle are from Japan, and the burger tasted very good.
The remainder of the day, our adventure shifted to traveling to Grand Teton National Park, located to the south of Yellowstone N.P. The initial view that we had of the Teton Mountains at Jackson Lake was visually stunning/magical – what a beautiful landscape! We stopped along a pullout for some photos, and then continued on to Jackson Lake Lodge, where we went in and found another amazing view of the Tetons.
As we continued south along Highway 89 towards Jackson, WY, we encountered a herd of bison just off the east side of the road, and then crossing the road at one point.
The next stop along the adventure was at the Snake River Lookout, the iconic view of the Grand Tetons originally made famous by legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams.
The Audio Guide directed us next to Antelope Flats Road, where the T.A. Moulton Barn is located. The Thomas Alva (T.A.) Moulton Barn is an iconic structure built along Mormon Row in 1908 (by both he and his brother John). The barn, with the Teton Range in the background, is one of the most photographed locations in the Jackson Hole valley.
“Jackson Hole” refers to the entire valley area that is surrounded by mountains on three sides. “Jackson” is the town that is located at the south end of the Jackson Hole valley. We arrived at our home for the next three nights – The Elk Refuge Inn, and checked in late in the afternoon. The Elk Refuge Inn is located along Highway 89 just north of the town of Jackson, and our balcony overlooked the Elk Refuge. The layout of the room (#205) was great, featuring a king-sized bed and a table with chairs positioned so that we could look out at the beautiful scenery of the Elk Refuge from the balcony. It suited us perfectly! The Inn also had a nice laundry room that we used during our stay. What an amazing day it was, filled with so much beauty, joy, and wonder! The weather was also beautiful today, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s.
(Saturday, June 14th, 2025) – Today’s plans included a trip into Jackson in the morning to see some sights, and then in the afternoon, a raft ride on the Snake River. We parked at the Jackson Hole Visitor Center’s free parking lot, located north of the town square in Jackson, and then walked to the town square to take a photo of the iconic elk antlers for which the town of Jackson is famous. We came across a peaceful protest taking place along the streets of Jackson, where protesters had creative posters and chanted “No Kings, No Kings, …” On our way out of town, we stopped at the National Elk Refuge sign, located just north of the town of Jackson, for a quick photo opportunity.
The next adventure on this day turned out to be our favorite experience of the entire trip – a raft ride in the Snake River. We drove early afternoon to Moose, WY, where we met our guide, Sam, who took us on a 10-mile raft ride. There were a total of four couples and the guide on the raft, and the raft was put in the Snake River at the Deadman’s Bar launch. The beauty of the scenery while floating down the Snake River was magnificent and stunning! It seemed that we experienced the Tetons in a new way over and over, with the scenery changing in every turn and bend in the river. We saw a moose in the river ahead of us that went into the woods as we traveled down the river. We also saw a mule deer in the river. We were on the river in the raft for about an hour and 45 minutes, and it was magical!
We ended this magnificent and memorable day by dining in Jackson at Sidewinders, a family grill & sports bar. It was very tasty, and we then retired to our wonderful accommodations at the Elk Refuge Inn.
(Sunday, June 15th, 2025) – Today was our last adventure day in Jackson Hole/Grand Teton National Park before heading home. This was our second favorite experience of the trip – an aerial tram ride to the top of Rendezvous Mountain at the Teton Village Ski area. At the top of the mountain, we found Corbett’s Cabin, a waffle cabin famous for its gourmet waffles, made at 10,000 feet. The waffles were super delicious, some say because of the elevation’s effect on the waffle batter. Hmm, not sure about that, but they were very yummy!
We took the aerial tram down the mountain and continued on with our adventure through the Grand Teton National Park. We stopped at various places that the Audio Guide suggested, and the gem of the visually stunning sights for the day was Jenny Lake, where we walked along a short trail along the shore of the lake.
This amazing day of adventure, fun, and wonder ended with a delicious wood-fired pizza at Hand Fire Pizza in Jackson, WY. This was the best-tasting pizza that we had on our trip, and it ranks up there with our all-time favorite Neapolitan-style pizza (Pompeii Pizza in Elk River, MN).
(Monday, June 16th, 2025) – Today began our slow-paced drive back home, with stops in the Badlands National Park and the Minuteman Missile Museum, located near Wall, South Dakota.
We traveled for about eight hours (400 miles) on Monday, from Jackson, WY, to Gillette, WY, where we landed for the night. We continued to enjoy the very entertaining audiobook during windshield time. We stopped for a late lunch meal in Casper, Wyoming, at a restaurant called “Sherrie’s Place,” which was a “hidden gem”. The restaurant wasn’t much to look at from the outside or inside, but the hamburger and fries were so good that it was absolutely 100% the best burger of the entire trip.
(Tuesday, June 17th, 2025) – After a brief overnight storm in Gillette, WY, only the second rain event of the entire trip, we headed out towards the next adventure – Badlands National Park & the Minuteman Missile Museum. We arrived about midday at the Badlands National Park and we entered through the westerly entrance, south of Wall, SD, and then took the loop road to the east. We stopped at many places along the route through the park to take in the magnificent alien-like landscape. It felt, at times, like we were in the set of a Star Trek episode – haha!
(Wednesday, June 18, 2025) – Today was the final leg of our journey home – we traveled 286 miles in 5 1/2 hours from Mitchell, SD, to home sweet home!
Trip statistics/data:
We traveled a total of 2609 miles on the trip over 10 days.
We purchased 84.6 gallons of fuel; with an average price of $3.34/gallon.
We averaged 28.8 miles per gallon (2025 Subaru Forester Sport).
Food reviews:
5 Stars rated:
Sagewood Cafe, Buffalo, WY (BLT)
Corbett’s Cabin, Top of Rendezvous Mountain, Teton Village, WY (gourmet waffles)
Hand Fire Pizza, Jackson, WY (wood fire pizza)
Best burger of the trip:
Sherrie’s Place, Casper, Wyoming (burger and fries)
It looks like you had a wonderful time! The scenery looks fantastic!
Love you and miss you!
Aunt Mary
Thanks Aunt Mary – love you!🥰