In August 2023, we took our second-ever two-week RV trip. We towed our 20-foot GeoPro travel trailer through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. This trip covered a lot of ground, and we saw some amazing, off-the-beaten-path places! In total, we visited five national parks and three national monuments. That doesn’t include several days spent in Sawtooth National Forest and a trip up to the top of Pikes Peak.
Click on a dot on the map or a heading below to read more about that destination!
Pikes Peak
Our first stop was Pikes Peak outside Colorado Springs, CO. We’ve been up Pikes Peak several times before, but this is a spot that doesn’t get old for me. It had been several years since we’d last been to the top of Pikes Peak. I was excited to return to one of my favorite vacation stops! Since we’d last been to the top, they had completely redone the visitor’s center, so although we’d visited before, it felt very new to us. On this trip, we drove our truck up the Pikes Peak highway. We’ve also taken the Cog Railway up the mountain previously.
Colorado National Monument
Between Pikes Peak and Colorado National Monument, we made a quick stop in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose, CO. We took a short hike out to a couple lookouts, but we didn’t want to venture too deep into the park while towing our camper. We’ve visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison on a previous trip, but it was great to see it again!
Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, CO was a completely new destination for us. We’d driven through Grand Junction before, but we hadn’t taken the time to visit the monument. It was a very unique stop. I associate red rocks with Utah more than Colorado, but this Colorado destination had plenty. We took a scenic drive on Rim Rock Drive, which passes all the way through the park. We also went for a short hike on the Coke Ovens trail.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is an underrated park for sure! You typically hear a lot about Utah national parks, but usually Arches and Zion are the major ones with Bryce and Canyons occasionally popping up in the mix. Capitol Reef was outstanding! It was beautiful, and best of all, it didn’t have the crazy crowds! We were able to see stone arches, hike through canyons, view petroglyphs, and eat delicious pies! I’d highly recommend stopping if you’re in the area.
We camped inside the park at Fruita Campground. This was in a great location for easy access to a lot of highlights within the park. We could walk to the Gifford House, which sold amazing pies. It was a short drive to Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash trailheads. We hiked both trails after arriving and setting up camp. It was also a short drive to Hickman Bridge trailhead and the petroglyph boardwalk, which we did the following morning. For more details about the campground, check out the blog post: Fruita Campground – Miles of Yellow Lines.
Great Basin National Park
Next stop was Great Basin National Park in Nevada. Great Basin was another seriously underrated national park! The only reason this park was on my radar was because I would see it on our national parks map that hangs in our house. It is a little ways off the beaten path, but it is so worth a visit! Great Basin has caves, mountains, lakes, Bristlecone Pines, and scenic drives. We enjoyed a cave tour and some beautiful hikes!
We began our visit with a ranger-led tour of Lehman Caves. This is the only way you can explore the caves. Then we traveled up to Wheeler Peak Campground to set up camp and do some hiking. We hiked the Alpine Lakes trail, finishing just before sunset. The next morning we hiked the Glacier Trail with a stop at Bristlecone Grove.
It didn’t take us long to decide that Wheeler Peak was our favorite campground to date. The views were amazing, it was within walking distance to many amazing trails, and many of the sites were generously spaced out. To read more about our time at the campground, check out the blog post: Wheeler Peak Campground – Miles of Yellow Lines.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Next, we were on to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. I was expecting this to be a quick drive-through to check out some lava rocks, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! We spent hours here hiking and exploring and we were able to do it all while towing our travel trailer. We hiked to the top of Inferno Cone, trekked Broken Top Loop, and we were able to explore the lava tubes!
The lava tubes were a highlight of our stop here. We were able to walk through a lava tube – entering at one end and leaving at another. Entering the lava tubes does require a free permit that we were able to obtain at the visitor’s center.
Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest was so beautiful! It had the feeling of a national park but without the national park crowds. On our first full day at Sawtooth, we hiked to Alpine Lake. We began from Redfish Lake Lodge Marina and took the hiker shuttle across the lake to the trailhead. The next day, we drove to a different trailhead location and hiked to Goat Lake. Both hikes were beautiful! There were amazing mountain views mixed with time spent walking through pine forests.
Because it was so hot during the afternoon hours on our visit, we also spent some time cooling off in Redfish Lake. The water is refreshingly cool and crystal-clear. There is a nice beach area near the lodge. We camped about 10 minutes away from the lodge at Sunny Gulch Campground – another favorite from the trip. Check out the Sunny Gulch blog post: Sunny Gulch Campground – Miles of Yellow Lines.
Beartooth Highway
After leaving Sawtooth, we were headed to Montana for a trip on the Beartooth Highway. We camped at Greenough Lake Campground just outside of Red Lodge, MT and drove the Beartooth Highway all the way into Yellowstone. The Beartooth Highway was a beautiful drive full of switchbacks and expansive views. We also drove through Lamar Valley in Yellowstone where we saw too many buffalo to count. Then we headed for Mt. Washburn and hiked to the top before making the return trip to our campground in Montana.
Devils Tower National Monument
On the way to Badlands National Park, we stopped at Devils Tower National Monument. It is such an interesting and unusual geological site. We hiked around the Tower Trail, which circles the tower. It’s surprising how different the tower can look from different angles.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
A trip through the Rapid City/Black Hills area of South Dakota wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Mount Rushmore. We’ve been here before and I’m sure we’ll be back again, but we always feel like it’s worth the stop. We enjoyed some ice cream while walking the Presidential Trail to see Mount Rushmore from various angels.
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park was our last major stop of the trip. We camped just outside the park and entered early to do some hiking before it got too warm. We hiked the Notch Trail and the Door Trail. Both trails are short but fun with challenges like climbing a little up a steep hill and searching for yellow post trail markers to follow the trail through the heart of the badlands. After hiking, we took a short scenic drive in the park before hitting the road for home.
