Campervanning Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier

We rented a campervan and drove 2,236 miles over 7 days, through 4 states, and in 3 national parks.

June 19, 2022

Spending a week touring 3 national parks with my sister inside a 350-cubic-feet campervan was bound to be nothing but memorable.

Sights

Want our Glacier and Yellowstone trip plan? It's free! Just make a copy.

On the road

Our van

We rented our campervan through Native Campervans (their Salt Lake City location) and got upgraded to “The Biggie”, their swankiest model that everything we needed for a comfortable trip—including a mattress that was comfortable by mattress (let alone campervan mattress) standards.

Our meals

The Biggie had a built-in mini fridge, propane camp stove, and running sink that allowed us to eat some pretty fantastic fare on the road and while camping. We hit the grocery store before getting on the road and, with a couple grocery replenishes, didn’t eat out once. (Except for the Chick-fil-a at the start of the road trip but didn’t count because it’s tradition.)

Our views

While we spent a borderline uncomfortable amount of time on the road, driving over 2,200 miles from Utah to Idaho to Wyoming to Montana (and then back) let us see some stunning countrysides.

Yellowstone

The only reason our first national park's wild and varied landscape didn’t earn the spot of favorite this trip was the traffic.

At one point, we sat at a complete standstill for over 30 minutes, waiting for buffalo crossings. But all frustrations were forgotten when we saw baby buffalo romping along the roadside.

Springs and geysers

One of the wildest things about Yellowstone are the thermal features—hot springs, geysers, steam vents and mud pots—creating clouds that spot the landscape. Most had the unfortunate sulfuric smell, but were also a nice bit of warmth in the brisk weather.

Grand Prismatic Spring & Fountain Paint Pots geysers

Of the springs we saw, Grand Prismatic Spring was the most beautiful—with its crystalline, bright blue (and dangerously inviting) steaming waters surrounded by a ring of rusty orange sands that appeared to be leaking from the spring.

Old Faithful

Ultimately glad we waited the 30 minutes, seeing the geyser cutting through sky at a monumental height while buffalo roamed unimpressed nearby was a sight to remember.

Mammoth Hot Springs

The bone-white to rust-orange calcium formations of Mammoth Hot Springs looked like something from a different planet. It’s worth stopping by both the upper and lower springs to see different vantage points.

Even if you don’t stop for Mammoth Hot Springs, the northwestern part of Yellowstone is quite the scenic drive.

Hidden gem: Yellowstone Hot Springs

About 20 minutes outside of Yellowstone’s north entrance is Yellowstone Hot Springs, a relaxing set of hot, warm, and cold mineral pools set against an incredible backdrop of mountains.

Rivers and waterfalls

One of the many things I loved about Yellowstone was its varied terrain. Where one side had vibrant, other-worldly hot springs that clouded the landscape, other areas had pine-covered mountains cleaved by rushing rivers and waterfalls.

Yellowstone Falls and Grand Canyon

The North Rim Trail runs a little over a mile and a half (3.3 miles out and back) along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to Observation Point. A short walk in the opposite direction of the trailhead takes you to another observation walk with various views of Yellowstone Falls.

Fairy Falls

The trail to Fairy Falls (near the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook) is roughly 5.5 miles out and back, but absolutely worth the gossamer water floating over the rock face.

Gibbons Falls

Gibbons Falls is conveniently right off the main road. A paved trail lets you go about a mile down the path for better views.

Grand Teton

In between days at Yellowstone, we ventured a day trip to Grand Teton National Park and were awestruck by its suspiciously perfect mountains.

We spent the day kayaking Jackson Lake and cruising past—confirmed by the posse of roadside tourists and photographers—the rear end of a bear sauntering through a meadow.

Glacier

Lake McDonald

Lake McDonald was one site I was most excited about in Glacier—with its bottom of vibrant, colorful rocks and some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen reflecting a mountainous backdrop.

McDonald Creek

John’s Lake Loop is a 2.2 mile loop that goes around a quaint little lake and then along McDonald Creek which, in early June, was less a “creek” and more a raging river.

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake was by far one of the most beautiful lakes we’ve ever seen. With rivers running down snow-dusted and pine-speckled mountains into emerald waters, we’d make the 6.6-mile trek out and back again in a heartbeat.

St. Mary and Virginia Falls

For the most of our time in Glacier, we got clouds and rain—not so much that it kept us cooped up in the van, but enough to don the rain gear that we were glad to have near the rushing Virginia Falls.

St. Mary Lake

Just as we decided to leave early to dull the 10-hour drive back to Salt Lake City, the rain gave it a rest and the sun broke through to give us breathtaking views of the mountains (and one very sweet little rainbow).

Back on the road

Lava Lake

We broke up the drive back south with a hike to Lava Lake near Big Sky, Montana. After nearly 6 miles out and back, 1,600+ elevation gain, and incredible views of the hidden lake, we were satisfyingly wrecked for the long drive ahead.

Great Salt Lake

We spent the last night of our trip on the Great Salt Lake, which would have been lovely had it not been for the high winds that whipped sand across the barren beach.

But that added yet another memory to a trip we’ll never forget—one that inspires us to keep thinking about where to make our next memories.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse