I have the following campground reservation
1. Jasper National Park - 2 nights @ Whistlers Campground
2. Banff National Park - 3 nights @ Tunnel Mountain Village 2
3. Glacier National Park - 3 nights @ St. Mary KOA
4. Yellowstone National Park - 3 nights @ West Yellowstone KOA
5. Mt Rushmore - 1 night @ Mt Rushmore KOA Pulmer Gulch
Day 1 MA to Youngstown, PA
We started our journey around 2pm. Traffic is pretty bad in MA on I-90 Masspike due to holiday traffic. Once we left MA, the traffic ease off. Drove 9 hrs to reach Youngstown PA. Stay overnight @ PA. During the journey, I received a news from a friends regards forest fire up in Canada. My original plan for day 2 is to reach Fargo, ND and cross into canada to Winnepeg. I cancel the reservation and try to stay away from crossing canada.
Day 1 Route
Our transportation vs 18 Wheels
Day 2 Youngstown PA to I-90, ND.
Leave early at 8am and head west. Original plan is no longer available. I just plan to drive and plan on-the-fly. Passing Chicago area around 2pm. Stuck in Traffic in Chicago for about 1+ hr. Once out of the city limit, the traffic ease off. At 9:00pm, we crossed from WI into MN. We stopped at Lakeland, MN due to firework display at St. Croix river. 30 mins firework show at the riverfront park. We continue to drive overnight trying to reach Fargo ND.
Day 2 Route
Entering WI.
Day 3 Fargo, ND to Lethbridge, AB
I rested about 1+ hrs in a rest area on I-90 after Fargo, ND. Wake up around 5am and continue our journey. Our first stop is Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Arrived NP around 9:30am. We drove around the south scenic route. Didn't get to see interesting wildlife except prairie dogs. We continue our journey north to Fort Union Trading Post. We stay at the trading post for 3 hrs (kids finishing the Junior Ranger program). Left around 4pm and I found myself on a gravel road (wrong turn). The weather is closing in. I can see thunder, lightning, strong wind and heavy rain on my left side. The road is bumpy and I can see dust blown toward me. Luckily, I managed to outrun the weather. I drive across Historic Route 2 (Lewis & Clark trail) in ND to MT. I encountered my first incident. The bumpy gravel road loosen my camper latch. The roof pop up and the canvas blown free. I stopped and fixed the problem. Same as previous, another storm heading on my current location. I quickly resolved the problem and try to outrun the storm again. Again, I'm lucky to outrun the storm. Our luck run out after we reach Shelby MT. My plan is to drive to my next destination, Lethbridge AB. On the way to the canada border, we got hit by a severe thunderstorm. Heavy hail coming down and forced me to stop on the highway. Poor visibility and Hail condition put a halt on us. About 5 mins of hailing, it turn heavy rain. I start to drive cautious and slowly (poor visibility) to the next exit. We hid our car under the highway overpass for about 30 mins. I reach the Canadian border about 9:00pm and continue our last 60 miles to our destination.
Day 3 route
Somewhere On I-90 ND.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Fort Union Trading Post
Nasty Storm
Sunset
Hailstorm on I-15 in MT
Day 4 Lethbridge AB to Jasper AB.
I needed a quiet rest. We start our journey a bit late at 10am. We reach Banff National Park about 1pm but I must continue the journey. Fuel up and continue the drive north over Canada Rt 1 and Icefield Parkway. We are all amazed by the view, turquoise lake/river and glacier on high mountain. Reach our campground at 8pm. Setup and we run out for some local sightseeing. We have a camp fire. We eat late and head to bed late. Even at 11pm, the sky is still bright. The night didn't turn dark till midnight. Before the light out, we went out to checkout the town. We went to the Jasper Tram, town of Jasper and also visit the Fairmont Jasper. On our way back to campground, we saw a herd of female elk near the town.
Day 4 route
Sunset @ Jasper
Jasper town view from Jasper tram base.
Day 5
Today, I woke up and saw the herd of female elk in our campground. After some hearty breakfast, we headed out to Jasper National Park visitor center located in the town. The kids planning to do Park Canada Xplorers activities. Next, we visited Maligne Canyon. We hiked an easy trail and continue to the next spot. We stopped by Medicine Lake before Maligne Lake. We packed lunch and have picnic at the lake. We also rented a kayak/canoe and have some fun at the lake. On our way, we saw some bighorn sheep. Spend the afternoon relaxing at the Maligne Lake till 5pm. We head out to Miette Hotsprings. On the way to hotsprings, we found a elk and a grizzly bear off the roadside. The trip to the hotspring really payoff. I'm totally relax dipping in the hotspring pool. We hang out till 9:30pm before heading back to our camper.
Female elk hanging out at the campground.
Bighorn Sheep
Grizzly Bear
Bull Elk
Jasper NP Information Center
Maligne Canyon
Medicine Lake
Maligne Lake
Day 6
Today, we need to pack up and head down to Banff National Park. On the way to Banff, we visited Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls & Columbia Icefield Center. We finally got the chance to enjoy the scenery on Icefield Parkway. The view was breathtaking all the way from Jasper to Banff. Arrived our campground, Tunnel Mountain Village 2, around 8pm. Settled down and cook dinner.
Day 6 Route
Athabasca Falls.
Sunwapta Falls.
Athabasca Glacier/Columbia Icefield Center
Mt. Athabasca
Tunnel Mtn Village 2 Campground
Day 7
It's a lazy day for us. We hang out at the town center and visit Cave & Basin, Banff Fairmont Hotel, Banff Park Museum & Banff NP Information Center. Our kids want to do the Park Canada Xplorer program. Then, we shop and eat around the town. During the evening time, we visit Banff Hotspring. Relaxing day ended with pool activities.
My morning view
My neighbor looking for food
Cave & Basin National Historic Site
The Fairmont Banff Spring
Day 8
We headed north to Lake Louise. Try to park at Lake Louise, but too crowded. Try to head to Moraine Lake, NP ranger close out the entrance. We left the area and head to Yoho National Park. We visited Takakkaw falls and had lunch near by the river. After lunch, we hike close to the falls. Next, we visited Emerald Lake. The lake water color is emerald. We rented a canoe and have some fun. We left around 4pm and head back to Lake Louise. The parking situation is much more better around this time. A short visit to the Lake and Fairmont Hotel. Next, we head to Moraine Lake. We hike up to a higher ground. From the peak overlooking the lake, I was able to capture some awesome pictures. Moraine Lake is the most beautiful lake. Stayed till around 10pm before heading back to Campground.
Yoho National Park - Takakkaw Falls
Canoeing with my 3 kids at Emerald Lake (Yoho National Park)
Banff National Park - Lake Loiuse
Banff National Park - Moraine Lake
Day 9
We are packing up our canadian stay and head back to US. Our next destination is St. Mary, MT. It's the east gateway to Glacier National Park. On our way, we stop by Calgary and visited the Winter Olympic Park. Then, we visited a WII canadian air force museum. Next destination is Waterton Lakes National Park, AB. We visited Prince of Wales Hotel. Our kids signup and work on their Park Canada Xplorer program. We crossed the international border at Chief Mountain Border on Rt 6/Rt 17. This is a small guarded border only available during the summer time. On our way to St. Mary, we saw a black bear roaming near roadside. We arrived my destination, St Mary KOA campground, around 8pm. Camper setup, dinner prep and laundry took the rest of the night. Kids hang out at the campground swimming pool.
Day 9 Route
Waterton Lakes National Park - Prince of Wales Hotel/Lodge
Waterton Lakes National Park
Large black bear on Rt17 (after the US border)
St. Mary KOA Campground
Day 10
We head out to Glacier NP St. Mary visitor center. Our kids try to complete the NP Junior Ranger program. From conversation with Park Ranger, we found out one ranger programs (this led to a lifetime experience). This is a star gazing program which show/study the Dark sky of MT. Next, we head out and drive up to Logan Pass through Going to the Sun Road. We stopped at Logan Pass visitor center and had our lunch. After lunch, we took a hike up the Hidden Lake trail. We didn't complete the hike due to bear activities around the area. We stopped around Hidden Lake Outlook area and turn back. During the hike, we saw a herd of mountain goat and a few Marmots. After visiting Logan Pass, we continue to drive to Lake McDonald. Around 8pm, we turned around and set our way back to St. Mary.
Glacier National Park St. Mary Entrance
Going to the sun road
Marmot @ Logan Pass
Mountain Goat @ Logan Pass
Day 11
Another late day start. After late breakfast, we head out to Many Glacier. At the Many Glacier lodge, we join a Ranger LED and tour the lodge. We learn about the lodge history. At the lodge, we had a late lunch at the lodge deck patio. We head back to campground around 6pm for dinner prep. After dinner, we joined the Ranger 9pm program (St. Mary Visitor Center) for some star gazing activities. The ranger show the kids the milky way and learn about the big MT dark sky. At around 10:30pm, the ranger got a message from his buddy. Apparently, there is a huge solar activities happening tonight. The ranger informed all the participant regards the possibility to have a glimpse to view the Northern Light. (Aurora Borealis) I'm luck out and found a lifetime opportunity. We decided to stay late. The experienced ranger show us the beauty of Northern Light. The sky start to change around 12am. With proper photography equipment, the ranger was able to capture the color shifting sky. During this trip, I purchased a DSLR camera. As a noob, I don't know how to take picture in Dark. With the help from the ranger, he guided me to use the setting. I'm able to capture some awesome picture of the Northern Light. We stay till around 2:30am before head back to the campground. This is not done and the sky still changing. I found myself with my DSLR camera again and start taking a few pics at the campground. I didn't slow down till 4:30am before a short rest.
Many Glacier - Swiftcurrent Lake
Northern Light (Aurora Borealis) - Taken at the St Mary Visitor Center Parking lot.
Northern Light (Aurora Borealis) - Taken at the St Mary KOA Campground.
Day 12
A long night. I got about 2 hrs rest before waking up for breakfast prep and packing. Our next stop is Helena MT visiting long time friends. This is the short 4 hrs trip. We arrived around 2pm and check-in our hotel. Meet up with friends for some kids bonding activities. Dinner and ice cream at the town.
Day 12 route
Day 13
After a quiet rest, I'm ready to head out to our next destination, West Yellowstone. We packed up food from the local Walmart before continue our journey. On our way, we stop by Lewis and Clark Cavern in Cardwell MT. Had picnic lunch at the picnic area. Joined a Cavern/cave tour for about 2 hrs. We arrived our destination, West Yellowstone KOA, around 6pm. Settled for dinner and call it a day.
Lewis & Clark Cavern
Day 14
Wake up with a buffalo roaming within the campground. Got a few pics. Today, we will be visiting Yellowstone NP. We visited several good spot in the NP. The traffic to/from Yellowstone sucks. Heavy traffic in/out of the loop way. This is due to the high volume of visitor within the Park. I'm only able to drive 2/3 of the south-side loop. We finally stop at our last stop where we can see the almighty Old Faithful Geyser.
Day 14 route
Buffalo @ KOA campground
Yellowstone Falls
Old Faithful Geyser
Day 15
Due to heavy traffic in Yellowstone NP, we detoured and head south to Teton area. We drove through MT to WY/ID. Along Rt 22 in ID, we passed Teton pass. From the pass, we decend to Jackson village area. We ride the gondola from Jackson Village to the summit. Picnic Lunch at the summit is different. After a short stay, we head to Jackson hole. Saw a wild west street performance and taste some ice cold treat at the town center. We continue our journey up north to Grand Teton National Park. Had a short stay at Grand Teton NP and continue our way back to West Yellowstone through Yellowstone NP.
Day 15 route
Jackson Pass
Jackson Village (ski area)
Lunch @ Jackson Hole summit
View from the summit
Jackson Hole town center
Day 16
We packed up early since we needed 9 hrs to travel from MT to SD. On our way to I-80, we pass by Big Sky Mtn ski area. Detour my route a bit and visit the ski area. We continue our journey to ND. Long travel day. We arrived our next destination, Mt Rushmore KOA, around 9:30pm. We call it a day.
Day 16 route
Day 17
Wake up 6am and get ready to head out to Mt. Rushmore. At 7:10am, we entered the parking lot for Mt. Rushmore. The kids is participate the NP Junior ranger program. We stayed till 9:15am. Head back to campsite and pack up. Head out the campground around 12pm. We head to Cluster State Park. At this state park, we saw herds & herds of buffalo. Then, we visited Wind Cave National Park. We signed up for Cave Tour. Cave Tour is about 2 hrs. Finished up all activities around 6pm and it's time to turn eastbound (2000 miles Journey). I drove overnight from SD to IL.
Mt Rushmore
Buffalo herd at Custer State Park
Leaving SD for 2000 miles journey home
Final 2000 miles route
Day 18
Eastbound from IL to NY. Have about 1 hrs rest at the rest area in IL.
Day 19
Burn some midnight oil again. Stop at a rest area in Buffalo NY area. Arrived home around 11am.
Total miles driven : 7626.7 miles
Average MPG : 18.1 mpg
Gas price varies between $3.09 (chicago) to $2.19 per gallon in US. Canada is C$1.09 to C$1.39 per litre.
Total fuel cost for the camping trip (driven 7626 miles) = $1200.10.
Tolls = ~$120
| 2 week crosscountry trip | ||||||
| Day | Date | accomodation | cost | Location | Note | |
| 0.5 | thurs | 2-Jul | motel | $ 125.62 | Youngstown, OH | Hilton |
| 1 | fri | 3-Jul | motel | travel | ||
| 2 | sat | 4-Jul | motel | $ 109.00 | Lethbridge, AB | Hilton |
| 3 | sun | 5-Jul | camping | $ 43.70 | Jasper National Park | Whistlers Campground |
| 4 | mon | 6-Jul | camping | $ 43.70 | Jasper National Park | Whistlers Campground |
| 5 | tue | 7-Jul | camping | $ 43.40 | Banff National Park | Tunnel Mountain - Village 2 |
| 6 | wed | 8-Jul | camping | $ 43.40 | Banff National Park | Tunnel Mountain - Village 2 |
| 7 | thurs | 9-Jul | camping | $ 43.40 | Banff National Park | Tunnel Mountain - Village 2 |
| 8 | fri | 10-Jul | camping | $ 60.00 | Glacier National Park | St. Mary / East Glacier KOA |
| 9 | sat | 11-Jul | camping | $ 60.00 | Glacier National Park | St. Mary / East Glacier KOA |
| 10 | sun | 12-Jul | camping | $ 60.00 | Glacier National Park | St. Mary / East Glacier KOA |
| 11 | mon | 13-Jul | motel | $ 165.78 | Helena | Hilton |
| 12 | tue | 14-Jul | camping | $ 76.00 | Yellowstone National Park | Yellowstone Park / West Entrance KOA |
| 13 | wed | 15-Jul | camping | $ 76.00 | Yellowstone National Park | Yellowstone Park / West Entrance KOA |
| 14 | thurs | 16-Jul | camping | $ 76.00 | Yellowstone National Park | Yellowstone Park / West Entrance KOA |
| 15 | fri | 17-Jul | camping | $ 62.30 | Mt Rushmore | Mt Rushmore KOA |
| 16 | sat | 18-Jul | motel | $ - | travel | |
| 17 | sun | 19-Jul | motel | travel | ||
| mon | 20-Jul | motel | travel |
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