Hello, From Wyoming


Our family trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone started in 2020 when I tried to convince my parents to travel up there with their RV after going through our old stomping grounds in Colorado. I was quickly shut down because of the length of the trip we were already taking. I had done at least half of the planning already, so I was a little irritated, but in the end, we had a wonderful RV trip in 2021 where we visited the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, the Great Sand Dunes, Royal Gorge, Arches, Capital Reef, Escalante National Monument, and Bryce Canyon.


Once I convinced the whole crew again to revisit the idea of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, I barely had to plan. Everyone was on board for early Summer 2024, and off we went. My family flew into Jackson Hole, and we met my parents in their RV. I should have recognized the red flags at the beginning of the voyage, indicating this may have been a challenging trip.


As we tried to land the plane, seconds away from touchdown, our plane took a sharp turn into the sky, leaving many of us in the airplane with a sickening feeling. Everyone was confused and not feeling so hot. There had been some turbulence in the last 20 minutes as we began to descend and view the stunning Teton mountain range. However, I didn't believe this to be radically different than many of my plane rides from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas (the route we travel the most). Once that plane pulled up and people were riddled with anxiety, we heard several people grabbing the puke bags and throwing up. One terrible sound came from just a few rows behind us where a kid was violently gurgling puke into a bag! It took the plane an extra 30 minutes to turn around and try again. I got another opportunity to see the mountain range from up high again. I was praying we'd land this time, keep my turning stomach in check, and that I would not hear the sounds in the row behind me of my children hurling into a bag. We landed! A flight attendant immediately came on the intercom and told us how lucky we were that we touched down because they were about to divert our plane to Salt Lake City. Now, that would have been a disaster!


There are two types of people in this world when it comes to vacationing. The people who book the most leisurely and most relaxing accommodations in which they find a nice spot to lay down and read all day, and then there are those of us who live in a 25-foot-old RV with two elderly people, their overweight dog, a (practically) teenager, child, and spouse for two weeks straight. Our first RV adventure (and our most ambitious one) in 2019 was bumpy at times, but overall, we found it successful. We felt we learned a lot from our mistakes, and when we embarked in 2021 again, things went really well. Being seasoned, experienced RV travelers, I figured our 2024 trip would go just as smoothly, if not better, again! But I didn't factor in how my family is still so young and fresh. For us, almost nothing has happened in a few years. I feel the same at 30 as I do at 36, and honestly, I don't feel that much different than when I was 18 either. But a few years to someone in their 60's or 70's can be wildly dramatic. The vibe of our RV was challenging, to say the least. Nevertheless, our nuclear family of 4, plus my very active Mother, joined us on many hikes and outings. 

The Grand Tetons National Park


Our first full day at the Grand Tetons, we got up early (because we were still on East Coast time) and hiked to Taggert Lake. This was a nice start to our trip, and the kids did just fine. We were still in awe of the mountain range. We probably hit the Tetons and Yellowstone at the right time in early Summer. Some crowds were starting to come into the parks, but as long as we journeyed out early enough and planned in advance, we never dealt with parking a mile away from our destination or hoards of people in lines on the trails. We always saw that glimpse as we descended and left for the afternoon. I still cannot wrap my head around how people will try to go hiking in the middle of the day when it's the hottest and most crowded. Trust me, I'm no morning person, but I'd rather get up at 5 am than deal with an assembly line of strangers.


In the evening, we went out to a bunch of the lookouts and Mormon Row. Of course, we HAD to go to Mormon Row! It's one of the most popular photo spots, and I figured there'd be some fun and interesting history. There wasn't. This place was super underwhelming to everyone in our party. The overlooks we went to were much better. This may be unpopular, but you can skip Mormon Row.


Day two of Grand Tetons was all about Larrin and me. It wasn't intended to be, but it was our favorite part of the trip. The boat ride to the other side of Jenny Lake is stupidly expensive. We did it anyway because we didn't want to add on 4 additional miles. We hiked up to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Cascade Canyon to see how far we'd like to go. We saw many moose on this day.


On our last full day of the Tetons, we took our rental SUV, which was 4-wheeling up a bit rough-for-wear road, and hiked to the Phelps Lake overlook. Then we scrambled back to camp, where Larrin and I took off up North to Yellowstone, making a pit stop at Colter Bay to see Jackson Lake and do a small hike. We knew my parents would be so slow in the RV, so we took advantage. This massive lake reminded me of the Great Lakes, where you cannot see the end.


YellowStone National Park


In Yellowstone, we stayed at Grant Village Campground and Canyon Village Campground. Grant Village gave us the advantage of visiting West Thumb Geyser Basin very easily, about an hour from the Old Faithful area. Yellowstone is massive. So even though Old Faithful doesn't look too far away on the map, it is. Larrin and I got to experience Old Faithful three different times. The first was a magical evening alone when it was a lot less busy, the second time in the rain with the whole family, and the last time hiking up the mountain with the kids to see it blow from above.


The geysers around the Old Faithful area and the short drive up North were incredible. If there is one thing you must do at Yellowstone vs any other thing, it is to see the Grand Prismatic geyser. It might be the most unique and beautiful thing I have ever seen in nature. You must walk down below and hike up above to see it.


Popular places have such a bad reputation these days. I do not love crowds, but let us remind ourselves that popular things are usually popular for a reason. Did we experience crowds, parking issues where we turned away, or traffic jams? Yes, but to be fair, all the traffic jams were caused by the bison crossing the road and taking forever! For the most part, though, we avoided major heartache by being smart and doing things early or late, just like we did in the Grand Tetons. Yellowstone is so famous because it might be the best national park in the United States. I have not been to every national park or even half of them, but I have been to most of the biggest ones, and nothing compares to the huge variety of environments and landscapes in Yellowstone. This place is popular for a reason, from the canyons to the huge valleys of bison to the geyser basins that seem like a fantasy or sci-fi movie. Despite the popularity of humans driving and hiking all over, wildlife are everywhere. I've never been to a national park or any place in the mountains (and I've spent a lot of time in the wilderness in my life) that offered so many wildlife sightings.


After several days in the Grant Village area exploring the geysers down South, we headed North, where we encountered our first traffic jam and finally saw those famous bison. Our hour-and-a-half drive to the next campground turned into a three-hour trip. We were so stuck.


The Canyon Village area was different from our last. In this area, we got to experience many wildlife sightings, particularly bears and bison. The waterfalls and canyon were spectacular, and the valleys were breathtaking. My family wasn't super excited to drive to the Lamar Valley area, but they apologized to me afterward because it was one of the best things we did. On one of our last days in Yellowstone, we drove to Mammoth Springs in the morning.

Do's and Dont's


We left almost no area untouched in Yellowstone National Park, and I am so grateful we had the health, time, and financial means to make the trip to its full potential. There were substantial bumps in the road with getting along sometimes among our party, but these things can happen when spending 24/7 with people. I would do some things differently if we planned another large National Parks trip, but I have to be positive overall with how lucky we were to experience this. I hope our photos and videos are a tremendous gift to our children as they grow up and reflect on their childhood and time with us.



  • DO: Get out as early as possible
  • DO: Be mindful that the mosquitoes are big and bad out there so plan accordingly with the right clothing and bug spray in the evening
  • DO: Have a regular vehicle to get around the Tetons and Yellowstone. You do NOT want to be riding around in an RV. Preferably get something that can go off-road for some more special trails in the Grand Tetons area.
  • DO: Bring a bike if you are in the Tetons but don't bet on using it in Yellowstone. The Grand Tetons have a wonderful bike trail along the road and into the park. I wish we could have used our bikes there and it is a regret I have.
  • DO: Hike up Cascade Canyon in the Grand Tetons if your health allows it and do it in the morning. You will see several moose!
  • DO: Just take the Jenny Lake ferry. I know it's stupid expensive!
  • DO: Visit West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Geyser, and if you can also get up North check out, Yellowstone Canyon, and Lamar Valley in the evening.
  • DON'T: Please don't be an idiot and try to get close to the animals. Luckily, we didn't see anyone try to pet a bison but there were some dumb people getting too close to animals. Moose are one of the most dangerous animals out there and people were not being that cautious with them on the trails. All those animals in my pictures are with a 200-600mm camera lens. You honestly never have to get out of a vehicle for a bison. You will see them plenty up close in the comfort of your car, I promise.
  • DON'T: Have the same itinerary for the whole family if the age ranges from 9 years old to 73.
  • DON'T: If you are traveling with extended family I have decided after several trips it is best to have separate camping spots or hotel rooms so everyone can rest and sleep better.