How we took the plunge and started living the life we imagined
Next on our itinerary is Olympic National Park – mossy rain forest, high snowy peaks and drop-dead gorgeous coastline teaming with colorful sea life. This park has it all. We envision days of walking the beaches tide pooling, hiking through the mossy rain forests and enjoying the high views from Hurricane Ridge.
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Our next stop is a highlight of the Pacific Northwest: Mount Rainier and its iconic snow-covered peak, multitudes of wildflowers and breathtaking hikes. Friends from home are meeting us which adds to our anticipation.
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Up to the Pacific Northwest to North Cascades National Park. The snowcapped peaks, Douglas firs towering above, lots of green and moss. Glacier fed turquoise blue lakes and the stunning Washington Pass.
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In northwestern Montana on the Canadian border, Glacier National Park is renowned for pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hiker’s paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. It is also a place to experience bygone days with historic chalets, lodges, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. Wildlife sightings are all but guaranteed, so we are excited to see this park. Upon the recommendation of a ranger at Yellowstone, we are planning on camping at Two Medicine Campground in East Glacier, and it is a highly rated site. The only problem is that it is first-come, first-serve and high season, so we are a bit nervous as to how this will all turn out . . .
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Shooting geysers, bubbling and boiling springs, gurgling mud-pots, deep blue pools ringed in yellows and oranges. Weare onto Yellowstone National Park! We are sad to leave Grand Teton; we could have stayed there much longer, but it’s time to go to the park next door. We got a small taste of Yellowstone and its stunning beauty when we drove through on our way from Cody to Grand Teton but now we are here for our official visit! Yellowstone is on top on an active super volcano which is responsible for its spectacular hydrothermal features, including 60% of the world’s geysers.
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We are very excited for this stop – Grand Teton National Park. Dramatic mountain vistas, glistening blue alpine lakes, wildlife and spectacular hiking. We expect this stop to be one of the highlights of the trip and it doesn’t disappoint us!
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We leave Rapid City and drive to Badlands National Park. As we approach the park, the trees disappear and the landscape becomes more dramatic looking. More austere, more barren. Just grasslands and rock. As we drive into the park we feel as if we have landed on another planet.
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On to the Black Hills of South Dakota, south of Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We leave the grasslands behind and the road winds into the mountains – tall granite peaks covered with dark green pines. This stop is a whirlwind of national monuments and parks– Devil’s Tower, Jewel Cave, Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave. In addition, we want to see the towering Crazy Horse Memorial, the old west city of Deadwood and are hoping for some exciting wildlife viewing!
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Onward to Teddy Roosevelt National Park! We are really looking forward to this park – buffalo, prairie dogs and feral horses. Wildflowers and towering buttes in the badlands. There is the much visited South Unit and the more remote, less visited North Unit and we plan to visit both. Our first dry camping experience – this is going to be an adventure!
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We are now leaving the Great Lakes behind us. Our next stop is Voyageurs National Park, land of even bigger bugs and endless lakes, inland waterways and skinny pine forests.
We thought we had already experienced northern Minnesota during our adventures at our last stop (Grand Marais, Grand Portage and Isle Royale National Park), but for this stop we head even further north into Minnesota.