We had long drives in between Yellowstone and Glacier, so that meant spending money on motels twice, which I wasn’t thrilled about. Relying on first-come, first-serve campsites that fill up early in the day meant we had to stay within striking distance of campgrounds we wanted. We had maps and printed out emails with recommendations from a couple of friends, but otherwise, we were winging it. Not planning anything until you start driving works, but it might cost you. Now that I’m looking in the rearview mirror on this trip, I’m realizing that I learned a few lessons: 1. It was a unique experience-hard at times but worth it overall-that’s now just a collection of memories. But on the other, I see our two weeks as a family unit in a truck and in a tent as a time capsule. On the one hand, it’s nice to be home-back to our dog, our house, my garden, and our friends. I no longer smell like Deet and campfire smoke, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. We passed four-and-a-half days hiking and paddling through the expansive beauty of Glacier National Park, hit Yellowstone again on the way back down, and spent one final night in Grand Teton before heading home. We spent most of the first half of our trip in Grand Teton, followed by a night in Yellowstone and hours on the open roads of Montana. Get your family started with this story from the Backpacker archives.Īfter 2,000 road miles, three national parks, five campsites, and six junior ranger patches, we are finally back at home in Boulder, Colorado. Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+īrush up on backpacking basics with tips, tricks, and advice from Backpacker’s experts in Hiking 101.

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