| Eighteen day camping trip to cooler climates in the summer | |
| This is a two-week trip by rental car in which travellers visit great homes in England, mostly in rural areas. |
| Short Summary. |
| Day 1 | Drive to Mississippi Palisades. | Mississippi Palisades State Park, Savanna, IL | |
| Day 2 | Mississippi Palisades Waterloo Grotto of the Redemption |
Grotto of the Redemption Campground, West Bend, IA | |
| Day 3 | Grotto of the Redemption Saint Paul |
Saint Paul, MN | |
| Day 4 | Saint Paul Cathedral |
Saint Paul, MN | |
| Day 5 | Saint Paul Lake Itasca |
Lake Itasca State Park, MN | |
| Day 6 | Lake Itasca Source of the Mississippi |
Lake Itasca State Park, MN | |
| Day 7 | Northern Minnesota Winnipeg |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
| Day 8 | Manitoba Museum Royal Canadian Mint Manitoba Legislative Building Forks National Historic Site |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
| Day 9 | Manitoba Turtle Mountain Provincial Park |
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba | |
| Day 10 | Turtle Mountain Provincial Park Minot |
Medora, North Dakota | |
| Day 11 | Theodore Roosevelt National Park Rapid City Custer State Park |
Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota | |
| Day 12 | Custer State Park Wind Cave National Monument Jewel Cave National Monument Mt Rushmore National Memorial |
Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota | |
| Day 13 | Custer State Park Scottsbluff |
Scottsbluff, Nebraska | |
| Day 14 | Chimney Rock Rocky Mountain National Park |
Estes Park, CO, near Rocky Mountain National Park | |
| Day 15 | Rocky Mountain National Park | Estes Park, CO, near Rocky Mountain National Park | |
| Day 16 | Rocky Mountain National Park Denver Museum of Nature and Science Denver Zoo |
Colby, KS | |
| Day 17 | Sternberg Museum |
Ottawa State Fishing Lake, near Minneapolis, KS | |
| Day 18 | Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum |
home |
See another trip with camping in the north. See our list of trips. |
| Full Description |
| Day 1 | Friday | Depart home at noon. The drive to Mississippi Palisades State Park (215 miles) will take 4 hours of driving time. The fastest route goes through Peoria and Galesburg, and a stop at the Carl Sandburg Historic Site in Galesburg might be worthwhile. Assuming a 2 hour stop along the way, arrive at the state park at 6:00 p.m., and set up the tent for a night of camping. If not camping, stay at a cottage at Hickory Hideaway near the park. |
Mississippi Palisades State Park Campground | |
| Day 2 | Saturday | Stay at the Mississippi Palisades State Park until about noon, and then begin on the drive to West Bend, Iowa. The drive is 280 miles, and will require about 5 hours and 15 minutes. The route passes through Waterloo, Iowa. It might be worthwhile to stop for a few hours there, perhaps to see the Grout Museums. Assuming three hours of stopping for food and attractions, the arrival at the Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend will be around 8:15 p.m., just at sunset. This will allow time to set up the tent just as the day is darkening into night. If not camping, stay at the Park View Inn & Suites. |
Campground at the Grotto of the Redemption | |
| Day 3 | Sunday | Spend the morning admiring the Grotto of the Redemption. The drive from West Bend, Iowa to Saint Paul is about 200 miles, and will take 3 hours and 30 minutes. With a one hour stop for a break along the way, it will be possible to check in at the Holiday Inn at 4:30 p.m. | Stay at the Holiday Inn St Paul Downtown (reviews) | |
| Day 4 | Monday | A day in Saint Paul. One should visit the Cathedral, the State Capitol, the Como Zoo & Conservatory, and the Ordway Japanese Garden (all four attractions are free or only need a small donation) | 2nd night at the Holiday Inn St Paul Downtown (reviews) |
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| Day 5 | Tuesday | The drive from Saint Paul to Itasca State Park (240 miles) will require about four hours. A departure from Saint Paul at 1:00 will allow a 5:00 p.m. arrival at the state park, time to set up the tent and cook dinner. If not camping, stay in Douglas Lodge in the state park. |
1st night at Bear Paw or Pine Ridge campgrounds in Lake Itasca State Park. | |
| Day 6 | Wednesday | A day around Lake Itasca. Hiking, swimming, and generally enjoying the outdoors. | 2nd night camping at Lake Itasca State Park. | |
| Day 7 | Thursday | The drive from Lake Itasca to Winnipeg will require about 5 hours of driving time (about 240 miles). A departure from the state park at noon will allow an arrival in Winnipeg at 6:00 p.m., assuming a one-hour stop along the way for a break (at Saint Malo Provincial Park or Lake Bronson State Park). | 1st night in Beechmount Bed and Breakfast in Winnipeg |
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| Day 8 | Friday | Spend a day in Winnipeg. Visit the Manitoba Museum. See the Forks National Historic Site, the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg, or the Manitoba Legislative Building. Spend the night at the Beechmount Bed and Breakfast (reviews) in Winnipeg. |
2nd night in Beechmount Bed and Breakfast in Winnipeg |
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| Day 9 | Saturday | After a morning in Winnipeg, and lunch, depart at 12:30 p.m. on the Trans Canada Highway and drive to Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. Thisis a 200 mile drive, and will take about 4 hours and 30 minutes to drive. Arrive at 5:00 p.m. and set up the tent and spend one night at Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. If you do this trip without camping, reserve the straw bale house at Room to Grow Guesthouse. |
One night camping in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park | |
| Day 10 | Sunday | Depart Turtle Mountain Provincial Park around 11:00 a.m., and drive south into North Dakota. The drive to Medora, ND (335 miles) will require about 6 hours and 15 minutes. Two good spots to stop along the way are Minot, ND and Little Missouri State Park. Assuming an hour of time for breaks and subtracting an hour for the time zone change to Mountain Time, arrive in Medora by 5:30 p.m. Spend the night in Medora at the Rough Riders Hotel (reviews) | One night in the Rough Rider Hotel in Medora, ND |
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| Day 11 | Monday | Spend the morning in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The drive to Custer State Park (285 miles) will take about 5 hours and 30 minutes. With a one-hour stop for dinner in Rapid City, arrival at Custer State Park will be around 6:30 p.m., giving time to set up the tent for a couple nights of camping. If not camping, stay at one of the lodges at Custer State Park Resort. |
1st night at Grace Coolidge Campground, Custer State Park, SD |
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| Day 12 | Tuesday | With Custer State Park as the home base, visit Wind Cave National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Mt Rushmore National Memorial. | 2nd night camping in Custer State Park | |
| Day 13 | Wednesday | Departing Custer State Park at 1:00 p.m., it is a 3 hour and 30 minute drive (175 miles) south to Scottsbluff. Arriving there at 4:30 p.m., there is time to check into the Super 8 Motel in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. There will be time to hike around Scottsbluff until sunset. | One night in the Scottsbluff Super 8 Motel in Nebraska |
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| Day 14 | Thursday | Leaving Scottsbluff in the morning around 10:00 a.m., and drive out to Chimney Rock for a look at it. It is a 5 hour drive (250 miles) from Chimney Rock to Winding River campground (on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park). Set up the tent to stay at Winding River (reviews). Assuming a 11:30 a.m. departure from Chimney Rock, and three hours of time to stop in Rocky Mountain National Park to see the visitors center and take short hikes, you should arrive at 7:30 p.m. to set up the tent. If not camping, stay in The Bunkhouse cabin Winding River. |
1st night at the Winding River Campground near Rocky Mountain National Park. | |
| Day 15 | Friday | A day to enjoy Rocky Mountain National Park. | 2nd night camping at the Winding River Campground | |
| Day 16 | Saturday | Depart the campground at Winding River at 10:00 a.m., and arrive at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science around 12:30 p.m., and stay there for a few hours, going from there to the Denver Zoo (walking distance) around 3:30 p.m. The zoo's grounds close at 6:00 p.m. From the zoo it is a 230 mile (3 hour 40 minutes) drive to Colby, Kansas. Arrive there at 10:40 p.m. (adding an extra hour because of crossing to Central Time). Spend the night in the Super 8 Motel in Colby (reviews). | One night in the Super 8 Motel in Colby, Kansas | |
| Day 17 | Sunday | Depart Colby at 10:00 a.m. and drive east toward Hays, Kansas. Visit the Sternberg Museum in Hays. Drive on to Rock City near Minneapolis, Kansas. Just about 12 miles east of Minneapolis is the Ottawa State Fishing Lake, where there is a cabin. Camp (using sleeping bags) in the cabin. If not camping, spend the night in Abbi Bed and Breakfast in Abilene. |
One night in a cabin in Ottawa State Fishing Lake, near Minneapolis, Kansas | |
| Day 18 | Monday | Depart the cabin around 9:00 a.m., and drive about 40 miles to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, arriving there at 10:00 a.m. Stay in Abilene for a few hours and have lunch there. From Abilene it is about 460 miles to drive home (about 7 hours and 40 minute). Assuming a 2:00 p.m. departure from Abilene, and two stops of one hour along the way, arrive back at 11:40 p.m. | home |
Costs. (Day, expense, Cost in 2011 U.S. Dollars, Cost in percent of median year-round full-time income) |
| Days 1-18 | This trip will be a trip over 3,560 miles of road, and with an assumption that a car gets 20 mpg and gas costs an average of $3.89, the fuel cost for driving will beabout $690. | 2 persons $690 |
2 persons 116 4 persons 116 |
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| Days 1-18 | Lodging expenses, including park admissions at parks where camping. Without camping the lodging costs increase by $1,212 for 4, and about $1,150 for 2 persons, using the options given in the plan. |
2 persons $1,161 |
2 persons 195 4 persons 229 |
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| Day 1-18 | Food costs, This plan assumes most food is purchased at grocery stores and eaten as picnic or self-catered meals. Restaurant meals are few, and would generally be cheap fast-food. In general, the average cost per person per day is between $14 and $15. |
2 persons $540 |
2 persons 91 4 persons 182 |
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| Days 1-18 | Costs for admissions, entrance fees, shopping, parking, tolls, and so forth. | 2 persons $320 |
2 persons 54 4 persons 96 |
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| Total | Total expenses for the whole trip For a family of four, this trip will cost about 6.2% of a median year-round full-time worker’s salary. For two persons the trip will cost about 4.6% (assuming you bring tent, sleeping bags, and go camping nine nights and stay in the fishing cabin one night). |
2 persons $2,715 without camping 2 persons $3,865 |
2 persons 456 without camping 2 persons 701 |
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To afford a vacation like this every year, a typical family budget for a family earning 120% of the median year-round full-time income ($59,400 would be 120% of about the median income of $49,500 in 2011), might allocate money in this way each month: Housing and utilities: 27.7% ($1370 per month)
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