Summer (June) trip to Yellowstone from Central Illinois
  Travel from central Illinois through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Spend five nights in Yellowstone National Park. Briefly visit also Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands.
   
  Short Summary.
  Day 1 Leave Illinois and drive to Lincoln, NE Lincoln, NE
  Day 2 Drive across Nebraska. Laramie, WY
  Day 3 Drive across Wyoming, and relax in hot springs in Thermopolis, WY Thermopolis, WY
  Day 4 Drive from Thermopolis to Yellowstone Lake Lake Yellowstone, WY
  Day 5 Southern Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful, WY
  Day 6 Day around Old Faithful. Hike among geysers Old Faithful, WY
  Day 7 Go to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Canyon Village, WY
  Day 8 Go to Mammoth Hot Springs Mammoth Hot Springs, WY
  Day 9 Mammoth Hot springs, then drive across Montana Hulett, WY
  Day 10 See Devils Tower and Mt Rushmore Wall, SD
  Day 11 See Badlands, and drive across SD and MN St Paul, MN
  Day 12 See St. Paul, MN, and spend an afternoon in Wisconsin Dells, then drive home Home
 

See our list of trips.

My Travel Resources Page

  Full Description
  Day 1 Friday

Depart on a Friday morning.
Drive to Hannibal, MO. Depart at 9:00 am.
Arrive in Hannibal at 11:00 a.m. and have lunch.
Leave Hannibal at 12:30 p.m.
Stop for a break at the Long Branch State Park Visitor Center near Macon, Missouri at 1:45 pm.
Leave Long Branch State Park at 2:15 p.m.
Stop to buy gas at the Mound City or Craig exits off I-59 northbound (340 miles from Springfield) around 5:00 p.m.
Arrive in Lincoln at about 6:45 p.m.

Stay for the night at New Victorian Suites (reviews) or Comfort Suites East (reviews)

Lincoln, NE
  Day 2 Saturday

On Saturday, depart Lincoln after lunch, at about 12:30 p.m.
Stop for gas and a rest in North Platte, Nebraska around 4:00 p.m.
Continue on from there at 5:00 p.m.
Arrive in Laramie at 7:45 p.m. (it would be 8:45 Central Time, but cross into Mountain Time and get an hour). Have a late dinner in Laramie

Stay for the night at the Motel 8 Laramie (reviews) or the Fairfield Inn & Suites (reviews).

Laramie, WY
  Day 3 Sunday

On Sunday hang out in Laramie until about 1:30 p.m.
Buy gas in Laramie before continuing.
Stop for a 30 minute rest in Lander, Wyoming around 5:00 p.m.
Arrive in Thermopolis at 7:00 p.m.
Dinner in Thermopolis. Play in hot springs pool.

Stay at a cabin at the Fountain of Youth RV Park (reviews) or the Best Western Plaza Hotel (reviews) in Thermopolis.

Thermopolis, WY
  Day 4 Monday On Monday, play in hot springs and hang out until after lunch. Perhaps see the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.
Buy gas in Thermopolis, and then leave at 1:30 p.m.
Drive to Cody, arriving at 3:00 p.m. stop briefly to buy gas again, and get food for a picnic dinner in Yellowstone, and then drive west to Yellowstone National Park.
Stay Monday night at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel (or a Lake Yellowstone Western Cabin with two queen beds).
Lake Yellowstone Hotel.
  Day 5 Tuesday Morning hike around Yellowstone Lake. Go up to see Mud Volcano.
Then back down to West Thumb.
Finally get to Old Faithful.
Stay Tuesday and Wednesday night at Old Faithful. Either at the Inn or in a Lodge Frontier Cabin.
Old Faithful Inn
  Day 6 Wednesday

Day around Old Faithful
See Midway Geyser basin, Fountain Paint Pot perhaps.

2nd night at Old Faithful Inn
  Day 7 Thursday Thursday, drive up to Monument Geyser basin, Steamboat Geyser, Norris Geyser basin, and then over to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Spend Thursday night at Grand Canyon Lodge (possibly at a frontier cabin).
Grand Canyon Lodge in Canyon Village, WY.
  Day 8 Friday

Grand Canyon and the northern part of the park in the morning, and then drive to Mammoth Hot Springs in the afternoon.
Spend the night at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

Mammoth Hot Springs.

  Day 9 Saturday Saturday Depart Mammoth Hot Springs at 1:00 p.m.
Stop in Big Timber, MT for gas and lunch at 2:30 p.m.
Depart Big Timber at 3:00 p.m.
Stop for gas and a stay for the night at Hulett, WY at 8:30 p.m.

Stay at the Best Western Devils Tower Inn (reviews) or the Hulett Motel (review)
Hulett, WY
  Day 10 Sunday

Morning to visit Devils Tower. Depart Devils Tower at noon.
Stop for lunch in Rapid City at 2:00 p.m.
Continue on to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial at 2:30 p.m., arriving there at 3:00 p.m.
Depart Mt Rushmore at 5:00 p.m.
Arrive at Wall, South Dakota at 7:30 p.m. Stop for dinner, gas, and stay for the night.
It would be 6:30, but we cross from mountain time to central time.

Stay at the Sunshine Inn (reviews) or the Days Inn in Wall (reviews).

Wall, SD
  Day 11 Monday

Morning in Badlands National Park.
Depart Badlands around 11:00 a.m.
Arrive in Mitchell, South Dakota at 2:30 p.m. Stop there for a rest.
Depart Mitchell at 3:00 and continue on to Sioux Falls, SD.
Get gas and dinner in Sioux Falls at 4:15.
Depart Sioux Falls at 4:45, and arrive in Saint Paul at 8:45 p.m.

Stay at the Holiday Inn St Paul Downtown (reviews)

Saint Paul, MN
  Day 12 Tuesday See something in St. Paul until 10:30 a.m.
Depart Saint Paul around 10:30 a.m., and get to Wisconsin Dells at 1:45 p.m.
Play in Wisconsin Dells until 6:00 p.m.
buy gas, and depart Wisconsin Dells at 6:30 p.m.
Arrive home in Springfield at 11:45 p.m.
Late night arrival home
 

Costs. (Day, expense, Cost in 2011 U.S. Dollars, Cost in percent of median year-round full-time income)
(Thus 1,080 Myrfti is 10.8% of a median year-round full-time American income, while 230 Myrfti is 2.3% of median year-round full-time income. To convert costs into current dollars, simply multiply the costs in the far right column times the current median year-round full-time American income, and you'll have an idea of current costs. Otherwise, use a Consumer Price Inflation adjustment to 2011 with the dollar figures. The resulting cost estimates should be similar, at least if travel costs and incomes have matched inflation).
The two-person prices assume an adult couple sharing a bed, and the four-person costs assume a family of four with two children aged between 12 and 17.

I used $49,500 as the median year-round full-time income as a match to the 2011 prices. That should be fairly close to the right number.

  Days 1-12 Gas for the trip. The total distance is 3,400 miles. I'll say that is $660 (car getting 20 mpg and gas costing $3.88 per gallon)

2 persons $660
4 persons $660

2 persons 163
4 persons 163
  Days 1-12 Wear and tear on a car and depreciation of a car. By my calculations, the non-gas costs in loss of value or wear and tear on a vehicle is about 20.5¢ per mile in 2011. Much of this cost is not realized until one sells the car or takes it in for maintenance at a date long after the trip.

2 persons $700
4 persons $700

2 persons 173
4 persons 173
  Days 1-11 Eleven Nights in hotels and cabins

Higher costs:
2 persons $1,730
4 persons $1,755

Lower costs:
2 persons $1,165
4 persons $1,300

Higher costs:
2 persons 349 Myrfti
4 persons 355 Myrfti

Lower costs:
2 persons 235 Myrfti
4 persons 263 Myrfti

  Days 1-12

Food for 12 days eating mostly in restaurants

At the high end, the meal budget is about $35-$39 per person per day.

At the low end, the meal budget is $26-$29 per person per day.

Higher costs:
2 persons $930
4 persons $1,690

Lower costs:
2 persons $700
4 persons $1,270

Higher costs:
2 persons 188 Myrfti
4 persons 341 Myrfti

Lower costs:
2 persons 141 Myrfti
4 persons 257 Myrfti

  Days 1-12 Costs for admissions and fees, and also shopping

2 persons $400
4 persons $725

2 persons 81 Myrfti
4 persons 147 Myrfti

  Total

Total Costs

For four persons, this trip would cost between 7.9% and 9.7% of the median year-round full-time income. For two persons the costs would be between 5.8% and 7.4%.

Higher costs:
2 persons $3,660
4 persons $4,770

Lower costs:
2 persons $2,865
4 persons $3,895

Higher costs:
2 persons 739 Myrfti
4 persons 964 Myrfti

Lower costs:
2 persons 579 Myrfti
4 persons 787 Myrfti

   

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), close to the median household income) might allocate money in this way each month:

Housing and utilities: 26.7% ($1320 per month)
All taxes: 16% ($790 per month)
Car expenses (gas, insurance, maintenance, purchasing): 12% ($595 per month)
Groceries, food, and household supplies: 10% ($495 per month)
Savings for a trip like this every year: 7.5% ($370 per month)
Savings for retirement: 5% ($250 per month)
Savings for children's college expenses: 5% ($250 per month)
Health insurance and health care expenses: 5% ($250 per month)
Savings for a bigger trip every three years: 4.5% ($220 per month)
Charitable giving: 2.3% ($114 per month)
Miscellaneous other expenses: 2% ($100 per month)
Clothing: 2% ($100 per month)
Other entertainment, Internet, cable television, movies, etc.: 2% ($100 per month)

 
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