Six Days, Four Parks, $600 Each: A Road Trip That Was Too Fast

In June, three friends and I drove from Wyoming to Seattle over six days, hitting four national parks: Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, and Mount Rainier. The total cost came to about $600 per person, including gas, campsites, and park entry. That sounds like a bargain. The experience was stunning. It also left me wishing we had slowed down.

Grand Teton was our first stop. We arrived late on a Tuesday, pitched tents in the dark, and woke to sunrise hitting the peaks. The Tetons rise sharply from the valley floor. A lake at the base mirrors them perfectly. We spent a day hiking and driving through the park. By evening, we were tired. We were also excited for Yellowstone.

The next morning we drove into Yellowstone. Geysers, hot springs, bison crossing the road – the park delivers a different kind of beauty. Crowds were thick even in June. The park is so large that quiet spots still exist. We spent two days there, covering Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, and a long hike in the Lamar Valley. The highlight was watching a grizzly dig for roots from a safe distance.

From Yellowstone we drove north to Glacier. That took most of a day. Glacier felt like a different world. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was still partially closed because of snow. We hiked the Avalanche Lake trail and saw waterfalls, wildflowers, and a mountain goat. The air was cold and clean. We camped just outside the park and cooked dinner over a fire.