Summer Trip 2026
Everything to book, pack, and prepare before June 5
| Leg | Date | Route | Flight | Depart | Arrive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 5 (Fri) | SFO → CMH | UA 2376 | 9:23 PM | 5:15 AM+1 |
| 2 | Jun 8 (Mon) | CMH → DEN → RAP | UA 728 / 1623 | 9:10 AM | 12:29 PM |
| 3 | Jun 15 (Mon) | JAC → DEN → IAD | UA 2642 / 2477 | 4:23 PM | 12:45 AM+1 |
| 4 | Jun 18 (Thu) | IAD → SFO | UA 2862 | 2:51 PM | 5:38 PM |
Travelers: Anant, Noopur, Yashveer, Yuvraj. All United Economy, Asian Vegetarian meals.
Kids' cousin's birthday celebration
Final packing for trip
Head to SFO
Flight departs SFO → Columbus (red-eye, kids sleep on plane)
Arrive CMH 5:15 AM Saturday. Friend picks you up. Low-key weekend to recover.
Relax, recover from red-eye
Hang out with friend and family
Kids play
Land at Rapid City (RAP)
Pick up rental car — Avis, #14594074US5, RAP airport
Stop at grocery store — pack lunch/snacks for Badlands (limited food in the park)
Drive to Badlands (~1 hr east, I-90 to Exit 131, Pinnacles Entrance)
Enter Badlands. Picnic lunch at picnic area near entrance.
Badlands Loop Road — overlooks (Yellow Mounds, Pinnacles, Panorama Point)
Door Trail — short boardwalk, easy for Yuvraj
Window Trail — quick, dramatic canyon view
Look for bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs
Ben Reifel Visitor Center — Junior Ranger books
Exit via Northeast Entrance, I-90 west back to Rapid City
Check into Courtyard by Marriott, Rapid City
Dinner in Rapid City
Early night
Breakfast at hotel (Courtyard breakfast — check if included)
Drive to Mount Rushmore (~30 min south)
Mount Rushmore — early = fewer crowds, good morning light
Avenue of Flags
Grand View Terrace
Presidential Trail (0.6 mi, 422 stairs)
Sculptor's Studio (opens 8 AM)
Junior Ranger books for kids
Ice cream at Carver's Café
Parking $10 cash — NOT covered by parks pass.
Drive to Crazy Horse (~25 min from Rushmore)
Crazy Horse — open 8 AM–8 PM
Orientation film
Three museums + viewing platform
Bus to base ($5/person extra) — worth it for scale
Admission ~$35 for car with 3+ people.
Laughing Water Restaurant inside Crazy Horse (views of carving) or grab something in Hill City
Drive back to Rapid City (~45 min)
Hotel — rest, get DMV documents ready
DMV APPOINTMENTS (both Anant & Noopur). Documents: CA licenses, US passports, SSN cards, PMB receipt, hotel receipt
Done. Afternoon free — downtown presidential statues walk on Main Street, or rest.
Dinner in Rapid City
Early night
Breakfast at hotel
Check out. Stop at grocery/deli — pack cooler with lunch and snacks.
Start driving west on I-90
Devils Tower National Monument — exit I-90 near Moorcroft (~1 hr detour)
Tower Trail loop around base (1.3 miles, flat, easy) — ~45 min
Visitor center
Back on I-90 west
Lunch stop in Gillette or eat packed lunch
Continue west. I-90 to Sheridan, then Hwy 14 through Bighorn Mountains to Cody
Arrive Cody. Check into Holiday Inn.
Dinner in Cody
Early night — entering Yellowstone tomorrow
Bighorn Scenic Byway — beautiful but curvy roads. Take it slow with kids.
National Park
June 11–15, 2026
Breakfast at Holiday Inn
Check out. Grocery store in Cody — buy cooler, sandwich supplies, snacks, water, fruit.
Drive Cody → Yellowstone East Entrance (~55 mi, ~1 hr). Wapiti Valley along Shoshone River.
Enter Yellowstone — Yashveer's 4th Grade pass
Mud Volcano area — Dragon's Mouth Spring (cave belching steam — kids love it), Mud Caldron, Sulphur Caldron. 30–45 min.
Drive north through Hayden Valley toward Canyon (~20 min). Go slow — bison herds, possible grizzly.
Yellowstone Lake shoreline near Fishing Bridge — kids stretch, throw rocks. 20 min.
Picnic lunch at Canyon Village picnic area
Drive through Canyon Village (don't stop — you'll be here 2 nights). Continue north.
Tower Fall — short walk to overlook, 10 min.
Mammoth Hot Springs — Lower Terrace boardwalks (~45 min). Travertine terraces. Easy for Yuvraj. Elk on the lawns.
Upper Terrace Drive — one-way loop road, 15 min, stay in car
Roosevelt Arch — family photo at historic north entrance. 5 min.
Check into Ridgeline Hotel, Gardiner
Rest. Grocery run if needed.
Dinner in Gardiner — Yellowstone Grill or Cowboy's Lodge on Park Street
EARLY NIGHT — 6 AM start tomorrow for Lamar Valley wildlife
Wake up. Grab granola bars / cereal. Pack breakfast for pullouts.
Leave Gardiner → Mammoth → Tower-Roosevelt → Lamar Valley (~1.5 hrs)
LAMAR VALLEY — "America's Serengeti". Slow drive, pullouts. Scan hillsides with binoculars. Wolves, grizzlies, bison herds, elk, pronghorn. Look for people with spotting scopes — ask what they've found.
Turn around. Quick stop at Roosevelt Lodge — restrooms, coffee/hot chocolate.
Roosevelt Corral Stagecoach Ride (booked). Replica Tally Ho stagecoach through Pleasant Valley. ~30 min.
Drive south from Tower to Canyon Village (~40 min)
Drop bags at Canyon Lodge front desk
Late breakfast / early lunch at Canyon Lodge Eatery or Canyon Fountain & Grill
Rest — let kids decompress after early morning
South Rim — Artist Point (classic Lower Falls view, short paved walk, accessible)
Uncle Tom's Trail — 328 metal steps toward falls. Adventure for Yashveer. Yuvraj & Noopur wait at Artist Point.
North Rim — Lookout Point (another great Lower Falls view, less crowded)
Brink of the Upper Falls trail (short, paved, walk to the edge — thundering water)
Optional: Brink of the Lower Falls (0.7 mi out & back, moderate — judge based on kids' energy)
Back to Canyon Lodge. Check into room. Showers, rest.
Dinner at M66 Bar & Grill (sit-down, reservations recommended) or Canyon Lodge Eatery
Evening walk or early night
Wake up. Pack breakfast and cooler.
Drive south from Canyon to Hayden Valley (~15 min)
HAYDEN VALLEY — bison herds guaranteed, frequent grizzlies. Yellowstone River in morning mist. Eat packed breakfast at pullout.
Optional: Mud Volcano quick stop if family missed it Jun 11
Drive north from Canyon to Norris (~30 min)
Artist Paint Pots (just south of Norris) — half-mile boardwalk, bubbling mud pots. 30 min.
Norris Geyser Basin — Porcelain Basin loop (0.5 mi, flat, otherworldly — hottest thermal area). Back Basin loop if kids want more (1.6 mi, Steamboat Geyser).
Picnic lunch at Norris picnic area
Gibbon Falls — roadside between Norris and Madison. Park, 2 min walk, 84-foot waterfall.
Drive back to Canyon Lodge (~30 min from Norris)
Afternoon rest. Kids run around. Recharge.
Drive to Bridge Bay Marina (~30 min south of Canyon)
Lake Yellowstone Scenicruiser (booked, 5:30–6:45 PM, Bridge Bay Marina). Guided boat tour around Stevenson Island. Watch for eagles, ospreys, elk, bison from the water.
Back to car. Drive to Canyon Lodge (~30 min).
Dinner at Canyon Lodge Eatery or Canyon Fountain & Grill
Pack up — checking out of Canyon Lodge tomorrow, moving to Old Faithful
Breakfast at Canyon Lodge Eatery. Check out.
Drive Canyon → Old Faithful via Norris and Madison (~1.5 hrs)
GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING / Midway Geyser Basin — boardwalk at ground level, then hike to Overlook (~1 mi round trip) for iconic overhead rainbow view. Get there early.
Fountain Paint Pots — half-mile boardwalk, all 4 geothermal types. 30 min.
Biscuit Basin — small, uncrowded. Sapphire Pool. 15–20 min.
Arrive Old Faithful. Check into Old Faithful Inn (Geyser Basin View, 2 Queen, East Wing). Drop bags.
Lunch at Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria or Bear Paw Deli in the Inn
Watch OLD FAITHFUL ERUPT
Walk Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk — Morning Glory Pool, Castle Geyser, Riverside Geyser, Daisy Geyser. Densest geyser concentration on earth. 1.5–2 hrs.
Black Sand Basin — small, pretty, uncrowded. Emerald Pool, Cliff Geyser. 15 min.
Back to Inn. Rest. Walk through the massive log lobby. Kids explore the balconies.
Watch another eruption from your room or Inn's 2nd-floor balcony
Dinner at Old Faithful Inn Dining Room — soaring log ceilings, stone fireplace. Bison, trout, prime rib. Kids menu.
Evening walk on Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk — geysers uncrowded at dusk
Bed. Early start tomorrow.
Breakfast at Old Faithful Inn Dining Room or Bear Paw Deli
Check out
One last Old Faithful eruption or Upper Geyser Basin walk. 30 min.
Optional: West Thumb Geyser Basin (~25 min south) — geothermal features on lakeshore, hot springs next to cold lake, easy boardwalk, 30–45 min. Otherwise drive straight south.
Covered by Yashveer's pass. Take your time — probably your only visit. Don't rush these stops.
Enter Grand Teton National Park through South Entrance
Colter Bay — Jackson Lake with Tetons behind it. 15 min.
Oxbow Bend — Mount Moran reflected in Snake River. Don't rush this one.
Snake River Overlook — the famous Ansel Adams viewpoint. Tetons rising from the valley.
Schwabacher Landing — dirt road off highway, river-level Teton views, possible moose. Walk to river. 15 min.
Drive into Jackson, WY (~20 min)
Jackson town square — elk antler arches photo. Lunch: Pinky G's Pizzeria, Persephone Bakery, or Liberty Burger.
Browse shops, souvenirs for kids
Drive to JAC airport (~15 min)
Fill gas, drop off Avis rental car (#14594074US5)
At JAC terminal. Check in, security.
Arrive IAD 12:45 AM (Tuesday Jun 16). Uber to Airbnb (~45 min). Kids crash.
D.C.
June 16–18, 2026
Wake up
Breakfast at Ted's Bulletin on 8th St SE / Barracks Row (~5 min walk). Homemade pop-tarts. Kid-friendly.
Walk to Capitol (~10 min from Airbnb)
U.S. Capitol Building tour (booked, confirmation #202605140207263). 1 hour.
Library of Congress — Great Hall, stunning architecture. Free, 15–20 min.
Lunch — food trucks on the Mall, or walk to Barracks Row
National Air and Space Museum (timed entry, order #NGF-LKT-7KFJ). Rockets, Apollo 11, space suits, flight simulators. 2 hours.
Back to Airbnb. Rest.
Breakfast at Airbnb or Peregrine Espresso on 7th St SE
National Museum of American History. Star-Spangled Banner, First Ladies' gowns, transportation. Spark!Lab (ages 6–12, Yashveer), Wegmans Wonderplace (ages 0–6, Yuvraj). 1.5 hrs.
National Archives. Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights — the originals. Peak 4th-grader relevance. 30–45 min.
Lunch on the Mall or Penn Quarter
Back to Airbnb. Rest.
Walk west along the Mall → Washington Monument photos
World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool
Lincoln Memorial — walk up steps. Gettysburg Address on the wall. MLK "I Have a Dream" marker.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial — black granite wall, 58,000+ names
Dinner — Good Stuff Eatery (burgers, great shakes) on Pennsylvania Ave SE, or Barracks Row.
Pack for tomorrow. Early night.
Wake up, pack, clean up Airbnb
Breakfast at Ted's Bulletin or at the Airbnb
International Spy Museum (booked, order #101351708). Cover identity + spy missions. Interactive gadgets, disguises, code-breaking. Yashveer will be obsessed. 1–1.5 hrs.
Back to Airbnb. Grab bags. Final pack.
Uber to IAD (~45–60 min, budget for traffic)
At IAD. Check in, security.
Lunch at IAD airport
Flight departs IAD → SFO
Arrive SFO. Home.
Rest and recover
Final packing for India
Last errands, goodbyes
SFO → India