My wife Pam and I found our niche 16 years ago. We love to travel camp. We plan out a travel route (given our available time) through areas we wish to visit and then do our trailer camping along the way. With a tent, then a pop-up, and now trailer, our treks have ranged far and wide - traveling many wonderful roads and by-ways. We call ourselves "Trampers" (travel/campers), and our shoe fits to perfection!
The Bighorn Mountains and Shoshone Wilderness
There are five entry portals to magnificent Yellowstone National Park: the north and northwest entrances, western and southern entrances and the eastern entrance. Pulling our beloved tent-trailer on a trek west a few years ago, Pam and I chose the eastern portal, and will be forever grateful that we did. After camping overnight at the Sheridan/Bighorn Mts.KOA, we drove the approximate 220 miles to Yellowstone taking highway 14 - a leisurely seven hour drive. Highway 14 from Sheridan, Wyoming, passes through some of the most stunningly beautiful country in the United States. Up and over the Bighorn Mountains via Granite Pass, the eye-popping vistas surround you with natural beauty! Highway 16 & 20 join 14 at Greybull, just west of the Bighorn River. Further west, the quaint little town of Cody, Wyoming, is a good place to restock supplies before entering the park. Just west of Cody is Buffalo Bill State Park and reservoir.At Wapiti, highway 14 enters the great Shoshone National Forest, which extends to the Yellowstone park boundary. This forest wilderness, in my humble opinion, rivals Yellowstone in its scenic delights. On a gradual ascension to the park, the road passes waterfalls, forest, meadows and buttes. You'll find the area dappled with patches of snow even in May. Highway 14 from Sheridan to Yellowstone National Park is simply one of the most scenic routes in America.
Utah 128 from I-70 to Moab
Tramping along further south one year, and pulling a 22-foot Travel trailer, we discovered another fabulous route. Utah is a state that is loaded with wonderful surprises for "trampers." Driving west on I-70 out of Colorado, we decided on taking secondary road 128 from exit 212 to Moab, Utah. We camped at the Moab KOA while touring Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Highway 128 for the first seven miles is just plain boring - traversing flat, barren chaparral. Just south of Cisco, Utah, however, a whole different world opened to us. The road crosses the beautiful Colorado River and follows its rapid currents for about 30 miles. The Colorado snakes its way south past shear walls of golden brown rock formations. The snow-covered peaks of the La Sal Mountains are framed at times by the beautiful multi-colored browns of stark buttes and spires. The road is lightly traveled and there are plenty of good pull-offs for picture taking or just gawking! We enjoyed this backroad drive as much as the gorgeous national parks. There are a couple of small primitive campgrounds along the way, but they were flooded the year we visited. I highly recommend this spectacular 50-mile drive between I-70 and Moab. Try it - you'll surely love it!
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