Welcome to my first ever travel blog post! At the end of August, my husband + I went on a week-long road trip up to Montana! Our trip included Horseshoe Bend, Zion, Yellowstone, Moab, Monument Valley + so much more. I documented our trip on Instagram + many people reached out asking for our itinerary — I have so much to share that I wanted to put everything into a blog post! You’ll read about our favorite places we stayed, the place we wouldn’t stay again, the clothes I’m glad I brought, & my tips for planning an unforgettable road trip!
I wanted to write this blog post in hopes to inspire you to explore what is right here in your own backyard. We originally wanted to go to Hawaii this year, but with COVID that was just not an option. We craved a trip just the two of us since the last time we had a big trip together was our honeymoon four years ago. We planned to go to Montana for multiple reasons: it’s within driving distance, so much to see on our way there + back, for the fly fishing, everything is incredibly beautiful, & maybe the show Yellowstone inspired us a little bit too.
Some things to keep in mind as you read on about our trip —
We don’t have kids so it was easy to pack all of this in.
Each place we stayed was between $200-$300 a night. Each place varies in price depending on the time of year. Zion Lodge, Under Canvas, + Ross Creek Cabins were worth every penny.
Our main goals were to see national parks along the way, fly fish every day in Montana (my husband’s dream), & be able to spend a week just the two of us!
& just really quick on COVID — we both felt very comfortable, healthy, and safe going into this trip. We followed every guideline to keep us + others safe. It was very similar to how it is here in Arizona, maybe even more relaxed in some places. I am glad we went at the end of August because so many families were going back to school which I believe made some places a little less crowded.
QUICK RUNDOWN —
Day 1 / Saturday
Phoenix to Zion National Park in Utah
About 6 hours of driving
Stopped to see Horseshoe Bend + hiked some of The Narrows in Zion
Stayed at the Zion Lodge
Day 2 / Sunday
Zion to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
About 9 hours of driving
Drove around Grand Teton National Park + explored downtown Jackson Hole
Stayed at Modern Mountain Motel
Day 3 / Monday
Jackson Hole to West Yellowstone, Montana
Drove all over Yellowstone National Park
Stayed at Under Canvas Yellowstone
Day 4 / Tuesday
West Yellowstone to Bozeman, Montana
About 2-3 hours of driving
Went fly fishing + explored Bozeman
Stayed at Ross Creek Cabins
Day 5 / Wednesday
Stayed in Bozeman
Went fly fishing + explored Bozeman
Stayed at Ross Creek Cabins
Day 6 / Thursday
Bozeman to Big Sky, Montana
About 2 hours of driving
Went fly fishing (Wasn’t kidding about all the fly fishing lol)
Stayed at Rainbow Ranch Lodge
Day 7 / Friday
Stayed in Big Sky
Did a fly fishing float all day on the Madison River with Bob our guide
Stayed at Rainbow Ranch Lodge
Day 8 / Saturday
Big Sky to Moab, Utah
About 9 hours of driving
Drove through Arches National Park + explored Moab
Stayed at Airbnb Moab Oliver House
Day 9 / Sunday
Moab to Phoenix, Arizona
About 8 hours of driving
Stopped to take pictures in the road at Monument Valley + lunch in Flagstaff
Home!
PLACES WE STAYED —
The main comment I got about our trip was on the places we stayed + lots of questions about how I found them. Honestly, I just spent every evening for a week straight doing research. I’m not kidding when I also say exploring through Airbnb is one of my favorite past times. I loveee a good aesthetic, cute, comfortable-looking place to stay. I find so much inspiration on Airbnb. & if I was going to go fly fishing every day than the deal was we were going to stay at some really awesome places! But real talk — one of them was a huge bummer, so I can’t say I’m an official expert at finding the best of the best, but I did find some really great gems! *If it’s bolded it has a link!
Zion Lodge
I personally think that the Zion Lodge is the way to do Zion! When you stay at the lodge you basically get VIP access into the park. You are given a code to access the private road to the lodge, you get parking only lodge stayers can park at, easy shuttle access, and there is a large grass lawn where we ate our dinner from the lodge’s restaurant. We shuttled from the lodge to The Narrows where we hiked a couple of miles. It was crowded for sure, but I loved The Narrows and plan to go back to hike the whole thing. If I did a weekend trip I would do the first night at Under Canvas Zion outside of the park + then the Zion Lodge the next night for the best access to the park.
Modern Mountain Motel
We stayed here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This was just an easy, cute place for a quick stay after a long day of driving. It was right in downtown + near Jackson Square, which we wanted to be able to walk around and see. Our time here was a bummer because there was so much smoke so we couldn’t see the Tetons, so we will definitely have to make a trip back. My dream is to stay at the Anvil Hotel!
Under Canvas Yellowstone
You. Guys. If you haven’t stayed at an Under Canvas you have to someday. It is amazing. They have them all over — Zion, Grand Canyon, Moab, + more places soon! Under Canvas Yellowstone is in West Yellowstone. We stayed here after exploring Yellowstone for the day. It is basically run like a hotel but you’re glamping! Your room is a canvas tent with the most comfortable bed, a wood stove to keep you warm, and your own private outdoor area. The property had a restaurant where we had dinner + it was one of my favorite places we ate at. There was a river where we went fishing, bonfires where we had s’ mores, and the most incredible landscape. The bathrooms were also so clean + private. I could go on all day about it but it was one of my favorite parts of the trip!
Ross Creek Cabins
The most unreal place. I fell in love the moment I found it on Airbnb. I just had to stay here + wish we had stayed longer. The pictures themselves show you just how beautiful this place is, but to be able to stay here was just incredible. There are 5 cabins on the property — some are studios + some have an extra bedroom. We stayed in a studio. Each one feels very private, they have large windows facing the mountains which were perfect to watch the sunrise, a deck to hang out, oh + a hot tub right in the middle of the fields! These cabins are about 20 minutes from town, but we didn’t mind. We really enjoyed being secluded & can’t wait to go back!
Rainbow Ranch Lodge
Well, you have finally arrived at my least favorite place we stayed in. Here is the deal, I was figuring out places to stay that made it convenient to go fly fishing because I’m such a nice wife ;) I wanted to stay more south so the drive back home wouldn’t be too insanely long so I landed at looking around Big Sky, which was 2 hours south of Bozeman. This lodge is right next to the Gallatin River, a river my husband wanted to fish. They have rooms with decks that face the river so I thought, “Perfect! I can sit + drink my coffee while Clint fishes right there!” I had a weird gut feeling though. Even though most of the marketing photos looked amazing, the rooms did look old + outdated. There were also reviews that really expressed how unhappy other guests were with their experience. I think what got me though was that they have these beautiful weddings so I figured it has to be a great place to stay — well long story short the rooms were a huge disappointment. It was old, smelled really weird, the bed was uncomfortable, the bathroom was just so bad, especially for how much we spent. Now the restaurant was amazing so I’ll give it that! And having the river right there was nice too, but it was so hard going from the Ross Creek Cabins to this so basically we would not stay here again.
Moab Oliver House Airbnb
When I mapped our drive home I realized that it would add just one more hour to go to Moab! We both had never been so I figured we might as well! We left really early so we would have time to drive around + explore Arches National Park. We need to go back to be able to do more hiking, but it was really cool to see regardless! We stayed in this cute Airbnb in Moab + it was such a comfortable stay! There are hotels in Moab with pools/splash pads I would probably do with kids someday, but I loved that staying at an Airbnb gets to support a family — this one was right on their property but we never saw them and left early in the morning. I definitely recommend it!
FOOD & DRINKS —
Of course, another great factor about traveling is getting to eat at new places! Breakfast we pretty much did granola bars from gas stations because we typically were driving every morning or we would get food from a coffee shop. I will say, another bummer of this trip was not having many great options for coffee until Bozeman but I’m just picky about my coffee. Lunch places really depended on the day. We went to lots of breweries! Below you will find a list of our favorite places + where they were at —
Zion Lodge Restaurant / Zion — Great food to have as a picnic on the big grass lawn! There are deer that will eat right next to you!
Snake River Brewing / Jackson Hole
Under Canvas Dining / Under Canvas Yellowstone
Sidewinder / Bozeman — pizza was so good.
Foxtrot / Bozeman — the first good coffee I had on this trip!
Treeline Coffee Roasters / Bozeman
MAP Brewing / Bozeman
Rockford Coffee / Bozeman
Mountains Walking Brewery / Bozeman — the best beer.
Sweet Peaks Ice Cream / Bozeman
Riverhouse BBQ & Events / Big Sky — such good BBQ. We ordered wayyy too much.
Rainbow Ranch Lodge Restaurant / Big Sky — this was good if you want a fancy dinner! The cheesecake was unreal.
The Broken Oar / Moab
CLOTHES
This section is funny to me because I am not a fashion blogger nor will ever be because I am really simple with my clothing. The best things I brought on this trip were the t-shirt/sweatshirt I have cropped myself, my Chaco's, & my favorite athletic items from Free People! So here are the links to some of my favorite things —
— athletic shorts (wore these hiking The Narrows)
— sports bra tank (I need these in all the colors)
— favorite jacket for the outdoors
— favorite Chacos (best shoes for The Narrows)
— sweater I have cropped from Amazon! / I need more of these
— obsessed with this hat + this hat.
FINAL TIPS FOR THE BEST ROAD TRIP
— My biggest advice is you do you. Clint + I planned a road trip that fit our needs, wants, & desires. I knew what was important to us going into this trip & planned everything around those things. So plan a trip around what makes sense for your family!
— Read reviews. If there are pretty negative ones, listen to them.
— How I find my Airbnb’s: If you know the dates you want only look at places available for those dates, otherwise don’t put in specific dates to see more options if you are flexible on your travel schedule. If they host is listed as a Super Host that is definitely a bonus. I look for places that look inviting, help create an experience with the place I am going, and somewhere comfortable. & again, always read reviews.
— Bring chairs that are easy for camping, sitting to read, or for eating. We got these ones on sale at REI and love them.
— Bring your own pillow!! Clint almost didn’t + told me multiple times he was glad I made him bring his own.
— Double-check reservation dates! I was so afraid I booked a place on the wrong day, but I double-checked so many times we were all good!
— Bring clothes for different weather. We had really cold mornings, hot afternoons, and lots of thunderstorms in the evenings.
— Get sour candy at the gas station. Tasted so good.
— BEST TIP: If you are going to multiple National Parks just buy the Annual Pass! We wasted money by not doing that at the first National Park.
— Lastly, on Instagram I shared a reel on how I take photos of the two of us that you can check out here !
I hope this blog post was helpful + has inspired you to do a road trip of your own someday ! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about our trip!
