This was our third road trip, and by now we’d started to get the hang of traveling together, moving quickly and absorbing everything we were seeing. Back home, our friends were starting to get very invested in our adventures on the road, and one family in particular was pretty keen on joining us. Sherry and her two kids, Maya and Eitan, were a godsend. Sherry was a retired attorney and 8th grade history teacher, and her kids were classmates of my children. Sherry had just taught a chapter on Lewis and Clark and was particularly fascinated to explore and walk in their footsteps, so to speak. We could not ask for better travel partners, and our experience was infinitely richer because of Sherry and her historical insights—not to mention her no-nonsense attitude, her distinct Boston accent, and her constant sarcastic humor.
Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana are truly some of the most magical and beautiful parts of this country. One of my favorite places is Big Sky Montana and if I could have a ranch, that’s where it would be. The natural beauty is everywhere you look, and sometimes it almost feels like it is just too much to take it all in. That’s what it must have been like for Lewis and Clark—when they weren’t enduring the hardships of their journey across the natural landscape. On this trip, we appreciated all that and more. I hope you also get the opportunity to explore these states and appreciate their beauty, majesty, and natural wonder…Let’s Go!
States Idaho, Wyoming, Montana
| Theme Lewis & Clark and the New Frontier | Duration 10 Days | Map |
Day 1: Fly to Idaho Falls
 | • Lower Mesa Falls • Overnight in West Yellowstone |
Day 2: Explore Lower Loop Yellowstone National Park
 | • Overnight in Yellowstone |
Day 3: Explore the Upper loop Yellowstone National Park
 | • White water rafting (Gardiner) • Overnight in Gardiner, MT |
Day 4
 | • Yellowstone Gateway Museum (Livingston) • Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman) • Overnight in Bozeman |
Day 5
 | • State Capitol building (Helena) • Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine and Gold Fever Rock Shop • Gates of the Mountains Boat Tour • Overnight in Helena |
Day 6: Drive to Great Falls
 | • The Lewis and Clark Historic Trail and Interpretive Center • Drive back to Helena • Overnight in Helena |
Day 7
 | • Lewis and Clark Caverns (Three Forks) • World Museum of Mining (Butte) • The Mineral Museum (Butte) • Overnight in Butte |
Day 8
 | • Drive to Dude Ranch (Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest) |
Day 9
 | • Stay at Dude Ranch • Explore Virgina City |
Day 10: Drive to Idaho Falls
 | • Tautpahaus Zoo • Museum of Idaho • Overnight in Idaho Falls |
Day 11: Fly home
