I'm living in Iowa and am thinking about doing the Griswald thing and driving out to Yellowstone.  Will probably hit Mt. Rushmore and the badlands on the way.

Any advice?  My kids are mostly younger but pretty good about getting outdoors and doing stuff.  Light hiking, probably cabin stays (we do plenty of tent camping other times during the year and SWMBO likes real beds and showers).  

Thanks in advance.

Take your bolt cutters

I hate people, and the "loop" road is like Disneyland during vacation season. Plan some hikes to get away from the pod people. Yellowstone's back-country is where it's all at.

Book early, like now.  Take cold weather gear.

Stop in the middle of Cody Wy at the Cody Dug-up Gun Museum. its across from the Irma.
Hes got about 700 artifacts.

We are planning on going in Sept.

Try to get through Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. It's one of my favorite places and the mountains will just take your breath away.

I just made a campsite reservation for my family's trip tonight.

I have been before, here are my tips:

1. It can snow any time of year in the park.  Elevation is 6,000ft +.  Bring cold weather gear.
2. Book early.  I showed up on the gate one year a few back about 7pm and not a single site available inside the park.
3. Be a tourist and take your time visiting each feature. The grand loop road takes you past more than enough to keep your family busy.
4.  Get out of the car and walk around each feature, don't rush through.  Put the camera down and experience them.  Maybe try a day-hike: http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/dhsampler.htm
5. The drive from Black Hills to East Gate is pretty grueling.  I made it from Sturgis at 6am directly to the bench to watch old Faithful erupt at sunset, fuel stops only in a sporty car.  Stay North through the Bighorn Mountains for some fantastic scenery.
6. Cody, WY to East Gate took my breath away.  The scenery is absolutely magical.

Campsites outside the park are much cheaper: $7 vs $27 http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gallatin/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5138825


Here are some photos

Minuteman Missile  NHS on the way out or back.










 

Great suggestions.   scoobydoo1234- great pictures too.

Sounds like you'll be going right past Devil's Tower, it is worth a side trip to do the short hike around the tower.

 

Be sure to visit Wall Drug..........Wall,South Dakota,50 miles East of Rapid City.

I went there as a kid. Always thought it was a bit of a tourist trap, that said I'd probably go again :)

They are rumored to have free ice water!

Tag for interest, we're planning a 30 or 45 day RV trip from ATL to Yellowstone either Sep 2015 or Sep 2016.

I guess its a little late to the party but my opinion skip yellowstone all together and go to the tetons and glacier NP in montana instead. Last spring I road tripped from California to Maine and stopped at yosemite, glacier, tetons, yellowstone.. among other places. Personally yellowstone was completely a disappointment and I could not wait to get out of there. The place was mobbed with people. The sights were not that great..

I was very impressed with yosemite as well as the redwoods both in the park and upstate Cali. Glacier N.P. was great. Few people. Loved it. Tetons were nice but jackson hole is a yuppie town and did not care for the town much.

YMMV!

Try to plan your trip the first part of June. It is a lot less crowded then and there is still snow on the ground. If you do go during the first part of June, take cold weather gear. If it's your first just stay on the main route and see all of the must sees. If you like the outdoors you'll go back and then you can venture off into the wilderness. We either camp outside the park or get rooms in West Yellowstone. Depending on how much time you have I'd plan on spending a day in Cody WY.

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I was there around Aug 1st. It was not to crowded. I would only recommend some backpacking if the family is up to it. Otherwise sick to the loop drive.

That is my favorite time in YSNP, although risky with regards to weather. 3 years ago my dad and I went the week everything except snow lodge was closing down. Night temps were cold enough to freeze skim ice on the puddles, but morning temps melted the ice on the roads. Could easily have been caught by feet of snow, but didn't. My dad has some friends in w yellowstone and was caught by the observation that on one of our trips we saw like 5 cars between there and the basin. Herds had moved out of the valleys by then, so we had one day of fly fishing the firehole surrounded by bison that moved in on us. That was a little tense waiting and moving to keep distance, but really cool. Contrast that with our July trip with the fam last year and the crowds so deep that we finished most of the main attractions before 10 (about when the tour buses start showing up) then headed to hike or fish away from the parking lots in the afternoon. It's a magical place that every kid should see. 4 days without a single electronic screen on. Just windows down and eyes looking for wildlife (8 year old was beside herself when she spotted a wolf at the treeline in the Hayden valley.... and when crushing her brothers catching brookies in the Virginia cascades).

True.I had a better time in the Tetons then Yellowstone.Less people,less traffic, more wildlife

 

Not sure where you live in Iowa but just remember the drive is pretty boring until about the bad lands. be sure to Have plenty of entertainment for the kids. Lots to do in Rapid City and Mount Rushmore is pretty neat. There is a lot in the black hills. Can't tell you much about Wyoming because I haven't been west of about Gillete.