In the early planning of a trip from Traverse City, Michigan to Yellowstone in Wyoming.
Trip will be 2 weeks long,June 24, till July 9 of next year. Camping/car camping all the way......maybe a motel night or two for a shower.

We have most outdoor gear available, but it has to fit my Suburban.  Mainly an outdoorsy oriented trip, but don't wanna pass by anything too special, like a cool city or rodeo or somethin

Stops along the way are
The Porcupine Mountains, Michigan,
Yellowstone,
Mount Rushmore,
and a ferry ride across Lake Michigan.

Is there anything I shouldn't miss along the way?

Driving roughly this route...

Get off the Interstates.US highways are great in that part of the country,very little traffic.Go through the Badlands in western North Dakota.

Glacier
Corn Palace
Birthplace of the Mississippi
Badlands
Devils Tower

Deadwood.
Cody Museum 

Devils Tower in Wyoming. Not far off your route. 

Go south when you get to the hwy 52 exit in Minnesota,(return trip) and come down through Decorah Iowa and Northeast Iowa. Find your  way into Clayton county, hang around(Elkader,Marquette,McGregor) cross the river to Wisconsin,(PrairieDuChien) and find your way back home through God's Country.

Wall Drug,
Badlands/Rushmore/Rapid City
Flathead lake
Glacier National Park (Going to the Sun mountain road, Lake McDonald Lodge)
Red Lodge
Bear Tooth Pass highway into or out of the park

I'd make sure I stopped in

Deadwood, maybe Custer state park or the Needles Highway all in the area
Buffalo Bill museum in Cody, WY
Irma Hotel in Cody, WY
Nightly rodeo in Cody
Drive Alt US 14 from Ranchester, WY to Cody
Bear tooth Pass
Red Lodge, Montana
Grand Teton NP
Jackson, WY

Any interest the Mountain Men?  The museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wy is cool.

Yellowstone is going to be pretty crowded in the summer.  Prepare for much interaction with idiots.

Beartooth pass fore sure. Did a Yellowstone trip this summer. Got snowed on in the pass in July.

The Cody WY gun museum is worth the stop but expensive If I remember right.

The black hills (where I live) is also awesome, I saw some here mentioned Deadwood. It is a neat little town. Spearfish canyon is beautiful and there is a fish hatchery that's worth a stop.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Have fun!

Did a similar trip in September, went out to Missoula, MT, and took almost the same route from NE Indiana.

Theodore Roosevelt national park is a cool stop, and definitely take a couple days in and around Deadwood and the Black Hills. The Badlands is also a must-see if you ask me. Wish we would have stopped at Little Bighorn, but just couldn't fit it in.

Hopefully you have better distant mountain views than we did, as there was a pretty good haze due to forest fires when we were out there.

This and Jackson Hole, Snake River rafting.

If you do head to the Badlands, count and post the number of Wall Drug signs you see.

Others have mentioned Devil's Tower. I'm always surprised people skip this. I think it is way more interesting than Rushmore.

In the Rapid City area there are several caves that offer tours. If you book in advance, Jewel Cave has a very cool spelunking tour where you are actually crawling around in the cave with the helmet/light setup.

If you have kids, Reptile Gardens in Rapid City is fun.

You might look for events that are occuring in Gillette, WY when you pass through, they have big rodeos, fireworks displays, etc all summer long at Cam-plex.

Hard to tell by your map, but it looks like in WY you continue on 90 from Buffalo to Sheridan. I'd really suggest taking hwy 16 from Buffalo to Worland - it is one of the most scenic drives you'll ever see. Also, the hot springs in Thermopolis WY (a bit south of Worland) are pretty amazing, and they have swimming pools fed by the hot water from the springs.

Ride the rail in the black hills. Theres a line that runs from Hill city to Keystone.
http://www.1880train.com/

Having spent a few weeks driving from CA to ME and hitting up all sorts of parks along the way in my opinion I would just plain skip Yellowstone period and go up to Glacier national park instead. The Tetons are beautiful as well. If a million tourists are your thing by all means.. Yellowstone but I personally could get out of that place quick enough.

I know its probably a bit out of your way but I was impressed by Yosemite and I was not expecting it to be that great. It was somewhat busy but I was there in early May. I am sure summer time is crazy.

Yellowstone can get crowded - but thins out to just about nothing as soon as you step off the pavement. If you go, look up a few easy day hikes (Fairy Falls and the mud pots are a good one) and you'll get away from the crowds.

I did 10 days in WY.  Five of them in Yellowstone/Teton/Jackson areas, alone. You have to sometimes elbow half of China to see stuff, but it is an amazing place. The critters alone made it worth it. Buffalo, Elk and Grizly bears are a lot bigger than a TV show will lead you to believe. Skip Rushmore/Wall Drug tourist traps and spend your time in the Badlands and make sure to see the Stone Stump (Devil's Tower) and Black hills.  I was bored at the Crazy horse thing, too. Also, be aware...crossed an 86 degree valley going up the Bighorns....15 minutes later I'm sliding around on on fresh snow at up at 9k feet.

I know you said car camping, but if you find yourself in West Yellowstone, MT (NW gate of Yellowstone NP)and want to stay a night somewhere, I suggest you skip all the tourist trap lodges etc and head 191/287 a few miles north of town. Take the 287 split to the west for a few miles and you'll come across a little bar right down on the water of the lake, overlooking the bar is a motel. We stayed there; the lodging wasn't fantastic or anything but it had a kitchen/living room, and was MUCH more affordable. The view across the lake every morning we woke up was breathtaking.

That being said, unless you're booking now, you likely won't find any rooms around Yellowstone, even in the off-season (late September) we had a VERY hard time finding a place to stay.

Coming from Traverse City, I'd say go North and take 2 across the UP, into WI and through MN to get to the freeway.
Ferry trip is pricey, and unless you plan on using it for a nap, driving time is almost same as ferry time, for the SS Badger.  The jet ferry I have no experience with.

Didn't see Little Bighorn mentioned yet.

Looking at your route I would say your MUST stop at LIttle Bighhorn National Monument.  Unbelievable experience to see the entire battlefield as will as the Custer National Cemetary which is next to the Battlefield.  Also, I'd recommend seeing the town of Sheridan WY.  Fantastic little town and you couldn't visit Sheridan without stopping in to see King Ropes and his associated museum.  I also heard that the LIttle Big Horn mountains are spectacular and would be worth the visit if you are camping.

Badlands are a good scenic drive. Get out and do a short hike.
Wind cave national park and jewel cave national monument are pretty cool if you like caves. Also plenty of hiking.

Custer state park is incredible. Drive through the needles!!! If you want to camp in Custer SP get reservations now. I stayed in a cabin one night while there and it was $50 a night. Has heat and AC. Was the only night it rained on us
Plenty of campgrounds around there though.

Skip wall drug. My Rushmore is cool, but crowded

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO SEE CRAZY HORSE!! If you wanna pay the reservations light bill just hit the casino with $40 per person

Teddy Roosevelt NP is on my list and you will go right by it

I haven't been to Yellowstone and Tetons since I was a kid. I remember them being amazing. Old faithful was cool. Paint pots were neat.

im starting to think about glacier NP this summer. Should be fun. Hope you enjoy yourself

The National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown ND is a must. Kids loved it. Nice little old West Town. Guns in the museum. It was cheap, and they had a campground right there.

Take the Big Horn Scenic Byway

I just did a 2 week trip that way myself this fall and have been out there a bunch of other times. Bunch of good advise in this thread.

MI- Can't help you.
WI- Wisconsin Dells if you have young kids
MN- The North Shore would be scenic but out of your way.
ND- You'll be bored as hell crossing this state.  If you have to make a stop in ND try to attend the Medora Musical. Not much else to see in ND unless you want to spend some time at Teddy Roosevelt NP.
MT- Eastern MT you'll be bored to on the highway. Expect a crap ton of traffic in Yellowstone and a lot of non- English speaking people. Bring your swim suit with and jump in the Boiling River.
WY- Yellowstone continued- again, be prepared to be annoyed by the traffic, don't expect to get anywhere fast. The farther you get away from the road the less people you will see.
I'd make the trip down through Teton National Park and Jackson when you're on the south side of Yellowstone.
I wish I knew about the museum in Cody, WY the last time I went... I'll be stopping there next time.
Stop at Devils Tower! Not far out of the way.
SD- Skip Wall, SD (unless you need a pitstop) and Crazy Horse (wish I never went there). In the Black Hills there's the Wind and Jewel caves if that is your thing (recommend one if you've never done a cave). Drive the famed Needles Hiway. Hike to Harney Peak (amazing views from the top) if you like to hike. Deadwood can be neat for part of a day but it's a tourist trap.

Pro tip on the national monuments: If you get there before opening time, they let you in for free (I know for a fact this works for Rushmore, haven't tried it at Devils Tower). Being the only people at Rushmore was an awesome experience and definitely beats the insane crowds.

How much does the Ferry across Superior cost and how long does it take? I hate driving through Chicago.

ETA: If you plan to camp in any park (Especially Yellowstone) makes reservations ASAP, it gets booked up fast and it's illegal to sleep overnight in a parking lot at a national park... ask how I know.

Good advice! I've been to nearly every NP and Glacier is my favorite by far. Definitely a park where you'll want to do some hiking otherwise you can see everything in 1 or 2 days. The best parts of the park are only accessible by hiking anyways. Probably why I like it so much, as it eliminates most of the crowds.

I'll agree with a bunch of the other mentions here, Devil's Tower, Badlands NP, Teddy Roosevelt NP, Little Bighorn, are all right on your route and easy stops that you can do without cutting into your overall schedule too much. Another thing in the Teddy Roosevelt NP area is the Medora Musical (Medora is the town the park entrance is in) it's a super patriotic outdoor musical about the life of Teddy Roosevelt. I balked at the whole musical thing when I first heard about it but after seeing it would gladly go back sometime.

I agree with the badlands.  If you can manage to be there for sunset... it's like looking into Gods eyes.  If you wanna swing north into Montana, Glacier National Park was great.  I enjoyed it more than Yellowstone because it wasn't as busy.

The Spam Museum is just off of I90, east of Albert Lea as you are headed back.

http://www.spam.com/museum

Spam Museum is in Austin, MN. 

You'll be going right by there.

http://www.spam.com/museum

Original Poster hasn't replied since starting this thread. I think we can stop offering advice.

Correct, he hasn't.  The gears of life turn, things get forgotten, but don't consider me gone.

Actually, most of my attention has been on building our chariot for the adventure.  Had my head up a trucks ass for quite a few months now, without it we ain't goin no place.  But, he's back on the road with about 450 miles on the odometer, has a name now (Moby) and he's working flawless.  Still a lot of work to go, but it's gone from a ratty farm truck to a daily driver until March when he goes back in the garage for a LOT more work.  Drawing a lot of inspiration from overland type trucks, and hobby 4x4 guys.  

Thanks guys for all the ideas so far, lotsa lookin around to do at where we might go.  All appreciated.

Did a trip from Michigan to South Dakota a Few years back.  Here are a few highlights of the trip.

A trip to the Minuteman Missile National Park site is a must.  You are able to go though the whole complex and even underground to the missile launch control center.  Space for tours is limited, so plan ahead.  https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

If you  are in the Back Hills the tour of Jewell Cave is worth it too.
https://www.nps.gov/jeca/index.htm

Also in the Southern part of the Black Hills, The Purple Pie Place.  This is a great little place with home cooked meals and great pie, yum!
http://purplepieplace.com/

Don't go to North Dakota! Lived there for 4 years and there is not much there to see or do until you get all the way to the West end!

I'd go South Dakota go to the Black Hills it is just awesome! Have kids or love trains the 1880's train ride is sweet loved the slow hour ride cool ride. A lot of cool things to do with the family and great things to see!

Also there is a Cabela's also in the area!

Lots of good stuff already mentioned in the thread.  

On I-90 in South Dakota at the Missouri River (east side, near Chamberlain, SD) there is an excellent little Lewis and Clark museum at the freeway rest area.  Definitely stop there.

Near Rapid City, SD is the South Dakota Air and Space Museum.  It's free and really good.

Went to Yellowstone last summer on a spur a the moment thing----camped in the national forest south of the Tetons for free---no reservations--no crowds---just be aware that its very primitive and you'll need to bring everything you'll need with you----woke up to a beautiful view of the Tetons in the mornings.

If you are planning to do more than one park---the year pass for $80 might save you some money---I paid $50 for just a 7 day pass for the Tetons/Yellowstone----you can get the pass on the National Park website.

Some help in Michigan

-Traverse City if your into Wine...bunch of wineries there and you can do to see Sleeping Bear Dunes, wineries, food on the fingers extending out into Lake Michigan, Etc.
-You can do Ferry Mackinaw Island and surrounding forts
-You can go to Munising and its surrounding areas in the UP of Michigan and do a bunch of things such as:
-----------You can hike the Pictured Rocks area and check out the various waterfalls, or take a boat on the lake side of Pictured Rocks
-You can go to Tahquamenon Falls and State Park.
Just somethings off the top of my head and looking at your route.

From Picture Rock hiking areas:




ETA: I didn't see that you were from Michigan so I'm sure you know the sites already.