Where We're Staying for our National Parks Vacation: I Think We Can Call this a Cheap Family Vacation
Our National Parks Vacation is right around the corner. I am so pleased that we have all of our lodging figured out and so I thought I would share with you where we are staying on our National Parks Vacation! I'm sharing how much we're spending and you'll see at the end how much we managed to spend (or save!) on our sleeping arrangements. And spoiler alert but this is an epic cheap family vacation! I'm so excited to share so keep reading for all the details!
As it happens we just realized that we are going to Mount Rushmore and all the Badlands areas in the middle of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
So we were very pleased to be able to find tents and places available to stay. It must be because of COVID because all of the youtube videos and blogs say you have to book well in advance. Like 6 months to a year before in advance. Yeesh.
We started planning our trip in June and have been pleased as punch to see that we have been able to get places to stay.
I thought I would share the places that we found with you because maybe you are thinking of a trip like this too. While I'm sure your trip isn't EXACTLY like ours, I'm hoping that this can help you with your planning.
Here are the places we will be staying on our "National Parks Vacation"!
Night # 1: Myre-Big Island Minnesota State Park, Albert Lea, Minnesota
We chose the Myre-Big Island State Park because it is on our route and it looks gorgeous! We are staying at the White Fox Campground there.
Our campsite is $22/night and an additional $7 fee (which I think is our entrance fee because that's how much the park entrance costs). We are staying at a non-electric site with a picnic table. There is also a fire ring with a grill. A bathhouse with showers and toilets is close by.
Total night= $22.00 +$7.00 =$29.00
Night #2: The Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota
If you know me, you know how much I love the Little House books by Laura Ingalls. When I found out we were going to South Dakota one of the places I hands down wanted to go was the Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota. This is where the Ingalls ended up, basically. You can actually camp on the Ingalls property! Total geek moment as you can soak in just how cool this is!
The property has available for rental: 4 RV sites, 1 bunkhouse, camp sites, and... 4 covered wagons!
That's right, we're staying in a Covered Wagon!
While it is a bit more expensive than camping we couldn't pass up the chance to stay in a COVERED WAGON!!! Can you tell I am totally wigging out about getting to do this?
They have 2 sizes of wagons available and are the same cost regardless of size.
Please note however that admission to the Homestead is required for staying in the covered wagon. This is mentioned nowhere in their website and I didn't know until we had already booked our wagon and they sent "additional info" with our confirmation. Admission is $15 per person for anyone over the age of 5.
While this is our saltiest stay, we are all working through the Laura Ingalls books and I know this will be a worthwhile investment and a memorable experience.
And you know you are on a cheap family vacation when $120 is salty. I mean, this is the most expensive part of our trip, folks!
If you wanted to make it more affordable you could tent camp there for $10/night, plus the cost of admission.
Total Cost: $60 covered wagon +$60 admission = $120 total
Night #3: Bandlands Interior Motel and Campground, Interior, South Dakota
As if things couldn't get any cooler than staying in a covered wagon at Laura's Living Prairie, we are staying in a teepee in the Badlands.
You read that right. I am so stinking excited about this one too! I think this will really give the kiddos a sense of where we are and what it was like to live in a teepee (you know, despite the fact we have sleeping bags, lol)
We're staying in a teepee at the Badlands Interior Motel and Campground. Their teepees are $32.00 night for 2 adults and there is an additional fee for anyone over the age of 14, with a maximum of 6 adults. The teepees have a fire ring and a picnic table. I'm planning on us dragging our air matresses and sleeping bags into the teepee but we'll have to see what kind of space we have. No matter, we get to sleep in a teepee!
Total Cost: $32.00
Night #4: Kemp's Kamp, Keystone, South Dakota
Nick got off the phone after making this reservation and was chuckling. He said the guy at the campground basically told us good luck as it is bike week (as I mentioned above). Nick said, "Well this will be super educational. Just think, we're going to get to teach them why you shouldn't drink, do drugs, and we can teach them sex education."
Oh Lord. And as much as I say that, I say it off the cuff. My uncle was a Harley guy and his friends were some of the best people in the world. I know everything will be just fine, we'll just be around for all of the fun, right?
I was super thankful that the campground person told us about it so we aren't blindsided. We chose this campground because it is one of the closest to Mount Rushmore with running water and bathrooms. We are planning on spending our entire day exploring the area and ending with the evening lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore. So our thinking is we'll be tired and ready to crash when we get back to the campsite.
Just a hint here if you're going on a cheap family vacation is to not forget about fees when entering parks. We looked at staying at Custer State Park because their camping fees seemed reasonable. However, we discovered there is a $20 fee to enter the park which would greatly increase a campsite cost. Just a tip if you're on a strict budget so you don't get blindsided by an unexpected expense.
The website says the campground has modern cabins, campsites, and complete RV facilities. There's also a pool!
Total Cost: $39.00
Night #5: Red Trail Campground, Medora, North Dakota
This is the place that we are staying at when we visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
This looks like an old-school rv park and I mean that in the best way possible because you know how I love kitsch. It offers showers, bathrooms with flushing toilets, and laundry facilities. At this point in the vacation I'm feeling it will be aces in my book.
Their website also touts free wifi, a new playground, and Lord willing, toilets that flush.
The map says it is only 3 minutes away from the park entrance of the South Loop so I'm super excited about that too. We plan on doing the south loop when we get in town and then the rest of the park the next day.
Total Cost: $25.00
Night # 6: Fairfield Inn & Suites, Billings, Montana
This is the first hotel that we will be staying at on this vacation. They are going to think the Clampetts have arrived. I'm sure we'll be caked in mud by this point, everything we own will be caked in mud, the car will be caked in mud. I don't know why all of the mud but this image is in my head.
There are two reasons why I chose this hotel...one, it was free with our Mariott reward points. And two, it is close to Little Bighorn National Monument. Those were the two reasons. Free breakfast will be a cherry on top.
Total Cost (for us): $0
Rates vary between $117-$124
Nights #7-10: Bridge Bay Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
There are several campsites in Yellowstone. It kind of made my head feel swimmy trying to decipher them all. My understanding of it (from reading other blogs) is that you need to decide if you want a campground that is closer to the edge of the park to be able to leave and get supplies, or if you want to be more centered towards the middle of the park to be more centrally located to sites and trails.
We chose to be more centrally located. We chose a less popular site and went with Bridge Bay. It appears it is on the shore of the lake and is popular with boating enthusiasts.
There are no showers at our campsite but considering that all showers are closed this year at the park due to COVID, it didn't really matter to us.
We are spending 4 nights at this campground. Each campsite provides bear boxes, a fire grill, and a picnic table. Ideally I picture us hiking up some epic trail constantly but in reality I am sure we will be spending a good amount of time just chilling by the fire.
When you book make sure you are super correct on what you are bringing and the size. We rented an extra large tent space/lot/area which with tax ended up being $29.89 a night. As scared as I am of freezing to death in my sleep or waking up with bears licking my face off, I am pretty thrilled at the thought of a) not having to drive into yellowstone each day, and 2) waking up in the middle of God's creation. Yeah!!!!
And all in all, 4 nights IN Yellowstone is under $120. Score.
Total Cost: $119.56
Night # 11: Kings Bottom Campground near Arches National Park
You have no idea the amount of teenage giggling I'm anticipating when our kids see the sign to this place.
I did not know until writing this post that the U.S. Department of Interior has a ton of sites that you can rent to camp. This is one of them.
There seem to be tons of bureau of land management camp sites around (per their website). They all are first come, first served. We'll be rolling into arches late and so I am not feeling particularly lucky about getting a campsite. But, if nothing else we will have to sleep in the car and try to not kill one another because by night # 11 on a trip with one car and 4 people, I am sure we will all be at our wits end.
The nice thing about Bureau of Land Management campsites is that they are only $20. You do want to be careful to look at the amenities offered. For example, at Kings Bottom there are toilets but there is no water. You hear that? So we're going to have to bring water in and make sure we're set before we head into the area. Also, per their website BLM sites are payable only by cash or check. So make sure you bring some moneys. Or a check book if you are still living in the '80s.
Total Cost: $20
Night #12: SpringHill Suites, Vernal, Utah
We chose this hotel again because of the same reasons...free with our points and close to where we are going. Are you sensing a theme? I am so thankful for hotel points. All of those horrible nights when my husband had to be away from our family somehow feel a little more worth it when you get to stay somewhere for free.
Free breakfast again at this hotel and it looks so modern and shiny. I wish I could say I'm excited to stay at this hotel but honestly the sight of a SpringHill Suites brings me back to the time we lived in one for a month in Texas and that still makes me want to gouge out my minds eye. By the time we were done there I was okay never seeing another SpringHill Suites again. But...
Another hotel! Praise the Lord!
At this hotel I am sure I will be making tons of microwave ramen for everyone to eat and doing a lot of coin-operated laundry. All in all sleeping in clean sheets and taking a shower after potentially 5 nights of no showering will be the best thing ever!
Total Cost (for us): $0
Rates Range Between $117-$119
Night #13: Arapaho Bay Campground near Rocky Mountain National Park
This is another one of those "First come-First served" sites.
The campgrounds around Rocky Mountain have been super weird. One website says that all of the Rocky Mountain National Park campgrounds are closed. Another site says that they are all open but are all full. No one knows heads from tails. We are again trying to play it all loosey-goosey about finding somewhere to say but in all honesty living on the edge gives my personality hives.
However, I know it will be okay. We're planning on staying at the Arapaho Bay Campground, which is a National Forest campground. Again, I had no idea that so many government agencies were running campgrounds around the country. I think it is so cool!
Arapaho Bay is $23 a night. If that one is not available, others in the area that are first come-first served include Greenridge ($23), Sunset Point ($26), and Stillwater ($26).
Total Cost: $23
Night #14: Aloft, Omaha, Nebraska
I'm not even going to lie. I didn't even look for a campground at this last stop. I know our family. I know that by this leg of the trip the kids will be crying to get home, the family will all be cranky, and a good hot shower will feel divine. I am hopeful that this hotel stay will help us as to get home from Utah it is a lot of driving. You hear me, New York? A. LOT. OF. DRIVING.
So staying at a hotel in Omaha will be a good way to see Nebraska (our first time! We're crossing this one off our list too!) and will be a great start to our final day of driving back home.
No breakfast at this place but who cares. Alofts are so cool and fun to stay at!
Total Cost (for us): $0
Rates range: $98-$154
Whew! And there you have it!
There are a lot of places and its a lot of camping but as you can see it isn't ALL camping.
At least I'm trying to convince myself of that.
Our total cost for lodging for 14 nights comes to $407.56! That's definitely a cheap family vacation, right? And that includes our admission to the Laura Ingalls Homestead. Take admission out and we are spending less that $350 for lodging!
That's 14 nights for only $347.56!
That's an average of only $24.83 a night! When you put it that way I think camping is awesome!
I think my biggest tip is to sprinkle in some nights in a real bed if you are able to work that into your budget.
I hope that these places and pointers help point you in the right direction for making your next trip a cheap family vacation.
If you've stayed at one of these places or plan to stay, we'd love to know!
Read this post if you need more pointers (other than lodging!) for a budget-friendly vacation!
Happy Camping! ;)
