The Wild, Wild West
When we started homeschooling in the fall of 2025, I had so many moments where I felt like I was alone in the wild west. There were hardly any rules, yet we were so conditioned to look for and follow the rules. Now we could make our own, but where should we start? What if we did it wrong? There’s no such thing as wrong! But also, how can that possibly be true? I felt like I was flying blind, but no I wasn’t because there were resources I could use and should use. But should I? If so, which ones? Wasn’t the whole point to strip away all the norms and make our own path? Carve our own way through the peaks and valleys. Chart our own course.
A year later and I still have no idea if I’m doing it right. Or if there even is a right way. But I do know this: we’re not in uncharted waters – not even close. The paths are there, we just get to decide which ones to take. And if we want to make our own way, we can do that too. One year in and we're doing the things we hoped to do when we started this wild adventure into a world unknown to us. We’re exploring and learning and seeing our country and at the end of the very long, very full days, isn’t that all that matters? I certainly hope so.
The summer I turned 23, I drove across the US and really saw my country for the first time. Before that, I’d only seen it in bits and pieces. In fact, I’d traveled to London and Berlin before I visited my own nation’s capital. Driving along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, seeing the turquoise waters below jagged cliffs on one side and rolling green hills with cows grazing on the other was so jarringly beautiful I couldn’t help but wonder why I’d waited so long to see it. I felt a pang of disloyally and regret – what had I been doing all this time? How had I been abroad before exploring my own country? I remember thinking in that moment that I wanted to make sure to show my kids this big, beautiful land of the free someday.
Fast forward to a few months ago when we started planning a road trip out west. My youngest daughter is in 4th grade and across America, 4th graders and their families get free admission to every National Park for the year (military veterans and their families receive a lifetime free pass, too). It was the perfect opportunity to make the most of this perk and the freedom to travel that comes with homeschooling.
In 10 days we visited 4 states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. We explored Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and the Caribou-Targee National Forest. We rode horses, ATVs and a cowboy roller coaster, we hiked mountain trails, and we drove over 900 miles.
We saw a heard of elk running through open pastures, a mountain goat holding court at the top of a mountain, and more bison than we could count.
In the weeks leading up to the trip, the girls and I studied the indigenous people who first inhabited the wild landscape of the west, the artists and map makers who worked to document what was even out here so the rest of the world could see and know. We learned about how the mountains were formed millions of years ago, how young the Teton range is in comparison to their neighboring Rocky Mountains, how most of Yellowstone is a massive, live super volcano and the ground beneath it is a geological wonder.
We studied each of the states we visited – it’s landforms and geography, its geology and history. We learned the state capitals and where they are on the map, we studied the wildlife and varying climates of the western region.
We did art projects replicating Shoshone tribal artifacts and learned about how Thomas Moran painted his way across the country to show people the wonders of the landscape.
Fun fact: long after Thomas Moran painted the American landscape, Ansel Adam’s was commissioned by the Department of the Interior in 1941 to create mural-size portraits of some of the National Park hot-spots. But the project was put on hold with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. However, Adams argued the project was necessary now more than ever - Americans should see what it is they’re fighting for. He was right and I’d argue that we could all use a similar reminder today.
We stood in the same spot where he took his famous photo of the Snake river and did our best to replicate his work, although the trees have grown quite a bit since 1942.
left: the spot today, with Ansel's photo
right: our version. Notice how many trees cover the bend in the river.
We studied the hard, ugly parts of our American history, too. We learned a lot about early pioneers and explorers and how this western land wasn’t undiscovered at all. Those explorers were simply exploring it for the first time themselves, and if they wanted to know what was out there, they could have simply asked the thousands of tribes who knew the land so well. In studying them, we learned how survival depended on a vast knowledge of the environment and its resources, and how important it was to pass along skills and language and learnings from one generation to the next.
I’m a firm believer that the best way to honor the hardest parts of our history, and the men and women who fought to create our country, to keep it free and wild and beautiful, is to learn about them and to go out and see it for yourself.
Our girls completed the National Parks Junior Ranger program and in the most adorable little swearing-in ceremony, they pledged to “be curious, keep asking questions, to share my knowledge with others, and to never, ever stop exploring.”
I think they’re on the right path to do just that.
Itinerary & Trip Details
A note about timing: the summer months are the busy season for the national parks out west. As we planned this trip we learned that October is a bit tricky. A lot of the park features like restaurants and visitor centers close down for the month in an effort to give their staff a break and to prepare for the winter months ahead. This is the same for hotels and resorts out west. I noticed right away that Summer Programing (things like live music, horseback rides, tram rides, ATV rentals, zip lines, tours, etc.) end in September and Winter Programing doesn’t start until November. October is like a universal reset month in these states. They do tram / machine maintenance, road work and repairs, and overall property prep for the heavy snow season ahead.
Our trip was planned for October 1-10 because my husband had a conference Salt Lake City for the last 2 days of the trip. We lucked out on timing because a lot was still open, but a lot was closed, too. The aerial tram in Jackson Hole closed the day before we arrived. Many of the restaurants in Yellowstone (the park, not the town) were closed. I called 4 ranches before I found one that was still doing guided horseback rides.
That said, I actually think going in October is the way to go. There were still crowds in the parks, but they were managable. I can’t even imagine trying to experience all of the natural beauty with thousands of other people around and traffic backups simply to get into the parks.
If you’re considering a trip to Yellowstone I’d say aim for September or early October. Take the kids out of school for a few days – they’re still learning and yes they can miss sports. It’s worth it. You don’t need a 10 day trip like we did. Four days in Yellowstone is plenty!
Necessity: The ParkWolf App. Definitely download this ahead of time! As soon as you enter the park you have little to no cell service. This app allows you to navigate your way around the park via pre-downloaded maps and also gives an awesome audio tour as you drive and has a live animal tracking app so you can see where there are concentrations of bison, elk, bears, moose, etc.
Montana - Idaho - Wyoming - Utah
Montana rental house
Log cabin on Hebgen Lake in West Yellowstone
VRBO property # 2947395
Sweet Home Montana Property Management
Location: 15 min from the West Entrance to Yellowstone
I can't say enough good things about this house. The locations was so convenient. The house was beautiful. Views were insane.
Day 1:
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: Located right in the heart of downtown West Yellowstone, this is an incredible, non-profit wildlife park. See live grizzly bears, active wolf packs, and birds of prey up close. Keeper Kids Program – kids get to learn about the bears and help the keepers hide food in their enclosures. This happens twice a day; call ahead to ask if it’s happening that day. Sign up is in person only.
Horseback Riding @ Parade Rest Ranch: The ranch was 8 min from rental house. We did a 2 hour guided trail ride through the mountains and it was so fun. 10/10 recommend.
Day 2: explore part of Yellowstone
West Entrance → Madison Junction → Fountain Paint Pot → Grand Prismatic → Old Faithful/Upper Geyser Basin
We did a small portion of the park this day but managed to see a ton! There are so many cool geothermal features in the park and honestly, you get to a point where you’re not even impressed by more geysers, which is wild. Walking the boardwalk loop around Grand Prismatic was very cool and I’d recommend doing the overlook trail, which we didn’t do, but wish we did. We spotted tons of bison this first day, too – one was even walking through the boiling mud pots.
Hike: Harlequin Lake Trail – short, kid friendly hike that leads to a small lake covered in lily pads. Tons of wildlife viewing potential. Right near the west entrance.
Day 3: ATV rental exploring the Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Lakeside Lodge & Resort
Island Park, Idaho
Roughly 40 min from rental house
We rented a 6-seater ATV for the day and utilized the resorts access to over 500 trails through the Caribou-Targhee National Forest where we explored:
Big Springs and the Johnny Sack Cabin where German immigrant and master carpenter Johnny Sack built a rustic hand-hewn log cabin overlooking the springs, complete with custom furniture and a small water wheel for electricity.
Sawtell Peak: we took the ATV, but You can drive a regular passenger vehicle all the way to the top via the 13-mile-long Sawtell Peak Road. It winds up the mountain through steep switchbacks, gaining over 3,000 feet of elevation and is a pretty scary ride. The road is crazy narrow and has no guardrail so when you look down out the door-less side of the ATV, it’s bananas. But totally worth it. The views are unreal and It is incredibly common to spot a residential herd of mountain goats hanging out on the rocky cliffs directly beneath the radar facility, which we saw.
Note: be prepared to eat dirt on the ride. We arrived back at the lodge covered from head to toe in dust. Sunglasses are essential.
Earthquake Lake: we stopped here on the drive back to the rental house and it’s worth seeing. In 1959, a massive earthquake and landslide dammed the Madison River and created a brand-new lake, swallowing a forest. You can view the eerie “ghost trees” standing dead in the water right from the scenic roadside pullouts. Learn about the geography of the area and history of the quake beforehand, it’s fascinating. There’s also a visitors center that’s supposed to be amazing, but it was closed when we went.
Day 4
This was our big sightseeing / travel day. We hit the road around 8am and drove through Yellowstone, starting at the West Entrance and made our way down to exit the South Entrance and head into the Tetons National Park toward Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But, at the last minute, we decided to change our route to see more of Yellowstone because we’d already seen much of the route on our first Yellowstone park day. So we pivoted and took the long way around and it was SO worth it. We saw way more than we thought we would and had the absolute best day.
This was about a 10 hour day, but it didn’t feel like it because we got out of the car so much, walked around, saw the sights, had lunch, etc.
Here’s our route:
West Entrance → Madison Junction → Norris Geyser Basin
Headed West toward Canyon Village and stopped at the Lower Falls Trail to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the falls.
Dropped down through the Hayden Valley and continued South toward West Thumb Geyser Basin (stopped in Lake Village for lunch on the way)
Continued South → Lewis Lake → South Entrance of the park then followed the Snake River South → Grand Teton National Park
Kept going South → Jackson Lake Junction → West to Moran Junction
This was another pivot spot: we were originally planning to eat lunch at Signal Mountain Lodge, but since we’d changed our Yellowstone route, we ended up eating in Yellowstone instead. We also knew we weren’t going to stop at Jenny Lake since the visitor center and the boat rides were closed for the season, so we decided at Jackson Lake Junction to head over to Moran Junction and drop down South from there and follow the Snake River into Jackson.
This route also allowed us to see the four big hot-spots in park:
Oxbow Bend
Snake River Overlook (where Ansel Adams took his famous pic)
Schwabacher Landing
T.A. Moulton Barns
Schwabacher Landing was hands down a fan favorite on the trip. And we arrived at Golden Hour, so it was even more magical.
Once we left the park we headed in to Jackson Hole to setting into our hotel, which was actually motel, but it was awesome!
Day 5 - 7
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The rooms have twin bunk beds over the queen beds and the kids were thrilled.
Excellent outdoor pool with hot tub, which was open, and it was perfect because it was 75 and sunny every day we were there.
Favorite places in Jackson:
The food in and around West Yellowstone was not good. We were in desperate need of a good meal by the time we got into Jackson and we knew our options would be better, so we were thrilled. Some of our favorite spots include:
Cowboy Coffee Co. for the best breakfast sandwiches
Snake River Roasting Co. for the absolute best coffee
Million Dollar Steakhouse for dinner – this is in the basement of the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and absolutely worth it
Jackson Drug for milkshakes and lunch.
Roadhouse Pub & Eatery – great menu, outdoor patio upstairs that looks over the town square, relaxed casual vibe, huge brewery with tons of great food options.
Teton Toys was the absolute best toy store we’ve seen anywhere.
Overland Sheepskin Co. – this place was just so good. Let’s just say I’m no longer the coldest person in the world….at least I won’t be this winter! The staff was so helpful and knowledgeable and they even ship your purchases home to you for free, which was perfect because our luggage was already too full.
Diamond Cross Ranch – I’ve formed an obsession with this adorable family and their clothes. I’m already plotting our trip to stay at the ranch next fall. Their clothing brand is a small side hustle that helps pay the ranch bills and their stuff is SO CUTE. For a t-shirt junkie like me, I was in heaven. Grant Golliher, proprietor of the ranch, “horse whisperer “ and author of Think Like a Horse (which I promptly bought for Belle), is a lifelong rancher and cowboy. Diamond Cross is one of the last historical ranches in Jackson Hole, WY and is entirely family run. Take all my money, I love this place and this brand.
Cowboy Coaster at Snow King Mountain – this was so fun! It’s a roller coaster that going down the mountain. You sit in your own individual “car” and can control your speed with a hand break. It goes fast, but not scarry fast, and doesn’t have any crazy loops – it’s perfect for kids of all ages and scare levels. They also have an alpine slide and mini golf, but they were closed. So was the aerial tram, unfortunately.
Day 8-10
Salt Lake City, Utah
I’ll start by saying we didn’t have the best time in Salt Lake. My husband had a work conference here, so we decided to head out west prior to the conference and do this whole amazing trip, which would land us in SLC at the end so he could do his work thing and the kids and I could keep exploring. We did explore quite a bit, it just didn't compare to all the incredle things and places we'd already seen.
My husband and I have both been to Utah a handful of times, and in our humble opinions, aside from the skiing there’s not a whole lot of appeal. Yes, we probably should have tried to squeeze in Zion or Canyonlands, but logistically and geographically, we just didn’t have time given that he needed to be in SLC for those last two days.
Here’s what we did:
Natural History Museum at the University of Utah – this was pretty cool. They had a great exhibit on Utah’s indigenous people and an awesome dinosaur exhibit, too.
The Tracy Aviary – this was on our list and we didn’t do it, but I wish we did. They have a flamingo encounter where you can actually go in and feed the flamingos, and the place is massive. We saw it when we spent a few hours in the park where it’s located, but we were exhausted and just didn’t have the steam left for it.
The Great Salt Lake – yikes. This was bad. Here’s what happened: we drove about an hour from hotel to see this and when we arrived, it was pretty unremarkable. Just a lot of open land that is blue on your map, but was dried up and white in person (salt). We drove and drove until we came to Bridger Bay Beach where we could see water off in the distance. We parked and began our trek to the water. We’d read online that you can swim in the lake and that because of it’s high salt content you get that floating sensation similar to the Dead Sea.
So we walked and walked (about a mile) and then we started to see dead birds everywhere. Like EVERYWHERE. Thousands of them. As we inched closer to the water, the smell hit. If you ever smelled a dead animal you know the smell. Aside from the dead birds, there were brown piles of what looked like some sort of seaweed covering the ground…like big piles of pencil shavings from a pencil sharpener. The smell in the air was so bad that we all started gagging and dry heaving and immediately turned back to the car. We assumed it was the dead birds.
We decided to drive on to one of the scenic overlooks to see if we could get a good view of the lake or take some pics. When we reached the next spot and pulled over to park, we noticed flies falling from the sky. They were covering the car and sliding down the windshield. Hundreds of them just dropping right out of the sky, mid flight. Literally dropping like flies.
My daughter said it best when she announced “I think we need to leave this place!”
So we left. Once we were out of the park and had cell service again, we pulled over to google what in the heck we just smelled and witnessed and here’s what we learned: the overwhelming "corpse" smell happens because the Great Salt Lake is currently experiencing a biological die-off on an astronomical scale. The lake's shores are lined with billions of brine fly pupae casings and dead brine shrimp (the brown piles of pencil shavings we saw and WALKED THROUGH). As these billions of organisms bake and rot in the sun along the exposed shoreline, their proteins break down, releasing heavy concentrations of cadaverine and putrescine (the exact same chemical compounds found in human and animal corpses) directly into the air.
Oh, and the birds all apparently died from a strand of avian flu that’s been going on for a few years and has caused over 50,000 birds to die along the lakes shore.
Park City
We spent an afternoon exploring downtown Park City and it was awesome. It was about 40 min from our hotel in downtown SLC, and worth the drive. We did the historic museum, learned about the old silver mines and the towns history, did some shopping and had lunch. On the way back to the hotel we took the scenic Guardsman Pass and that was the highlight of our time in Utah for sure. The foliage, mountain views, winding road, etc. was the perfect way to end our trip.
Books we read / resources we loved / educational stuff we took with us
The River that Wolves Moved: a True Tale from Yellowstone by Mark Kay Carson
Explore the interconnected Yellowstone ecosystem through the story of the gray wolf. Using a cumulative format inspired by The House That Jack Built, this book shows how removing wolves affected prey, plants, waterways, and the landscape, and how their reintroduction helped restore balance to the park.
When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation by Kristen Tracy
In 1948, growing McCall, Idaho, faces a problem as its beaver population comes into conflict
with the expanding town. Idaho Fish and Game warden Elmo Heter develops a creative
solution: using old World War II parachutes to relocate 76 beavers to remote wetlands where
they can thrive.
Mailing May by Michael O’Tunnell
In 1914, Charlotte May Pierstorff wants to travel 75 miles across Idaho to visit her grandmother, but her family cannot afford a train ticket. With her father’s ingenuity, May makes the unusual journey by being sent through the mail on a train.
The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock
Travel to Yosemite with John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. Their camping trip helped inspire Roosevelt’s commitment to protecting America’s wilderness and expanding the national park system.
Yellowstone Moran: Painting the American West by Lita Judge
Thomas Moran had never ridden a horse or slept under the stars. But in the summer of 1871, he risked his life exploring a land full of boiling sulfur pools, steep cliffs, and scorched woods teeming with wild animals. Tom believed the paintings he created in Yellowstone could change American history, but first he’d have to make it out alive.
50 Adventures in 50 States by Kate Siber
A huge, colorful book filled with stories, facts and interesting tidbits about all the 50 states.
Only in America, the Weird & Wonderful 50 States by Heather Alexander
Another huge, colorful book filled with unique tales and tidbits of each state.
Journal Prompts / Question of the Day
Elevation: how does the vegetation change as we go up into the mountains, and as we come down?
Human geography: Why are towns where they are? Why does the landscape suddenly become much more developed approaching cities?
If you could ask a geyser 3 questions, what would you ask?
If you were a bison for a day, what would you do?
What’s something here that looks very different from home?
If today were a chapter in a book, what would its title be?
What unexpected moment would you want to remember from our trip?
If you could show a friend one stop from our trip, which would you choose?
If you had to travel our whole route by horse instead of car, what would be the best part and the hardest part?
What makes a trip feel like an adventure?
If you could build a cabin anywhere along our route, where would you build it?
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