Are you planning a Western US road trip? We did a 20+ days epic California to Montana road trip with our kids and I’m sharing with you our exact itinerary.
This road trip will bring you through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah, with a quick stop through Nevada and Arizona. It will show you the marvelous landscapes of Western USA: Red rocks, natural hot springs, waterfalls, volcanos, waterfalls, and wildlife.
In this article, I’m giving you our day-by-day detailed California to Montana road trip itinerary to help you plan your trip. It’s filled with fun stops along the way.
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Overview map of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana road trip
You’ll see that our route wasn’t optimal for this road trip. There are a few reasons for that, but mostly because:
- We had some commitments first in Idaho, so we had to start in Idaho. We then drove down to Utah and back up.
- We wanted to be flexible for this trip. We didn’t book campgrounds or hotels in advance, but that meant we had to change plans a few times.
- We had to be in Alberta, Canada, on a specific date, so we sadly had to skip some places and rush through some. This road trip could easily be done twice/triple the time.
If you’re planning this Western USA road trip from California to Montana, I recommend starting in Utah, then Idaho, Wyoming, and finishing in Montana.
💡 INSIDER TIPS to make the most of your Western US road trip
🚗 If you’re renting a car or campervan, most car and RV companies charge a one-way fee if the drop-off location differs from the pick-up location. Keep that in mind when planning your trip.
📱 Download a few apps to help you plan your road trip! The GoWhee app is perfect for finding fun, kid-friendly activities along the way. AllTrails is our app for looking at trail reports and seeing if the trail is kid-friendly. Harvest Hosts for lodging. Also, don’t forget to download GuideAlong audio tours to learn about the areas you’re road-tripping to while driving.
Detailed itinerary for a Western US road trip from California to Montana
Day 1: Sacramento to Winnemucca Sand Dunes:
🚗 The drive from Sacramento to Winnemucca is 285 miles (459 km).
We left Sacramento in the afternoon and slowly went to Winnemucca Sand Dunes following I-80. We stopped in Lovelock for the boys to play in the playground.
🏨 Sleep at: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Winnemucca
👉 If it’s your first time in California, I recommend stopping in Lake Tahoe. It’s a beautiful lake and a great way to cool off on a warm summer day. You may also want to stop in Reno, NV. There is also the Lovelock Cave in Lovelock, which is worth a stop. They were sadly closed when we arrived. Also, for a California west coast road trip itinerary, check this 10-day itinerary along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Day 2: Winnemucca to Givens Hot Springs
🚗 The drive from Winnemucca to Givens Hot Springs is 219 miles (352 km)
We started our day at the Winnemucca Sand Dunes. This is the largest dune field in Nevada. The dunes do not reach more than 100 feet but span almost 40 miles. The kids had so much fun.
👉 On the way to Givens Hot Springs, you might want to stop at the Pillars of Rome. They are imposing formations of fossil-bearing clay that look like Roman ruins. The 100-foot-high rock formations measure about five miles long and two miles wide.
When we arrived at Givens Hot Springs, we relaxed at the campground. The kids played in the playground and swam in the hot springs.
📝 Note that the “hot springs” is an indoor pool heated by natural hot springs. It was great for the kids, but nothing special if you are not sleeping at the campground.
🏨 Sleep at Givens Hot Springs Campground
Day 3: Givens Hot Springs to Boise
From Givens Hot Springs, we were only an hour away from downtown Boise. In Boise, we started the day at Esther Simplot Park.
We walked around the park, did some paddleboarding on the lake, and the kids played in the playground. Then, we walked downtown, stopped at THE STIL for ice cream, and played at JUMP.
🏨 Sleep at KOA Meridian Campground
Day 4: Boise to Three Island Crossing State Park
🚗 The drive from Boise to Three Island Crossing State Park is 73 miles (117 km).
We started the morning at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. Plan at least 2 hours to visit. Then, we did the short Old Oregon Trail hike before going to Three Island Crossing State Park. It’s only about an hour from Boise.
There is a local winery, the Y Knot Winery, a few minutes before the state park. We stopped by, visited the winery, and grabbed a bottle of wine.
At the Three Island Crossing State Park is the Oregon Trail Interpretive Site to learn more about the Oregon Trail and the emigrants who traveled that trail.
We spent the end of the day enjoying the beautiful campground and park.
🏨 Stay at Three Island Crossing State Park Campground
Day 5: Three Island Crossing State Park to Twin Falls
🚗 The drive from Three Island Crossing State Park to Twin Falls is 60 miles (97 km)
On our way to Twin Falls, we stopped at the Malad Gorge Unit of the Thousand Springs State Park. There is a nice short trail to do, the Devil’s Washbowl Overlook.
We then stopped at Shoshone Falls Park to admire the falls. There is a nice park with picnic tables.
After the falls, we went to Dierkes Lake, where the kids played in the playground. There is also. A lovely small beach and swim area
🏨 Stay at TownePlace Suites Twin Falls
Day 6: Twin Falls
We started the day visiting downtown Twin Falls (and a good breakfast at Twin Beans). We then made our way to Centennial Waterfront. We stopped at Perrine Coulee Falls on the way down.
At Centennial Waterfront, we inflated the paddleboard and spent a few hours on the Snake River. We ended our day at First Federal Playground. Check out this detailed article for more information on things to do in Twin Falls.
👉 AWOL Adventure Sports is a great place to rent paddleboards and/or kayaks. In the summer, they have a booth at Centennial Park where we can rent paddleboards and kayaks directly. Otherwise, they have an office downtown in Twin Falls.
🏨 Stay at TownePlace Suites Twin Falls
Day 7: Twin Falls to Buhl/ Hagerman
We started the morning at the Banbury Hot Springs. It’s a pool-style hot spring facility, but it was so much for the boys.
👉 Miracle Hot Springs is also a pool-style hot spring and close by. If time allows, you may want to add this to your list if you’d like while in the area.
Then, we visited the three units of the Thousand Springs State Park: Box Canyon, Niagara/Crystal Springs, and Ritter Island. They are all unique and beautiful. Worth exploring. We even paddled a little around Ritter Island (but be careful; the water current is strong).
We ended the day relaxing at the beautiful Billingsley Creek Lodge.
🏨 Stay at Billingsley Creek Lodge
Day 8: Hagerman/Shoshone to Twin Falls
Today was all about volcanos and lava tube caves. We started our day at Idaho’s Mammoth Cave, where we walked in the lava cave. It’s a quarter-mile in and a quarter-mile out. The temperature in the cave is 41 degrees all year round.
Then, we drove to Shoshone Ice Cave. Sadly, we didn’t get to visit the ice cave due to an unexpected cave closure. But the owner told the time to talk to us and gave the boys each a gem kit so they could try gem panning. It ended up being a lot of fun.
We then slowly drove back near Twin Falls for our last night there.
🏨 Stay at KOA Twin Falls/Jerome Campground
Day 9: Twin Falls to Lava Hot Spring
The drive from Twin Falls to Lava Hot Spring is 149 miles (240 km).
👉 We drove from Twin Falls to Lava Hot Spring without really stopping, but Lake Walcott State Park and Rupert would be two good stops.
In Lava Hot Springs, we spent a few hours soaking in the five different hot spring pools and then walked in the garden.
We ended our day with a wagon tour on the bison farm, where we were staying overnight with Harvest Hosts.
🏨 Sleep at: Diamond P Grassroots Bison (with Harvest Hosts membership)
Day 10: Lava Hot Springs to Salt Lake City
🚗 The drive from the bison farm to Salt Lake City is 144 miles (232 km).
Today, we are changing states as we head south from Southern Idaho to Utah. We made a quick stop at Crystal Hot Spring and arrived early in Salt Lake City.
👉 If time allows, you may want to do a detour to Antelope Island State Park to see the bison’s herd.
We first visited the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City and walked around Memory Grove Park. We then headed to downtown Salt Lake City and spent a few hours at the Clark Planetarium. The boys loved it.
We ended the day with an evening stroll at the City Creek Center. They have nice water fountains and outdoor stores and restaurants.
🏨 Stay at: Salt Lake Plaza Hotel
Day 11: Salt Lake City
We first drove to the Great Salt Lake State Park for our full day in Salt Lake City. It’s a short 25-minute drive outside the city. We spent a few hours there, having a picnic lunch. Note that there is a minimal parking fee.
We had much fun playing in the water and on the beach. The boys went on a brine shrimp hunt. They could easily have spent the entire day.
Back downtown, we did a guided tour of Temple Square to learn about the Mormons.
Day 12: Salt Lake City to Torrey
🚗 The drive from Salt Lake City to Torrey is 213 miles (343 km)
On our way to Torrey, we stopped at Hidden Falls, a super quick 0.3-mile (0-5 km) out-and-back hike just outside Salt Lake City.
When we arrived in Torrey, we headed straight to Capitol Reef National Park, one of the five national parks in Utah, where we did the following:
- A quick stop at the visitor center to grab the Ranger Program booklets
- Drive a section of the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive, a sixteen-mile round-trip stunning drive
- Hike the Sulphur Creek Waterfall Trail (1.8-mile round trip easy hike with a natural swimming pool hole
🏨 Stay at: Wonderland RV Park Campground
👉 If you have extra time and energy, you may want to hike the Hickman Bridge Trail (a 1.8-mile round trip hike in full sun) and do some fruit picking in Frutas. Also, make sure to download the self-guided tour of Capitol Reef National Park offered by GuideAlong.
Day 13: Torrey to Bryce Canyon National Park
The drive from Torrey to Bryce Canyon National Park is 116 miles (287 km) and is STUNNING. We drove on the scenic Byway-12. There are so many things to see that we had to choose from. We ended up stopping at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Calf Creek Recreation Area.
For a detailed Utah National Park road trip itinerary, check this 10-day itinerary through Utah’s Mighty 5.
We made many stops and took most of the day to drive the 116 miles between Torrey and Bryce Canyon.
Arriving near Bryce Canyon, we stopped at Mossy Cave, a 0.8-mile out-and-back trail leading to a waterfall, where we cooled off. We ended the day at Bryce Canyon City, a small town where we stayed overnight.
🏨Stay at: Bryce View Lodge
👉 Make sure to download the self-guided tour of Bryce & Zion National Parks offered by GuideAlong.
Day 14: Bryce Canyon National Park
We woke up early and headed to the main section of Bryce Canyon National Park. We took the park shuttle from Bryce Canyon City to the furthest stop: Bryce Point.
We then returned to the visitor center, stopping at Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, Bryce Lodge, and Sunrise Point. Each stop offered breathtaking viewpoints and nice little hikes.
🏨 Stay at: Bryce View Lodge
Day 15: Bryce Canyon National Park to Page
The drive from Bryce Canyon NP to Page is 151 miles (243 km)
A few minutes outside Bryce Canyon City, we stopped at Red Canyon and took pictures of the beautiful arch. We then did a playground stop in Kanab before arriving at our campground at Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreational Area.
We spent the rest of the day in the water of Lake Powell, swimming, playing, and paddleboarding.
The lake was super low, so access to water was hard. We ended up neat at the marina boat launch. There is a small beach.
🏨 Stay at: Page Lake Powell Campground
Day 16: Page (Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend)
We first drove into town from Lake Powell, stopping for a quick view of the Glen Canyon Dam. Then, we drove to Antelope Canyon X for our hiking tour in the Slot Canyon. It was amazing, and not crowded at all (I highly recommend it as an alternative to busy Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon).
After the slot canyon, we went to Horseshoe Bend, where we had lunch and walked to the viewpoint, a short 0.75-mile walk (a really hot and sunny walk…bring LOTS of water).
We ended the day back at the marina beach to enjoy the water and cool off.
🏨 Stay at: Page Lake Powell Campground
Day 17: Page to Zion National Park
🚗 The drive from Page to Zion National Park is 104 miles (167 km)
From Page, we stopped at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes for a few hours. We played in the sand but didn’t do the sandboarding.
👉 If you have extra time, you may want to stop at Moqui Cave and /or at Best Friend Animal Sanctuary. Make sure to download the self-guided tour of Bryce & Zion National Parks offered by GuideAlong.
We then slowly crossed Zion National Park, admiring the view (it was raining a lot, so we sadly didn’t stop much). Arriving in Springdale, we enjoyed the campground facilities for the rest of the day once the rain stopped.
🏨 Stay at: Zion Canyon Campground
Day 18: Zion National Park
From our campground, we had to walk almost to the park entrance since all shuttles were full when they passed our stop. We then took the park shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava stop, where we walked the Riverside trail.
After, we hopped back on the shuttle to The Grotto stop, where we had a picnic and walked on the trail to Zion Lodge. The boys played in the grass area while enjoying an ice cream cone. We ended the day on the Lower Emerald Pool trail, a 1.4-mile out-and-back.
🏨 Stay at: Zion Canyon Campground
Day 19: Zion National Park to Park City
🚗 The drive from Zion National Park to Park City is 310 miles (499 km).
I think this is one of the longest driving days we did on the trip. But we stopped for a long and amazing time at Meadows Hot Springs, where we got to soak in 3 different natural hot spring pools. It was perfect and gave us the energy to drive the second half of the day.
When we arrived in Park City, we enjoyed the pool and hot tub at the hotel and got some delicious oven-baked pizza from the hotel restaurant.
🏨 Stay at: Park City Peaks Hotel
Day 20: Park City to Bear Lake
🚗 The drive from Park City to Bear Lake is 119 miles (192 km)
We spent the morning walking around Park City and exploring this Olympic town before traveling from Utah to Idaho
But we did one last stop in Utah before Idaho at Rendez-Vous Beach around Bear Lake. Bear Lake is a lake at the border of Utah and Idaho, often called “The Caribbean of the Rockies.” We spent the rest of the day at the beach.
🏨 Stay at: Rendez Vous Beach – Bear Lake State Park
Day 21: Bear Lake to West Yellowstone
The drive from Bear Lake to West Yellowstone is 281 miles (452 km)
On that day, we drove from Utah to Idaho, then from Idaho to Montana.
We first stopped in Soda Spring, where we saw the Soda Spring captive geyser erupt. We also tasted some naturally carbonated water at the Soda Springs Historic Site.
Then, we drove a little more to Idaho Falls, where we walked in the Idaho Falls River Park and admired the falls.
We arrived late afternoon in West Yellowstone and enjoyed our campground.
🏨 Stay at: Yellowstone Park / West Gate KOA Holiday
👉🏻 If you’re looking for the best Things to do in Idaho with kids? Add this item to your list!
Day 22: West Yellowstone to Jackson Hole
🚗 The drive from West Yellowstone to Jackson Hole is 130 miles (209 km)
Today, we are exploring a section of Yellowstone National Park one of the best National Parks in the U.S. To help you plan your trip to Yellowstone, read this article, where you’ll find lots of tips.
We did:
- Fountain Paint Pot
- Grand Prismatic Spring
- Old Faithful
- and a few other lookouts
We then stopped at Oxbow Bend for an outdoor dinner. We stayed there for a few hours to enjoy the sunset before heading to Jackson Hole, where you spent the night.
👉 Make sure to download the self-guided tour of Grand Teton National Parks offered by Gypsy Guide.
🏨 Stay at: The Hostel at Teton Village
Day 23: Jackson Hole / Grand Teton National Park
We drove across Grand Teton National Park. We did the loop in the clockwise direction. It was a recommendation from the visitor center. We have a better view of the Teton mountain range in that direction.
We did:
- Mormon Row Historic District (the famous barn)
- Cunningham Cabin trail
- Jackson Lake Dam
- Jenny Lake
- and a few other lookouts
🏨 Stay at: The Hostel at Teton Village
Day 24: Jackson Hole / Grand Teton National Park to Gardiner
🚗 The drive from Jackson Hole to Gardiner is 150 miles (241 km).
We woke up early to enjoy our second day in Yellowstone National Park. We did:
- West Thumb
- Yellowstone Lake
- Fort Yellowstone
- Hayden Valley
- Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- and a few other lookouts
We were really fortunate to have seen many bison (one of them crossing the river). Also, we went to Yellowstone National Park during elk rutting season, so we had quite a few at Mammoth Hot Springs.
We ended the evening at our campground.
🏨 Stay at Yellowstone RV Park in Gardiner
👉 Make sure to download the self-guided tour of Yellowstone National Parks offered by GuideAlong.
👉 Then, if you still have some time, you could continue this road trip to Montana up to Glacier National Park.
👉🏻 For families planning to camp in or around the park, make sure to download some camping apps such as The Dyrt to find all the camping options around.
How Far is Montana from California
If you’re planning a road trip to Montana from California, the total driving distance between California and Montana is 20 hours and 50 minutes (1,306 miles) to make the journey. Starting in California, you’ll drive north through Nevada and Idaho before reaching Montana.
Once you arrive in Montana, explore Montana’s incredible natural resources, forests, lakes, mountains, and more!
Final Thoughts
We had an amazing 25-day road trip from California to Montana. This road trip was way too quick, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
We saw so many amazing landscapes, from red rock formations to geysers and natural hot springs. We saw so many wild animals. Each state of the western United States is unique and worth exploring.
We did a lot in only 25 days because we couldn’t decide where to cut 😉
I hope this itinerary will help you plan a memorable Western US Road Trip through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah.
Related Articles
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read the following articles:
- Canada & USA Road Trips for Families: Our Best Itineraries
- 21 of the Best National Parks for Kids ? (USA Edition)
- 10 Day California Road Trip with Kids: San Diego to San Francisco
