We flew from Vienna to the US for this trip — and the American West was calling. So we went. Campervan, no rigid itinerary, a toddler in a car seat, and the kind of open roads that make you understand why Americans are obsessed with road trips.
The route: we flew into Salt Lake City, picked up the campervan, and headed north. Bear Lake first — the impossible turquoise lake on the Utah/Idaho border. Then up through Wyoming into Grand Teton National Park, on to Yellowstone, all the way up to the Montana border — and then back south, stopping at Bear Lake again on the way home. June, which turned out to be perfect — snow had melted, crowds weren't yet at peak, and the wildflowers were insane.
The Campervan
We rented a campervan through a European-based campervan rental company that operates in the US — there are several options depending on where you're flying in from. For US-based rentals, search platforms like Outdoorsy or RVShare which connect you with private owners, often at much better prices than big chains. Cruise America is the most widely available large-chain option if you want guaranteed availability.
💡 Campervan with a toddler: Get a van with a fixed rear bed — not a conversion. You want to be able to put Adrian to sleep without reconfiguring the whole vehicle at 9pm in the dark. A fixed bed in the back changes everything.
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton was the highlight. The Teton range just rises out of nowhere — no foothills, no warning, just flat valley and then these enormous jagged peaks appearing. Adrian pointed at them for approximately 45 minutes straight.
The Mormon Row barns — the old wooden homestead buildings with the Tetons directly behind them — are one of the most photographed spots in America and for good reason. We went at golden hour and the light was something else.
Mormon Row, Grand Teton — the most iconic view in Wyoming
What we did with a toddler in Grand Teton
- String Lake — flat, easy walk around the lake. Adrian walked the whole thing. The water is turquoise and freezing.
- Jenny Lake — ferry across, short hike to Hidden Falls. Totally doable with small kids.
- Mormon Row — sunrise or sunset. Don't miss it.
- Oxbow Bend — wildlife watching. We saw moose. Adrian lost his mind.
🏕️ Last-minute camping inside Grand Teton — how we did it
National park campsites in the US book out months in advance on recreation.gov. But here's what most people don't know:
- Cancellations release daily at 7am Mountain Time. Set an alarm, be on recreation.gov at exactly 7am, and you'll often find spots for the same day or next day.
- First-come-first-served sites exist in most parks — not bookable online. Arrive early morning (before 9am) and you'll usually get one.
- Signal Mountain Campground in Grand Teton — walk-in sites sometimes available. Beautiful location right on Jackson Lake.
- If the park is full — the Bridger-Teton National Forest surrounds Grand Teton and has free dispersed camping with no reservations needed.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone is overwhelming in the best way. The geothermal activity — the geysers, the hot springs, the bubbling mud pots — looks genuinely alien. Adrian was equal parts fascinated and slightly terrified by Old Faithful, which felt about right.
With a toddler, Yellowstone is about the boardwalk trails. They're accessible, safe, and put you right next to the geothermal features in a way that feels almost too close. The Grand Prismatic Spring from the overlook trail is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
Toddler-friendly highlights in Yellowstone
- Old Faithful — obvious, but genuinely worth it. Wait for the geyser, Adrian was speechless.
- Grand Prismatic Spring overlook — short uphill hike, the colour view from above is unforgettable.
- Lamar Valley — wildlife corridor. Best chance to see bison, wolves, bears from the car.
- Mammoth Hot Springs — the terraced springs look like a different planet. Boardwalk accessible.
💡 Bison are everywhere in Yellowstone — they walk on the roads, through campsites, past cars. Keep a safe distance but don't panic. Adrian thought they were "very big cows" and was extremely pleased about this.
Bear Lake
Bear Lake is nicknamed the "Caribbean of the Rockies" and once you see it you understand why — the water is an impossible turquoise blue from the limestone particles suspended in it. After the dramatic landscapes of Yellowstone and Teton, Bear Lake felt like a completely different trip.
We stayed at a lakeside campground on the Idaho side. Simple, state-park run, inexpensive. The kind of place where you eat ice cream by the water and watch the sunset and feel like life is very good.
Bear Lake — the most underrated stop on the whole trip
The Campfires
Every single night, without exception, we had a campfire. This was Adrian's job. He carried the wood to the fire pit — small pieces, with enormous seriousness. He was three and he took this responsibility extremely seriously.
There's something about a campfire at the end of a day of big landscapes that resets everything. No screens, no rushing. Just fire, the smell of pine, and a toddler who is deeply proud of his contribution.
These are the moments you can't buy and can't plan. You just have to show up and be somewhere wild enough that the ordinary things — gathering wood, cooking over a flame, sleeping under stars — feel like adventures again.
What we packed
Campervanning with a toddler requires different packing than camping with adults. Here's what actually earned its space in the van:
- Blackout blinds — our campervan had them built in. If yours doesn't, get them. Toddler sleep without blackout in a van is optimistic at best.
- Patagonia base layers for everyone — mountain nights in June get genuinely cold. We had first layers from Patagonia for all three of us and they saved us multiple times. Worth every cent.
- Packable rain jacket — Yellowstone weather changes fast. Always in the daypack.
- A picnic blanket — every campsite has great table and bench setups, which a toddler will happily climb. But for spontaneous stops, lake dips and meadow lunches, the blanket was everything.
- Snack box — always stocked, always accessible. Non-negotiable.
- Hot Wheels tracks + a handful of cars — we built tracks in the sand at Bear Lake. From the sand to tree roots to rocks — Adrian engineered the whole thing. Best €0 entertainment of the trip. If you have a Hot Wheels kid, bring the tracks. They work everywhere.
- Stokke JetKids BedBox — this is Adrian's luggage and has been since we started travelling seriously with him. It's a cabin trolley, a ride-on scooter, and it converts into a bed extension on the plane. The backpack attachment is what he uses as his day bag — stylish, expandable, and he carries it himself which he considers extremely important. We have the sea green. We will never travel without it.
On hiking with a toddler: We didn't do it. Not really. And that was a deliberate choice — not a limitation. Our style was short toddler-paced walks, stopping to look at everything, dipping feet in ice cold lakes, watching bison from a safe distance. You don't need to hike five miles to experience Grand Teton. Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit by the water and let a two-year-old throw rocks into it.
Bear country reminder: Wyoming and Yellowstone are bear country. Respect the distances, store food properly in bear boxes at campsites, and know when to take a step back. The wilderness is incredible precisely because it's wild — keep it that way.
Would we do it again?
Without hesitation. The American West with a toddler is not harder than without one — it's just different. You move slower, you stop more, you see things through their eyes. A bison becomes the most exciting thing that has ever happened. A geyser is magic. A campfire is the best part of every day.
Adrian still talks about "the big mountains" and "the cows on the road." He was two and a half when we went. The world is already larger for him because of it.
Save this for your American road trip planning!
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