Route Review #1: Seattle to Chicago – The Very Best Kayaking, Hiking and Huckleberry Picking

There is a little bit of everything that nature has to offer on the drive from Seattle and Chicago. You will make your way through the Cascade mountain range and pass Mount Rainier, then drive through the famous Rocky Mountains into one of the worlds most famous and traveled National Parks, Yellowstone. You will drive through one of the strangest natural landscapes; the badlands, where you can see Bison roaming in the valleys from the multicolored cliffs above. You will drive a stretch of road so straight and flat that you can literally see for miles.  It is an estimated 36 hours of driving and 2,230 miles one way.  We recommend taking at least 10 days for the whole trip.

1st Leg – Sandpoint, ID. (3 hours 55 minutes, 321 miles): Sandpoint is a beautiful mountain town that sits between Mount Schweitzer ski resort and Lake Pend Oreille.  If you come in the summer or the winter there are a lot of activities to enjoy. In the summer you can take the chairlift up Schweitzer Mountain and bike or hike down while picking huckleberries.  Or you can take a kayak or stand up paddleboard (check out the one we found for under $300 below) out on Lake Pend Oreille, which has 144 miles of shoreline. Fishing is incredibly diverse and you can catch trout, mackinaw, large and smallmouth bass, crappie, pumpkinseed sunfish, perch, bullhead (catfish) and dozens of other types of fish.  In the winter, Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort offers world renowned skiing on almost 3,000 acres. The city of Sandpoint has a great nightlife, shopping and fantastic dinning. 

Camping options: 48.173677, -116.231985; Driftwood Yard Road. 3 night stay max. 48.13896, -116.228624; Johnson Creek, NFDR 278, 3 night stay max. 

2nd Leg – Yellowstone, NP. (9 hours 26 minutes, 530 miles): Not including the full Yellowstone loop.   The full loop(s) is about 142 miles.  

Camping options: 44.669074, -111.315755; Near West Yellowstone, MT. Targhee Creek TH, BLM land, max 16 days. 44.69385, -111.2635; Near West Yellowstone, MT. Max stay 14 days.

3rd Leg – The Badlands, SD. (7 hours 48 minutes, 485 miles): The Badlands are like nothing you’ve ever seen before; multicolored spires, lush valleys, roaming giants, there is nothing else on earth like them.  Do not forget to bring binoculars!

Camping options: 43.890031, -102.226789, Right out side the entrance to the badlands and camping spots overlooking the valley.  The very best of free camping!

Last stretch – Blue Earth, MN. (6 hours 3 minutes, 428 miles). The giant friendly green giant in Blue Earth Minnesota isn’t much of a destination, but its a nice place to camp half way to Chicago from the Badlands. 

Camping options; 43.651081, -94.095619.Free for the first 24 hours.  The fairgrounds camping has power hookup and showers.  6 hours east of the Badlands.

Bonus Option – La Farge, WI (3 hours, 10 minutes, 194 miles from Blue Earth, MN) Go easy on yourself and take a pit stop in beautiful Wisconsin and check out the Wildcat Mountain State Park and Kickapoo Valley Reserve State Natural Area. Both parks have hiking trails and beautiful views to offer and if you bring your kayak or dragon shaped inner tube, you will love to cruise down a lazy river with lush overreaching trees along the bank. Don’t forget aqua shoes for those sharp river rocks.

Camping Options; 43.598904, -90.779177. The West Fork Sportsman’s Club is not a free place to camp. It is $10/night for a non-electricity site and $20/night for electricity. 

Arrive Chicago (6 hours 25 minutes, 437 miles from Blue Earth, MN – or – 4 hours 8 minutes, 240 miles from La Farge, WI). Camping for free near major cities is complicated. If you don’t mind being an hour outside of town you will find better spots. Near the city center, your best bet is Walmart, Cabella’s or Cracker Barrel parking lots. Below is a casino that allows camping. 

Camping options: 42.201079, -86.213755. Four Winds Casino.