What to Pack for a Fall Road Trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone
If we’re friends on Instagram, you may have seen my stories of our trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone from last weekend! (I’m sharing them all this week as my service was super spotty in the parks. I so enjoyed the partial break from the internet! It was much needed.) Since it’s going to take me a while to go through the thousands of photos I snapped and figure out exactly what I want to blog about, I thought I’d kick things off with a packing post featuring the clothes, shoes, and accessories I packed and what we brought along in the car. Let’s dive in!
What to Pack for Fall in Grand Teton and Yellowstone
Our trip took place the last weekend in September, and I was hoping to have perfect fall weather. And we did! The first day was sunny and warm, and the days following were mostly pleasant (cooler and windier). We had a little bit of rain one morning and a little bit of snow the next morning. I definitely overpacked but wanted to be prepared for any conditions (warmth, cold, wind, rain, snow, etc.). I didn’t end up wearing some of the items I brought with me (those are denoted with an asterisk). I used the packing list feature on Stylebook to stay organized.
Here’s everything I packed and wore during our fall road trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks:
Two tank tops*
One short-sleeve tee
Two long-sleeve tees
Two cardigans (one button-front, one open)
One hoodie*
One wubby pullover
One pair of bike shorts*
One sport bra top + matching leggings
Four pairs of regular leggings (two styles)
One pair of cashmere sweatpants
One baseball cap
Two beanies
One pair of earrings
Two bags (one wallet, one backpack)
One puffer coat
One pair of sneakers
One pair of rain boots
One pair of “fashion” waterproof boots*
I also packed these items (not included in my Stylebook closet):
Two tank top undershirts (*didn’t wear one)
One sports bra*
One pair of fuzzy socks
Four pairs of wool socks (*didn’t wear one pair)
One rain jacket
Umbrella*
One pair of sandals
One pair of old sneakers*
My old, beat up Toms shoes (what I call my driving shoes lol)
The only item I wish I had packed but didn’t was a pair of gloves. It was cold, especially with the wind! I also wish I had shoes/boots with better traction for hiking in slippery/messy conditions.
Because we were on a road trip, I had multiple bags with all of my things in them. When I travel by plane, I’m really good at packing in a carry-on only. For road trips? All bets are off. I fill up the car with bags, haha! For this trip, I had my main rolling suitcase (carry-on size), a bag for shoes, a tote bag with coats/hats, and a tote bag with toiletries.
Fall Outfit Ideas for Grand Teton and Yellowstone
Above are the five outfits I put together for the trip, one for each day. I basically stuck to a uniform of cardigan + top + leggings or wubby + top + leggings depending on the temperature that morning. I brought five pairs of leggings and wore all of them (since I got hot/sweaty/dirty hiking). I also brought enough “base layers” to not need to rewear any of them, which was good considering the hiking.
Day 1 / Mainly driving with a stop at a museum; warmest day of the trip. Wore sandals when not driving, old Toms when driving.
Day 2 / Hiking in Grand Teton; warm and breezy day so I wore my matching bra and leggings with a cardigan for the morning chill. Had to take it off in the middle of the hike because I got hot. (Could have worn bike shorts for the hike, but I appreciated the leggings in the evening.) Wore my puffer coat in the evening.
Day 3 / Stopping around Grand Teton then heading to Yellowstone, some light walking. Cooler day but still breezy. Wore wool socks.
Day 4 / Hiking/walking around multiple stops in Yellowstone. Cold morning so opted for a long-sleeve tee layered under my wubby, which was all layered under my puffer coat. Removed coat partway through the day. Wore wool socks and rain boots due to threat of rain (didn’t end up needing them, really). Swapped between a beanie and the baseball cap throughout the day. Also wore rain coat for part of the day.
Day 5 / Another cold morning with snow! Layered up under my puffer coat again. Wore wool socks. Did enough hiking in the morning to warrant sneakers instead of “fashion” boots. Drove home!
Other items I wore but are not pictured: cashmere sweatpants (put on in the evening for lounging in our room), wallet (was usually in my backpack but pulled it out a couple of times for quick errands), items that are not in my Stylebook closet.
What to Bring in the Car for a National Parks Road Trip
Our goal was to avoid as much human contact as possible and also avoid spending a lot of extra money on eating out. Every night, we brought everything (except for the car-specific items) into our accommodations, especially the food because bears are prevalent in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
Cooler (tried to limit the amount of food that needed to be cool; brought sandwich meat and cheese, a bagged salad, potato salad, etc.)
Snacks and other non-perishable food
Water/other drinks (Gatorade, etc.)
A roll of paper towels in case of spills or if a napkin is needed
A bag with a bowl (for the salad), silverware from home, any kitchen item you need (i.e. cutting board and knife for bread, food storage containers, etc.)
Camping chairs
Camera + all necessary camera gear (extra lenses, charger, extra batteries, tripod, etc.)
“Medical” bag with bug spray, sunscreen, medicine, bandaids, antibiotic cream
Maps—especially for areas with poor cell coverage
Magazines/books/deck of cards if you won’t have internet to keep you occupied
Music! I always have CDs and my iPod.
Car phone charger
Sunglasses
Snow brush/ice scraper (if snow/ice is in the forecast)
National Parks annual pass (spend $80 and you can visit any national park for a year!)
Extra blanket
A bag for car trash (and may I suggest another for recycling)
Bear spray is also recommended for Grand Teton and Yellowstone but we did not have any
And since we’re currently in a pandemic, I also brought along:
A small tote bag with many face masks
Multiple bottles of hand sanitizer
A container of Clorox wipes
