aussiedreamer

So after months of planning and research we are now 5 weeks from leaving on our Alaskan, Canadian & US trip. We are away 8 weeks, I'm pretty right now for the bulk of our trip, which will be driving, Cruising the inside passage and RV'ing through National Parks.

We've booked 3 nights in Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone from Thurs July 9 - Sunday July 12, with several days either side of this to meander. I've mapped out highlights of must see's for us for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton, thanks mostly to you all. Just want to make sure we don't overlook any obvious special highlights. Interests are amazing scenery & wildlife photography, local food and just 'being' there.

We will be in Grand Teton a couple of days before YNP in early July, I've mapped

* Colter Bay Rv park, for a night or two, wasn't going to book?
* Oxbow Bend
* Snake River lookout
* Schwabachers Landing
* Mormon row
* maybe granite hot springs, although conflicting reviews.

In Yellowstone I've mapped

* Fishing Bridge Rv campground, booked for 3 nights
* Lamar Valley
* Grand Canyon area
* Hayden Valley
* Geysers, Riverside, Daisy, Castle & Old Faithfull

I'd love you to add your favourite lookout, restaurant, geyser etc. etc.

aussiedreamer

forgot to tag Wyoming grrrrr

voyager61

I think you've covered our favorites in Yellowstone. Just realize that the geysers are many and somewhat spread out, and it can take longer than you think to see a good portion of them. A lot of the appeal of Yellowstone is just driving around and stopping at viewpoints, hiking spots, etc., so try to leave time for spontaneous activities. And being in a hurry while going through Yellowstone is futile. It is usually slow going because it's so popular.

We have been to the Tetons a couple of times, but I'm less familiar with the landmarks you mentioned. Jackson, WY, is a great base for getting some good food and shopping in that area. In Montana, we like Bozeman and especially Livingston, both north of Yellowstone. If you want to stay in a little old west hotel with a great restaurant, try the Murray Hotel in Livingston and eat at its 2nd Street Bistro restaurant, a foodie oasis for the area. Livingston also features a lot of great old west neon signs with mountain views in the background.

I consider the Old Faithful Lodge dining room a must-do once every trip, and the food is good. Generally, the more casual food concessions are just OK, so you may want to have a cooler with sandwiches, snacks so you don't get tired of the food offerings in the park.

Have a great trip.

wave725

You are hitting some of the best spots in the Tetons, especially if you want to go home with some spectacular photos. I would also add Jenny Lake to that list. If you take the one-way road off Teton Park Road, there's a large pullout with plenty of parking for some amazing views.

http://www.tetonhikingtrails.com/jenny-lake.htm

aussiedreamer

?? more ?? ;-)

voyager61

Well, I will add a couple of other things. If you can do river rafting on the Snake River near Jackson (also called Jackson Hole), that is really fun. There are also fun horseback riding excursions to be found in Yellowstone. Cowboy Village Resort is a fun spot for lodging in Jackson. There are a lot of good restaurants nearby, so just use TripAdvisor to find your preferred style.

Dayle

aussiedreamer,

I am so glad you and your family are making the most of your time in Utah!

You really need advance res for Coulter Bay campground. Most of the campgrounds in both parks fill up every day in the summer, especially the RV campgrounds with hookups.

I've camped at Coulter Bay many times and even though they have hundreds of camp sites, it does get full early in the morning for the first come first served spots.

I checked out the RV campground once and would never want to stay there. Lined up like an RV show, close together.

The rest of the campground is very nice so if you can get by without the hookups and handle the generator restriction hours, go for the regular camp site loops.

Have fun!

aussiedreamer

Thanks Dayle.............'RV show' doesn't sound great.........any other suggestions for a night? Don't need full hook-ups every night. Would love secluded/rustic?! ;-)

Dayle

You should still have res for any of the campgrounds. I really like Coulter Bayn. If you want to be as secluded as possible try and reserve a spot on an outer loop, if specific site res are allowed . Otherwise try to get there early in the morning so you have a choice of sites.

If you get stuck with one you really dont like walk up to the office early the next morning and ask to change. The rangers will help you with a map.

Since you are driving an RV changing spots shouldn't be too much work since I assume you will be driving it around the park anyway.

Note that your site options may be limited depending on. The length of the RV.

aussiedreamer

Thank you

Myer

Note that some of the places you mentioned are just scenery stops. Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing are such.

I would plan to be at these places both very early for sunrise and late for evening and sunset views. Especially if you're a photographer.

Also, about 5 minutes from Schwabacher Landing are the two Mormon Row barns. Spectacular views with the Tetons behind them.

bkington1858

More questions for you guys - I have a similar trip planned.

Voyager61, I made note of your Old Faitful Inn dinner recommendation.
What does everyone think about the Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge?

I believe they are opening up restaurant reservations May 1st from what I was told, so trying to get my ducks in a row.

Thanks in advance

HowardR

I'm glad to see you've got Mormon Row on your Teton list. It's a great photo op, with the magnificent mountains in the background. Also, you can usually see buffalo close up on the road (Antelope Flats Road, by name) leading down to that area.

In general, the GTNP offers great, great photo ops everywhere you look!

Gretchen

Look at the Gros Ventre Slide, the largest single land movement in the world. Near Kelly.

aussiedreamer

Thank you all..........so excited.

gtlc

In Yellowstone, we stumbled upon the Grand Prismatic Spring by accident - it is not to be missed! We walked through the observation area on boardwalks, which is a short walk from the parking area. I read there is also a good view from the Fairy Falls Trail, although I didn't know about it at the time. I believe it is a little bit of a hike. Best of luck!

aussiedreamer

I have mapped ALL your suggestions.

Myer

Yes, Grand Prismatic Spring is spectacular. But not half a impressive as the unofficial trail for the elevated view.

If you drive a mile back towards Old Faithful from Grand Prismatic Spring you can pull into the Fairy Falls trailhead parking lot.

Then do the first 2/3 mile or so of the Fairy Falls hike until you get to Grand Prismatic Spring on you right (it may be hard to recognize from the trail). The trail is actually a very straight, flat dirt road.

At that point you can go left up the hill and there are several good viewing areas of GPS.

You can see my photos of trips to YNP, etc at:
www.travelwalks.com

Dorothy01

Glad to see that you are planning to see more geysers than just Old Faithful. The OF Visitors Center posts geyser predictions for Old Faithful, Daisy, Grand, Riverside, and Great Fountain. They also have a phone number with a recorded message that provides updated prediction times.

I belong to GOSA, the Geyser Observation and Study Association. Members, called geyser gazers, are almost always monitoring the geysers and spending time in the geyser basins. They broadcast updates on walkie talkies (portable radios). You can get an inexpensive model at major discount stores. Broadcasts will inform you as to possible Grand, Beehive, Fan and Mortar, and Great Fountain eruptions.

Grand is the world's tallest predictable geyser with eruptions times between six to thirteen hours apart. It is my favorite geyser and one that should not be missed if you are near when an eruption is possible. The geyser gazers have vast knowledge about Grand and can assist you in knowing what to look for to see an eruption.

Beehive Geyser's eruption may be between 14 hours or so to days between eruptions. If you hear on the radio that the Beehive Indicator is erupting, drop everything and run to Beehive.

Myer

Last summer I took my second trip to Yellowstone. This time I took my daughter and then 7 year old granddaughter.

Amazingly, when we got there and checked the predicted geysers for the Upper Basin we saw that all five (Old Faithful, Castle, Grand, Riverside and Daisy) were predicted to erupt within a 2 hour period and with enough time between each to get there. However, Daisy was last so it was ok that it was late.

I wonder how often that happens?