freesprout33

Hello all We are taking a 10 day trip out to Colorado & Wyoming (-2 days for flying in/out), at the end of August/beginning of Sept. The current plan is:

Day 1
Land in Denver, drive up to Estes Park, stay somewhere inexpensive
Perhaps a quick drive through Rocky Mountain NP

Day 2
Spend the day in RMNP

Day 3
Finish up RMNP (if need be), then hit the road up to Jackson, WY
Hoping to stay at a nice B&B

Day 4 - 5
Explore Grand Tetons NP

Day 6
Finish up Tetons, drive up through Yellowstone to West Yellowstone, MT (seems to be the best place to stay, b/c all of the Park hotel/lodges are booked)

Day 7 - 8
Explore Yellowstone (need to see the Grand Canyon of YS!)

Day 9
Drive back down to Denver (it's the only airport we can get a nonstop out of, AND it seems to be MUCH cheaper to return the rental car where you pick it up)

Day 10
Fly home (boo!)

Questions:
Our Colorado visitor guide says that the #1 gorgeous place to see is the Maroon Bells, near Aspen. Is this worth adding? So, we'd land in Denver, drive out to Aspen, then on Day 2, drive up to RMNP after seeing MB. Worth it??

We're torn between the last week in Aug vs first week in Sept (either way, Labor Day will be part of the trip) - is 1 any better than the other? I would think Sept, but there seems to be less rooms avail...

I've been sifting through a lot of forum posts here, and I also rely on tripadvisor for their 'best of' lists; but ANY advice/tips/must sees you might have are appreciated! Thank you!

Gretchen

I don't think the Marroon Bells would win over the Park and trying to do both as you have outlined is just not possible or plausible. The rest is a LOT of driving. How are you going to the Tetons?

tomfuller

Does this work? Fly to Denver- rent a car for 3 days to go see RMNP. Return car to Denver and take the morning CA Zephyr from Denver to Glenwood Springs. Ride the bus to Aspen. http://www.rfta.com/
Take the next Zephyr from Glenwood to Salt Lake City. Rent a car in SLC to drive to Jackson and Yellowstone. Return the car to SLC and fly home from there.
This involves a lot less driving for you and you get to see the things you want to see.

Nelson

My $0.02: Your itinerary as stated is reasonable, but do not add the Bells. That's too much traveling.

If you have a couple of hours to walk into Glacier Gorge in RMNP (Mills Lake or Loch Vale) then you'll be amazed by the scenery and won't miss the Bells. Trail Ridge Road is also pretty darn impressive. Plus, you'll go to the Tetons which are about as impressive as it gets for mountain vistas in America that you can drive to.

I'd slightly vote for early September, but not necessarily much difference from late August (though this is the Rocky Mountains, one never knows!).

But make your reservations ASAP. Good luck and have a great trip.

Gretchen

Would September begin to get the aspens turning color? Could tip the scale for that.
I also think the fares "might" be a tad cheaper after school starts--at least that is what we found when travelling to Denver in August. Flights absolutely packed with families vactationing.

fmpden

Aspen is four hours in the wrong direction or at least opposite of where you want to go. Aspens on the high peaks will have started turning by Sept. And Yellowstone is a long ways - 7 to 8 hours from Denver. You have a lot of time in the car scheduled for this trip. Save Aspen for another trip.

Floridafran

Don't give up on getting in-Park lodging at Yellowstone. Book something in West Yellowstone that you cancel without penalty for backup, then call and call and call hoping someone gives up their reservation in YS when they realize they can't go. Also, tour companies release pre-booked rooms when they don't need them. Don't rely on the website for availability. Some released rooms re-book before there is time to update the website. Oh, and book through Xanterra directly. Outside agents will cost you more.

You asked for advice on must sees/dos. What are you most interested in? Hikes - short or long, photography, animal watching, geology? These areas are perfect for all of these but some specific spots are better for some than others.

jr3921

What about adding a few days more and visit some Utah's NPs too? You could drive from Denver to Moab, stay there overnight and the next day visit Arches NP and Canyonlands NP in one day. Have a look at my travel blog, week 2 (http://sites.google.com/site/usscenictrip/home/week-2) for more details.

bigtyke

What are your interests in the parks? Hiking, sightseeing, ?

I would leave RMNP early on day 3 (although this might just be because I live so close that I can visit anytime). I would cut one day out of Grand Teton to tack an additional one onto Yellowstone.

But in general, it looks like a great tour

Myer

As Floridafran suggested, don't give up on getting inpark lodging.

Call, call, call. There are cancellations and tour companies grab rooms a year out and then release them when they can't be filled.

sharondi

I agree with bigtyke about cutting a day from Tetons and adding to Yellowstone. And it is a long haul (8-9 hrs) from RMNP to Jackson WY - but seeing Yellowstone is worth it!

polly229

I second (or 3rd) trying to get cancellations at Yellowstone. I had rooms booked for Grant Village and Canyon but really didn't want to go to Grant. Kept checking and finally got rooms at Old Faithful about a month before our trip in June. Also got cancellations on a previous Yellowstone trip. Many people prefer calling but I have had good luck with the Xanterra website (although it's a little kludgy) and not had to wait on hold for a reservationist.

DH and I are definitely prejudiced because Y'stone is our favorite of the 30 national parks we've been to, but I'd also cut a day from GTNP. Y'stone is huge, with tons of things to see - but takes time to drive around since it's so large. (And there's the occasional bear jam that will hold things up.) For a first trip, I'd certainly want to spend an hour or two walking around Geyser Hill and see another of the predictable geysers apart from Old Faithful. Also Mammoth Hot Springs (and the courting, bugling elk in Sept.). Norris/Porcelain Basin if only from the top. Bison herds in Hayden Valley. I could go on and on.

Sept. is lovely at Yellowstone. We went in June in part to see newborn animals but I think if we go back, we'll do it in Sept. again, as we have done twice previously.

freesprout33

Thank you so much to EVERYONE for all of your input! I thought I would receive an email notification when people responded - but I didn't - so I assumed no one replied. Then I happened to be searching the forum for more tips, saw a familiar looking title (mine) and 11 replies!! Whoa!

To address some comments/update everyone - we are going over the last week in Aug. Flight was cheaper, more rooms available - syncs up better for things at work. We leave Sat! Our plan is pretty much sticking to the itinerary above (I eliminated the Marroon Bells from my mind shortly after posting this). I know a lot of people suggested making the Tetons 2 days and YS 4 - but we'll really only be getting 2 full days in the tetons (since we'll likely get their late from CO). That, and we're determined to get every bit of our 3 days out of yellowtone (probably doing Old Faithful, Mid Geyser Basin, & maybe Mammoth Hot Springs on or first day before we even check in).

My parents are really encouraging us to do Beartooth Scenic Hwy - but it doesn't lead us anywhere, so we'd just be driving it and turning around. Worth it?

Also - our interests are hiking and biking (road, or easy trails). We're planning on hiking up to Sky Pond in RMNP. In the Tetons, I was thinking of 2 hikes (definitely Jenny Lake/Cascade Canyon) and another hike, OR renting bikes. Also - Is the Sky Tram at Jackson Hole Lodge worth a visit??

The last couple of things I'm trying to figure out is one good hike in YS (b/c I think the rest of our time will be driving/stopping, driving/stopping). I just read about Mt. Washburn. Worth it?

Thank you very much for your time and input! Oh yeah - and likely much to a lot of people's dismay - we're booked for good in West Yellowstone, MT. BUT, we plan on having lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. Oh - and hopefully dinner at the Stanley Hotel in CO (that was the compromise so I didn't have to stay there ).

spirobulldog

I love the Sky Pond in RMNP. It goes right by The Loch, which is also very scenic and a nice waterfall or two.

That said, spend as much time in Yellowstone as you can and delete everything else that hinders you. 4 days would be the minimum for Yellowstone, for me. You probably wouldn't be sorry if you spent the entire trip there.

I have visited 32 US National parks. Yellowstone is really spectacular. I would try try try your hardest to stay "in park". Try up to the last minute. A lot of people cancel a day or two out.

spirobulldog

Love the Stanley too. Trout hash is good there for breakfast.

I would spend an entire day around the OF geyser basin. Try to catch Castle Geyser and Riverside Geyser too. Mammoth area is my least favorite area. Of course, spend a good portion of day at Canyon area. We like dining at Roosevelt(stayed there one night too). I would dine at Old Faithful Inn for a meal, but also right outside the lodge there is a little country store that has great quick meals that are made to order in front of you. I also liked the old timey dining area of Jackson Lake Lodge, main dining is great too there.

polly229

Regarding Bear Tooth, I wouldn't bother if not using it to get somewhere. We drove it in early June - out the NE entrance, lunch in Cooke City, and then down Chief Joseph Hwy. to Cody. I think the part from Y'stone to Cooke City is considered Bear Tooth. While we didn't continue on BT past Cooke City and it may be much more spectacular there and more spectacular than Chief Joseph, I didn't see anything on the route we took any more memorable than we saw in Yellowstone. I'd only do the drive in order to turn around and come back if i had maybe a week in Y'stone.

OF Inn dining room is a buffet lunch, okay but they weren't too prompt on replenishing food when we were there about 1. In fact, one of the meats had been replaced by a second pan of the same chicken when we arrived and by 1:15 the chili was gone and they never replaced it. Ordering from the menu at dinner will be more expensive but better. We did not eat at Mammoth this trip, ate there last time in '08 and it was our preferred dining room then. The food will be more expensive but also appreciably better in the dining rooms than the cafeterias. (We actually dislike the cafeterias so much that last trip we took fruit, trail mix, stuff for sandwiches, etc., so we wouldn't have to eat park food for lunch.) I'd be more likely to try to catch an early dinner at OF Inn before driving back to W. Y'stone if you were still around the area, but that would require reservations. No reservations needed at Mammoth if you ended up there last thing in the day; also I think the dining room also still serves lunch from a menu, which used to be pretty good.

I think Mammoth is very interesting and worth a look but wouldn't plan to spend a great deal of time there - probably an hour would allow you to do the drive and walk up the boardwalk for a quick look. That said, I can't imagine how you could see Mammoth, Midway, and Upper Geyser Basin in one day. OF Geyser is probably the least impressive of the 5 relatively predictable geysers in the upper geyser basin, and you could spend a day easily in the general area; there are regularly erupting smaller geysers all over the place, both on Geyser Hill and adjacent to it. I would allow a couple of hours for Geyser Hill and another hour or two minimum for the adjacent area not actually a part of GH - more if Riverside, Grand and/or Daisy were scheduled. Certainly a few minutes to walk around Black Sand and Biscuit (can also walk to Biscuit since it's just across the road from the part of the lower basin that goes by Morning Glory Pool). OF's fame is largely based on the fact that it erupts often; if short of time, I wouldn't even bother to go over there, I'd watch it from Geyser Hill. I would also drive Firehole Lake Drive for an interesting collection of thermal features in a relatively compact area. If I had to pick between Midway and Norris, I'd pick Norris. Two or more hours for walking around Norris would be on my agenda. I certainly would want to see Porcelain Basin (spectacular!) from the top but a walk along some of the other geysers and then down into the basin is very worthwhile. Unlike many people, I would spend less time in the Canyon area since it seems to me that the geysers and other thermal features are what make Yellowstone unique. I'd walk along the top of the canyon, stop at Tower and especially Calcite Springs overlooks but I'd save my longer walks/hikes for the other side of the park.

illnative

You might want to look at other hikes in RMNP. Sky Pond is absolutely gorgeous - but right now getting to the trail head might be a bit of a problem. They are doing major construction on Bear Lake Road and you either have to get their really really early or take a shuttle - for which they have been having up to 2 hour delays.
http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisi...nstruction.htm

Some other hikes we like at RMNP - that use different trailheads that would be unaffected by the Bear Lake issues include Chasm Lake, Twin Sisters and Ouzel Lake. Chasm and Twin Sisters are actually shorter hikes, but have more elevation change.

We are headed out there for a week in mid-September so have been researching our options as far as hiking non-Bear Lake Road trails. We may brave it one day to do Lake Odessa - but we have a whole week vs. a few days that you have.

travlsolo2

We've taken the aerial tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain at Jackson Hole several times. It's awesome! Have watched the hang gliders up at the top. We've hiked down to the base from there also; it takes a couple hours. If you Google the tram, there is a $4.00 off printable coupon on their website.