manishbit

Hi All,

I am planning for a 9 day trip to Yellowstone and Glacier NP in June end-July, with my wife and 6 month old son. My main objective is to enjoy the scenic drives, photography and see wildlife. And maybe 1/2 hikes

Below is my itinerary, a few milestones are yet to be planned/booked so would need your help.

Day 0 – 6/28, FRI Land at Bozeman, MT / Billings, MT and stay overnight at a nearby hotel
Day 1 – 6/29, SAT What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Old Faithful Inn
Day 2 - 6/30, SUN What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Lake Yellowstone Hotel
Day 3 – 7/01, MON What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Canyon Lodge
Day 4 – 7/02, TUE What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

Day 5 – 7/03, WED Drive to Glacier NP, stay overnight at some Hotel in West Glacier
Day 6 – 7/04, THUR Do Chair Lift rides at Whitefish. What all should I cover this day? Stay overnight at some Hotel in West Glacier
Day 7 – 7/05, FRI “Going to the Sun Road”. Stay Overnight at “Rising Sun Motor Inn” on East Glacier
Day 8 – 7/06, SAT What all should I cover this day?. Stay Overnight at “Rising Sun Motor Inn” on East Glacier
Day 9 – 7/07, SUN Leave for Great Falls Airport for return flight

Apart from the questions mentioned above, I have the following queries as well

1. Between Day 1 and Day 3, where and how do I fit Grand Teton National Park?
2. Which are the scenic routes that I should take during my entire 9 day trip?
3. I can only do a couple of short hikes/treks during my trip so which ones should I go for?
4. Any other Tips and Tricks to make our vacation more enjoyable ?

I truly understand that I will just be “touching” upon the places….. so still trying to make the best achievable and enjoyable plan !!

Thanks

spirobulldog

Day 0-Billings
Day 1 Beartooth Hwy,Lamar Valley, Tower Falls, Hayden Valley,
Cut across the connecting road and continue on to OFI. You might have time to see Paint Pots or Norris Geyser area. Picnic in the park somewhere or a meal at Roosevelt Lodge or both for this day.

Day 2 Spend the entire day exploring the Geyser Basin around OFI. Check Visitor Center for "predicted eruption times" for a few of the geysers. See Old Faithful(se it a couple of times-get up and watch it go at 6:00am and you are likely to have it to yourself), see Castle Geyser, see Riverside Geyser. Might have time to hike to Mystic Falls or Fairy Falls. See Grand Prismatic Springs and Fountain Paint Pots, if you missed those the day before. Dinner @ Lake Hotel. Consider doing the Sunset Butte tour on Historic Yellow Bus from Lake Hotel.

Day 3 Could take a tour of Lake Yellowstone. Spend the better part of the day at Canyon area.

Day 4 Cover the rest of the park that interest you that you haven't seen. Might be able to soak in Boiling River(if water isn't to high)

Day 6 Go Ziplinning @ Whitefish

Day 7 Hike Hidden Lake or Highline Trail
Perhaps a boat tour on this day

Day 8 I would concentrate on Many Glacier area
Hike or take a boat ride or both

tomfuller

I like spiro's ideas.
To avoid a drop off fee on the car you might want to start and end at the Missoula airport.
My favorite lodging in the Glacier NP area is the Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls.

Digbydog

Are you staying in 4 different locations in YNP because that was all that was available? I would not move around as much as you are, especially with a young child. Canyon and Lake Yellowstone are quite close to each other. Mammoth Hotel is my least favorite hotel in my least favorite area of the park. The hotel was an army barracks--very austere.

What time does your flight get into to Bozeman? If it's not late, I would go ahead and head into YNP, seeing Mammoth Hot Springs on your way in, and stay at OFI.

Ideally I would stay 2-3 nights at OFI, 2 nights at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and 1 night at Roosevelt Lodge.

Keep checking back with reservations to see if hotel rooms open up. They often do.

wave725

spirobulldog: I've never been to Glacier that early in the summer...will the Highline Trail be accessible (especially the ledge section)or will it still be covered in ice/snow? If it is hikeable I would definitely recommend that trail, one of my favorites.

If you like waterfall trails, you could stop at St. Mary/Virginia Falls along the GTTS Road - short hike to both - less than 4 miles r/t.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/virginia-falls.htm

In Many Glacier, take the walk/hike around Swiftcurrent Lake. We've always been lucky to see moose in the lake. It's a flat 3-mile hike around the lake.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/swift...ture-trail.htm

spirobulldog

wave725, going there for the first time myself at the end of July. I'm not sure what kind of snowpack they are having this year. Certain years yes, certain years no. I tried to make it there 2 years ago, but due to 45 airplanes being damaged by hail in Denver, there were absolutely zero flights for several days. So, I'm trying again this year.

John

We are having a mild winter in the valleys and I believe the higher elevations are at normal. Highline trail SHOULD be open when you arrive ( end of July ) unless we get hammered again in April.
GTTS road snow plowing starts April 1

manishbit

Thanks Guys...

Wanted to throw in another question.

- Instead of staying in Old Faithful on Day 1, can I go further south and stay near Grand Teton so that I could cover that. Since I will be travelling so much, how much sense does it make to stay at OFI...also there is the fact that it is pretty expensive

-Thanks

Digbydog

OFI is an incredibly unusual, historic inn, although the rooms are not at all fancy. I love staying there. You can sit outside on the second floor balcony and watch Old Faithful erupt, as well as other geysers in the area. We would usually have breakfast bars and coffee out there in the morning, or take-out at dinner at one of the tables there. I would want to stay in this area, as it is the heart of the geysers. Have you looked at rooms at OFI with shared bath? We have stayed in these rooms twice. They are cheaper.

Have you considered flying into Jackson Hole instead of Bozeman? The drive through GTNP up to Yellowstone is spectacular.

spirobulldog

I wouldn't miss OFI. You will want pretty much a full day or more in that area of the park to explore too.

Myer

How will you be transporting the baby? Stroller or on your back?

I would skip Tower Fall (not Falls). You can barely see any of the falls due to foliage growth. Much better falls are Undine just east of Mammoth and at the roadside.

Lower Yellowstone Falls at Artist Point on the south side and Lookout Point on the north side. Red Rock Point is better than Lookout Point but not practicle with a baby to hike down below Lookout Point. Most spectacular waterfalls in the park.

Good thing about the Upper Geyser Basin is that everything is on boardwalks. Easy to transport the baby. Try to walk thru the basin several times at different times of the day.

Old Faithful is the easiest to see as it's one of five geysers tht are predicted and it erupts about every 90 minutes. The others are much further apart and have large windows of time.

If Riverside is predicted at a convenient time it's a good walk and very close to Morning Glory with it's spectacular colors.

Grand Prismatic Spring, a few miles up the road from OF has spectacular colors as well and a boardwalk.

While Mystic Falls is a nice, relatively short hike, it's a trail and not a boarswalk. So depending upon how you'll transport the baby it probably isn't worth the effort.

Some small but very nice waterfalls that are either roadside or very close are Rustic Falls (roadside) up the west side and Moose Falls (a short walk from the small parking area) near the south entrance.

Grand Tetons have amazing scenery but a lot of it is along the road.

You can stop at Oxbow Bend and hang around a while for the views and early evening for possibility of wildlife.

Along the outside road near the southern part of GTNP are Mormonr (a couple of old barns will the Tetons in the background) and Schwabacher Landing (a short drive off the outside road on a dirt road). Both great scenery but best early when the sun is far to the east.

spirobulldog

While I wasn't able to get up close to Tower Fall(sorry, all falls are falls to me, I know I know), I found them to be very pretty. I got some good photos without foliage interference. You will most likely be going right by them and it might cost you 20 minutes(as long as you can find parking). When we were there we go to see Rosie and her 2 cubs that she had that year.

Myer, "others are much further apart" --further or farther? I never know that one either. I just couldn't resist.

wave725

spirobulldog: Hope you won't have any problems on the Highline. We hikeed it in mid-August 2011 after the record snowfall that year, and we had two sections of snow fields to hike across - nothing impassable though. One of my favorite hikes in the park.

sharondi

Sounds like a great trip! In Yellowstone, you can spend most of your time doing the short walks on the boardwalk trails through the geysers and other thermal areas. The rest of your time will likely be spent seeing the wildlife. Be sure to bring along binoculars.

My sister stayed in an incredible inn between Bozeman and Yellowstone called Howlers Inn - you might want to check it out:

http://www.howlersinn.com/

Seeing and hearing the wolves up close was an amazing experience for her even though she also had some very intimate encounters with them in the park.

You should try to include a drive down through the Tetons during day 1- 3. Check out the Oxbow Bend for moose - there were a number of them there when we visited. Take a drive up Signal Mtn if its a clear day. Otherwise, spend your time in Yellowstone - few places like it on earth!

Myer

spiro,

In my opinion, the walk and time to see Tower Fall is a waste and could easily be used elsewhere. Especially if it involve taking a baby out of the car.

My trip report from back then describes a lot about waterfalls that we saw.

About Further & Farther. Not an easy think. See below.

I just reread what I wrote and it should have been farther. "Further" doesn't even sound right.

- - - - -
by Mignon Fogarty
Today's topic is "further" versus "farther."

Almost every week someone asks me to explain the difference between “further” and “farther.” Three years ago when I was on the Oprah Winfrey Show, a production assistant grabbed me backstage while my head was still spinning and begged me to give her a way to remember which word to use. So today, I'll try to help you with this continuing conundrum.

"Further" Versus "Farther"
The quick and dirty tip is to use “farther” for physical distance and “further” for metaphorical, or figurative, distance. It's easy to remember because “farther” has the word “far” in it, and“far” obviously relates to physical distance.

For example, imagine Squiggly and Aardvark are flying to a galaxy far, far away, but Squiggly gets bored and starts mercilessly bugging Aardvark. "How much farther?'" he keeps asking in despair.”

Did you hear that? Squiggly used “farther” because he was asking about physical distance.

If Aardvark gets frustrated with Squiggly, which he surely will, he could respond, “If you complain further, I'm going to shoot you out the airlock.”

Aardvark used “further” because he isn't talking about physical distance, he's talking about a figurative distance: the extent of Squiggly's complaining.

More "Further" Versus "Farther" Tips

Sometimes the quick and dirty tip doesn't work because it's hard to decide whether you're talking about physical distance. For example, Lisa asked about the sentence “I'm further along in my book than you are in yours.” You could think of it as a physical distance through the pages and use “farther,” or as a figurative distance through the story and use “further.”

And what if you stop someone in the middle of a sentence to interject something? Do you say “before we go any further,” or “before we go any farther”?

The good news is that in ambiguous cases it doesn't matter which word you choose. Although careful writers will try to stick with the distinction between “further” and “farther,” the Oxford English Dictionary, Fowler's Modern English Usage, and a number of other sources say that, in most cases, it's fine to use “further” and “farther” interchangeably, especially when the distinction isn't clear. People have been using them interchangeably for hundreds of years, and a few experts don't even follow the distinction. For example, Garner's Modern American Usage notes that in British English, although it's more common for speakers to use “farther” for physical distance, they will regularly use either “further” or “farther” for figurative distance (1).

spirobulldog

Myer,
I don't think you and I would be on the same "waterfall page" . I really liked Tower. I also remember you saying you didn't really care that much for Yosemite Falls. I do remember you saying how you like Canyon Falls(which I did too). Some are about the power, some are about the height, some are prettier. I guess it just depends on what a person likes. I think you like the ones that are about the power.

Myer

What I meant is that the waterfalls in Yosemite for the most part are not really visible up close and have a stringy look from a distance.

Vernal Falls is beautiful. Lower Yellowstone Falls is. Lower Calf Creek Falls is quite small and I think it is a well. Sy Mary & Virginia Falls in Glacier too.

Most of these you can get close to and see them.

Tower Fall now only has a very small portion of the top visible.

manishbit

Thanks everyone for your inputs. The time has finally come and this is my final itinerary. Please suggest some ideas on Photography, Scenic Routes, Wildlife Watching, Small hiking (Yellowstone & Glacier NP only) ideas and Places to see.
Day 0 – 6/28 FRI --> Land at Billings, MT and staying overnight at a nearby hotel
Day 1 – 6/29 SAT --> Long Drive to “Teton Village” via the Beartooth Highway (Please suggest the best possible scenic route). See Grand Teton NP and staying overnight at Teton Village
Day 2 - 6/30 SUN --> See Grand Teton National Park. Staying overnight at Lake Yellowstone Hotel
Day 3 – 7/01 MON --> What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Canyon Lodge
Day 4 – 7/02 TUE --> What all should I cover this day?. Staying overnight at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
Day 5 – 7/03 WED --> Drive to Glacier NP, staying overnight at Apgar Village Lodge in West Glacier
Day 6 – 7/04 THUR --> What all should I cover this day? (Is Chair Lift rides at Whitefish worth covering). Stay overnight at Apgar Village Lodge in West Glacier
Day 7 – 7/05 FRI --> “Going to the Sun Road”. Staying Overnight at “Rising Sun Motor Inn” on East Glacier
Day 8 – 7/06 SAT --> What all should I cover this day?. Staying Overnight at “Rising Sun Motor Inn” on East Glacier
Day 9 – 7/07 SUN --> Leave for Missoula Airport for return flight in the evening at 7 PM

regards
Manish

Myer

With a focus on photography but considering you're with your wife and baby.

Grand Teton
Off the outside road Mormon Row Barns and Schwabacher Landing. This for as early in the morning as is practical.

Jenny Lake boat ride and short hike to Inspiration Falls.

Stop at Signal Mountain Lodge for a view of the lake and Mt Moran on the other side.

Drive up Signal Mountain and spend a few minutes at the couple of viewpoints.

Stop at Oxbow Bend.

Yellowstone
Old Faithful
Try to see Old Faithful fairly early as that's when the sun is behind you.
Walk around Geyser Hill.

Canyon
In my opinion the two best views of the spectacular Lower Falls are from Red Rock Point (this will require a 20 minute hike down) on the north side and Artist Point on the south side.

While I believe Red Rock Point gives a better angle of view, it does require a half mile, fairly steep hike down and then back up in some elevation. Lookout Point is at the same parking spot and the same distance but just a higher angle of view and many, many more people due to its ease of getting to. Given the wife and baby you may either want to leave them above for a half or go to Lookout Point instead of Red Rock Pt.

Just before exiting Yellowstone at the south entrance / exit you'll see a parking lot on the left for Moose Falls. There's room for about a dozen cars. The walk thru the woods is less than 100 yards. If the baby isn't too young to hold and splash in the water below the falls that might be fun. This waterfall is pretty small but still very nice.

Glacier
I assume GTTS Rd will be open from end to end.

Get to Logan Pass before 9:30AM to make sure you get a parking space.

Hidden Lake. The start of this hike is on a boardwalk. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of wooden stairs making a stroller or carriage difficult. You can hike the first part of this to get very nice views.

Highline. Then cross the road and do the first part of Highline. Heights usually freak me out but I found the trail at the "cable" fairly wide and I didn't have to hold it. The first part of this hike has spectacular scenery.

St Mary and Virginia Falls
Though nowhere near the height of Yellowstone Lower Falls, I still think these two waterfalls are really nice and worth the walk. St Mary comes first and if you want to continue to Virginia Falls it's just a continuation of the hike. Not very long but long enough to be a real hike. Nothing too strenuous and you can stop along the way.

tomfuller

This Saturday, (6/22) the GTTS road will be fully open.
A contractor is putting down new pavement on parts of the west side. When you get to St. Mary, take the time to go north to see Many Glacier before heading for West Glacier.
Carry a cooler for drinks and your lunch in either park.
Don't feed or get too close to the wildlife.