kymomto3

My husband and I just found out we won't have the kids for a week in June (17-23) and would like to fly in to the Yellowstone area (Jackson?) from Cincinnati to explore there and the Tetons, if possible. Trouble is...trying to find lodging five months in advance seems nearly impossible within the park. Any tips on some other close by places where we can stay to explore those areas? I'm usually pretty good with vacation planning but this seems so overwhelming I don't even know where to start with the in park lodging completely booked. We don't need fancy and love cabin style accommodations. I've heard it makes sense to move around since the park is so large?

emalloy

Look for lodging in West Yellowstone and/or Gardner and/or Cody that you can cancel without penalty. Then call the park lodging often, maybe every day, as time gets closer, people who booked last year find they can't make the trip then cancel. You will most likely get a cancellation if you persist.

The park is very large, so having more than one place to stay is fine.

gail

I would split the trip into 2 or even 3 different lodging locations. GTNP is contiguous with Yellowstone, but it is not practical to do both on any day. I would fly into Jackson and stay a night or 2 - either in Jackson or closer to GTNP.

Then look at lodging in West Yellowstone for a couple of nights and Gardiner for a couple of nights. Keep in mind if your last night is in Gardiner, you have to allow enough time to get to Jackson for flight, since you will driving thru Yellowstone with inevitable "animal jams".

Unlike some National Parks, there are towns right at entrances to Park. So while you may miss some of the ambiance of staying in the Park, you are so close that you can still have a great experience. There are all sorts of lodging types - in Gardiner we stayed in a little cabin overlooking the Gardner River.

starrs

Yellowstone is big so you it's best to find lodging on the upper loop and something else on the lower loop. You can stay outside the parks but this summer will be exceptionally busy and traffic can back up at the gates.

Although everything is booked now, rooms are released on a daily basis and will continue to do so until your trip. You could book something outside the park now and continue to look for in park lodging. Call or check the website often - some check daily - until you get rooms. It will happen. It just takes effort. If you don't want to keep trying, just stay in West Yellowstone or Cody.

GTNP is in the valley of Jackson Hole with Jackson on one end and the southern entrance to YNP on the other. It is MUCH smaller and you can stay in GTNP lodging or in the town of Jackson and could get anywhere in the park easily. Don't use Flagg Ranch as an "in between" base. Far too much driving to see either park from there. It works for one night as you move to one park to the other, but not as a base.

Keep trying! Be sure to allot plenty of time in the Tetons. It's my favorite of the two.

HotWheels

We stayed in the small town of West Yellowstone end of June/early July for a week, and never had a problem with traffic. We rose early, had breakfast (or took coffee/rolls along)and entered the park no later than 8:00 AM.(A lot of the tourist traffic comes at/after July 4th). Since the main park road is in a "figure 8", we did one loop one day, the other the next, and did the same the following days to pick up what we wanted to see more of. We had no problems with getting back to West Yellowstone in time for evening dinner each day. We actually enjoyed the other options in town for dining, IMAX theatre, Wolf/Bear Discovery Center, local shops & museum in the evenings. If you do want to pursue park lodging, Canyon Village is the most centralized at the middle of the "8". Gardner is North entrance; Old Faithful Village on south loop - better to stay centralized, if you can.

starrs

Yellowstone had record crowds last summer and this year is the big 100 year anniversary celebration. They expect to set new records this summer.
http://www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/index.htm

An early start will certainly help.

We stayed at Canyon a few months ago - in the existing buildings, but they are finishing the construction of more new ones. Canyon Village is a great location and I really like the new changes to the "village" since I was last there a few years ago.

Inside/Outside the park = it's all good.

Be sure to go to the Tetons too!