Yellowstone or Yosemite?

Old Sep 9th, 2009, 09:55 AM
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Yellowstone or Yosemite?

Hi, We had planned a road trip, seeing Yosemite, San Francisco, and LA for next October. But now we have to travel in July or August instead. I read that Yosemite is really crowded in the summer so decided to look into Yellowstone instead. It does look amazing and it would be nice to see the animals but DD really wants to see LA for Disney etc and I can't see a way to tie it in.

Would Yosemite be unbearably crowded in July/August 2010? If so, is there a way to comfortably tie in Yellowstone in with LA? We will be renting a car from the airport and will have around 17 days to do the trip. Thanks.
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Old Sep 9th, 2009, 10:18 AM
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IMHO, Yellowstone is too far from LA to tie those together in one trip. Yes, you are right about the summer crowds in Yosemite----better to save Yosemite for a trip you can do in Spring or Fall. Instead of Yosemite on a summer SF/LA trip, I would substitute Cambria/Big Sur/Carmel/Pacific Grove/Monterey---that will give you some stunning scenery and small quaint towns.
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Old Sep 9th, 2009, 10:28 AM
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Yellowstone has so much to offer and is so big that you can get a real feel for the park in a week, see lots of animals, and not be part of the herd. I am one of those few who was not knocked out by Yosemite, rank it way below 8 or 9 other National Parks I've visited, so have a bit of prejudice.
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Old Sep 9th, 2009, 11:55 AM
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I'd also suggest Yellowstone for the reasons stated above - the geology and wildlife give it a real edge. And yes, spring in Yosemite is an excellent time to go. The falls are usually at their peak.

The only way I can see your plan working is to spend 12-13 days in Yellowstone, then fly to LA. You'd probably go through DEN or SLC - no nonstop flights to airports in LA area from JAC. That would give you 3-4 days for Disney etc.
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 08:55 AM
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Emalloy - I'd love to know which are your top ten parks!
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 12:57 PM
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Thanks Bob - I would love to visit those places. It seems there are so many great places in North California that I would need to do a seperate trip, without LA etc. I don't know why but out of all the places I've researched LA is the one I'm least drawn to.

Thanks also emalloy and d4r484 for your advice. I just asked DD and she prefers wildlife to scenery, so it sounds like Yellowstone would be a good bet. And we could do WDW the following year. Disneyland seems expensive in comparison and they don't offer the free dining.
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 02:21 PM
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I'm very prejudiced when it comes to National Parks vs Walt Disney so...Yellowstone, definitely. Yosemite is pretty too but Yellowstone is just so different. How old is DD? Disney she can see on tv. What she'll experience in Yellowstone can compare to nothing else. LA is my least favorite city in California too. Big Sur, Moneterey, Carmel, etc are also well worth a visit when you do decide to go go to California.
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 02:23 PM
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also, meant to add, start booking your hotels now for yellowstone. they book a year in advance. www.xanterra.com

Grand Tetons is something not to miss also and is adjacent to Yellowstone.
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 02:45 PM
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With 17 days you could include Glacier, another great park for both wildlife and scenery.
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Old Sep 11th, 2009, 03:40 AM
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brighton, my 10 top parks change as I continue to visit and also depending on what I'm interested in at the time but for natural beauty/interest: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Arcadia, Arches, Canyonlands, Bandelier, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Chincoteague, Mesa Verde, Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave, Everglades, Blue Ridge Parkway, Painted desert/petrified forrest, Cedar Breaks, oh that's more than 10 and some are national monuments and the order will change depending on my mood and which one I've been to most recently. For history/culture there is a whole other list. We get a lot of use out of our geezer (golden age) pass.
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Old Sep 11th, 2009, 03:57 AM
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Thirteen days in Yellowstone would be 'way 'way too much for me. Five days?
As has been pointed out there is the Grand Tetons (just magnificent) and Glacier in that part of the country.
And depending on DD's age, Disney may be exactly what she wants to do. Great expanses of beautiful parks may not be what a child wants day to day no matter what we wish for them.
We took a 6 week trip west when our kids were 14, 12, and 10. We told them in the planning we would do some things they wanted and some things we wanted. Fortunately, they had already been to WDW.
Depending on what you want, crowds in the summer in parks is just going to happen everywhere. Going to LA, WDW, drive up the Pacific Coast (a treat on its own), visit the garlic and artichoke farms, see Carmel, San Francisco, then Yosemite. Might be more enjoyable than all scenery and parks.
In Yosemite you can book a tent cabin in the Valley--not just hotels.
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Old Sep 11th, 2009, 04:23 AM
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Just a clarification - my comment re time in Yellowstone included several days in the Tetons (and maybe some time in Glacier). Since the parks are next to each other, we always consider them a single trip, but I should have clarified. And yes the Tetons are so magnificent I'd never go to Yellowstone without including several days there.
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Old Sep 11th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Disneyland in the summer is probably the least desirable time to go- long lines, heat, crowd.

Agree that a circle trip including Yellowstone, Glacier and Tetons would be great fun, maybe flying in and out of SLC. The other airports might be more expensive.
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Old Sep 12th, 2009, 05:44 PM
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Hi Maria - Before I read this, I was reading your great advice on Yellowstone on another thread. I understand what you mean about Disney. DD is 12 and DS 14. We are based in the UK and they've been to Florida Disney when they were younger.

Next summer we're moving to Canada and I'm keen to explore the US and Canadian national parks. We do have nice parks over here but the US ones are huge in comparison.

Enzian - Glacier looks awesome too and I didn't realise it was so close to Yellowstone - thanks.

Emalloy, you've just given me a whole lot more places to explore - thanks.

Wow Gretchen - I bet a six week trip was amazing. And I agree that it's great to mix things up to include different types of sightseeing. I think we might do ten days in the area and include some rafting and riding. We can save the remaining days for another trip.

dfr4848 - We definitely don't want to miss the Tetons - they look amazing.

okoshi2002 - I was just checking out some summer pics of Disneyland and you're right about the crowds - they look worse than the ones in Disneyworld.

Thanks for the great advice everyone - you're all awesome.
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 06:46 AM
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If they are that old, and have been to Disney, no real need to do it again, in my opinion.
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the fact that Yellowstone is also very, very crowded in the summer! So, the crowd factor should not be a consideration.
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 07:30 AM
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The crowds in Yellowstone are NOTHING compared to the crowds in Yosemite and Disneyland in the summer. My idea of the ultimate nightmare!
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 07:38 AM
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About the crowds in Yellowstone - I beg to differ. I was there early in August (granted that it was a weekend) and every single scenic pull-out was absolutely mobbed...it really did resemble Disneyland, or Times Square. Totally off-putting. My next trip to Yellowstone will certainly be in the off-season.

That being said, Yosemite Valley is too crowded in the summer as well, and I much prefer spring (early May) for visiting there.

But in both parks, if you are willing to hike a half-mile or so up any trail, the crowds will seriously diminish.
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 07:53 AM
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I'll have to disagree with Dayle. Yellowstone and Yosemite are both very crowded in the summer.
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Old Sep 13th, 2009, 10:38 PM
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I guessed Yellowstone would be crowded too but I'm hoping it won't seem as bad because it's bigger than Yosemite. I searched for pics of crowds in both parks and the only bad crowding I found for Yellowstone was at the Old Faithful Geyser.

But as Azzure suggested, we're going to do quite a bit of hiking, so hopefully we'll escape the crowds.
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