Yellowstone/Grand Tetons (Oct 2016)

Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:42 PM
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Yellowstone/Grand Tetons (Oct 2016)

Our family enjoyed a “best-ever” 11-day trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. That label comes from my husband, who is not prone to hyperbole. We (DH, DS1, DS2 and I) were celebrating DH’s 60th birthday. I will try to post pictures somewhere if I can figure it out.

Dates: late Sept-early Oct

Planning: We used several guidebooks (Moon, Rough Guide), including some devoted to recommended hikes. The park websites were very helpful and list hikes and activities (although at that time of year, there were not many, if any, scheduled activities) .

Flights: United into and out of Jackson Hole. No issues, which is about all I hope for anymore. Stunning views of the Tetons on the approach to Jackson.

Lodging: Pleased with all lodging arrangements but particularly loved the cabin at Signal Mountain Lodging
3 nights Home Away from Home cabin at Signal Mountain Lodge
2 nights Comfort Inn, Cody, Wyoming
2 nights Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Yellowstone
2 nights Mammoth Hot Springs Frontier Cabins, Yellowstone
1 Night Parkway Inn, Jackson

Highlights: Numerous wildlife sightings, including a grizzly and a black bear, bald eagle, elk herd at Mammoth; awakening to a snow-covered Yellowstone park; beautiful hikes, particularly Hermitage Point, Tetons; Center of the West Museum, Cody; listening to music while enjoying drinks in the Old Faithful Inn; custom tour of Grand Tetons with Brushbuck Tours

Meals: In park meals were a bit expensive but okay; worth it for convenience and view. A few meals were memorable. The service was very good. I think the workers were almost giddy with end of season excitement.

Tips (the obvious): Check park websites for current road conditions. Pack in layers for all weather. Bear spray is available in park camp stores. Many of the park lodges had those water fountains meant for refilling water bottles. Although I don't usually like frequent hotel changes, I think it was worth switching locales in Yellowstone to be nearer different sites and also enjoy the different flavor of the historic lodges.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 05:50 PM
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Day One: Arrived Jackson Hole Airport, picked up our rental at National (a bit out from airport) and headed to Snake River Brewing for lunch. Meal and service were so-so but the amber ale was good. We shared a pitcher, with my son and I doing the heavy lifting since my husband was driving, a choice I would later regret.

On to Albertson’s for some breakfast supplies (note: you can pick up bear spray at Albertson’s—we did not realize this and ended up getting it in the park). Big grocery store; a wine store is in same shopping center.

On our drive to Signal Mountain Lodge, we had our first sightings of elk, bison and pronghorns. I would not consider myself a big animal fan and am not crazy about zoos, but to see these animals in their own habitat is to appreciate their beauty and majesty. We stopped at Oxbow Bend for some photos. The sun was shining and the cottonwoods and aspen were brilliant yellow, almost as if they were lighted from inside. Great pix.

Coming from the gentle rolling hills of Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains, we are in awe of the Tetons: the beaten down oldster vs the youngest of this continent's mountain chains.

We had good experience with reservations and check in at all of the lodges. The Home Away from Home Cabin at SML is second row from the lake, so there are cabins in front but you do have a good view of the mountains and lake. The cabin has a nice size kitchen with island and table, seating around a fireplace, 2 bedrooms and a nice size bath. Coffee and toiletries are provided. There is also a washer dryer combo in the cabin and a nice porch with rockers.

We headed out for a short hike along String Lake, mainly to stretch our legs and get used to the elevation change. Clouds and a light rain moved in but we were able to work up an appetite for a nice dinner in the lodge.

I woke up during the night with a splitting headache and in the morning felt as though I had a hangover. Note to self: Easy on the alcohol that first day at high elevation. Drink water!!

Day Two: We reserved a custom 4-hr tour with Brushbuck Wildlife Tours (www.brushbucktours.com). Our guide, Haeli, showed up promptly at the lodge in her vehicle and we were off. Haeli has a background as a librarian and it shows in her encyclopedic knowledge of the area. She gave us info on the geography and natural history of the area and took us to great viewing spots. We were grateful for the overview since my husband and son did not have a chance to read up on the area in advance.

In the afternoon, we decided to hike to Cascade Canyon. Work was in progress around Jenny Lake and some of the trails (e.g., Hidden Falls) were closed and some rerouted. Also, at that time of year, the ferry across the lake was not running. This added a few miles to the hike, so we stopped short of the canyon and enjoyed the view from Inspiration Point instead.

On the way down from the point as we approached a switchback, a couple coming up warned us that there was a grizzly bear just off the trail. Sure enough, about 50 yards away, there was a grizzly bear beside a tree stump, just observing us. Being the natural city folks that we are, we debated about whether the instructions were to stare or not, make noise or not. We forgot everything and decided to stare (wrong) and talk and make noise (somewhat wrong—you should talk in a low, non-threatening manner while backing away). Apparently, we confused the bear, because he continued to stare at us without concern and then went on his way.

Dinner was at Jackson Lake Lodge. Beautiful views and one of our favorite dinners. My son had the elk medallions and I enjoyed a beet risotto with grilled bok choy.

Day Three: A gorgeous morning for the Hermitage Point hike (which starts near Coulter Bay), where we saw deer, a ruffled grouse and a bald eagle. Very pleasant with wonderful views of Jackson Lake and very few fellow hikers (maybe three sets). It seems many people enjoy the parks from their cars and lookout points and don’t take advantage of the opportunity to get up close.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 06:08 PM
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Nice start, sounds like a great trip.

Did you see animals on your Brushbuck tour or was it mainly geologic features?
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 06:46 PM
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Mm

Enjoying your TR so far. I did the Hermitage Point hike a few years ago and really loked it. Never passed another person! Yes, dont drink a lot during your first couple of days and do drink gallons of water!

Happy trails
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 07:36 PM
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emalloy - yes, we did see animals. We started the day at Two Ocean Lake hoping to see bears, but no luck. But Haeli did take us to other spots where we had really good views of elk, bison, pronghorns and deer.

Day Four: While standing on the porch at our cabin, I spied a critter walking along the lake beach. Eventually he wandered closer to the cabin and we notice the critter is a red fox. (The evening before, we spotted a black bear near the turn off for SML.)

Our plan for today was to drive through Yellowstone to Cody, perhaps taking in some hikes near the Lake or Canyon areas of the park. The drive started out nice enough, and I was alternately impressed and terrified by the drop-offs as we drove up and into Yellowstone.

We stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin and viewed the geysers, mud pots, springs, and fumaroles, as well as Lake Yellowstone. The weather was worsening, so we pressed on. A brief spell of sunshine while we stopped for lunch at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel (very nice views of lake and a good burger), but as we headed out the East Entrance (also with precipitous drop-offs) the weather was once again cold and rainy.

We were happy to pull into the Comfort Inn in Cody.

Day Five: We arrived at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West at opening and managed to close the place down at 5. What a great museum. Actually, five museums: Buffalo Bill Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum and Plains Indian Museum. Lots of interactive exhibits (I especially enjoyed a nickelodeon style short on Buffalo Bill). Well worth a visit.

We ate dinner at the Irma Hotel, mainly for the historic value (built by Buffalo Bill). There are probably better choices food-wise.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 11:04 PM
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Enjoy yourself, thanks for sharing!
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Old Oct 27th, 2016, 02:48 PM
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Love your report so far. We were in Yellowstone and the Tetons in May and didn't have time to include Cody. Definitely plan to add it to my list next time. I know my husband would really enjoy the museums.
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Old Oct 27th, 2016, 07:47 PM
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This is a trip I would like to do, so I am following along with interest.

I think my heart might have stopped if I saw a grizzly that close.
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Old Nov 1st, 2016, 01:55 PM
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Day Six: As we feared, and the meteorologists predicted, there was a change in the weather. We checked the road closures at breakfast in Cody and saw that the Beartooth Highway, the East Entrance and the Tower Fall-Canyon roads were all closed due to weather. The Mammoth-Norris Junction road also was closed due to construction. That meant there was no way into the Old Faithful section of the park from Cody except by going around to the West Entrance.

We set off on 310 and then I-90, enjoying the views of the Absaroka and Bridger mountains enroute. When we were close to the North Entrance, we saw on the NPS website that the East Entrance had been opened. By the time we arrived in Bozeman for lunch, the North Entrance to Canyon was open. Oh, well, it was a beautiful ride anyway and probably not much longer, since you can make good time on I-90.

Note: Since our return, we have become fans of Longmire, the modern day Western. Mention of Cody and Absaroka, and the gorgeous landscape, brings us back to our great vacation. However, we have since learned that the series is filmed in New Mexico (another favorite locale of ours)!

Bozeman is a neat town, but we pressed on towards Old Faithful. It was a bright, sunny day, so the ride along the Gallatin was enjoyable, with lots of fly fisherman enjoying the nice weather. I enjoyed the fact that there were no precipitous drop offs, as there had been on the South and East Entrance roads.

Once in the park, we stopped for a few short hikes to stretch our legs then checked into the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. We were pleased with the accommodations: bright and clean room, comfortable beds, coffee pot in room and toiletries, and a nice lounge in lobby.

We walked over to the Old Faithful Geyser and once again, the weather had changed. A swirl of snow obscured the eruption. Many folks scrambled into the hotels to enjoy the warmth, but we stuck it out, although the view was disappointing. (Note: you can download a geyser app from NPS site which announces the next predicted eruption for Old Faithful and several other geysers.)

We had dinner reservations at the Old Faithful Inn. It was my DH’s birthday, so we celebrated with a fine dinner and, yes, the servers came by to sing a Happy Birthday version of Home on the Range (hey, you only turn 60 once). DS1 had a pheasant sausage and bison bratwurst while I had a grilled quail. Both very good and not something we get every day. After dinner, we headed up to the Inn’s balconies for a drink, enjoying the piano player/cellist and the lobby view. Wonderful!

Day Seven: We awoke to a snow-covered wonderland. The trees were tipped in white and steam rose from all the warm pools and geysers. Fortunately, we were prepared clothing wise for the weather, so we ventured out to enjoy the many walks that can be done around Old Faithful without getting into a car. Quite a few of the trails are on boardwalks; most are level. We saved the overlook for the last hike of the day, so we were huffing and puffing for the minor climb. We managed to log 34,013 steps per my Pacer app. Walking to dinner that evening, DH and I, both with foot issues, looked like two old cowboys just off their horses.

We stopped by Old Faithful again for another eruption—much more impressive on a clear day. As the eruption waned, another geyser in the area shot off an even more spectacular stream of water that seemed to be propelled by a huge water cannon. Cool!
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Old Nov 1st, 2016, 03:28 PM
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Very cool! And a nice way for your husband to spend his birthday.
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Old Nov 1st, 2016, 05:00 PM
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My husband is a big fan of Longmire as well. We saw Walt's cabin when we visited Valles Caldera last year. Isn't Old Faithful gorgeous in the snow? Looking forward to more.
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Old Nov 1st, 2016, 07:22 PM
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You can visit Longmire's cabin? We'll have to make a pilgrimage (our son is in school in New Mexico).

Yes, Old Faithful was definitely gorgeous in the snow! We made it a point to warm up with lunch in the OF Inn, which my husband describes as "Hogwarts meets ski chalet."
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Old Nov 1st, 2016, 08:17 PM
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We went in December when the caldera was snow covered so only saw it from a distance. In summer you may be able to drive over.
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Old Nov 2nd, 2016, 03:12 AM
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mama mia, If you are in NM in late September/early October go to the caldera and see elk in rut. Several years ago we were there and you could see and hear the males rounding up the females from pull offs on the rim. We tried again a couple of years ago but they were not where we could see them, so check with locals. It was an awesome site.
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Old Nov 2nd, 2016, 10:49 PM
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Saving this thread for future travel. Thanks!
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Old Nov 10th, 2016, 07:04 AM
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Emalloy—I should have mentioned hearing the elks bugling as we were hiking. Thanks for the tip about seeing them at the caldera.
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Old Nov 10th, 2016, 03:55 PM
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Day Seven Trails: We did the Upper Geyser Basin Trail to Biscuit Basin, walked to Black Sand Basin and also hiked up the Geyser Hill overlook.
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Old Nov 10th, 2016, 03:58 PM
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Day Eight: Out of the park again to pick up DS2 at the Bozeman airport. We made several stops for short walks to view geysers. Another beautiful day, with snow still on the ground and steam rising from the geysers and mudholes.
Our first stop was the Midway Geyser Basin. There was a herd of bison roaming the parking lot and some rangers on hand directing traffic (as in, cautioning people to keep their distance from the animals).

We made our way out to the boardwalks, only to find them covered with slush. Walking was treacherous, and I had visions of sliding off the path and onto the fragile crust and thus becoming one of the cautionary tales in “Death in Yellowstone.” The Grand Prismatic Spring emitted so much steam that it was difficult to see the spring itself.

We did a short detour to the Firehole Lake Drive and got out to view some more geysers, springs, etc.

After picking up our son at the airport, we had lunch at Garage the Soup Shack and Mesquite Grill. Burgers all around and some local beers to boot. Very yummy.

To get to Mammoth Hot Springs we time entered the park from the North Entrance. We passed through Gardiner, which to me looked like a more interesting choice than West Yellowstone for an out of the park stay. After all that beer at lunch, we needed a rest stop and so popped into the Yellowstone Association Information Center, in a shopping area along the road that is just before the park entrance. Next stop at the Roosevelt Arch for pictures. On the top of the arch is the message "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People." Thank you, President Roosevelt et al.!

We went directly to Mammoth Hot Springs and checked into our Frontier Cabins. These were the least fancy of our accommodations but they were clean and comfortable and had an old time charm. We did get adjoining cabins, which was convenient (requested at time of reservation). Both cabins had private baths and two queen beds, so there was not much space for walking around or putting luggage. There was a small coffee pot, although the service was not as deluxe (no Keurig) as in other park accommodations.

We had enough light to explore the Hot Springs terraces and walked the various boardwalk paths that allow views of the formations. Amazing what water depositing minerals over time can construct!

Afterwards, dinner at the Mammoth Dining Room. This was probably my least favorite restaurant, although the food was fine. Just thought the ambience and service was not as good as in the other park restaurants. It was the very last days of the season, so tourist fatigue must have been setting in. We found here, as in the other restaurants, that some menu items were no longer available. This may have been due to the end of season restaurant closings, or perhaps because of supply difficulties related to road closings.

The view was not as spectacular as in some of the other restaurants, although we did enjoy watching the elk out on the front lawn.

Ah, yes, the elk. Apparently, they love to hang out at Mammoth, particularly during the fall rutting season. There is one big fella—Home Run—who rules the roost. He has a very impressive rack and is known to be slightly aggressive to cars that come too close. The rangers were sometimes on hand to monitor the situation and discourage tourists who seem to think the recommended 25-yards distance does not apply to them.

About those 25 yards, though. Returning to our cabins after dinner meant detouring around some of the lounging elk and probably being within the suggested 25 yards. There was just no way to avoid them.
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Old Nov 14th, 2016, 12:30 PM
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Day Nine: Enjoyed a morning hike on the Beaver Ponds Trail, which can be accessed near the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. It’s a 5-mile loop trail—fairly easy, except for the first part with a 350 foot elevation gain. The trail offers great views of the Mammoth hotel complex and administration buildings with snow-capped mountains beyond. We saw the elk herd making its way through the forest and parts of an antler stuck in a tree. Did not come across and beavers; did not see any humans either.

After lunch, we drove towards Tower Roosevelt area of the park, stopping to see some falls and walk a short nature trail. On the return, we stopped, along with other cars, to peer at a black bear in the woods. After our earlier close-up bear encounters, though, we were not easily impressed.

Back in Mammoth, we walked around the historic administration buildings and stopped in at the Visitor Center for a roads update. Our plan was to drive through both Yellowstone and Grand Tetons the following day but at that point it looked iffy: some of the roads had snow chain advisories. We were hoping for the predicted warming temperatures as we went to bed.
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Old Dec 10th, 2016, 12:30 PM
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Yellowstone is something every American citizen should try and see. I think the way you did it where you flew into Jackson then drove through the park is the way to go. We did it so many times we decided to move to Montana. Live in Big Sky.
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