Paul Beller

Two couples are planning a 2-week vacation in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton areas. We will be renting a car. We have no experience in this setting. We seek advice on where to stay while in this area, what to visit, and any other suggestions to make this a meaningful vacation. We plan to take our vacation in June of this year. Because we'll have 2 weeks for sightseeing, we'd also like to know if there are any other places worth visiting while in this region of the country. Thanks in advance for any help you can give to us.
The Bellers

gloria

hello -- keep in mind that it can snow EVERY month of the year, in that neighborhood, so you need to be prepared for all weather -- also, don't just go to old faithful -- go to all parts of the park -- and if you have the time, the "cooke city" highway, which heads into yellowstone at the northeast entrance from red lodge, is one of the 10 most beautiful roads in the USA -- a 10,000 foot elevation -- you can see forever -- don't miss it and have fun.

Theresa

What a great trip! Because you're going in June, make any reservations now! Besides the lodges within both parks, there are plenty of places to stay in Jackson Hole (south of the Tetons), West Yellowstone (as the name indicates, right at the west entrance to Yellowstone) and in Gardner (just outside the north entrance to Yellowstone). As the previous message said, you have plenty of time to take in all of the different sites, and take short, or long, hikes. I'm not much of a hiker, but there's supposed to be a really nice hike (not too long) around Jenny Lake in the Tetons. Besides the parks, Jackson Hole is a nice place to walk around and look around in the shops. Between Jackson Hole and the Tetons, there's a great Elk Refuge. The best times to see wildlife is at dawn and at dusk. Have fun!

Susan

We were Yellowstone 7/1/97 and it snowed! We stayed in the park one night up at the lake (we were lucky to find a cancellation) but the room was not worth the price. It was lower than super-8 quality. If you can stay in the Old Faithful lodge facing the geyser it would probably be worth it. The animal viewing is spectacular but you have to have patience and you will definitely spend alot of time in the car. We also spent a few days at Custer, South Dakota. This is only a day away from Yellowstone. Custer state park is smaller so the animal viewing seems to be more frequent. We even saw 8 Big Horn Sheep. Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse are also within a few miles. The State Gaming Lodge in the park was very comfortable.

Sandy Lowe

If you have time you might want to drive over into Idaho. The farm land is quite beautiful with the Grand Teton's in the back ground. But take note that the road across the mountains from Jackson Hole is very steep. We were there in the summer and saw several cars overheated. Yellowstone and the Teton's are great. I loved them!

Sandy Lowe

If you have time you might want to drive over into Idaho. The farm land is quite beautiful with the Grand Teton's in the back ground. But take note that the road across the mountains from Jackson Hole is very steep. We were there in the summer and saw several cars overheated. Yellowstone and the Teton's are great. I loved them!

Karen

We went to that area in June a few years ago and had no trouble at all with no prior reservations. In the Tetons we stayed at Jackson Hole Lodge, in my opinion, the most wonderful place to stay. We stopped at the front desk in late afternoon and got an absolutely marvelous brand new room on the first floor with moose and deer walking right out in front of our room. We had the same luck in Yellowstone, although we were sick to see the fire damage that was still quite evident at that time...I assume it looks quite a lot better by now, although the large forests of trees will not be replaced for a century or more. The Black Hills are worth going to and if it is time for the Calgary Stampede in Canada, that would be great...not sure about the time for that...or, you could swing up to Glacier National Park.

DGM

The Grand Tetons has to be one of the most beautiful places I have been. There's plenty to do there, Jackson is a resort town so it can be a little high. It seems that the Old Faithful Inn is a reasonable place to stay at Yellowstone and nice. I've done alot of traveling and to me Mount Rushmore was one of the sites I enjoyed most-I didn't really expect that, but you're driving down a 2 lane highway and all of a sudden you see these heads above some trees-pretty impressive!

lynne

In the Tetons, hike to Hidden Falls. You can take a boat across the lake and cut out part of the hike if you want. Also, if you are into a little more strenuous hike keep going up the trail to Cascade Canyon and keep you eye out for wildlife. Another fun thing to do is a float ride on the Snake River. Don't worry about whitewater, this is a gentle ride. Sign up when you make your reservations at the park. The raft trips fill up quickly. A must do is the tram at Jackson Hole. Signal Mountain has the best affordable meals in the park. In West Yellowstone, I have stayed at The Stage Coach Inn. It's a very nice place. Bullwinkles is a nice sports bar with good food. They also serve wild game. About an hour north of West Yellowstone try the 320 Guest Ranch. They rent cabins, and serve breakfast and dinner. The have trout, buffalo, elk and vension on their menu. Call 1-800-243-0320 for a brochure. I never have stayed there, but I've always wanted to. Glacier is a wonderful place if you want to drive that far. We stayed at a very nice B&B called Bad Rock B&B. They have cabins or rooms in the main house, gourmet-like breakfasts, gracious hosts and extremely clean facilities. They have a web page - just do a search on Bad Rock. We were just in Glacier last June and saw so many grizzlies, black bear, mt goats and mt sheep. I would not recommend staying in the parks if you are looking for comfortable, modern accommodations. Most of the cabins and rooms are very small, have thin walls, no T.V. or radio and furniture from at least the 60's. Jackson Lake Lodge is the exception and I have heard good things about Old Faithful Inn, even though it is an old facility.

Cheryl

Hi! I was in Jackson Hole in the '80s, so I'm not sure how much has changed, but my memories are still wonderful. If you can, take a rafting trip on the Snake River. I've been rafting out east since and the Jackson trip was far better, in part because we went on a guide-controlled trip in Jackson and the scenery was beautiful. Yellowstone will be crowded, no doubt, but Old Faithful is still a draw, and if you can, drive to Livingston, MT just for the scenery. We camped while in Jackson, so I'm afraid I can't help you much on accommodations. Just be prepared for cool nights! Have fun

Dean Hicks

The 4 of us will be there in June also. I have done tons of research on the Net. We have reservations
for 4 nites in Yellowstone. On line reservations can
be made at WWW.amfac.com. We are staying in the cabins next to Old Faithful. Contact me and we'll
talk.

Dean Hicks

We will be there also in June. You can make reservations on line @www.amfac.com for staying inside the park. AAA tour books are a very good source. It will be our first trip there and we will be staying in the cabins next to Old Faithful. Hope to see you there.

kelly

When entering the Tetons, a must do dinner or lunch is at the Mangy Moose Saloon. It is in Teton Village and there is also a tram there that goes to the top of the mountain. There is a charge to ride the tram but it is well worth the money just to see the view. Make sure if you do the tram, take a jacket with you. We went in July and there was snow at the top.