katieanded

Hello!

I used Fodors to help plan a road trip in California and Oregon in June 2015, and it was incredible (in particular our experiences camping and hiking in Yosemite, Jedediah Smith and at Salt Point state park on the Sonoma Coast).

We'd like to try it again but this time looping together Yellowstone, Zion NP and Tetons this September (we should have around 4 weeks total) and it sounds like a good time to go in terms of weather, crowds and wildlife activity at Yellowstone.

I haven't started plotting the itinerary precisely yet but have a couple of questions first, which I was hoping you could help with?

1. Starting point - Vegas? we live in London, so Las Vegas looks like a good starting point for the trip in terms of direct, reasonably priced flights and round trip car rental. Does this sound like a good start/end point for the trip? Realise it's a 10 hr drive or so to Yellowstone but it does seem handy for Zion, and we have a month, so are happy to make stops at any interesting parks/towns on the way.

2. State Parks/interesting towns/detours - the surprise hit of our California/Oregon trip was the lovely state parks we camped at in between Yosemite, Jedediah, SF etc and some nice little towns on the Oregon coast (with great beer!). Are there any you'd recommend between Yellowstone, Tetons and Zion? Or given the length of time we have, are there any detours we should make? Grand Canyon comes to mind!

3. Camping in Yellowstone and Tetons - reserving a pitch to camp in the Yosemite valley in June felt tougher than getting tickets to Beyonce - we were lucky we snagged one! Are we going to run into the same trouble at Yellowstone? A quick look suggested it wasn't as competitive but that may just be me being hopeful! Also, are any particular camp sites or locations recommended? We'll be driving so looking at places we can take a car rather than backcountry camp sites (though I wouldn't rule out doing a 2 or 3 day hike). We'd like to be in the heart of the action, close to interesting day hikes, and would be happy to spend 7-10 days in the Yellowstone area staying at different locations if that's a good option.

4. Day hikes - At Yosemite we were able to go out on day hikes very easily as there were good, well marked trails (e.g we did the four mile trail up then the panorama trail back down to the valley floor one day). Does it work the same way in Yellowstone? Are there any hikes you'd recommend?

5. Anything else we should know?

Many thanks in advance!

emalloy

You might want to look as Salt Lake City as a place to fly into and you could do two loops from there. One loop up for Yellowstone/Tetons. One loop for the Utah parks. Salt Lake City is kind of between Yellowstone/Tetons and Zion.

I would suggest you go to www.nps.gov and go to the Wyoming and Utah maps on the pull down menu.

If you are going to Zion, then I would want to visit Bryce, Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef and maybe Arches and Canyonlands also.

Patty

September campground reservations in Yellowstone shouldn't be as difficult as Yosemite. Be aware that it's possible to encounter early snow. Some campgrounds start to close then. Perhaps head to Yellowstone first and then make your way down through UT.

Carry (and learn how and when to use) bear spray for your hikes. The Yellowstone ecosystem has a healthy grizzly bear population. You can purchase it in the park or gateway towns. I believe it's also possible to rent https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearspray.htm

I think starting in Vegas is fine since you have 4 weeks and want to include UT. In addition to Zion you might consider Capital Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bryce (also possibly Moab for Arches/Canyonlands) in UT. We're driving home from Yellowstone through southern UT this fall and will also hit the north rim of the Grand Canyon (we've been to the south rim before) but most first time visitors choose the south rim though the latter is much busier.

Another place that we really like that's sort of near Yellowstone is the Sawtooth National Forest area between Ketchum and Stanley, Idaho. Craters of the Moon National Monument is interesting as well. This year we also plan to drive the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana. It's never been fully open when we've visited previously so fingers crossed that it doesn't close early this year.

Patty

Yes, I forgot about the Delta nonstop to Salt Lake. That's probably be more convenient if you aren't otherwise interested in Vegas.

MmePerdu

Keep in mind that Yellowstone begins to shut down at first substantial snowfall. This past fall the NE entrance (hwy 212, Cooke City-Silver Gate) closed behind us on September 21st.

Patty

The Beartooth (212) had temporary closures last September but didn't actually close for the season until early October last year. They do try to clear the roads in September and keep them open until the scheduled closing dates though it's not always possible.

Here's this year's road information https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm

There's a construction project on the road from Mammoth to Norris that will close the road entirely from September 10th to October 6th.

The road between Tower and Canyon is susceptible to temporary weather closures as it goes over Dunraven Pass which is the highest road elevation inside Yellowstone.

MmePerdu

"The Beartooth (212) had temporary closures last September...)

Thanks for the correction. Still, not convenient if one of those closures was on a day a visitor wanted to go that way. I guess the real lesson is, especially that time of year, it may pay to be flexible.

Patty

No, definitely not convenient and it's one of the risks of going early or late in the season though we think it's a fair trade off vs summer crowds.

MmePerdu

"...a fair trade off vs summer crowds."

Indeed.

lgott

I'm limiting my comments to the Utah portion of your trip, plus Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). I assume you're talking about September 2017. If you meant 2018, the dates below will be off.

Many of the Utah national parks are very popular. I agree with the recommendations to see Zion, Bryce, and the other national parks as time allows. Buckskin Gulch (near Kanab) is another worthy day hike, or multiday backpacking hike.

Make reservations as soon as possible, especially for Zion and Bryce. Dates that will be especially busy: Sept 30 (National Public Lands Day - no entrance fees charged at national parks); Sept 2 through 4 (Labor Day weekend). Zion is likely to be especially crazy during those times. Most visitors stay within the same small section of the park, which is overwhelmed by the crowds.

GCNP is a tricky one. Based on your itinerary, it will be most convenient to visit the North Rim. However, facilities are very limited, and it may be too late to get a hotel or campsite reservation. It will be slightly easier to get accommodations at the South Rim, but that adds additional mileage to your trip.

Michael

A personal preference, but you can more variety if going to Moab than if going to Zion. Close to Moab is Arches NP and Canyonlands NP, and the two are quite different.

I think that Denver might be a better start and end point if visiting Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. For canyons, Dinosaur National Monument (going down to the convergence of the Yampa and Green Rivers) might give some satisfaction.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7622636845987/

Even with this large amount of time, I would hope for a Southwest tour independent of travels in Wyoming.

Dayle

I have to disagree on the convience of Denver. Slc will probably be best especially if you take the non stop and do two loops, north and south. Definitely do Yellowstone first!!! Better weather, more open, ranger programs still going, avoiding crowds in southern Utah early Sept.

Deserthiker

I agree about heading North to Yellowstone first as September gets cold fast up there even if some nice days in the mix. Drive up Insterstate 15 from Vegas to Idaho Falls and then on state highways to West Yellowstone. Vegas into lower elevations of Zion typically are very hot in early September. Its a long drive and probable best done over 2 days. You don't need to reserve a room ahead of time just drive until you've had enough and get a room and then drive the rest of the way the next day. MAybe reserve a room in West Yellowstone for the second night. Plan to spend roughly a week between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and the a day in Jackson Hole. After staying in Jackson I'd drive Down along the Snake River to Alpine Wyoming and then through Star Valley. Several routes from there to Salt Lake City and interstate 15. I like the route through Evanston Wyoming the best. Where to stay all depends how much time you want to spend. Alpine, Afton and Evanston Wyoming are all adequate places to stay for the night. You can make trips to other mountain ranges from all these locations but weather can be a factor and you'll have to be prepared to drive on unpaved forest roads. The Wyoming Range and North Slope of the Unitas are scenic and not overly crowded. I'd then head back down to Zion or making a loop to hit Bryce NP and Capitol Reef National Park. From there you backtrack a bit and then over Boulder Mountain and to the town of Escalante. I'd get a place to stay there and spend at least a day exploring GRand Staircase Escalante National Monument. From there drive Highway 12 ( I think this is the most scenic drive of the whole trip) You can stop at Calf Creek Falls for a nice couple hour hike. Then head to Zion. I've never stayed in the Park but have always made Springdale my base. I go off season when you don't have to use the shuttle but it sounds like the shuttle works fine whether you stay in the Park or Springdale. I like to hit Eagles Crags for a hike and drive up to the Mesa out of Virgin. There's also a nice drive over the Virgin River in Rockville and onto the Gooseberry Mesa. All this is outside the Park on dirt roads that aren't too rough most othe time. If you mountain bike Gooseberry Mesa is a fantastic area for it. Speaking of Mountain Biking Moab is a bit out of the way and not as special for mountain biking compared to much of Southern Utah anyways. It is a nice town but I'd probable skip it unless you fine with adding even more hours driving to your trip.
I like the short hike up Quail Creek and the other hikes or mountain biking in Red Cliffs National Conservation Area between Zion and St George. This runs just north of St. George west of Interstate 15 for 10 or so miles. On the way back to Vegas I'd drive west of St. George on Highway 91. The road does curve south and comes down into the northern Mohave. When you see the Joshua trees you're entering the Mohave. The Beaver Dam Wash National Conversation Area is a nice place for a hike but can be very hot that time of the year sometimes. From there you can drive south to I15 and into Las Vegas in less than 2 hours. 4 weeks is a lot of time so you'll have a lot of flexibility where and how long you stay.
Forgive me for typos and errors but I don't have time to proofread right now as I rabbled on a bit.

Deserthiker

I purposely didn't go into details about the National Parks as that information is ready available from many sources. I know this whole region extremely well including most of the roads paved or dirt. Plenty of hidden Gems as well that I've stumbled onto. If you have questions about some places outside the parks feel free to ask. Someone mentioned Beartooth Highway. Going out of Yellowstone through Cooke City and onto that Route is spectacular but the weather can be iffy that time of year. Plus it's out of the way. I certainly would trade that for hitting Highway 12 west of Escalante.

Deserthiker

I meant I wouldn't trade the Beartooth drive for the Highway 12.

StantonHyde

If you click on my user name, you will see trip reports for: Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, Grand Tetons, Jackson. I would not camp in Yellowstone in September. I've done it and it can be COLD--like snowing. So see if you can get lodge/cabins at that time. September is an awesome time to visit Yellowstone--Elk Bugling!!!!!

Down south you are fine to camp--could be chilly in the morning. It will be hot during the day but cool down at night.

You will have so much to do between those 5 parks noted above, I wouldn't worry about adding in anything else! If you feel that itch, then check out Cedar Breaks National Monument between Zion and Bryce. Closer to Salt Lake is Timpanogos Cave NM, which is really cool--but it is a steep hike to get to the caves. Idaho Falls makes a good stopping point between SLC and Yellowstone or Jackson. They have a really cool museum there with good traveling exhibits.

Red Rock Canyon (or some name like that--sorry, my brain is forgetting names tonight) outside of Bryce is amazing and worth a look! Otherwise, I just DRIVE from SLC to Bryce or Zion!!!

Patty

Red Canyon is the one west of Bryce. Red Rock Canyon is near Vegas. I'm planning to drive both the Beartooth and Hwy 12.