Hi, We returned from our Yellowstone/Teton two-week trip a couple of weeks ago. Had a wonderful time and wish we were still there. Wild flowers, geysers, wildlife, constantly changing scenery - all fantastic. Lots has been written about these areas and I'd only add the following:
1) Make sure you have really good distance binoculars (min 10x50). So important. We ended up buying another pair and it made such a difference when wildlife viewing.
2) Don't judge Yellowstone/Teton by the tourist hot spots. Go out for hikes and get away from crowds of bus/car tourists. We went off season and it was already too crowded in places.
3) Allow a huge food budget. Food/drink is really expensive in AND around the parks. Also, always carry lots of water.
4) If like us you live at sea level, don't underestimate the effect of altitude (6,500-8,000 feet). My nose bleed for several days and I couldn't believe how short of breath I was in the first week when hiking up steep trails.
5) If you see several people with quality binoculars/cameras looking at something by the side of the road, then stop. It'll be interesting.
6) We found the following book really useful: An Outdoor Family guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Don't know why it says 'family' because it would be good for anyone who likes walks. We found it gave lots of interesting info and more sensible routes than some of the National Park leaflets - for example it's much easier to walk the Beaver Ponds Loop at Mammoth if you start at the Old Gardiner Road (rather than finishing at that point as the National Park leaflet suggests).
7) We really, really wished we'd flown into Jackson Airport (near Teton) rather than driving all the way from Salt Lake City.

Specific places:
1) If Hidden Falls walk at Teton isn't crowded, do put in the extra effort to walk from Hidden Falls to Inspiration Point - it's worth it for the views. The Jenny Lake boat wasn't running when we were there so we took a late afternoon walk with the children from the String Lake point and saw almost nobody the entire time. Must admit I hate to think what it would be like at peak times.
2) As others have said on this Board, Signal Mountain Lodge does have truly amazing views of the Teton range. However, we were very disappointed with the standard of accommodation at the Lakefront retreats considering the price. Also, some are by large electricity boxes that make a really irritating hum/buzz that I could hear inside the accommodation and I had to ask to be moved (not everyone hears that frequency). We got a different lakefront retreat at the furthest end and I was much happier because it felt more isolated (even though the view wasn't quite as good).
By the way, we thought the food there was terrible in the grill, but I gather the food is meant to be bad at a lot of the Teton places.
3) We'd definitely recommend white water rafting (the scenic raft trip was fine but very sedate and apart from several bald eagles we saw no more than on our hikes). Our children are 7+10 and they sat at the front and had a fantastic time white water rafting (no wonder, they didn't have to paddle!). We loved it too. Went with Sands from Jackson.

Can't think of anything more to say without writing an essay. I'll happily answer any questions.
Paeony

What things would you recommend outside of hiking? e.g. whitewater rafting, horses etc...

Thank you for all the good information. We're going in a little over a week and appreciate your feedback. Any suggestions on places where the food was decent?

Hi Paeony!

I'm so glad you took the time to report back & that you had a nice time! It's so valuable for first timer's to share their impressions.

Note to all - the food in the National Parks is fair at best, crummy most of the time. Just remember - you are going for the scenery, wildlife, etc. Food is just not that important on a trip like this.

That said, there are many excellent restaurants in Jackson. It is a resort town & yes, dining out can be very expensive. There are many "locals" places that are good & reasonable too. Ask a local person for a recommendation.

Enjoy!

Yev, As I mentioned the white rafting was a huge success. Other than that in the off-peak season there wasn't much open in terms of horseriding, chuck wagon trips, etc. - so we couldn't have gone on them if we'd wanted to. Therefore we explored and hiked and watched wildlife (the wildlife, even the ground squirrels, was the biggest hit with the children - watching bears through the decent binoculars was a highlight of the trip for them, and seeing a wolf). They also loved swimming in the motel pool at Gardiner!(and were disappointed the water was too high for them to swim in Boiling River). They did paddle around at the base of Mystic Falls (not easy to climb down to) and when we walked up to the ridge they found snow and loved having snowball fights.
They were amazed by the Yellowstone Canyon (we went on a nice South Rim trail and because we were late in the day we were the only ones).
Personally I loved West Thumb - seeing the geo thermal activity with the backdrop of the Yellowstone lake is awesome.
So, I'm sorry I can't suggest specific activities. We come from Norfolk in England where the scenery is tame, so there was enough excitement for us with the scenery.

Paula, I'm sorry I can't recommend much foodwise even though we were there two weeks. In Gardiner (just outside Mammoth) the 'Yellowstone Mine' did the best meal we had around the parks and we found decent coffee and bagels at the coffee shop that has a big Cecil's Fine Foods sign above it at the entrance to the Park at Gardiner. Definitely avoid 'Outlaws Pizzas' in Gardiner. 'Helen's takeout' in Gardiner does decent burgers and stuff.

We'd often eat in Hamilton Stores because they were cheaper than many places inside the park.
At the Old Faithful Inn the breakfast buffet was OK although evening meals weren't great. Beside the dining hall at the Inn is a small cafeteria and that did decent rolls and icecream. Upstairs at the Old Faithful Inn there's an Expresso Bar and that does the only decent coffee in Old Faithful.

We enjoyed a meal with a view at the Yellowstone Lake hotel although it couldn't be classified as quality cuisine.

A few people have suggested the Leeks Marina pizza place at Teton but we wouldn't recommend it - it's basic and I'm a bit biaised because I like thin Italian pizzas, not american style pizzas.
We went to The Mangy Moose at Teton Village outside Jackson and the food there was nice BUT expensive. By the way, if you're at Teton Village earlier in the day I suspect a trip up the ariel tramway would be fun.

Dayle, this is my major complaint. It's not that we can't put up with two weeks of debatable food - it's that it's EXPENSIVE. Maybe more so for the British because of the exchange rate, I don't know. But I do know we were horrified at the prices and then you have to add sales tax and ridiculous American-style tips (and the British find that very hard to do - but I won't discuss that further as I noticed another thread on that issue!). So that makes already overpriced food 20% more expensive. It's galling to have to spend so much on food (there were four of us) especially when you've saved hard for the trip. BUT we still had a glorious time and would return (thank goodness for credit cards!).
Paeony

I totally agree on the overpricing of the food in & around the Natl Parks! Part of the problem is that the company that runs the lodges, etc. has a contract with the government to be the provider & therefore almost no competition. Kind of like being in Disneyland with the $4 Cokes!

You can save a little a lunchtime by stopping in to one of the grocery stores in the morning and buying sandwiches, fruit and chips and having a picnic at lunchtime. There are picnic groves all over Yellowstone and they are marked on the map the park service gives you. Also gives you a little more flexibility on where you stop for lunch.

Glad to get your information. It is interesting to read what others have discovered on their trip. We will be leaving for Yellowstone/Tetons this week. This will be our first trip.