Boy what a learning experience....have already made some mistakes
 

I am really bummed out! I just discovered that the Old West Dinner Cookouts don't start til the middle of June. I sure wish I had known this before I made my reservations. No wonder I was able to get lodging reservations for the first week of June.....sounds like the roads could be closed and we will be having winter weather! The thoughts of that right now here on the Iowa Missouri border where we are still waiting for warm weather at almost the end of May. I am so disappointed that I'm going to be spending all this money and we may have a miserable trip, weatherwise! I had thought that the cook out would be the treat of the whole trip. We have horses ourselves, but the experience itself sounded like something my grand kids would really like.

Yellowstone will be a great time. I don't think you will be disappointed, even without the cookout. I haven't done the cookout, and although a ton of people love it, it sounded a little hokey to me. There are pros and cons for different times of the year to visit Yellowstone. You are going when it will be less crowded, when the animals will be very active(far better chances of seeing a bear in June than say last of July), there will be a ton of baby animals, the waterfalls will be going full blast. The cons would be-maybe a road closed that you will have to work around a bit, you won't be able to swim in a couple of the hot springs, and all of the park attractions might not be in full swing yet).

We were there a couple of years ago mid-June and really enjoyed it. We saw just about every animal and each of them with babies. We did not see any wolves. You can easily spend an entire day just around Old Faithful Geyser Basin area. See as many of them as you can. We especially liked Castle Geyser and Riverside Geyser. Old Faithful doesn't require much patience, but the rest of them you will need to allow 2-4 hours while waiting on them. They are able to predict 7 or 8 geysers-just check at the visitor center. Just watch the animals around you while waiting. Almost guaranteed to see many bison while you are waiting. You can spend another day in the canyon area.

You will be suprised just how many places you stop and kill an hour while just driving around. Yellowstone is one place that really you don't want to plan to much as a lot of it is spontaneous.

Well, if you still have bad weather in Iowa/Missouri in May, it shouldn't be that difficult to predict that it might be even cooler in higher elevations to your north (like Wyoming).

The scenery will still be beautiful even if it rains or snows. Pack some warm weather gear and have fun! And who knows...maybe you'll end up with great weather. :)

I think the first week of June is normally still cold with snow in Yellowstone, though you could luck out and get warmer weather. When we visited one time late May/early June we experienced all that Spiro mentions along with wolves, badgers, and an extra morning at OF and the surrounding geysers because the road south was closed for snow. It reopened by noon. We weren't there for the cookout, so that didn't matter to us. The only other problem was the hike up Mt Washburn. I got too exhausted what with hiking uphill in 12 inches of slushy snow and didn't make it all the way up.

The really good news is that you'll get the Yellowstone experience without the crowds you;ll find a month later. They are plower the roads now and all the entrances are expected to be opne by May 15. Remaining snow may limit some activities, but as a former area resident I can say you'll be glad you missed the crowds.

We went the first week of June last year and had a great time. All the roads were open, and the only park lodging that was still closed was in the Roosevelt area. You'll see baby animals and beautiful scenery. Enjoy your trip!

Lee Ann

It is too early to worry about the weather. Even, if your trip was planned for July you still might have bad weather. It could be miserably hot or cool and rainy.

I've been to Yellowstone several times with my kids and we have never done the Old West Cookout. The highlights have been the geysers, mud pots, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, wildlife and much more. Bring a board game to entertain the kids in the evening or attend a ranger program. You really need to change your attitude and be open to what the park offers. It is one of my favorite places and I would jump at the chance if I was free to visit in early June.

We go to Yellowstone in early June just to miss the crowds. We've had a couple of inches of Snow fall on us in mid-July so you can never can predict how the weather will be. The three times we've been in early June all the roads were open.

We did the stagecoach cook out once WAY back in 1974 on our first visit! It was fun, but OY...the mosquitoes ate you ALIVE!

Utahtea

Yellowstone is one of the most amazing natural wonders and full of other things to remember. Weather is weather. Enjoy it for the surprises and challenges.

I'm sure you can find a tourist trap cookout for kids somewhere else.

You will only have a miserable trip if you are determined to make it so.

Consider how lucky you are to visit it, get involved and interested in the natural wonder of the place, and be thankful.

Casi,

While I understand your disappointment at missing the cook-out (we've never done it, so I can't speak to it's value as a trip highlight) I hope you'll be able to get past these feelings before you transfer them to your grandchildren. I don't say this to be mean or criticizing, but having 2 of my own I know only too well how quickly they pick up on - and adopt - anything negative. And how hard it is to reverse that mindset once they have it.

We've intentionally gone to Yellowstone in the winter, when activities are severely restricted, and still loved it because there's so much to do, as others have mentioned.

Even in the middle of summer (it was early August) we wore shorts one day and needed jackets the next as we scraped frost off the windshield. As I'm sure you know, pack for layering.

My philosophy for traveling is to plan things as well as I can, but be prepared to adapt. And I never let the weather stop me from enjoying myself, since it's something over which I have absolutely no control. We've been hit with unseasonable heat or cold, rain during the "dry season" and closures of some things we really wanted to see or do. We still had a great time.

I think you can, too. Yellowstone is an amazing place with so much to offer that even a month would only allow you to scratch the surface. If there are some things you can't do because a trail or road is closed, just pick one of the dozens of other things to do/see. Who knows, by the next day that first activity/route (excluding the cookout, of course) may become available.

I hope you'll find a way to enjoy the Park we love so much that we're going back for our 3rd trip in September. That just leaves us to return one year in late May/early June which the people who work there year-round say is one of the best times because of all the babies and lack of crowds as others have mentioned.

Fran

Thanks everyone, sorry about the gloom and doom. I was just disappointed about the cook out. My grandkids have never been on vacation and I just wanted to make it the best trip ever. I want them to enjoy it. My grandson,age 10, loves to hike and explore so I know he will enjoy all the nature, etc. They are really excited about the trip, as I am. I have heard about the crowds, so that is good to know that I won't have that to deal with. We are for sure going to do the Jr. Ranger program. Appreciate all the input.

Sometimes it's hard to not make a mountain out of a molehill when it involves our children or grandchildren and not being to do something for/with them.

Trust me, there is so much for them to do and see in Yellowstone that they (and you) won't miss the cook-out.

Have a fantastic trip to a wonderous place.

Fran

They will have more than they can possibly "handle". Have a great time.

Our first trip to YNP was Memorial Day Weekend and yes, it snowed, it was quite lovely. And, there were tons of babies around, which made it an even more awesome experience.

We are returning this year, a little bit after you (mid-June) and really looking forward to experiencing all again. One "mistake" I made, that you might be able to take advantage of...we are spending one night in Cody, WY, where they have a "gunfight" in the street (the kids should love that), they do it every night except Sunday, so now you can guess what night I made my res for (before checking). It's too hard to rearrange the trip, so it'll be something to look forward to next time around! I know we'll still enjoy Cody for the afternoon/night though.

You will have a great time.

Casi, let me also say that most National Park Lodging is old and very worn. Expect it to be luxory camping and you will have a blast. We always stay "in park" lodging. We Love it!! There was even a Buffalo that tried to get into the lobby of Lake Hotel when we were there. He was standing directly in the doorway and the security guy was able to shoe him back before he got all the way in. I just didn't want you to think that you were going to some 5 star resort. I have been to a lot of our national parks and the two places that I would go back to time and time again are Yosemite and Yellowstone. They are amazing.

BTW, I think seeing snow around the geysers would be awesome. I am planning a winter trip for 2012. I hope to also go in the fall at some point. I will be anxious to hear from you when you return. I have been to 27 of our national parks. I have not been to Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills area, so I am a little jealous of your trip. You and your grandkids will certainly have a fantastic time.

Thanks Spiro. No, I am not expecting anything fancy. I was reading some reviews on Trip Advisor on Lake Hotel....sounds like it is in pretty bad shape. Some of the reviews on the cabins are good and some are bad. I'm just glad to be able to be inside the park.

The Lake Hotel is probably the nicest of all the lodging in Yellowstone.

You and the grandkids are still going to have a great trip. I have a few suggestions:
1) Go to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park if you get a chance. There is a gunfight in the street nightly in Jackson. You can raft (not whitewater) with the grandkids on the Snake River where you will see eagles and osprey. We have seen them grad fish out of the river in front of us. There is horseback riding and an alpine slide if the snow has melted. Go to Doornan's in Moose, WY (just outside GTNP) and eat breakfast outside along the Snake River
2) I have two children under the age of 6. We created photo albums for them before our trip with scrap booking stickers on each page. Each page had a n animal (moose, buffalo, elk, bear etc) or a sight (waterfall, lodge, river) on it and a place for a picture. We took pictures of each one (or you could buy them disposable cameras and let them take the pics) and once they filled up or found all of the sights, they earned a souvenir from the trip (hat, sweatshirt, stuffed animal etc). This kept them interested the whole time (even while we were driving) and it gave them a nice memory that they took home with them of all the things that they saw. It was great for the next school year for show and tell.

If you want to do a cowboy cookout, go do Bar J in Jackson. No stagecoach ride, but a fun cookout with good cowboy singing for entertainment. The Bar T 5 has more of the stagecoach ride part to their cookout, but I haven't done that one, so I can't vouch for what it's like.