wandermama

I am trying to plan a fairly short scenic Yellowstone/Teton trip in mid-September for my college age son and me and not break the budget. I found this itinerary which I was thinking about copying except we may be able to spend one extra day. I would like opinions about this. Flying into Jackson from LA is very expensive, so I like the idea of flying into Salt Lake City and renting a RT car there and seeing some sights on the way. and back. I was able to book a room in Yellowstone at the Lake Hotel for one night, which could be our extra night, but it is so expensive ($400!) I was wondering if it really makes a difference when you want to see the highlights and take some walks, as opposed to relax and stay for a while. On Google maps, the trips from outside the parks seem not to take much longer than inside the parks, and the lodgings are cheaper. Thanks!

Day 1: Depart Salt Lake City. Oregon Trail, Gros Ventre Slide, Moose, WY & surrounding areas. Overnight Jackson
Day 2: Explore Grand Teton National Park. Overnight Jackson
Day 3: Yellowstone National Park, (West Thumb, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone/Falls, Tower Falls) Overnight Gardiner, MT
Day 4: Yellowstone National Park, (Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Virginia Cascades, Old Faithful, Firehole Falls, Thermals) Overnight West Yellowstone
Day 5: Island Park, Crater of the Moon National Monument, Return to Salt Lake City, UT

Patty

Keep checking back for cancellations at less expensive accommodations inside the park. People book far in advance and then cancel later. In the mean time, make a back up booking in one of the gateway towns. The road between Mammoth and Norris will close for construction from September 10th through October 6th this year https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm so on Day 4 you would need to travel via Dunraven Pass again. Dunraven Pass itself is susceptible to temporary weather closures as it's the highest road elevation inside the park and it's possible to encounter snow in September. An extra day would be good.

wandermama

Thanks so much. I was going to keep calling for park lodgese but part of the issue is deciding if it is worth it. That link on roads is helpful! We would definitely be done with the trip by the 15th, so perhaps the weather won't be quite so risky?

Patty

You never really know. There was a storm the middle of September last year.

StantonHyde

I think the way you have it lined up is doable. It will be a tight--drive around, hop out and look, get back in the car and go kind of trip. Not much time for hiking etc. The hard part is Day 3 to 4. You will have to backtrack quite a bit. I would keep trying for something at Lake or Canyon that is cheaper. But keep the Gardiner reservations just in case. Day 4 is going to be long. And I would axe Craters of the Moon and just do Island Park/Herriman Railroad Ranch. Otherwise that is a really long drive. It's about 6 hours from SLC to Jackson. Its not all on interstates etc.

wandermama

What would be the ideal 6 day tour from Salt Lake City to avoid backtracking and the risk of closed roads in Yellowstone? For example, we could reverse the order and go to Yellowstone first. I don't mind splurging even on an pricey room in the park if it would really make a difference to avoid backtracking, and then I will just call all summer to try to make it happen. But where? We live in CA and kayak at home, so we are really there to see purple mountains' majesty, wildlife and Old Faithful. Or is this a silly idea because we need more time and we should try another Western trip? Because maybe we should do something less rushed. Thanks!

StantonHyde

If you click on my user name, you will see my Yellowstone trip report--with kids, but it is essentially what I recommend to people for Yellowstone. There is some backtracking--it's inevitable. And --in your case--the road construction means you have to do it. I prefer going to Yellowstone first and then to Jackson. The view of the Tetons as you travel north to south is amazing. I also have a trip report for Tetons and Jackson.

September is a great time to visit!! You might just focus more on Yellowstone--which isn't a bad thing.
Day 1-fly to SLC and drive to West Yellowstone (6 hour drive do it depends on when your flight lands) Plenty of places to stop over if you got in later--e.g. at 3:00. You could get to Idaho Falls by 6 pm.
Day 2: Do the lower east loop from West to OF, stay in OF
Day 3: OF to Canyon, hike some in Canyon, stop in West Thumb, Lake, etc
Day 4: back track down through Tetons
Day 5: spend some more time in Jackson, leave by 2:00 to get to SLC by 8 pm.

gail

We stayed outside Yellowstone. It was fine. Since we were a family and needed more space - plus had teens who wanted greater choices of food - it was perfect. Gardiner and West Yellowstone hotels are truly less than 5 minutes from Park entrance. You lose atmosphere. You save money and have many more lodging options. You can shop at real stores to pick up lunch supplies.

While staying in West Yellowstone we went to a real local rodeo - I think we were the only non-locals there. So some tradeoffs are positive.