Finally the Tetons and Yellowstone
 

Having grown up in the southeastern part of Wyoming you would think I could have made it to these two iconic spots, but no. DuBois is the farthest west I have ventured (a trip to Montana and an actual partial passage into Yellowstone from the Gardiner entry I am not counting.

Anyway, i can see already that getting a place to stay inside either park apparently takes years and years of hoping in advance (we will do this trip probably in September of next year) and plan to stay in places like Jackson and perhaps West Yellowstone. We will do some other areas as well such as Cody and drive back into lower Montana as well.

My question is about timing. I know the summers are short so I am thinking right after Labor Day at the latest. Whether or not to fly into Jackson and do a big loop from there or Billings with a drop in Salt Lake I am not sure yet.

In anyone's opinion is September a "good" time to visit? We are not going to be camping out (I did that for years as part of my career and as much as I love it, not happening) I am not even sure how long to spend in Yellowstone at this point; the Tetons will be less I suspect.

Thanks for any thoughts

September is my favorite month for Yellowstone. Just cancelled two rooms in the park, and they were booked just a week or two ago. There are often cancellations, just check back on the website regularly (tho our actual preference is to stay in the border towns).

Sylvia3,

Thank you for your reply. Do you stay in West Yellowstone or elsewhere?

We visited Yellowstone in July 2017 and were able to get reservations in the park only a few weeks in advance. We entered from Cooke City/Silvergate after driving the not-to-be missed Beartooth Pass Highway and spent our first night at the Grizzly Lodge in Silvergate after seeing Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley. The next night we had a wonderful room at the Canyon Village Lodge, and the following night we stayed at Grant Village, which was a major disappointment - sort of like a Motel 6 at a much higher price. But it did allow a relatively quick getaway to drive through the Tetons, which we did in a few hours. Don't give up on finding lodging in the park. Check online and call, too. The person who took our reservations was very helpful. Enjoy your visit!

This far in advance, you can get rooms in Yellowstone. Book ASAP. Be flexible on where you stay in the park. We found the cabins at Old Faithful and Canyon to be much better than the hotel rooms there--space! I have stayed in OF Inn many times over the year and I am not a fan--too small. September is a great time to go--elk bugling!!!

Drchris andStantonHyde, thank you both, very much, for these piece of information which are VERY helpful.

We usually enter from the north (Beartooth), staying in Gardiner (1 night), then West Yellowstone (2+ nights), doing the loops as we like. Then exit through to Cody and south, or view the Tetons and stay in Jackson and head south from there. We try to visit every couple few years; we might alter the route a bit, but never found the lodging/food quality and price in the park remotely attractive. This time, relatives thought they'd like a stay in the park, but $289 for an aged standard 2 bed hotel room, off season, was just too much. The drive into the park is a minor inconvenience, and lodging and dining options are way better ( if still appallingly expensive).
We have gotten last minute (same day) in-park lodging a few times: for example, (dank) Yellowstone Lake cabin, Snowflake Lodge, Old Faithful Lodge (noisiest place ever, no bathroom, never again), but expecting that would be taking a huge chance.

Just an aside - I am so happy to have seen this thread. We are planning a major road trip next summer (post-retirement) and have not even started to plan. We have to get on the ball (we will likely do most of our traveling/sleeping in an RV, so it's a little less problematic than hotels/cabins a year in advance, but we still have to start planning!).

Dukey, I hope it's a fantastic trip. Maybe we'll cross paths in Yellowstone!.

We went many years ago and flew into Jackson Hole. It is a bit of a scary landing but we managed just fine and found it easy to navigate from there. We rented a cabin like lodging in Jackson Hole and found it to be good plan.

I agree with others that you should be able to get in park lodging for September after Labor Day even if you have to keep checking for cancellations. Yellowstone is quite large so basing yourself in multiple locations works well. If you're looking at gateway towns, I prefer Gardiner to West Yellowstone. There's also the tiny town of Cooke City just outside of the northeast entrance. The Beartooth Hwy can temporarily close if there's snow. In Grand Teton, we like staying at Signal Mountain Lodge. We've stayed in Jackson too but prefer being right in the park. Fall is nice, less crowded, elk rut season but otherwise a little quieter in terms of wildlife sightings vs spring.

Thanks for ALL the additional comments and recommendations. I am familiar, actually I am VERY familiar with roads being closed at what seems like a very odd time "due to snow" and all the other bizarre things that happen in that part of the world. I'm currently debating this thing, and heavily and value for money in terms of lodging remains important to me. I'll have to think about it some more but I am grateful for everyone's thoughts. Thank you very much.

Dukey, Glad you are finally going! I live just 5 hours away from Yellowstone and the Tetons so I go frequently. I've been there all times of the year. A couple additional things to take into consideration:

I like late spring for wildflowers and new babies. Much less chance of wildfires impacting your trip. Since climate change is reality, this becomes a bigger factor each year.

I like fall because of the changing leaves. Some park services close down mid-Sept. Sept is still rather busy will retired people and international visitors.

I have heard that the new lodge at Canyon is quite nice. I would always prefer to stay in the park, but most of the time I camp so the ridiculous lodging prices and bad food don't affect me. I have stayed at the cabins in Coulter Bay. Very basic and not that great, but Coulter Bay is a great location for visiting Grand Teton NP. I've also stayed at Signal Mountain in a lake view "suite" when I had my dog with. Nice spot, again well used and not fancy but the views are to die for. I went up on short notice over Memorial Day weekend on a very warm early spring year. Rates were relatively reasonable that early, but you can't predict the weather in advance.

West Yellowstone is tourist and tour bus central. I've never stayed there so can't say if the lodging value is worth the longer drive. If you are an early riser and can get going super early, it might work. I'm sure you know early mornings and evenings are prime animal sighting time.

Have fun!

Last year after the eclipse we stayed in Roosevelt Lodge, Lake Hotel Cabin, and Old Faithful Lodge. Perhaps we are easy to please but all three were wonderful. The first two were booked a year in advance, but Old Faithful was booked the day before because we were having a great time and wanted to extend the trip. At Roosevelt it's a walk out of your tiny cabin to the showers and toilets, so not for everyone. In any case, it closes in early September.

We visited Mammoth for a day and had dinner there, seemed like it would be a great place to stay.
Everything was crowded of course.

Granted this is not what you go to Yellowstone for, but sitting in the Lake Hotel's lounge with a cocktail, listening to the piano player and watching the sun move across the lake was really enjoyable.

Definitely stay in park and at several locations. Have fun planning and have a great trip.

Dayle and Nelson, thank you. At this point I'll be happy just to be able to drop to my knees inside the Chapel of the Transfiguration and gaze out of the picture window behind the altar; I've been wanting to do it for more than 50 years now.

September is my favorite time to go to those parks. You definitely get lodging inside the parks. Only go through Xanterra for YNP lodging and the links from the GTNP webpage to book the in park lodging for GTNP. I've stayed at most of them. Splurge a bit and get a mountain view room at the Jackson Lake Lodge. You will NOT regret waking up to that view. It's worth the price of the room. The other lodging options are good as well, but that view! I'm returning again this year and staying in a dream-come-true private rental. Rentals are allowed in the off-season for less than 30 days. Be sure to attend services at the Chapel of the Transfiguration on Sunday mornings. Although it's in the Episcopal Archdiocese, different clergy volunteer to serve on a monthly basis and it's often retired UMC clergy. I was there one Sunday (in September) and two bishops were there who had served for decades. That view from the window is simply amazing but the warmth of the people in the tiny sanctuary is one of my favorite things of all. Be sure to eat at Dornan's as often as possible, and the tiny wine shop is one of the best (and most carefully curated) wine shop in the country. The food in Yellowstone is so-so. The food in Jackson Hole (the town of Jackson and options in GTNP) is outstanding.

Starrs, thank you very much for your extremely understanding (on many things) post.

Things are progressing. Today I made reservations at the Lake Hotel for three nights in September 2019; now waiting to see about GTNP vacancies/openings.

Make dinner reservations at the Lake Hotel NOW, or as soon as you can. One of the few places that had decent food in the park.

Dukey,

I hope you're able to get a room with a mountain view at Jackson Lake Lodge as Starrs suggested. I wasn't that lucky and ended up staying in one of the "cottages" but spent as much time as possible in the main lodge gazing at those mountains. Truly beautiful! In Yellowstone, I've stayed at Canyon Lodge, Old Faithful Inn and the OF Snow Lodge. All were fine places to stay. I agree that the food isn't very good in Yellowstone, so if there is any way you can pack a small cooler before you enter the park, then you can enjoy some very nice picnics during the day.

sf7307, depending on where you're staying, don't assume RV reservations are going to be less of an issue. I had to make reservations the day they opened for camping in Arches National Park and Yosemite NP earlier this summer. My husband and I were both logged on as soon as the Yosemite spots opened and I secured a spot for fewer days than I wanted before they were all gone within minutes. My husband was unable to even get one night. And then we weren't even able to go due to the wildfires so it'll mean trying again next year.