Five nights in Yellowstone: Where to stay?
 

My family and I will be visiting Yellowstone in October and are debating about which towns to overnight in. Our choices seem to be Jackson, Gardiner or West Yellowstone. Looking to stay three nights in one and two nights in the other. We are driving from Buffalo, NY.

The primary purpose for our visit is to see wildlife and perhaps learn a little history too.

I would stay in Gardiner or Cooke City if your primary interest is wildlife viewing. West Yellowstone is farther from the prime wildlife viewing areas. Jackson is too far for Yellowstone but you could use it as a base for Grand Teton or better yet if your visit is before October 15th, Signal Mountain Lodge is still open.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Signal Mountain Lodge. I will definitely look into it... Hopefully it isn't booked up!

If you like a busy tourist town, then West Yellowstone is your best choice. I stayed 5 nights in W. Yellowstone and had a blast. There are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and gift shops. Everything is within walking distance and very convenient. The only drawback is you have to drive 14 miles to get to the loop, which isn't all that bad because you might just spot some bears along the way (we did).

Why not stay in the parks? The park lodges are great bases to see the park and cut down on driving. It also allows you to be there before and after the day trippers meaning less crowds.

Also, Jackson is not a good base for seeing Yellowstone but is fine for seeing the Tetons (although, again, I prefer the in park lodging for the Tetons as well).

Depending on when in October there may not be any park lodges open. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge is the last to close on October 16th. Most others close in late September or early October http://www.yellowstonenationalparklo...closing-dates/

True. If going early in October, when the lodges are open, I would absolutely prefer to stay in the park.

we went two years ago. you can click on my name and read the report. I usually prefer to rent a house but for these parks I would highly recommend staying in the parks to avoid too much driving and to make sure you can make the early morning ranger lead hikes which are wonderful.

I'm not sure there are any ranger programs in October. There weren't any in early spring this year.

We did a family trip to Yellowstone 3 or 4 years ago. I did not book far in advance and was able to get lodging in the park at the Roosevelt and Old Faithful (I called obsessively and jockeyed locations until I got what we wanted). Not sure when you are going in October so that may not be an option as things shut down. We also did a night in Red Lodge on the way in and Big Sky on the way out. It is a gorgeous park - enjoy it wherever you stay. Click on my name and look for my Yellowstone report if interested.