bucketlister2012

Hello all you seasoned travelers! My husband and I are planning another trip with, probably too much driving, but here goes. We will fly into SLC drive to Grand Teton, spend 2-3 nights there, then onto Yellowstone for 3-4 nights, followed by a night on the road in Montana somewhere, then to Glacier for possibly 4 nights, another night on the road and then fly out of SLC. If booking goes well, we will be traveling mid to late June. I made reservations for OFI for June 2-4, but will cancel if I am able to get later reservations. If we go that early, I don't think Going to the Sun Road will be open, so that's why I am postponing our trip. Any help in lodging recommendations is much appreciated. I don't know the lay of the land in any of the parks, but have been reading on here and am a fan of Myer and Spirobull. My husband took the trip of my lifetime in 2012 from Vegas to Grand Canyon to Sedona, Antelope Canyon, Bluff, Moab,(Arches, Capitol Reef, Dead Horse Park, Canyonlands, Hwy 12, Bryce and Zion in 10 days. It was a little too ambitious, but I loved it and the help that I got from the forum was key. This time we were going to take it a little more easy, but if we see all three, it probably won't be. We are in our late 50s and early 60s. Thanks for any help and advice.

tomfuller

It depends a lot on how much snow Glacier gets for the rest of the winter whether the GTTS road will be open by June 10 or 20th.
On June 1 2012 I drove up 17 miles from St. Mary which put me about 3 miles short of Logan Pass summit.
The rotary plow usually makes it to the summit from the east side first. The scenery was spectacular even though we didn't make it to the top.
My favorite lodging in the Glacier region is the Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls.
The stop between Glacier and SLC airport would be in Idaho Falls.

bucketlister2012

Thanks, tomfuller! I forgot to mention that we are trying to keep our stays between 100 and 150 per night. Also for those of you that reply, would you suggest staying in one place the whole time we are in the parks or would you move to different locations given the size and scope of the parks? Thanks.

Myer

When you say late 50s, early 60s are you implying old or young. I turn 70 in a few months so I'll assume you're in good shape and you were boasting about being young.

For Glacier. Assume GTTS Road isn't open though you could be surprised.
The park is laid out as follows:
There's one main road going thru the park. GTTS Rd. The alternate route is Rte 2 (I believe around the bottom.

I've been there the past two years. First a short trip (3 1/2 days) with my daughter and then with a friend (6 days or so in Glacier and 2 1/2 days in Banff & Jasper). Photos at: www.travelwalks.com

We spent a good part of a day on the west side and other than Trail of the Cedars hike, it was a waste compare to the east side and Many Glacier. The hike we did was nice but not worth the effort of going and returning.

On the east side you have three main areas. Two Medicine below GTTS Rd. Nice and quieter than the other areas left. But if time is limited skip this.

The east from Logan Pass to the east entrance. If Logan Pass is open then you have Hidden Lake Overlook and at least start of Highline and the famous cable (I thought it would freak me out but it's tamer than I expected). If some how Logan Pass is open but Hidden Lake only goes part way, then do it. Spectacular scenery right behind the visitors scenery. And always the possibility of mountain goats.

There's a good chance the trail to St Mary Falls will be open and extension to Virginia Falls.

Then there's Many Glacier. Wildlife central and spectacular hikes. I expect Grinnel Glacier will be a problem but Iceberg Lake probably not. Fishercap lake is a short 10-15 minutes from the end of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn parking lot. Start the Swiftcurrent Pass hike. After about ten minutes you'll see a sign on the left. About 50 yards and the lake appears. Go a couple of hours before sunset. Bring a picnic, folding chairs or something to sit on. Good chance for moose and deer. Good place to socialize.

Yellowstone & Grand Tetons.
In my opinion YNP is an attraction park with geysers, waterfalls (many throughout the park), bison and thermal features. Grand Tetons has much more spectacular scenery.

Excluding stops for sightseeing or road construction it takes 8 hours to drive the figure 8 which is the shape of the main road.

I would concentrate on the OF area, the geyser basin and Grand Prismatic Spring area.

Then over to Canyon for various views of the Lower Falls.

For hikes we did Jenny Lake in GTNP. Made a mistake and went on a Sunday. The only time any place was packed.

Viewing in GTNP: Oxbow bend early and late. Mormon Row early. Too bad the entrance to Schwabacker Landing is gone.

The signature hike in Yellowstone is Mt Washburn. I don't know what the conditions there will be as it starts at 8,800ft and ends at 10,350. Not much oxygen even at the start. The trail is a very easy dirt road up to a ranger station. Of course nothing is easy with no oxygen.

Again, to get an idea look at my photos.

I'm sure Spiro will add his opinions.

Myer

For GTNP I'd stay in one place. Signal Mtn Lodge is nice and central.

For YNP you could split between OF and Canyon.

Forgot to mention about YNP. Lamar and Hayden Valleys are their wildlife central.

For GNP I would stay at Swiftcurrent in Many Glacier and Rising Sun between the east entrance and Logan Point.

These all depend upon how much time you spend in each area and if snow is an issue and if you can get reservations.

bucketlister2012

Thanks, Myer! Now if I could just get accommodations at OFI that don't cost 539/night. Will have to book somewhere else and keep calling for cancellations. BTW where do you live in south Florida? We live in Fort Myers.

wave725

If the Going to the Sun Road is not open, Highway 2 is a not a bad drive. You'll want to stop in Columbia Falls at the Super One (on the main road, you can't miss it) for any supplies, snacks, etc, unless you want to pay out the nose once you get into East Glacier.

The hike around Swiftcurrent Lake in Many Glacier is a lovely hike and great opportunities to see moose.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/swift...ture-trail.htm

I would also include Redrock Falls a few miles beyond Fishercap Lake.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/redrock-falls.htm

I love the Highline Trail even though the cable section always freaks me out a bit! It's definitely worth it!

tomfuller

You should be able to get lodging at Mammoth for less than OFI prices. I was in Mammoth about an hour before sunset on a Sunday in August last year and saw more than 30 elk in the town.
That night I was driving over the bridge in Gardiner and met an elk that was walking toward me.

Myer

wave725, I've been to Redrock Falls twice. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a sign where to make that left turn off the main Swiftcurrent Pass trail? Kind of like the one at Fishercap Lake?

The first time I was there with my daughter. We had been on the Iceberg Lake hike and then over to Fishercap Lake and on to Redrock falls. On the way back to Fishercap (it was about 7:30 and getting a bit dim) we were alone. Suddenly my daughter told me to look to the left. There was a grizzly standing there between the trees about 10 yards from us. She lifted her camera and got one quick shot. I started to pull out the bear spray. The bear didn't move so I stopped pulling it out but kept my hand on it. I couldn't convince myself to lift the camera (same hand). We started to slowly slither away keeping an eye on the bear. It just stood there looking at us.

bucketlister, I live in Cooper City. Another option in the same place would be OF Snow Lodge or the other cabins, OF Lodge. Not the same old feel but it gets you there quickly.

In any event, call (call, call, call) every day as people make plans a year out and then reality sets in and plan go away.

bucketlister2012

Thank-you, thank-you for your responses and insights and stories. Managed to get a reservation for the cheap room(shared bathroom) in OFI for 2 nights, so that will be my jumping off point for planning the rest of the trip.
tomfuller, where is Mammoth in relation to OFI? I need to book an additional 2 nights in Yellowstone. Canyon Lodge and Roosevelt are the other recommendations. How many nights would any of you recommend to spend in Glacier verses the other parks with a 2 week time span? I was thinking 2 nights Tetons, 4 nights Yellowstone and 4 Glacier.

spirobulldog

Mammoth is in the Northwest Corner. Although worth seeing, it is the one place I would skip, if you are running short on time. You will see Elk there though(virtually guaranteed).

I think your 2-4-4 days are about right for the parks.

Roosevelt Lodge and Lake Hotel are both good places to stay in Yellowstone. I have not stayed in Canyon or Mammoth. Canyon would be a good location.

I would try for Many Glacier, Swift Current, or Rising Sun in Glacier. You could even do a 2 day Many Glacier or Swift Current/Then a 2 day Rising Sun.

wave725

myer, amazing since it's one of the most popular short hikes on that side of the park. We passed it the first time we hiked it! We had a similar bear experience on the Iceberg Trail hike. We could actually see the parking lot when a bear just walked out on the trail about 25' in front of us. Unfortunately, since we were "done" for the day, we had already put away out camera. Lesson learned! Glad you guys got a good bear shot! Fortunately, after a few minutes of munching on some berries, he walked back off trail.

Myer

Wave725,
We found Redrock Falls both times but not easy. Sometimes I wonder about things like that. My camera is never away.

bucketlister,
My plan was to skip Mammoth but we had an extra few hours so instead of driving across the middle to Canyon we drove over the top. A few interesting waterfalls but Mammoth was a disappointment as expected. The hot springs aren't what they used to be.

Also, Tower Fall (that's correct it's "Fall") isn't worth the stop. There used to be a hike down to the bottom that's closed due to danger and the growth closer to the top of the Fall obscures almost all of the view. If you look for my trip report for Yellowstone in 2010 I did a writeup on the waterfalls we saw. There are other that are much more worth the time. And with less people.

Myer

bucketlister,
I forgot to reinforce spiro. You'll notice the lodging he's suggesting are all on the east side.

Rising Sun is in an excellent location for the eastern half of the park. Swiftcurrent and MG Hotel are the only choices in the park and in Many Glacier. Right near everything.

tomfuller

If you are going to Glacier after Yellowstone, Mammoth would be a great place to spend the last night in Yellowstone.
The town is about 6 miles south of Gardiner, MT.
It was the town built by the US Army to guard the access to Yellowstone before the Park Service was formed.
The stone buildings built by the army are still quite impressive.
About a mile south of Mammoth, near the corral is the only graveyard I know of inside the National Park.

holly1226

Could someone tell me what OFI is?

ElendilPickle

OFI = Old Faithful Inn

Wave725, we went to Grand Teton and Yellowstone in early June of 2010. If you're interested in reading my trip report, here it is.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...d-gorgeous.cfm

Lee Ann