Help in our GTNP/Cody/Yellowstone Itinerary
 

The following is our plan. We are a family of 5 with 3 older children. We are flying into Jackson Hole on June 30 and staying 2 nights. Would like to Float/Whitewater on the Snake. Anyone recommend one outfitter over another. Then onto Cody for 2 nights, Buffalo Bill museum and rodeo, then to Old Faithful Inn for one night and two nights at Grey Wolf Inn in West Yellowstone. Would like to horseback ride (none of us are experienced), husband wants to fly fish, soak in the hot baths (where?) and the Alpine Slide and chairlift at Snow King. (recommended?) Seeing the two parks is the main goal but want to do all we can in the 8 days. Need to keep everyone happy! Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

you have a lot planned and a lot of questions.. i just want to recommend a great spot to sample the thermal waters. Inside YNP, near the northern part -- it's an area called the Boiling River, where hot springs come into a cold river and you can take a (short) hike and then bathe in the river. It's great!!

We took our kids on a whitewater trip several years ago and used Barker Ewing. I would recommend them, they were great. We did the scenic/breakfast/whitewater trip. The guide did all the work and we just held on! Our kids never forgot about it and loved it. They take your picture at one of the big rapids and you can go into town and view it that evening at a photography store and buy if you like it. Make sure you schedule your whitewater trip on a day when you are not checking out of your hotel so you can go back, clean up and take a nap afterwards. We started very early in the morning (I think we had to be there by 5 or 5:30 and we finished around 2:00.

At Grand Teton, the Jenny Lake hike is wonderful. You cross the lake in a boat and then hike from there.

I don't think you have too much planned and you can always knock off one of the activities if you get too tired and want to slow down as long as it is not something you have to reserve ahead of time. We have done much more strenuous itineraries and were fine. If you like to be on the move, you can handle it.

Another warm river for swimming is Firehole just south of Madison Junction.

How about the horseback ride to the Chuckwagon dinner in Yellowstone?

Thanks for all the tips. Looking at two rafting companies. Barker-Ewing or Mad River. Has anyone done either? Glad for these posts as I'm going to pack to expect all weather!

Actually, my mom posted a comment a bit earlier in this post and mentioned using Barker Ewing several years ago. Being a teen at the time, I was more interested in the adventure than the service. But, I do recall them being well-organized, knowledgeable and outgoing - a great combination that made all of the guests feel safe and relaxed.

In fact, I'm going back to Jackson Hole and YNP this August, and I have scheduled a 1/2 day whitewater trip through Barker Ewing once again! Since my husband and I are not participating in the scenic/breakfast portion, we don't have to report to the Barker-Ewing offices until about 9am. Then, we'll get done about 1pm with the afternoon free to do whatever we want.

Depending on when your trip is, I can let you know my thoughts after our trip has concluded.

Thanks for the reply. Just reread the post and saw your mom's reply. Doing so much reading up on so many sights and books I'm getting a little overwhelmed. Actually we are arriving in Jackson on June 30 and plan to do the rafting on July 1. With the weather they are having I'm sure we are going to be in for a very exciting ride. A little nervous as I've read some people love it and some people don't! Thanks again and have a great trip.

Second the suggestion of Barker Ewing. We used them also for the float/breakfast/whitewater trip and highly recommend them. Enjoy!

OOOOOh, June 30th. You will be in for a wild ride! Too bad I can't trade dates with you...just hold on tight, and you'll have a blast!

Thanks again. Quick question. Does anyone think while we're staying in West Yellowstone a trip to Virginia City and/or Nevada City, Montana is worth the drive? I think at most it's 1 1/2 hours.

Well, we're back and what a great time we had. We landed around noon in Jackson Hole, picked up our car and were on our way. Stayed in Jackson the first two nights. Did the whitewater rafting trip with Barker Ewing and it was a blast. The water has not been this high in 10 years and it was a quick ride. It usually takes 1 hour and 15 minutes but our ride was approx. 50 minutes with 1 level 4 rapid and other smaller ones. Lots of fun and the guides were excellent. Did the hike to Inspiration POint which was beautiful. Went to Cody for 2 days. Enjoyed the rodeo and the Buffalo Bill museum. 1 night in Old Faithful Inn with a mouse. No sleep but glad we stayed as it was very nice. Onto West Yellowstone, Montana to use as our base in and out of Yellowstone. Just amazing. Went horseback riding with Parade Rest Ranch and they were very good as we were all beginners. A beautiful ride too! Anyway, started the trip by saying let's do all we can as we would probably never pass this way again (at least my husband and myself) as I have a list of places I hope to see, but after going to this beautiful area, I hope to definitely return someday. In fact have been to the library to get out DVD's on Wyoming and Yellowstone and the Tetons. People usually do this before their trip but I find I just can't get enough of this magnificent part of our country. To all of you who still have their trips ahead of you, I'm jealous. ENJOY!

Great trip report! And I'm glad you had such a good time on the whitewater adventure. I'm less than a month away from my trip at this point, and I'm praying that the water is still higher than normal in 4 weeks as well!