We are planning on going to Wyoming next September (2005) after Labor Day. I was wondering whether this is a good itinerary.
Fly to Salt Lake City and drive to Yellowstone staying one night on the way. Spend 3 nights at the Old Faithful Inn or Snow Lodge. Spend 2 nights at the Mammoth Hotel. Drive the Beartooth Highway and spend one night in Cooke City or somewhere similar. Back to Yellowstone and stay 2 nights at Canyon Lodge or Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Drive to the Grand Tetons and spend 3 nights at either Jackson Lake Lodge or Signal Mountain. Drive to SLC and fly home to NY. I'll be calling tomorrow to see if I can even get reservations at any of these places in the parks for next year. We like to do trips at a leisurely rate but I was wondering whether this itinerary has us spending too much time in each place. I would appreciate any input. Thanks.

We just returned from almost the identical trip.The only change that I would recommend is starting w/2-3 nites at the GTNP to relax, rest and get used to the surroundings.YNP was as nice as advertised but Jackson & the views from Jackson Lake Lodge were our favorites.1 nite at Mammoth maybe enough but it is very nice! The 1st week of Oct. was perfect but we may have been lucky!

We are planning a trip for the same time next year. When I called last week for reservations I was told that Old Faithful Inn will be closing on Sept 10 for renovations. If you have your heart set on staying at OFI plan accordingly.

Theatre,
We just returned from a similar trip, but we also added a few stops, one of which was Cody, WY. We loved the parks, but were glad to "de-park" for a couple of days. I would recommend the Beartooth absolutely, but there is not much in Cooke City. We stayed in Red Lodge, MT and loved it, and Red Lodge is only about an 1 1/2 hours from Cody. The Buffalo Bill Museum was fantastic; one of the best that I have ever seen. As for your Yellowstone Lodging, we stayed at the Snow Lodge and found it to be very nice. The rooms are well done and the lobby has a very "lodgey" feel. Also, if you are not able to get into Jackson Lake or Signal Mtn, I HIGHLY recommend the Red Lion Wyoming Inn in Jackson. Great rooms, wonderful breakfast and friendly staff. I didn't want to leave!
Whatever you decide, you are definitely in for a wonderful vacation. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for your suggestion. Where in Red Lodge did you stay? Did you also stay overnight in Cody? How many nights would you suggest for those stops? We have our reservations in the parks. Would you recommend that we reduce the number of nights at our park stops? I really appreciate your help.

Theatre,
Sorry for the delayed reply. We stayed at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge. It was the priciest place there (I think we paid $95 with an AAA discount). The rooms were nothing extraordinary, but the setting certainly is. We saw two moose there! It is about a mile outside of town. There is also an in-town hotel that is highly recommended, but the name escapes me. That one has the advantage of being able to walk everywhere. The room we looked at was TINY, but I know that they have other types.
Our Cody stop was just one night. We arrived at about 4:00 pm and went walking around town. We were fortunate that it was Western Design Week there, so the stores were open late. Normally, in mid-Sept, the stores close at around 5:00. We stayed at a B&B called the Parson's Pillow, and the owners were so lovely. We had dinner at a place called "Ribs", and it was wonderful.
The next day we checked out after breakfast and went to the Buffalo Bill Museum. We were there 5 hours and could have spent 5 more. It is quite overwhelming (and we are not big museum people). If you do decide to go to Cody, make sure that you check to see if the Western Design Conference in is town. If it is, book your hotel immediately. We lucked out with the Parson's Pillow. Everything else was sold out, and if we had arrived one day later they would have been sold out as well. As to your question about your time in the parks, it is hard to say. We covered a lot of ground, and that is not fun for everyone. I felt like we spent enough time at each (2 days in GT and 3 in YNP) to see all that we wanted to see. We fit in a few hikes and a boat ride as well. If you think of any other questions, let me know. Happy Planning!!

Thank you so much for all the information. I really appreciate you taking the time. I have found that people on the various Fodors boards have been so generous with their time and information. It makes planning a trip so much more fun.