rknapp17

Hi everyoneone. I'm in the process of planning a trip to Yellowstone in late June of 2009 and would like for someone to review my plans and give any input you may have. It will be me,my wife,and 2 kids (10 & 8).Nothing set in stone yet but this is what I'm thinking of...DAY 1- fly out of NYC to Denver . Drive up to Casper for the night(Best Western Ramkota)maybe stop at Cheyeene or Ft. Laramie on the way. DAY 2- Drive to Cody (stay in Cody Cowboy Village) check out museums and rodeo. DAY 3- Drive into YNP (stay in Lake Lodge Western cabin for 4 nights)That would give me 4 full days to tour YNP. Day 7- Drive to Grand Tetons spend the day sightseeing. (stay in Jackson at Cowboy Village Resort). Day 8- Hang around in Jackson, shop eat, ( Cowboy Village Resort again). Day 9- Drive to Salt Lake City airport Depart for NYC. I'd really appreciate any input. We have never visited the area before and I can use any help you can give me. Thanks

spirobulldog

Sounds good.

1 day in the Tetons may or may not be enough. I would float the Snake River and do the hike to Hidden Falls. You ride a boat to get to the hike.

I do think you are making a mistake staying at the Lake area. We did YS this past summer and stayed at a different place each night (which is to much packing each day). It is some distance from place to place and you get stuck a lot watching wildlife. The main attractions to us were the Tower/Canyon area and the Geyser area around Old Faithful.
I strongly encourage you to see Castle Geyser go. We spent the better part of 1 day just waiting on geysers and it was worth it. We saw Castle, Riverside, Daisy, and Old Faithful 3 times. Old Faithful is the easiest to catch, but it was our least favorite. Of course, you have to see it. But with Castle, you are up close, it goes for 30 minutes not 2, and you will be there with only a few other people. It goes about every 13 hours (+/-2hours). Be sure and see Old Faithful Lodge. You might want to get a room there, they aren't too bad on the price.

I think the cabin is the way to go. Check out Roosevelt Lodge to the North and somewhere near Old Faithful for 2 nights each. I do think you could spend 1 night at the lake area. We had a cabin in Colter Village in Tetons and enjoyed it as well.

Your kids would enjoy the Alpine Slide in Jackson.

here my photos click view all and find yellowstone http://www.photoworks.com/members/Spirobulldog

spirobulldog

make lodging reservations NOW ASAP!! you can always cancel

AlJ

Sounds like a fun trip. We put a lot of our Yellostone information on our website. Pictures, trip reports and planing information.

http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/yellowstone_home.htm

Look at the Yellowstone 2008 trip. It has a report and several pictures from Grand Teton. We finally saved enough time for a full day there.

Your Day 8 will likely find you back in the Tetons. I doubt Jackson will hold you attention all day. Doesn't matter until you get there.

Follow the advice about lodging. Get something now. If you have troubles, you may be able to swap it later is the time gets closer. You're already a little late.

In my mind, Lake is OK but not great. Right at the bottom of Hayden Valley and a pretty area. Canyon is also good but 16 miles closer to Lamar Valley. Roosevelt is one I like also. At this point you'll need luck to get one with a bathroom or one that is big enough. Canyon is my favorite area due to proximity.

Staying at 2 places is OK and maybe good. One night at Old Faithful and 3 nights on the east side maybe.

rknapp17

Thanks everyone. I thought about booking other places within YNP but the only options I had were Lake Lodge cabins or Mamouth Hot Springs and that had no bathroom nor is it centrally located. The day I am looking to spend in Jackson will be July 4th so there are some activities going on to keep us busy. Any ideas on the driving times from Denver to Casper and Casper to Cody? Also does anyone know if I can rent a car out of Denver and return it in Salt Lake City. Thanks Rob

RedRock

Try to spend one morning (early) or late evening in the Beautiful Lamar Valley. You have an excellent chance of seeing wolves and/or bears. The Valley is also home to a large Bison herd. June is a good time to visit. The larger crowds are in YS during July or August. You can, however, expect cooler wx and possible a few showers. If you can spare the time do drive the Beartooth Highway (US212) between the Cooke City area and Red Red Lodge.

http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/06jul/03.htm

spirobulldog

Yeah, you can rent a car that way. Sometimes they charge you a ton extra and sometimes it is about the same. We do this often, and I have never figured out thier pricing on. We rented a car in Billings and returned it to Jackson. Drive the Beartooth Hwy if you can.

WeLoveOurVacations

Hello rknapp17
We had a similar trip this summer. We started in Jackson Hole and stayed at Cowboy Village - the cabins are cute and clean. We did walk to downtown. We took the gondola to the top in Teton Village. Recommend that you look into the Bar J ranch dinner and entertainment. Another night we ate dinner at the Snake River Brewery. From JH we went to GTNP, although we hiked to Hidden Falls, if your children aren't hikers, recommend the boat trip across/back Jenny Lake. From the GTNP we went to YNP and also stayed at Lake Lodge cabins. If you plan your day trips, your location will be fine. If you want to eat dinner at places other than the Lake Lodge cafeteria, plan where to eat at the end of your day trip before you go back to the cabin. Four days will work well. We saw most of the animals in the morning.

pocohontas3

With your famiy of 4, keep trying for a spot at Old Faithful. It will give you time to wait for the geysers. There is Snow Lodge and the Old Faithful Inn. Don't give up! We got a room 48 hours ahead of time, with a cancellation. We gladly switched our other plan to have that one night so close to those geyers.

Lexma90

Mapquest says its a little over 4 hours drive from Denver (the airport) to Casper; that sounds about right.

I would echo the others about continuing to try for rooms in other locations, particularly the Old Faithful area. We had a family reunion/parents 50th anniversary celebration in Yellowstone this past summer, and we made reservations about 1 1/2 years before that date to get 3 hotel rooms with bathrooms in the Snow Lodge (2 rooms) and Old Faithful Inn (1 room). But the location is excellent.