How to best "do" Yellowstone in May?
 

I am hoping to go to Wyoming and Yellowstone NP at the end of May. I haven't been to any of the National Parks (other than Acadia) and spend most of my time indoors in an office! We like hiking and seeing natural beauty but don't want to camp. As a rookie hiker and park explorer I am having trouble deciding how to make the most of a week's trip from New England. Initially, I was turned off by the prospect of spending hours and hours each day in the car in order to really see most of the park since it looks like the sights are very spread out. On the park website I learned about the Yellowstone Association that offers 4 night tours which include lodging (at the lodges in the park) and includes hikes each day with a naturalist. The price is pretty reasonable ($500/person for 4 days and 4 nights). Does anyone have experience with these tours? are they enjoyable? how are the guides? Please let me know if you have other suggestions for exploring the park - either other tours you recommend or suggestions for doing it on our own. we are a young couple in our early 30s. pretty active but not very experience hikers. I want to relax too so major hikes each day might be too much for us.

thanks

Less than a month? That's not much time to plan a trip to Yellowstone, but it can be done.

If you want to stay in the park (which is definitely best), you need to start calling NOW, and keep trying for a cancellation. You can find the number at the official NPS website: www.nps.gov. While it's possible to make reservations on-line, most people seem to have better luck at making last-minute reservations by phone. You should also go ahead and reserve a room outside the park in West Yellowstone, Silver Gate, Cooke City or Gardiner, then cancel it if you get a lodge or cabin inside Yellowstone. Because of road closures, West Yellowstone would be most convenient; also has the most options for lodging, etc.

If you take a tour, you'd still be spending the same amount of time to get from one point of interest to the next. Plus, the best way to see wildlife (one of the prime reasons to visit Y'Stone), is to drive a lot. There are places to stop and things to see every few miles, so it's not like you have to spend two hours in the car just to get from one spot to the next.

There are lots of relatively short walks/hikes. Keep in mind that the altitude is relatively high (most of the roads, villages are around 7000ft or higher), so if you've never spent much time far above sea level you will almost certainly find your endurance reduced.

Also, in late May the roads will have just been cleared. Expect snow on the ground in some areas and possibly wintry weather at times. When the sun is out it might be quite warm; at night it could still be rather cold.

You can find lots of into at the NPS website; also at /www.yellowstone-natl-park.com. Note that the road between Canyon and Tower will be closed, so the NE section of the park (Lamar Valley) will be more difficult to get to than usual.

A really great guidebook for Yellowstone is "Yellowstone Treasures", by Janet Chapple:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...140219-1949512

(cont.)

With one week, I'd suggest 4-5 nights at Old Faithful (or W. Yellowstone) and 2-3 nights at Mammoth (or Gardiner or Cooke City). This would allow you to reduce the amount of driving between the north and south areas of the park (especially considering the road closure over Dunraven Pass), without unpacking too often.

Old Faithful is convenient for the Geyser Basins (obviously) and not too bad for the Lake and Canyon areas. To cut down on driving even more, you could spend one or two nights at Canyon or one of the Lake locations. Mammoth Hot Springs is convenient for the Lamar Valley, which is a favorite with those who like to see wolves and bears.

As for hiking, you can find some suggestions at:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/todo/hikes/index.htm
Until you find your limits and get used to the altitude, I'd suggest choosing hikes less than 4-5 miles and 1000' elevation change. The trail to Lone Star Geyser seems to be a favorite with many. Also the various Geyser Basins between Old Faithful and Norris.

If you plan to venture very far from the road, you should review the guidelines for hiking in Grizzly country, and perhaps invest in some Bear Spray. Very few people encounter bears in Yellowstone, but you should be prepared.

thanks for the responses. I was initially attracted to the tour because we had trouble coordinating the hotels in the park (i.e. could get some but not others on the days we want) ourselves. The tour includes 2 nights in Grant Village and 2 nights at the mammouth hot springs hotel, with daily hikes in each area. How are these hotels to stay at? I am not expecting the Four Seasons but how rustic are they??

I hear what you are saying about needing to get around by car and enjoying the sites along the way.

I hadn't thought of the altitude issue so now I am concerned about keeping up on the hikes. We are relatively fit (could go out and run 5 miles without tiring) but not at all used to high altitude. Here is a brief itinerary, please let me know what you think as far as how hard the hikes might be (based on the areas) and whether the trip offers a good variety and allows me to see a lot in our timeframe - note that the designation as "easy" is what the itinerary says, not my opinion!:

Day 1: Northern Range interpretive hike (easy, 3-5 mile round trip)

Day 2: 1:00 ? 6:00 p.m. ? Yellowstone Lake area interpretive hikes (easy-moderate, 3-4 miles)

Day 3: 8:00 a.m. - Depart for extended backcountry hike (Moderate to strenuous)

?Old Faithful area interpretive hike (easy-moderate, 3-5 miles)

?Old Faithful area interpretive hike (easy-moderate, 2-4 miles)

Day 4: Interpretive Canyon hike (Easy - moderate 5 - 6 mile round trip)

In case anyone is interested the site is http://www.yellowstoneassociation.or...il.aspx?cid=60

and it is the Trails through Yellowstone Tour on Lodging and Learning.

You probably won't be the only lowlanders on the tour, so the organizers/guides must take that into account. If you're "relatively fit", you probably won't be the ones lagging behind.

I'm in terrible shape, and 5-6 miles with a few hundred feet elevation gain is doable for me, even at much higher altitude than you'll be at.

Elevations in Yellowstone are relatively low for the Rockies, so altitude sickness shouldn't be a problem. You will be spending most of your time below 8000', which isn't even considered "High" altitude (compared to, say, 14000' atop Pikes Peak, or 12000' on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain NP). So actual altitude sickness shouldn't be a problem. But some shortness of breath, headaches and the urge to take an afternoon nap are possible. Just be prepared to recognize your limits and respond accordingly.

Give yourselves some time to do some other things besides hiking. There are lots of things to see that are park and walk a short distance to.

So, have you decided on the tour? It does look like they hit the major attractions...geysers and grand canyon of yellowstone, etc. and get in a few nice hikes in some spectacular scenery. It sounds enjoyable. Larry and I are regulars in Yellowstone (about every other weekend in the summer) -- we live in Salt Lake City. If you decide not to go on the tour, feel free to email me and I can probably help you further. If you go on the tour, be sure to make some time (early morning or evening) to look for the wolves in Lamar Valley...they are very visible, especially at the time of year you are traveling. You'll see other people (including us, probably -- we'll be in a white pathfinder with Utah plates) driving the road in Lamar valley watching for the wolves...folks will also be set up with spotting scopes that they will gladly share so you can get a great view of these magnificent animals. my email [email protected]

Laura.

topping for *meommy*