Hi, we would like to visit GTNP and Yellowstone NP this summer in July or Aug. We will be traveling from S. Florida to Salt Lake City because that seems to be the cheapest way to go. We will rent a car there, and travel to the parks. We can spend up to 13 days for our trip total. We like to do alot of day hikes, horseback, and maybe some rafting. I think that it will be too long of a day to drive to GTNP after the long flights. Is there anyplace that we should spend the 1st half a day and 1st night at?

I hit the "post my reply" icon by accident. So heres the rest of my questions... How would you guys work the itinerary? Where should we stay that is not too expensive? How much time should we spend in each park? Where are the best day hikes? Are there any off the beaten path places that we should see? Is it worth it to stay in the parks, or should we stay outside? Should we stay in more than one location in Yellowstone, or one centrally located spot? I truly appriciate any feedback that you can give.

We just did our first YNP/Tetons trip this past Sept and I think staying in the park made our trip special. We took walks at dawn thru the geyser field at Old Faithful - a truly memorable experience. We were up before dawn to get out to search for wildlife. YNP is huge and you should stay in a few different places - we flew into SLC, spent the first night in Jackson, drove thru Tetons to YNP. Stayed 2 nights each in Old Faithful, Mammoth and Canyon. We saw wildlife everywhere including griz and black bear, wolves, coyotes, bighorn sheep, bison, antelope, etc. Truly amazing. But even more amazing were the geologic features of the park. We spent 6 nights in the park and could've easily stayed longer. The Tetons were nice but a night or two was enough for us. We loved Signal Mtn Lodge.

We spent 13 days there in June/July this past summer - 6 nights in Teton, 6 in Yellowstone + 1 in Jackson Hole to fly out the next day.

Hiking abounds both places. We preferred the GT Hikes but both are awesome.

As previously suggested, staying in the park was the best option for us. Reduced travel time which increased our time on the trails.

Also, as suggested - spread the stays in Yellowstone. Each part of the park is unique and offers a little something different. All offer hiking in some form.

Although driving from Canyon Village area we found was fairly accessible to Old Faithful, Roosevelt and Lake Yellowstone. Mammoth is "up there" so we found the decision to spend a couple nights up there worth it. People claim the Canyon area is extremely busy. We didn't find it to be excessive. Probably since we didn't spend much time in the "area" since we were out all day doing stuff - it didn't matter to us. We stayed in the overpriced but extra nice room in the DunRaven. Once we saw the cabins, we were satisfied with our decision.

Prepare for temp changes and be sure to bring some high powered binnoc's. A quality spotting scope would have been best and will get one should we go back again. Be sure to have rain gear. Mammoth we found was much warmer than the other areas of the park.

It's all opinion, but if you're looking for 4 star accomodations - you might be dissapointed. That being said, all of our lodging was good and food was tolerable. Best food & lodging for us was in GTNP at the Jackson Lake Lodge Grill. We didn't stay in the lodge but a cabin and found it to be nice.

The lodge has a few diff. places to eat in - costs vary. The breakfast in their formal dining room was just excellent in our opinion and worth the money.

It's a tourist trap so costs will reflect that in both places.

We didn't have near as much time as you. We were on a 2 week trip but we included Glacier. I'd recommend staying a few nights in different places in Yellowstone. Our planning information and trip reports with many pictures are on our web site. www.AlandSueJohnson.com. Click on the bison picture

We flew into Jackson Hole. We spent the first night in Jackson and looked around GTNP. From there to Yellowstone for 3 full days. It was a short enough visit that we're going back in June, 2007.

We were there in Sept, 06. We stayed in the parks and that worked wonderfully for us. However, West Yellowstone is not that far out if that is the only option, but try to get into the parks.

Our favorite location was Dunraven Lodge at Canyon. That's because we were most into wildlife viewing and hikes. The Canyon area is convenient to Hayden, a great drive to Lamar, and reasonably close to Fishing Bridge, too. We also stayed at OFI and Mammoth.

If you would like more info, just ask. Many of us here will be glad to try to help.