I don't know; we went out the north entrance into Gardiner for the same reason. :-) Actually, you cross into Montana before you leave the park.

Lee Ann

Best bet for Montana would be to drive the Beartooth Highway after visiting the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone. It is an incredibly scenic drive.

Maybe I can talk Ted Turner into having us up for a bbq!!

Hi X-Bellman,

How did you get reservations in Yellowstone at this late date? Did you call Xanterra everyday? I haven't been able to find in-park lodging for my dates in August.

Thanks!

Let me ask my wife...i'll get back with you janey47.

Call every day. You're hoping for a cancellation.

We loved Red Lodge after the Beartooth Highway. (described in the trip report)

This is from my wife: You have to keep calling the number on the website. 1 866-439-7375. I called twice a day and set on hold for up to 30 minutes. You just keep calling back to see if there are any rooms.

God bless her.....I can't stay on hold much longer than 3 minutes!!

Thanks- after calling several times we got 2 nights at Canyon and 1 at Old Faithful. Couldn't get Tower Roosevelt, so spending 2 nights in Cooke City for Lamar Valley and Beartooth/Chief Joseph drives.

I'm hoping it's not bad driving back to Canyon at night after the Roosevelt cookout.

It shouldn't be bad; just watch for wildlife on the roads.

Lee Ann

Really enjoyed your trip report Lee Ann.

My concern is, on some sites it specifically says not to drive Dunraven Pass at night.

Just returned from Jackson Hole/ Yellowstone. The Sassy Moose B and B in Jackson was an average place. We stayed there 2 nights, nothing fancy, kind of old but the price was good and the breakfast was also good. Stayed 3 nights in Yellowstone. First night Lake Yellowstone, second night Grant village and Old Faithful the third night. Of the three we preferred Lake yellowstone. It was the best located. Old faithful prob had the best restaurant but after you watched O.F. erupt there really wasn't much else to do there. I didn't like the cafeteria food at any location so def avoid those! Saw lot's of wildlife, Grizzly bear and cub, moose, lot's of bison (they hold up traffic!), elk, deer, beaver and lot's of Eagles. If I did the trip again I prob would have stayed an extra night in Jackson and only done 2 nights in YS. The 2 hour float trip down the snake river was fun and the steak dinner was really nice they provided. The one thing that caught me off guard was no AC in any rooms and it was hot at night trying to sleep...so try to get on the first floor to avoid a hot sleepless nights. Also many of the neat waterfall sites require a lot of hiking....I should have packed my knee braces but didn't give it a thought! Beautiful part of America...glad my kids (ages 5 and 7) had a chance to expierence this! There was a bear attack while we were in YS...It may be a good idea to spend $50 for the Bear spray..you never know whats out there.

One more thing....did you know Wyoming has a state Highway Patrol department and speed limits on the desolate roads leading to Jackson hole? One pulled me over......82 on a 65...didn't know a full minivan would go that fast! A nice $80 ticket to kick off my vacation!

Xbellman,

Of course there are speed limits on the "desolate" roads, you DON'T want to hit an elk, moose or other wildlife!! Also, I can't imagine you didn't go in to the Visitor's Center at Old Faithful and find out just how much there is to see and do around the area. There are many fascinating geysers, less famous, but much more interesting than Old Faithful. I'm sorry you missed seeing them.

Dayle.....I hate to admit it but by day 7 of my vacation I was spent! All I wanted to see was a soft bed! I had driven a total of 1,300 miles with 4 kids and 2 other adults in a mini van...and had a 14 hour drive to tackle the next day. I would have liked to seen more in that area but I really didn't have it in me. I def would recomend going to O.F. however to anybody reading this.

After talking with others who traveled to YS, I would recomend not staying in the park during the heat of the summer due to no A/C....I've been told other Hotels outside the park have A/C...You will be very surprised how hot the rooms are at night even when the temps get down in the 40's...we stayed on the 2nd and 3rd floors and it was not pleasant!

<<Old faithful prob had the best restaurant but after you watched O.F. erupt there really wasn't much else to do there.>>

I can't believe I just read this! Road trips are exhausting and I'm sorry you missed so much. Maybe for your next trip or for others planning a trip the following list of geysers and pools to see in the Old Faithful area will help.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/tour...l/liststop.htm

You must have been in Yellowstone during a really hot week. I've stayed twice in the park during the summer heat and did not have an issue with the rooms being too hot. The open window really helped cool the room down.