Jackson Hole/Yellowstone in October?
 

We are planning a trip to Wyoming and Montana in mid-October. Has anyone been there during that time of year? Is that a good time to go? We're just concerned about the weather and possibility of snow. Thanks for any help!

It can snow any month of the year in Yellowstone, and apparently it's not unheard of to have snow occur in August there. Would think it's wise to be prepared for any possibility. See this website, for one:

http://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_wyyellow_temp.htm

I was there last October, around the second week. I spent the whole week in Jackson - Teton Village, actually - but had planned to do some day trips to Yellowstone.

Before I left I asked a similar question to yours and was told that snow was a possibility, but not too likely.

The first two days were warm and sunny, and the fall colors were just past their peak, but still very beautiful. And the parks were not crowded at all and driving was a real pleasure.

In GTNP, most of the park lodges were closed, however, and some of the activities, such as the boat on Jenny Lake that goes to Hidden Falls, were also closed. They seem to close down at the end of Sept. or the very beginning of Oct.

On the third day I was there, it snowed, and snowed for the next 3-4 days. It snowed for 4-5 hours each day, and then cleared up every evening.

I was still able to drive in GTNP, but on two attempts to get to Yellowstone I had to turn back, once just before the south entrance and the second time, about 15 miles into Yellowstone, b/c the roads were a bit slippery in parts. If I had a larger car with 4 wheel drive I think it would have been fine, but my rental car was very small and I was a bit nervous driving on the icy roads up north.

I didn't necessarily consider the snow a negative, b/c it made everything look even more beautiful and the parks looked like winter wonderlands. I was glad to have the opportunity to experience both fall and winter, all in one week!

On the day I left, it was once again warm and sunny and the forecast called for warm and sunny for the whole week. So I guess it's hit or miss weatherwise, but in mid October you'll definitely encounter some closures, as I mentioned.

Mid Oct may be iffy for the park, many of the in-park facilities will be closed, was a little snow up there the last few days, if the weather is good you will not have the traffic and crowds to fight but just be prepaired to change or cancle your plans if the weather turns bad. West Yellowstone temp was 28 a couple of days ago but its back to normal now. Just keep checking weather.