Can some of you Yellowstone experts please chime in on where my husband and I should attempt to stay in Yellowstone. We are late 50s early 60s. Pretty easy to please, we don't need fancy. Any suggestions?

If you get lucky and find lodging in the Park, take any place you can get. If not, I think West Yellowstone makes the best base for day trips into Yellowstone.If in the park, I prefer the Lake Yellowstone Lodge or that area.

Always try for in park lodging. Driving in the evening on dark roads is not a good idea.

If you've never been there I would concentrate on the Old Faithful and/or Canyon areas.

At this point you're looking for cancellations so call Xanterra several times a day. There will be cancellations. You just want to make sure you're the one getting them.

406-892-2525

Call for cancellations. But if you end up staying outside the Park, there is plenty of lodging in West Yellowstone and Gardiner that is less than a half mile from the entraces.

Are you flying or driving from where? There are alternative that you might almost as much. First thing that came to my mind was go to Lassen National Park instead.

Thanks to everyone that replied. I really appreciate it. It's looking like we may do this another time because it' a little too spontaneous for us! It is still on the bucket list!

Awww!

I was getting psyched for another trip to Yellowstone.

Saving your vacation time or going to someplace closer in August?
BTW in August I'll be going to the OTO ranch north of Gardiner.
I have free lodging in a cabin for 4 or 5 nights and the USFS will even feed me.
I'll be driving through Yellowstone going there and coming back.

Bucketlister,

Hate to say it is too spontaneous, I planned a whirlwind trip the second week of June for the first 2 weeks in July. It was SPECTACULAR. We both had an awesome time & enjoyed it more than our week on North Island of NZ.

We just decided two days ago to go to Yellowstone (again) end of August. Managed to get in park accommodations where we wanted by checking the xanterra web site and calling. Also in our 60s, but it does help to be spontaneous when you are familiar with the area. Agree with the above that staying in West Yellowstone or Gardiner (we are actually staying there two nights by choice) are excellent choices for staying outside the park. I say go for it -- never know what the future may bring.

Just to add -- the only place I wouldn't stay in the park is Grant Village. Only because of location -- I would stay in West Yellowstone or Gardiner if that was my only choice.

Bookmarking.

Went to Yellowstone last year and LOVED it. We spent the first night in Red Lodge, MT so we could drive into the park via the Beartooth Highway....drove through Lamar Valley and stayed at the Roosevelt cabins a couple of nights. Also spent a night at Old Faithful - great experience. I called daily to get lodging in the park - cancellations happen all the time. Good luck

Oh Man! I hadn't looked back on here since I posted last. We still want to go somewhere, now must move it up to September. I want to go to Lake Louise and Banff or Yellowstone. For those of you that have been to both, which is the favorite? Last September we road tripped the Southwest from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon, Sedona, Paige, Bluff, Moab, Bryce Canyon and Zion. For me it was the best vacation so far. I live in Fl. and have done may great tropical vacations, but the southwest was just such a great surprise for me. Let me know if any of you have any thoughts. I have done no research, so whatever you feel like sharing would be much appreciated. Thank-you.

If you have your heart set on Yellowstone, go there. How many days/weeks do you have? If you can't get lodging inside the park I'd stay in West Yellowstone and go into the park each day. Spend a night in Jackson on the day you drive south to see GTNP.
To see great Rocky Mt. scenery, you can go to Glacier NP which is just as good as Banff IMO. It's been decades since I was in Banff and Lake Louise but I was in Jasper 3 times since 2001.
I'll be driving through Yellowstone on Sunday on my way to Gardiner for a PIT project.

We stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge in Teton National Park, just south of Yellowstone and much prefered it to Yellowstone. Which we also did. As to staying there in Yellowstone, it is ALWAYS possible IF you call reservations several times a day. WOuld recommend Lake Lodge or OFI. Not snow lodge, no character.

BUT, you can have a great place at Teton, drive to YNP for the day, and enjoy both. If you want beauty, TNP, if you want yellowstone, then do it.

Thanks tomfuller and mmmooommm. I think I will narrow it down to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. I would like to see a lot of wildlife too. I hope this works out for us. I don't have much time to plan.

If you make a reservation that can be cancelled outside of Yellowstone, you still can check when you get there to see if something has opened up at the last minute.. We were there one June and scored at Lake that way.

Bucketlister2012 -- We did a spontaneous trip to Lake Louise and Jasper a couple of years ago in September. It was beautiful, the trees were just starting to change, the weather perfect. In Jasper we stayed in Alpine Village, just outside of town; and in Lake Louise, we stayed in Paradise Bungalows. Great locations for both-would do it again in a heartbeat!

http://www.paradiselodge.com

http://www.alpinevillagejasper.com/