Looking for help with a driving itinerary for Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
 

Hello all,

My name is Lisa and I live in New Hampshire.
My husband Michael and I love to travel. We love traveling all over the world, but we try to get in at least one national park visit a year if possible. We've only been to 12 of the 58 so we have a long way to go!

But we will be adding 2 more this May when we go to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone!
We love beautiful scenery, wildlife and day hikes. So I know we will absolutely love these parks! Currently I would say that Arches and Crater Lake are my 2 favorites!
My passion is photography, but I definitely consider myself a novice, but a "wanna-be" photographer:)

I would call us middle-of-the-road travelers. We're not into camping, but we don't need luxury...we just like moderate accommodations and don't like to spend a lot on rooms since we're never in them much when we go on vacation.
We're definitely NOT R&R types...we like to go, go, go and usually need a vacation when we get back from our vacations:)
We also like being near amenities so that we have a choice of restaurants as opposed to being completely isolated.

Anyway, I'd love some help with our itinerary for this trip.

We'll fly into Salt lake City on Tuesday May 27 arriving at 3:30pm.
We depart SLC for home on Friday June 6 at 8:45am.

We plan to spend the first and last nights in SLC, so that gives us 8 nights to work with.
We are renting a car and would like to do some sort of trip that includes not only GTNP and YNP, but we'd also like to spend some time outside the parks, maybe doing the Beartooth Hwy and Chief Joseph Hwy, or possibly seeing some of Idaho and Montana on our way back to SLC.
(We have this goal of seeing all 50 states which is why we wouldn't mind hitting Idaho and Montana, but it's not a "must"...and I know we can drive through Idaho as we head straight to YNP, but I'd rather see a bit more than just Interstate if we're going to count it, same goes for staying in Gardiner.)

I'm having a bit of trouble determining our route beforehand. What I wish we could do is just play it by ear and let things just happen, not booking anything in advance and spending time in certain areas based on how much we're liking where we are then moving on when we're ready.

But I do realize that that may be unrealistic when trying to visit Yellowstone.
With that in mind, this is the basic itinerary I have in mind:
May 27 - fly into SLC, spend the night in SLC
May 28 - drive to GTNP, night GTNP or Jackson
May 29 - day in GTNP, night in GTNP or Jackson
May 30 - drive to YNP
May 31 - YNP
Jun 1 - YNP
Jun 2 - YNP
Jun 3 - not sure yet, YNP or somewhere in Idaho, maybe Montana
Jun 4 - Idaho or Montana
Jun 5 - Make our way back to SLC, night in SLC
Jun 6 - Fly SLC-home

I've gone ahead and reserved us a room at the Old Faithful Inn for all 8 nights just to be safe until I work this out.
We have no problem moving around, but I just can't figure out where we should base ourselves and for how long.
I'm definitely leaning towards staying in Jackson for 2 nights before going to YNP. But I get kind of lost after that.

Can anyone offer up a good driving itinerary, keeping in mind that we love photography, seeing wildlife and day hikes?
I'd really appreciate any help!
Thanks and...
Happy, safe travels!
Lisa:)>-

http://www.luv2globetrot.com/

It's quite cold in late May/June at that elevation. I've been snowed on in June in Yellowstone. You might need to check to see if hiking will be impacted by snow still on the trails. I like the town of Cody, WY. There is a great cowboy museum there.

At that time of year it may not be impossible to wing at least part of the trip (especially if you don't have your heart set on staying inside the park). In fact, it might be a better idea to do it that way since, as noted above, some roads (like Beartooth Highway) may not be open. I love Fodors, but have to admit that the information you get on:
http://www.yellowstone.net/forums/

specifically for Yellowstone is IMO the best. I'd use both sites for planning a trip like you are.

If you like amenities and choice of restaurants I would probably stay in Jackson for the GTNP part of the trip and either West Yellowstone or Gardiner (Cody is nice, but, again IMO, too long of a drive into the park on a daily basis -- and they will probably still be working on the East Entrance road this year which will mean long waits for construction delays). Maybe a couple of nights at Old Faithful to get a feel of staying in the park.

luv2,

I live in Park City and go up to Yellowstone and Tetons fairly often.

A couple years ago I did a trip that unexpectedly turned into a road trip due to unacceptable lodging.

I went from Silvergate (just outside yellowstone NE entrance and Lamar Valley) over the Beartooth and stayed 1 night in Red Lodge, MT which I really enjoyed.

From there I drove over to Livingston and went south through Paradise Valley - gorgeous!

Stayed 2 nts near Big Sky, but had to leave early due to extreme smoke from wildfires.

May will be cool and maybe still a bit muddy. I have been planning a cabin vacation in the Paradise Valley for early June (no wildfires!) and the folks I spoke with said they have had a good snow year like we have. Beartooth might not be open, you'll have to check.

Stayed another night in Gardiner and stopped off in Virginia City for a short visit and lunch.

It was a lot of miles, but fun for an unplanned road trip! Check out the map and maybe this will appeal to you.

maj, Thanks for the suggestions. I actually posted this exact thread over on yellowstone.net. Just found that site this weekend...looks like a good one!
As of now, we have reservations for 2 nights in Jackson at Elk Country Inn, then we'll probably stay 2 or 3 nights (haven't decided yet) at OFI, then we'll probably move up to Gardiner for a couple of nights (maybe 3) depending on if Beartooth is open.
As of now there isn't availability in Mammoth Hot Springs, but I'll probably keep checking.
Thanks again for the help!

Dayle,
Appreciate the ideas! I'll look into that.
Thanks:)

:)>-
www.luv2globetrot.com

The "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" with its gorgeous waterfalls, is always a highlight of our visit to Yellowstone. For us, it's a "wouldn't miss" area. If you're into photography, this is a special spot for you. . .especially at sunset! The visitor center has (or at least did have) a beautiful film describing the action of the Yellowstone River in the carving of the canyon.

The Old Faithful Inn is a great place to experience. . .and all the geothermal features of Yellowstone, including Old Faithful, are not to be missed. A nice place for a special lunch is the Lake Yellowstone Lodge.

We think you're wise to plan several overnights in Jackson. The Teton Range and surrounding nat'l forest is spectacular, and another photographers' paradise. In Jackson, a good place for breakfast is the "Bunnery". For dinner, the "Mangy Moose" in Teton Village is fun. In town, the "Cadillac Grill" is a landmark.

Just another idea. We went from West Yellowstone to Jackson on the Idaho side of the Tetons, stopping at Mesa Falls on the way. It is a different view of the Tetons from that side and a nice drive through Idaho. You could probably incorporate that area into your return to SLC if it works out for your plans.

We were there two years ago at about the same time and while we had snow, the roads were all OK. I hope you are as lucky. Both parks are fantastic. We have been to over 20 of the National Parks and all 50 states and Yellowstone is our favorite. We enjoyed the town of West Yellowstone. It has several nice moderate motels and small resturants that offer very good home cooking. Yellowstone is very big so plan to do a lot of driving but it is beautiful and in the morning and evening you can see wildlife everywhere. You are going at a great time as the elk, buffalo and bears will all have young and the traffic will be much less than in summer.

Hi Lisa,
You will love Yellowstone - it is unbelievably gorgeous and a photographer's dream! We ended up doing a lot less hiking and much more wildlife viewing and short walks through the thermal areas than anticipated. Saw a grizzly our first day there and continued to see every mammal and bird possible!! Saw moose in Tetons.
We stayed 2 nights each in OFI, Mammoth and Canyon - all were fine. We enjoyed the Canyon area the least since it was the most crowded and least interesting to us. The falls are beautiful though. Enjoyed Norris geyser Basin and OFI a lot - simply incredible! The Lake is also really cool - how often do you see geysers and thermal features along a lake??
Here's a link to way too many pictures but they should get you fired up for your trip!

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/yellowstone_06


We only spent 1 night in Jackson at the beginning - and 1 night in Tetons at Signal Mtn Lodge at the end. Flew into SLC also. Would recommend staying in Teton Park instead of JAckson - very touristy and expensive. Signal Mtn Lodge was great. Loved it! And had an excellent meal at their restaurant. We did part of the Beartooth Hwy just as far as the highest point - never made it to Red Lodge. Very beautiful scenery but enjoyed YNP the most out of all. Just a truly unique place. Enjoy!

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!!!

Looks like I have a lot more info to ponder...this will be so much fun!

tomarkot, can't wait to see the Grand canyon of the Yellowstone and thanks for the restaurant suggestions!

maj, I think that might definitely be the way we get back to SLC...sounds great, thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement stpetereb!

sharondi, thanks for the tips and I'll be taking a look at those pictures, thanks;)

www.luv2globetrot.com

luv2globetrot, I'm just jumping in. We are planning this same trip this August - please share when you return!