Many questions Seatte>GNP>BTH>Cody>YNP
 

Hi. We have a summer road trip planned for August and I'm looking for some help with planning. It will be me, DH and DD (8yo). None of us have been to Glacier. I have been to Yellowstone but was long time ago. We want to see main sites and drive through the areas. We will do short walks and hikes but don't plan on any major hiking.

Our itinerary is:

Day 1 Depart Seattle early afternoon drive to Coeur d'Alene ID.
Day 2 CDA to Whitefish - afternoon/evening exploring around Whitefish
Day 3 - 5 Glacier and surrounding areas.
Day 6 Depart Whitefish and drive to Red Lodge, stopping along the way
Day 7 Leave Red Lodge and drive to Cody WY via the Beartooth Hwy. Late Afternoon in Cody for Rodeo and other.
Day 8 1st half day in Cody to see Buffalo Bill Museum. Drive to West Yellowstone for evening seeing things in Yellowstone along the way.
Day 9 - 11 Yellowstone
Day 12 Drive home.

I know it will be a long drive home but we have been to Europe and Asia on plane ride with DD so she is used to sitting for long stretches of time. Lots of movies, car games, and some stops along the way! My specific questions are:

1. With 3 days in Glacier would you recommend driving up Waterton Lakes Park area?
2. We would like to do a boat tour in Glacier. Any recommendations?
3. Any suggestions for a must see on the drive from Whitefish to Red Lodge? Lewis and Clark caves?
4. Driving the Beartooth Hwy to Cody we will need to cut off before we have seen all of the BTH. Will we have seen the best parts prior to that? Where is the best place to cut over to Cody? Looks like there are 2 ways to go.
5. How long to plan for the drive between Cody and West Yellowstone? I know it gets bogged down in the park. Looks like we will come into the park from the East and drive the southern route around YNP to West Yellowstone.
6. Would like to do a horseback/wagon dinner. Is the Roosevelt one the best? How far in advance do I need to make my reservation.
7. A neighbor suggested that we try to drive down to see the Tetons. With only 3 full days in YNP I'm thinking that probably would be too much?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and tips. I do have a little flexibility in planning so if I'm way of base, please advise! i.e. should I cut out the Red Lodge/BTH/Cody portion and have more days in YNP?

1 Waterton is very much worth a visit.

*Waterton is very much worth a visit.
*We liked the two-lake boat tour from Many Glaciers. (Many Glacier is close to Waterton.)
*It is better to see some of the Beartooth than none of it.
*The drive from Cody to West Yellowstone is 133 miles and it take 3 hours if you don't stop and there are no holdups.
*Trust you neighbor--don't miss the Tetons. It would be better to skip Cody than to skip the Tetons.

HTTY

I agree, the Teton National Park is amazing and I wouldn't miss it

I love Lewis & Clark Caverns and used to tour guide there in the summers when I was in college. You'll want to plan for about a 3 hour stop. The tour, itself, takes two hours. Your daughter is the perfect age for it. Also, you may want to check out the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman...great dinosaur exhibits.

I'll join the chorus and urge you not to miss the Grand Teton NP.I think the Chief Joseph Highway (WY 296) is the best way to cut over to Cody from BTH.

I would also boat tour from Many Glacier as described above or the one from St. Mary, both would be spectacular. Not sure I agree with spending a day driving to Canada just to see Waterton. Don't get me wrong, Waterton is beautiful, but no comparison to Glacier.

Be sure to spend a day on the Going to the Sun Road, the scenic drive that connects the east and west sides of the park:
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/glaci...e-sun-road.htm
Stop at Logan Pass visitor's center and take the short hike up to Hidden Lane Overlook. Most of the trail is a raised boardwalk with lots of steps. But it's beautiful and you're almost always guaranteed to see mountain goats:

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/hidden-lake-overlook.htm

Good advice above: Have you got your free Red Lodge travel planner?http://www.redlodge.com/
My/our trips to Glacier since 2005 have been by getting off the Empire Builder and driving a rental car.
The trip last month we went to the east coast and got on the westbound Empire Builder from Chicago all the way to Cut Bank MT.
We enjoyed 1 day driving up 17 miles from St. Mary. The GTTS road is now open all the way through.
Have you got your Whitefish lodging picked/reserved? On our 2005 trip we stayed at the Meadow Lake Resort near Columbia Falls. It was very nice with a hot tub in the condo unit.
The eastbound Empire Builder leaves Spokane about 1:30AM and arrives in Whitefish about 8AM.

Thank you all so much for the information. I appreciate it!

Sounds like Tetons are a must. I don't know that I can cut out Cody as that is the one part of the trip DH has had a strong opinion on. He really wants to see the Buffalo Bill museum. I'll have to see how to work in the Tetons. We might extend out by one more day.

We do have our lodging picked out. In Whitefish, we are staying in a VRBO rental. Red Lodge we are staying at the Yodeler Motel. Cody we are staying at the Cowboy Inn and West Yellowstone is the Lazy G Motel. Most have fairly decent reviews.

Your boat tour info made me think of another question. Do we need to purchase the tickets in advance or can you get them same day? Same with cowboy dinner ride?

Thanks again!