lyntom

Please comment on the following itineraries to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I apologize that it is so long, but maybe my questions will help someone else.
There currently no places left in Old Faithful area.

1)Aug 5. Fri.: Arrive Bozeman @ 12:28 , drive to North entrance, see what we can of Mammoth Hot Springs and spend night in Canyon Village
Sat.: Norris Geyser Basin and any of Hot
Springs we didn't see the day
before--maybe horseback/wagon ride
and cookout from Roosevelt Lodge;
stay 2nd night at Canyon Village
we'd rather be in a quieter area,
but this seems to be the most
centrally located for this
particular option.
Sun.: Drive to Slough Creek, Beartooth
Hwy. 1/2 way to Red Lodge, turn
around and go back to Chief Joseph
Hwy. and down to Cody. Dinner and
rodeo; spend night
Mon: Back to YNP via E. entrance; see
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and
falls; night at Yellowstone Lake
Hotel or cabins (unless you think
we'd have plenty of time to get to
Signal Mt. Lodge (if available)
Tues., Wed., Thurs.: GTNP where we hope
to go whitewater rafting, light
hiking, aerial tram, alpine slide,
shootout, and horseback
ride/cookout if not done in YNP.
Fri.: Back to YNP and tour Old Faithful
area; spend night in West
Yellowstone or go on back to
Bozeman
Sat.: If stayed Fri. in West
Yellowstone, drive back to
Bozeman. If stayed Friday in
Bozeman, Fly home

2)Fly into Billings as suggested by Utahtea:
Fri.: Arrive 12:28 p.m. Billings,
Drive Beartooth Hwy. to Chief
Joseph Hwy. down to Cody. Do Rodeo
and spend night
Sat.: Drive to YNP via NE (Cooke City)
entrance; drive through Lamar
Valley stopping at Slough Creek.
Tour Mammoth Hot Springs area; stay
in West Yellowstone (Hibernation
Station, if available)
Sun.: Tour Norris Geyser Basin and Old
Faithful area; spend night & either
go back to W. Yellowstone or stay
at Yellowstone Lake

Mon: Another day in YNP--this day is open
for whatever we haven't done to
keep from pushing everyone--
although I think I've left
something out. We could leave a day
out here or in Jackson and go back
to Bozeman to fly home.
Tues.: Drive to GTNP; hopefully stay at
Signal Mountain Lodge (is this
close to activities in Jackson and
to airport, or would another
location be better as our flight
leaves at 6:15 a.m.!!
Wed., Thurs., Fri.: Same activities in
park and in/around Jackson as in
option 1.
Sat.: Fly home

As always, I truly appreciate your comments.
Does anyone have a comparison of the Cody and Jackson Rodeos. If the one in Jackson is just as good, we can forgo Cody.

Any other comments about things I've left out also will be appreciated.

Thanks again.

Lynda

lyntom

It's me again! Actually, the option of flying into Billings might not cost any more since we might be able to go home a day earlier, in which case the extra cost of the car would be off-set somewhat by not having another night in a hotel.

I hope I didn't make it too confusing.

HowardR

You lost me with all the traveling around with in and out of YNP.
My one definite recommendation: Spend more time in the Grand Teton!

maj

My first observation was that you IMO can easily see all you would want in Mammoth Hot Springs in the time you would have there without the need to double back. Also, others can tell you more about how much time you will be spending driving (especially in August which I assume is pretty crowded) and again IMO the best part of Yellowstone is the animal sightings which will add to your driving time. There are also areas on your way, such as Tower Falls, West Thumb and many areas along the road from Madison to Old Faithful where you might want to stop. I would backtrack as little as possible.

You may be better off staying in Jackson if you plan on spending much time there (eating, etc.)--it is definitely a personal preference,but I think Signal Mountain would be a bit far if you plan on going into Jackson each day (the airport is actually right in Jackson). I am topping this for you, since there are others who can give you more information.

HowardR

Signal Mountain Lodge is a good 15-20 miles from Jackson.
A correction on the previous posting. The Jackson Hole airport is NOT right in Jackson. It's about 10 miles from there. Don't confuse Jackson (the city) with Jackson Hole (the broader area).

obxgirl

I'm having a little trouble deciphering your itineray but here's my 2 cents having done a similar trip in 2004.





If you're searching for accommodations in YNP and not finding much. I sympathize. We postponed our trip for a year because we

obxgirl

...waited too late to find accommodations in the park. The following year we spent 7 days in YNP split between Old Faithful and Canyon. We toured the areas of the park you've mentioned and loved the sights. Good luck planning your trip.
My suggestion: Utahtea knows her stuff. Take her advice.

bigtyke

wife and kids did the horseback ride form Roosevelt. Really enjoyed it

Surfergirl

Where is the alpine slide? Sounds like fun.

wanderluster

Surfergirl, the Alpine Slide is located behind Snow King Resort & Lodge. Great fun for both kids and adults.

Other fun activities, there's a 'shoot-out' in the town center, kinda cheesy but fun.
You can ride a tram from Teton Village to the top of Rendevous Mt for great views.
Drive down Antelope Flats Road to see bison up close and personal.
Take the Jenny Lake ferry then climb to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
We also had dinner at The Cowboy Club Restaurant, where you sit on saddles to dine. Fun and food was pretty good.

Al_Godon

My suggestion is to have a plan, not a schedule minute by minute. There are so many wonders to view, that your time may be unpredictable.

For example, Grand and Castle Geysers are among the most spectacular geysers in the world. The eruption time window is something like 4 hours, with the best possible guess being in the middle of the period. (An hour either side is one standard deviation out from the mean time between eruptions.)
If you want to see one of these marvels you will have to wait.

For that reason I just don't think it is a wise idea to have a fixed timetable.
If you rush to see something else, you are equally likely to miss something at the place you just left. Hurrying and rushing through Yellowstone is not the way to go for me.

If I miss something minor, so what? I set up plan that takes me to the major sites and anything in addition to those highlights is a bonus.

lyntom

Thanks to all for your many helpful suggestions. I agree whole-heartedly with your advice, Al_Godon. I would love to be able to just take it one day at a time and stop when and where the mood hits; however, having to make reservations so far ahead makes it necessary to plan more closely than I would like. It also drives me nuts!

I have two more sample itineraries if all of you would be so kind to tell me what you think. Basically, I want to leave plenty of time to see the high spots of both parks, drive at least part of the Beartooth Hwy. and, if time go to W. Yellowstone to see the Wolf Discover Center and the IMAX, although these last two are last on the list. I also want to leave plenty of time to do the Jenny Lake hike/boat ride, the Elk Refuge, whitewater raft, alpine slide, tram, maybe horseback ride in one or both parks. I have to have plenty of activities for the older boy other than hiking and looking at scenery--although my husband and I could do that all day.

Forgive me for making this so difficult but I have been over it and over it and just can't decide what is best.

Having said all that: Our plans are pretty definite as far as flying into Bozeman and out of Jackson Hole. We will arrive on Friday and can stay until Sunday early a.m.

1) Fri.Arrive Bozeman, drive to YNP via North Entrance; tour Mammoth H. Spgs.; Spend night at Canyon Village

Sat. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone/falls/ Tower Roosevelt/Old West Cookout

Sun. To Cody via Lamar Valley, Beartooth Hwy. (1/2 way to Red Lodge, turn around and back to Chief Joseph Hwy. and on to Cody. Rodeo, spend night.

Mon. To YNP via east entrance; tour Yellowstone Lake and stay either at Lake or Old Faithful Inn (the only room available is in the Inn and it has only a double bed and no bath). How are the Yellowstone Lake cabins?

Tues. Old Faithful and Lower/Upper geyser area; Still in YNP at either Yellowstone Lake or Old Faithful Inn

Wed. Leave in a.m. for Signal Mtn. Lodge(?)Day in GTNP

Thurs. early a.m. tour of Jenny Lake if not day before. ON to Jackson

Fri./Sat. Activities in Jackson

Sun. Home

2) Fri> Arrive Bozeman, drive to W. Yellowstone, do IMAX and Wolf Center, Drive to Old Faithful for night.

Sat> Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls, Old West Cookout
Night in Canyon Village

Sun> GC of Yellowstone/falls, etc.

Mon> Out Lamar Valley to Beartooth/Chief Joseph and to Cody

Tues> To YNP via East Entrance
2 nights in Cabin there

Thurs> Signal Mt. Lodge and GTNP

Fri. & Sat. In Jackson

Sun> HOme

Which is best, if either, and should I take a day off YNP and spend it in GTNP?

We can leave Cody out if you think it best, but some I have talked to said it is a must.

Thank you, thank you. I hope this post is easier to decipher than the last one.

Thanks again.

Lynda

HowardR

Itinerary #2 barely touches the Teton. For that reason alone, I'd favor #1.

RuthMc

We did YNP, GTNP, Cody and further east this past September. You'll do a lot more driving in YNP than you might expect because it is so large, so I'd really recommend staying within the park if at all possible to mimimize that. If you stay in one place 3-4 nights, you can do a lot of the sidetrips you want, like Cody, and return to the park. It will be a lot of driving, but you should save some time not changing accomodations every night or two. But it might allow you to be more flexible and not so tightly tied into a schedule.

Once you've spent some time in YNP, you won't need to worry about a special trip to see buffalo in GTNP because you will have already seen so many of them (and probably had a few blocking the road for you). You will want to look for moose there, however.

We found the geothermal features in YNP much more fascinating than we thought we would and I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time on them.

Another thing to check is the road closing schedule in both parks. The road between Canyon and Tower/Roosevelt was closed for construction and I beleive that it will be closed all next year. If that's the case, your Canyon to Cody segment via the Lamar valley will have to start by going across the middle of the park to Mammoth Hot Springs and then back east out the northeast entrance. It will add miles and time. There was also roadwork between the two parks which may or may not be done.

We stayed at the Lake hotel in YNP and Signal Mtn Lodge in GTNP, but can't tell you anything about the cabins at the Lake since we were in the hotel. While we spent a night in Cody, didn't go to the rodeo.

I'd give up time in Jackson to spend more time in YNP but I understand your need for activities for your children as well.

It's a great place to visit--have a wonderful time.

caniac

I think you need at least 1 FULL day each in Canyon & Old Faithful. Stay in these areas if possible. You can see Mammoth & Lake Yellowstone in a couple of hours (or less) if needed. I don't understand the need to leave YNP to go to Cody. You could spend two weeks in YNP and never see the same thing. It is an awesome place. I would recommend 3-4 nights in Yellowstone and the remaining nights in the Tetons.

Al_Godon

I am curious. Who said Cody was a must, and why? I have driven through it several times and the only thing I ever stopped for was a WalMart because we needed some supplies.

The Beartooth is to be enjoyed.
You could enter Yellowstone that way by driving toward Billings from Bozeman.

You would of course branch off to Red Lodge before you reached Billings.

Also, the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman is worth the effort to visit. It was redone and upgraded a few years ago and is now one of the premier museums in the US of A for western culture and geology.

Jack Horner, one of the foremost American paleontologists is based there and he has found so many fossils that he has made a significant contribution to the science. Horner is a real inspiration by the way. The man is renowned as a paleontologist for his discoveries and his research, but he came up the hard way because of a reading problem. Read up on his life history for the details of why I consider he man to be truly great scientist.

lyntom

Thank you all so much!! I am thinking of giving up the trip to Cody and just travel the Beartooth about 1/2 way to Red Lodge and turn around and come back. At one time, we were thinking of flying into Billings so that we could go into YNP by way of Red Lodge/Cooke City but the price of a car has gone up so much in the last couple of weeks that it now is about $300 more to rent there and drop in Jackson. We haven't bought the plane tickets, though, so I'll keep checking each day--you never know.

So, am I correct that I should try for 2 nights at OF and 2 at Canyon? Will this allow us to see most of the sights, or should we plan for one more night elsewhere?

If there are no rooms available in the OF area with a bathroom, is it feasible to stay in West Yellowstone for those 2 nights and drive in each day? I would really like to be IN the park, though.

I truly appreciate all of your advice. Anytime I can help with some suggestions for VA or the D.C. area, or there-abouts, please let me know. We are from the beautiful mountains of VA, but I am so excited about seeing Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Last year when I looked into the Grand Canyon, I started crying. Such beauty!! That truly was the trip of a lifetime, but I'm hoping this trip will be as well received by my family as that one was. Anything I plan for this trip will be judged by last summer's.

Thanks again.

Lynda

RuthMc

Hi Lynda,

Sounds like we're neighbors--I live in MD and work in DC. I think this trip will live up to the Grand Canyon.

I'd second the recommendation to drop Cody. We drove the Beartooth into the park from Red Lodge and I think your plan of going part way and then turning back is a good one. As others have said in other posts, the view will be different going in the opposite direction. We picked up fried chicken at the Grizzly Paw in Cooke City for a picnic lunch, which was delicious.

We originally wanted to fly into Billings and out of Rapid City, SD (went to Mt. Rushmore) but the cost for the rental car was so much more that we went in and out of Billings (but we had 2 weeks). So I'm not optimistic about the prices getting better for you.

I'd really recommend a night at Signal Mt. Lodge if you can get a reservation. We stayed in one of the lakefront apartments and the view was incredible. There isn't the same view from all the cabins, but you can get it from the lodge buildings.

Again, have a great time.