What time of Year to go to Yellowstone
 

I am having a hard time deciding when to go to Yellowstone. I am planning on trying to use a time-share for this first trip. Hopefully I will be staying up north at big Sky for some nights and then hopefully at Jackson hole area for some nights.

We would like to go anytime from September thru November. I would love to be there for the snow activities like snowmobiling, sleigh rides, dog sleds etc, but one of my main goals is also to see wildlife...LOTS of wildlife.

I would love the snow because I don't get to see it very much in Texas, but I also don't want to be stuck.

Is there any time of year that has the best of both worlds.

Or maybe I should go in September the first time and then go another time in the winter and stay at one resort??

Thanks for any help!

I would suggest two trips, the first in either June or September, less people and the wild life is abundent. After you know the lay of the land and know your way around then plan a winter trip..... You can check the YS site on www.nps.gov, they offer suggestions for planning a trip in all seasons. Keep in mind the summer is short and travel is restricted during the long winter...... Prime time is July and August.

i think you should go just before thanksgiving (or during, but that will cost more) for the snow. both of these places are well prepared for virtually any amount of snow. they both depend on the tourist industry and need to keep ppl moving & happy yr round. so the likelihood of getting stuck anywhere is small. if you did get stuck for a day you would be in a wonderful lodge with a blazing fire and some chocolate and schnapps. so how bad would that be ??? (ps ski towns are very fun on snow days)
yellowstone is sort of less accessible in snow as some of the roads will close. but there are alot of snowmobile tours going in to make up for it and they go where roads don't. there may be tours targeted at animal sitings.
you will see buffalo at jackson. they feed a huge herd. as i recall the elk hang there too.
sept would be very beautiful when the leaves are changing but it is very hard to pinpoint when exactly that is.
do not go in between. too late for summer stuff too soon for snow stuff.
what does one say in lieu of take plenty of film now that everyone has digital?
ummm just checked and big sky did not open this year until nov. 25, and jackson opened dec 3. hope you did not plan to ski.

For animals, late September, but not much snow then. However, park is deserted, and animals are everywhere. It's my favorite time of year there--warm days (mostly), cool nights, crystal clear air--can't wait til next fall!

I tend to prefer end of September/beginning of October for Yellowstone. You not only get the fall colors, but the moose and elk are in rut. There's the potential to see males fighting over a harem of female elk, and you get to hear the spooky bugling they do at this time of year. There's a reason why many nature photographers descend on Yellowstone in the fall.

The only disadvantage is that some facilities start getting ready to close for the season, but this is offset by the smaller crowds you'll encounter.

You can certainly do without the "facilities" in Yellowstone, though; you can picnic on way better food than they offer in the Park (except maybe for the Lake Inn)! And, prices at the motels bordering the park will be much cheaper.

I was there in Mid-October - the last weekend the facilites in the park were open. Stayed at the Old Faithful Inn. Absolutely loved that time of year (have been in summer many times) - but it did snow on the last day of the "season".

If I could pick anytime, I'd choose late Sept - early Oct. I would DEFINITELY stay inside the park. It is an amazing experience - especially when you aren't fighting the summer crowds.

Good luck on the timeshare trade to Big Sky. I tried that same thing last year (put my request in Aug-04 for 2005) and never did get anything. We ended up staying in the park the entire time. I took the trade back and now am going to Disney World with the grandkids. I think that's going to be much more expensive, but well worth the $$$.

We just got back from a winter trip in Yellowstone and absolutely loved it. I posted a report with pictures here - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34757439

I thought the snow gave the place a magical quality though I assume it's spectacular any time of year.

In terms of wildlife, I can't compare it to other seasons as this was our first trip but I can say that we saw plenty of species and found the wildlife easy to spot and abundant, particularly on the northern road between Gardiner and Cooke City through Lamar Valley. This road is plowed year round for winter access for Cooke City residents.

We based ourselves in Gardiner and spent 1 night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge (taking a snowcoach down). We also skied Big Sky afterwards which was great.

As far as activities like snowmobiling and dog sledding, I don't think those operate until December or later.