Hello,

Planning a late August vacation. We will be flying into Jackson Hole and will have 4 full non travel days. We have two young teenage sons.........

I'm wondering which park to choose.....would love to horse back ride, raft trip, hike,etc...I'm thinking both parks might be to much to do both in four days if we do these types of activities.

Which park would you choose?

Thanks!

That's a tough one. What time will you be arriving in Jackson Hole? If it is hoon or before you actually will have the rest of that day also (the airport is small and right next to GTNP). You could probably do a late afternoon or evening type rafting trip (there is a difference between rafting and floating trips). Stay there that night and then head up to Yellowstone for the rest.

Both are wonderful choices, but I think you'd see and do more in Yellowstone.

We did both Parks few years ago, and spent two days in the Tetons, and 3 days in Yellowstone.

Both Parks were wonderful. Enjoy your trip!

I would think it depends which you want to please more, adults or teens.
I think Yellowstone would be of more interest for kids, due to the oddities found there (geysers, pools, etc).
I think the Tetons are of more interest to adults, being scenic, serene, etc.
You can hike in both, riding maybe more in GT,
Heck, they're only 30 miles apart.
We stayed 2 nites in GT, then 1 night each at three different lodges in YNP. Lost 20 minutes checking in/out of the three, of course, but being at 3 corners of a triangle, we didnt have much backtracking.

You have to drive throught GTNP to get to YS. I would do the first night in GTNP and then drive up to YS for three days. Flying out of JAC? You can buzz through GTNP again.

Both parks are amazing and should actually be one big, huge park... But GTNP is pretty small so 2 days can give you a good time there. Check at the ranger stations for animal sightings, get up at dawn and go to Oxbow Band - almost guaranteed to have great sightings! There are boats and great trails. It's my favorite park (so far)!

YS is so big you can't do it all. Again, check the ranger stations for activities and talks.

Get a guidebook or two - they are available for both parks/one book and plan what you want to see/do.

Explan your teenagers what "Grand Tetons" means in English and they will want to go there!

(However, I agree that Yellowstone has more to offer.)