Yellowstone '02- help with itinerary
Jul 26th, 2001, 07:55 AM
#1
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Yellowstone '02- help with itinerary
Planning a Yellowstone vacation for July/August next year. Parents, kids ages 14 and 12. I have a potential itinerary and am looking for any advice anyone might offer.
Here goes:
fly into Idaho Falls (flights appear cheapest from around here)
2 nights Old Faithful Inn
1 night Mammoth Hot Springs
1 night Cooke City
2 nights Cody
2 nights Signal Mountain Lodge
1 or 2 nights Jackson depending when flight out of Idaho Falls is.
I'm trying to balance hiking, wildlife, scenery with more kid oriented things (like swimming pools) that we might find in Jackson and Cody. Any comments? I added Cooke City to try to balance out the driving times and to see if maybe we could drive a little way over the Beartooth Pass. Should we bag that and stay somewhere else in Yellowstone instead.
Also has anyone visited Chico Hot Springs in Pray Montana or Thermopolis, WY. The hot springs idea seems kind of neat to me.
Thanks for any help!
Here goes:
fly into Idaho Falls (flights appear cheapest from around here)
2 nights Old Faithful Inn
1 night Mammoth Hot Springs
1 night Cooke City
2 nights Cody
2 nights Signal Mountain Lodge
1 or 2 nights Jackson depending when flight out of Idaho Falls is.
I'm trying to balance hiking, wildlife, scenery with more kid oriented things (like swimming pools) that we might find in Jackson and Cody. Any comments? I added Cooke City to try to balance out the driving times and to see if maybe we could drive a little way over the Beartooth Pass. Should we bag that and stay somewhere else in Yellowstone instead.
Also has anyone visited Chico Hot Springs in Pray Montana or Thermopolis, WY. The hot springs idea seems kind of neat to me.
Thanks for any help!
Jul 26th, 2001, 11:56 AM
#2
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What are you and your family interested in? The wildlife, the geysers, the scenary, or what? For a trip to the most unique national park that exists (IMO), you're not spending a lot of time in the park.
Last year, we easily spent 4 days visiting most of the main attractions and taking several half-day hikes (our kids are young, so we hike REALLY slowly). If I'd had more time, we would have done more hikes & attended more ranger talks. There are a bunch especially for kids, too.
With kids that age, if you're interested in hiking, even short hikes, there are lots and lots of choices, and you can visit some of the less-touristy parts of the park. Save the swimming pool for another vacation.
But, if they want to swim, take them to the Firehole River. There is a spot (its even marked on the map the park service hands out) where the geyser runoff warms up the river, and it's very pleasant to swim there. My parents worked at Yellowstone in '58, and swimming there (it was closed to tourists then) is one of their fondest memories.
Cody isn't much of a city, and it's a lot of driving to get there (a couple of hours from the middle of the Park). The museum is very good though, so it's kind of worth it for that - but only if you're really in to Buffalo Bill & western history. We went because it was on the way on our drive home to Colorado.
Keep in mind that the roads in Yellowstone are old, narrow, in bad condition & quite twisty. Add to that the fact that you're going in prime tourist time, and it'll take you longer than you think to get anywhere, in or our of the Park.
Jackson & Grand Teton Park are also worth your time - I'd take out some of your other stuff & spend time here. Jenny Lake is a very popular hike, but that's because the boat ride is interesting & the hike is pretty. The further you go up the trail, the fewer people there are. A young bull moose surprised us eating lunch on that trail!
You can do kid-oriented stuff in Yellowstone (horseback rides, rafting (I think), fishing). In Jackson, you can add to that the daily shootout in town, the stores, restaurants, chairlift at the ski mountain in town (can't remember the name), gondola at Jackson Hole ski resort.
Have a great time - Yellowstone doesn't compare to anything else. I went twice as a child, and while I remembered a lot, I had forgotten just how amazing those geysers were; and even the hot springs are awe-inspiring. It was a treat to see my husband & young son as they saw their first hot spring, and realized what I had been talking about for so many years. We'll definitely go back when the kids are older!
Last year, we easily spent 4 days visiting most of the main attractions and taking several half-day hikes (our kids are young, so we hike REALLY slowly). If I'd had more time, we would have done more hikes & attended more ranger talks. There are a bunch especially for kids, too.
With kids that age, if you're interested in hiking, even short hikes, there are lots and lots of choices, and you can visit some of the less-touristy parts of the park. Save the swimming pool for another vacation.
But, if they want to swim, take them to the Firehole River. There is a spot (its even marked on the map the park service hands out) where the geyser runoff warms up the river, and it's very pleasant to swim there. My parents worked at Yellowstone in '58, and swimming there (it was closed to tourists then) is one of their fondest memories.
Cody isn't much of a city, and it's a lot of driving to get there (a couple of hours from the middle of the Park). The museum is very good though, so it's kind of worth it for that - but only if you're really in to Buffalo Bill & western history. We went because it was on the way on our drive home to Colorado.
Keep in mind that the roads in Yellowstone are old, narrow, in bad condition & quite twisty. Add to that the fact that you're going in prime tourist time, and it'll take you longer than you think to get anywhere, in or our of the Park.
Jackson & Grand Teton Park are also worth your time - I'd take out some of your other stuff & spend time here. Jenny Lake is a very popular hike, but that's because the boat ride is interesting & the hike is pretty. The further you go up the trail, the fewer people there are. A young bull moose surprised us eating lunch on that trail!
You can do kid-oriented stuff in Yellowstone (horseback rides, rafting (I think), fishing). In Jackson, you can add to that the daily shootout in town, the stores, restaurants, chairlift at the ski mountain in town (can't remember the name), gondola at Jackson Hole ski resort.
Have a great time - Yellowstone doesn't compare to anything else. I went twice as a child, and while I remembered a lot, I had forgotten just how amazing those geysers were; and even the hot springs are awe-inspiring. It was a treat to see my husband & young son as they saw their first hot spring, and realized what I had been talking about for so many years. We'll definitely go back when the kids are older!
Jul 26th, 2001, 12:29 PM
#3
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Sounds great! Isn't planning a trip almost as much fun as going?
. Check yellowstone-natl-park.com CHAT area. Many trip reports, trip planning Q&A. The best YNP chat/talk site. Read other's comments and you will get a lot of great advice.
. If you haven't done so already, book your rooms in the park ASAP. Use the phone, not the web. Don't get discouraged if places are filled.. cancellations occur often. Call back week after week after week.
. When you get room reservations, your confirmation packet will include other activities (i.e., horse back riding) and dining telephone numbers. Make a dinner reservation at Old Faithful Inn when you early! (not when you arrive).
.You may want to spend more time in YNP, as it is HUGE.
.Get the Yellowstone Park Visitor Planner (or whatever it is called) from the park service. They will send it in the US mail. Get their e-mail on www.nps.gov.
.The state of Wyoming also has an excellent travel guide, with a section on the Yellowston area. This has other good 'stuff' to do.
. Consider seeing the Grand Tetons. You will be so close...
. Check yellowstone-natl-park.com CHAT area. Many trip reports, trip planning Q&A. The best YNP chat/talk site. Read other's comments and you will get a lot of great advice.
. If you haven't done so already, book your rooms in the park ASAP. Use the phone, not the web. Don't get discouraged if places are filled.. cancellations occur often. Call back week after week after week.
. When you get room reservations, your confirmation packet will include other activities (i.e., horse back riding) and dining telephone numbers. Make a dinner reservation at Old Faithful Inn when you early! (not when you arrive).
.You may want to spend more time in YNP, as it is HUGE.
.Get the Yellowstone Park Visitor Planner (or whatever it is called) from the park service. They will send it in the US mail. Get their e-mail on www.nps.gov.
.The state of Wyoming also has an excellent travel guide, with a section on the Yellowston area. This has other good 'stuff' to do.
. Consider seeing the Grand Tetons. You will be so close...
Jul 26th, 2001, 03:39 PM
#4
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Thanks for the advice. We will probably still visit Cody as I've heard the museum is excellent. For those of us on the East coast (whose families settled there and stayed) it is nice to experience the history of people who were brave enough to leave everything and head West.
I have heard some opinions that the Grand Tetons are better than Yellowstone any opinions? Also, what hikes did you enjoy the most.
We will probably mostly hike and look at wildlife. We will probably not do much if any fishing. Although I grew up in PA with some of the best trout-fishing around and despite the fact that half my vacations as a child were spent fishing in Canada (my dad is an avid fisherman), I still don't like to eat fish!
I have heard some opinions that the Grand Tetons are better than Yellowstone any opinions? Also, what hikes did you enjoy the most.
We will probably mostly hike and look at wildlife. We will probably not do much if any fishing. Although I grew up in PA with some of the best trout-fishing around and despite the fact that half my vacations as a child were spent fishing in Canada (my dad is an avid fisherman), I still don't like to eat fish!
Jul 26th, 2001, 04:22 PM
#5
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Pat, speaking as an Easterner, you'll love Wyoming. And, yes, as much as we enjoyed Yellowstone, we thought that the Tetons were something very special...the scenery...the hiking...it's all glorious! It's our favorite national park.
I agree with a previous poster: Spend most of your time in Yellowstone, Tetons and Jackson!
The Signal Mountain Lodge is a good choice. The sunrises and sunsets are special there.
And the museum is Cody is indeed worth your time. All four of you will love it!
I agree with a previous poster: Spend most of your time in Yellowstone, Tetons and Jackson!
The Signal Mountain Lodge is a good choice. The sunrises and sunsets are special there.
And the museum is Cody is indeed worth your time. All four of you will love it!
Jul 27th, 2001, 12:01 AM
#7
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Pat -
You'll get a better feel for time in YNP vs. Grand Teton as you continue to research your trip. As for me, I'd hate to go all the way there, and miss the Grand Tetons. However, there is much more to do and see in Yellowstone. 1-2 days would do it for Grand Tetons.
In Yellowstone, we hiked to Mystic Falls (listen for the whistle of the pikas who live amongst the rocks), went part way up the Bunsen Peak Trail (near Mammoth; if our kids were older we'd have gone the whole way), and took the Artist Paint Pots trails, as well as all sorts of shorter walks in the various geyser and hot springs basins. Even though these hikes are relatively short & close to the road, there were still few other people on them. At the paint pots, while we spent extra time watching one particularly funny mud pot bubbling up, a female elk came quietly stepping through the area. Fairy Falls is also well spoken of. There was a hike to a geyser (out of the Old Faithful area), I think it was Lone Star, that sounded interesting but was too far away for our little guys. Also, just walking around the main geyser basin by Old Faithful can be up to 2 miles. Our favorite (other than Old Faithful itself) was Beehive, which doesn't erupt very often, but is spectacular when it does. There are some signals that indicate when it's close to erupting, so they'll announce it in the Lodge.
In Grand Tetons, we did the Jenny Lakes trail for a mile or so (after taking the boat across the lake). The next day we hiked to Taggert Lake.
In Jackson, we ate at a fabulous little Italian restaurant called Nani's. Is was pretty close to the italian food we've had in Italy, and the staff was great with the kids.
You'll get a better feel for time in YNP vs. Grand Teton as you continue to research your trip. As for me, I'd hate to go all the way there, and miss the Grand Tetons. However, there is much more to do and see in Yellowstone. 1-2 days would do it for Grand Tetons.
In Yellowstone, we hiked to Mystic Falls (listen for the whistle of the pikas who live amongst the rocks), went part way up the Bunsen Peak Trail (near Mammoth; if our kids were older we'd have gone the whole way), and took the Artist Paint Pots trails, as well as all sorts of shorter walks in the various geyser and hot springs basins. Even though these hikes are relatively short & close to the road, there were still few other people on them. At the paint pots, while we spent extra time watching one particularly funny mud pot bubbling up, a female elk came quietly stepping through the area. Fairy Falls is also well spoken of. There was a hike to a geyser (out of the Old Faithful area), I think it was Lone Star, that sounded interesting but was too far away for our little guys. Also, just walking around the main geyser basin by Old Faithful can be up to 2 miles. Our favorite (other than Old Faithful itself) was Beehive, which doesn't erupt very often, but is spectacular when it does. There are some signals that indicate when it's close to erupting, so they'll announce it in the Lodge.
In Grand Tetons, we did the Jenny Lakes trail for a mile or so (after taking the boat across the lake). The next day we hiked to Taggert Lake.
In Jackson, we ate at a fabulous little Italian restaurant called Nani's. Is was pretty close to the italian food we've had in Italy, and the staff was great with the kids.
Jul 27th, 2001, 12:57 PM
#8
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Thanks again for the great advice! I have been also checking out the yellowstone board. So far I have booked two nights in Old Faithful Inn, two nights Canyon frontier cabin, and two nights at Signal Mountain. I got a two room cabin at Signal Mtn as it was about $50 a night cheaper than the Lakeside cabin. Should I have gone for the Lakeside? I am trying to keep money in mind since I have no idea yet what the airfare will cost. But on the otherhand, maybe the xtra $100 would be worth it for the view. Any comments?
