Yellowstone and Tetons in a Flash
 

Hi all!

We found decent airfare into Jackson WY for September.
We would love to see Yellowstone yet we understand it is recommended to stay in the park.
Is it possible to see a lot if we drive? Or just too much driving?
4 nights/4 days is what we have allotted.

Tetons are another possibility, goal is to see a lot of wildlife.

Thank you!

I'm not sure I understand your question.
Yes, stay IN PARK. Personally I would suggest 2 days at Old Faithful Inn and 2 days at Roosevelt. Or you could even do something like this--1 Day at Lake Hotel, 1 day at Roosevelt, 1 day at Mammoth and 1 day at Old Faithful Inn. Now there are many other spot to stay at In Park that I don't mention--These would be fine as well.
If you can add a couple of days to your airfare/plans/schedule then Tetons would be great to include. Of course, you could do 3 days in Yellowstone and 1 in the Tetons. Driving(especially your first visit) isn't a bad thing in Yellowstone because there is a lot to see/do without hiking that much.
You will likely catch the most wildlife in Lamar and Hayden valleys, but can see it anywhere, of course. I would think Elk would be in rutting season and they are generally in largest concentration in Mammoth area(at least from what I've read and what we saw when there).

If your question was reguarding staying in Jackson, then no, I don't think that's the way to go.

Sorry about that, the question was is it necessary to stay in the park so I think you understood. :) As surely you know, it is tough to get accommodations at this time for September. A cancellation would be great but it sounds like we need to get really lucky with more then 1 hotel/inn. Thank you!

You don't have to stay in the park; pickings actually get pretty slim as some lodging closes in the fall. Gardiner (northern entrance) is right on the border of the park, a couple of minutes from Mammoth, and West Yellowstone is also an easy cruise into the park. Both have tons of lodging. I've worked in and around the park, visited more times than I can count, and have stayed both in the park and several locations outside of the park, and really don't see the "need" to stay within the borders. The park is a kind of figure 8 loop, and can be "done" in many ways from many directions.

Thanks sylvia3, Do you recommend anywhere specific? To be honest we prefer nicer accommodations :)
thanks!

I would go ahead and book outside the park, then keep calling every day to see if there are cancellations.

I'd stay in West Yellowstone. IMHO, it's the best location to get to all the other areas of the park if you can't stay in the park.

Utahtea

So many options :)
Best location for best wildlife sightings? Or all are good? West, NE both sound great. Curious which each offers.

Found a few places on airbnb may just book one of them.
Thanks!

You will find bison and other wildlife all over the park. Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley are two of the big wildlife places. If you are staying outside the park, then West Yellowstone will be the closest location to Hayden Valley. Gardiner will be closer to Lamar Valley but then you are going to spend a lot of time getting to the other parts of the park and with just 4 days and 4 nights you probably won't want to waste the time changing lodging locations.

If you want to see moose you're best bet will be dusk at the Grand Tetons.

Utahtea

Great info! Seems most of the available places on airbnb are in/around Gardiner
It appears that a change of location is recommended to see the best of the park, so 2 nights West and 2 N? Has anyone here used airbnb? Seems a nice option for last minute travel.
Thanks!

Update: May make more sense to fly into Bozeman and out of Jackson, 2 nights each side of park. Found a ranch 30 minutes outside Mammoth, for 2 nights, now just need another location. Or we can do the reverse. In any case, so far cannot even get through to the park for cancellations right now. Rather have a place and be set.

Kittygirl

You will not understand just how huge Yellowstone is until you get there. It not a place you just zip around. Staying 30 min north of Gardiner will add a lot of drive time. Stay in Gardiner and keep trying for a cancellatio in park. Best wildlife viewing is early am and dusk.

Thanks Dayle,
So far we booked 2 nights at a cabin in upper yellowstone valley (too far?) one night at the old faithful snow lodge, last night at signal mountain lodge - since flying out of Jackson.
All places can be canceled which is good.
Yes, it is a rushed trip but it's how we have to travel.
Our flights arrive at 1pm thurs into Bozeman and depart at 3 out of Jackson.

We welcome any feedback but for short notice seems ok accommodations?

What time is your flight out of Jackson? The road between the two parks is 2 lane and not 70 mph. You'll need plenty of time to get from Signal Mtn to Jackson.

I'm going to disagree with Jill on needing a lot of time to get from Signal Mountain to the airport. For sure less than 1 hour and probably 40 minutes is more like it. It's only 22 miles on the Teton Park Rd(scenic) or 29 miles if you take the Main Route(which is fairly fast).

Jill,
Signal Mountain Lodge is only a few miles from Moran.

Signal Mountain has an iconic view of the Mountains, you will love it. Many,many sites are right next to the parking lot so you can see a lot of stuff with a short walk. If you want to see wildlife you need to be up at the crack of dawn and looking. The bulls might be in rut so they will be dangerous, stay away from them.

kittygirl,

"cabin in upper Yellowstone Valley" is quite vague. Do you have a town name? The valley north of Gardiner is the Paradise Valley and it's a big one, very long. It's gorgeous, but really a separate destination from Yellowstone Park.

Spiro - i guess with all the driving here and there, stopping and starting, it seemed much further.

Stay in the park. Especially if seeing wildlife is a priority.

Wildlife is most active early in the morning and early in the evening.

You want to avoid driving in the dark as much as possible and not hit anything.

Yellowstone is huge. Not counting traffic, construction, stopping for scenery or animals it takes about 8 hours to drive the complete figure 8 loop.

Stay in the park if you can.

I agree with Myer. Please observe the speed limit inside the parks. When you observe wildlife and want to take a picture, pull completely off the road where it is safe. Watch for traffic and don't get too close to any of the animals. They can charge and are not tame as some city-folk want to believe.