Yellowstone dates - choices

Old Aug 18th, 2010, 06:16 PM
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I don't do timeshares, so I am not familiar with their availability in the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons area--maybe in West Yellowstone or Jackson? So, I'm not sure if YNP will work with timeshares even if not July 4.

As sprio says, the Utah parks and Grand Canyon are at high altitude, get snow, and many facilities close in the winter.
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Old Aug 18th, 2010, 06:20 PM
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I doubt you're going to have much luck with timeshare in the areas you are mentioning. Maybe Sedona?
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Old Aug 18th, 2010, 06:22 PM
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I will show my ignorance of your weather and geography. I was thinking of Yosemite, Death Valley; Monument Valley; Grand Canyon; Sequoia. Not necessarily all of them.

Will their altitude be my down fall weather wise?

OK! Where can/should I go? I want National Parks/ Nature. We are not really into cities but will spend a day or so in them on the way to or from the Parks.

We don't mind cold and a bit wet. We did Iceland, Norway and Finland in Autumn and got snowed on in all three. Granted it was only a couple of inches. But we happily coped in that kind of weather. Eight degrees Celsius was the warmest it got for us in Finland.

We have absolutely no real concept of northern winters nor do we have the clothes that would even come close to keeping us warm. But would like to experience it.
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Old Aug 18th, 2010, 10:34 PM
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The keeper of the purse strings and manager of all things pertaining to domestic harmony (aka She who must be obeyed) has reliably informed me that:- having driven 5000 miles to see a big red rock in a big red desert in July and soon to be flying across the country to see rocks in farmland (Wave Rock) followed by rocks in forests and mountains of Tasmania (Cradle Mountain) at Christmas, that perhaps next year might not be so hectic and that one long trip to the USA is more economical that two short ones. Perhaps a trip to where there is chocolate, coffee and cider might be better? Not that she doesn't like rocks. Its just that I love them.

I informed her that neither of us are getting any younger. Her glacial stare intimated that said domestic harmony is not as constant and unchanging as one might think.

I'm sure the USA makes fine chocolate and coffee and the best is found in or near National Parks. She however, remains unconvinced.

So, July looks out of the question, unless I can find a chocolatier that delivers by the ton.

Christmas is another question.

There are two lines to get into heaven. One for hen pecked husbands and one for those not hen pecked. My wife says I will need to join the non hen pecked line.

PS How long have you been standing behind me, Dear?
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 12:51 AM
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To answer your questions about Christmas time and Yosemite, Death Valley; Monument Valley; Grand Canyon; Sequoia.

This is the travel time to Death Valley and it will most likely be croweded. Yosemite is beautiful in the winter but you won't be able to go over Tioga Pass because of snow. The waterfalls should be going, but not like in the spring. There will most likely be snow in the Valley and might limit your hiking. Half dome hike will be closed.

Grand Canyon is open but the roads can close for snow. It's going to be cold, the south rim is at 7,000 feet. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon will be closed. Zion is at 4,000 feet and they might have a little snow in the valley but it usually doesn't stick around long. Bryce will have snow, but it's beautiful then. You can rent snow shoes at the lodges.

Haven't been to Monument Valley or Sequoia during the winters. I do know that the Kings Canyon part of Sequoia will be closed for winter.

Utahtea
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 04:03 AM
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So we are looking for a US destination for December 2011 for several weeks that combines geology, chocolate, coffee, and cider?
Perhaps some winter weather/snow, but not severe?

You could combine San Francisco for cold/wet/no snow but coffee etc. with Yosemite Valley. As Utahtea says, the valley is open, but the pass closed. The roads to/from the park close with the snow and chains on tires may be required. Same for Lake Tahoe. Also a lovely spot in the winter. However, your plans have to remain flexible for possible snow and road closures.

Sequoia/Kings Canyon can get a lot of snow as well, so it just depends on how early the snows start that winter. I have lovely photos of the sequoia trees from an April trip a few years ago during which I was walking on 3-4 ft of packed snow and the road through the park was still closed.

If the snows came early you could head north from SFO to the Redwoods National Park--interesting trees rather than geology. It would be cool and wet that time of year, but not cold/snow.

I agree that the Utah parks and Grand Canyon can be pretty with snow on the red rocks. Again, you just have to be flexible and be ready to stay longer in one place than planned if bad weather comes in. One year we drove from Las Vegas (which is an interesting site to see even for us non-city folks) to Zion, but did not proceed on to Bryce because of snow and icy conditions on the road that day. We didn't have enough days to be flexible, so missed it on that trip. Another time when weather was not so good at Grand Canyon, we went down to Sedona (another lovely place).

You might want to start a new post asking about Winter travel to SW National Parks + chocolate to get some experiences from that season.
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 05:52 PM
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Thanks for all you wonderful advice. It makes for a good start.

I will start a new post when I have done some more research and have specific questions.

We are always flexible, as that is part of the fun of travel. We very rarely have a fixed intinerary. Generally, a few places we want to see and then fill in the gaps as we go. Las Vegas is one the cities I would like to see. How long I would stay there is another matter. Likewise for Los Angeles and San Francisco.

So simply, there is lots to see and do, weather pending as always. So we will havea great time.

Thanks again.


PS My wife really is lovely and had a good chuckle at my last post. She doesn't mind where she goes as long as it is with me(ohhh). She can bring her own chocolate if need be.
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 06:27 PM
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IF you go to Yellowstone, go to Cody and this tiny town outside of Cody.

Your wife will be very happy -

http://www.meeteetsechocolatier.com/
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Old Aug 20th, 2010, 03:14 AM
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In the winter, I always think of Death Valley or the Everglades as the two best options for National Parks. Secondary choices are Big Bend, Saguaro, and Joshua Tree. Perhaps even Channel Islands. Yosemite and Grand Canyon would be great, but you are limiting the experience somewhat. My only trip to Sequoia was in the snow and it was great, but I think it would have been better in the summer. The problem with most National Parks is that most of them are best visited June thru Sept. A lot of them are partially closed the rest of the year.
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Old Aug 20th, 2010, 11:46 PM
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Believe it or not, this is Fair Dinkum.
I emailed my wife the above website. When she returned from work I asked her what she thought. She loved the chocolates. I asked her about the man holding the chocolates. "What about him?" she said. She only barely registered that it was a man not a woman holding the chocolate.

I replied that I think the general idea of the site was to drool over both the man and chocolates. "Why would I look at a man when there are chocolates to be had?" was her reply. She did not notice the photo of him with the saddle either. No Chocolate in that one!

The list of parks is impressive. I had forgotten about the Saguaro and other parks. I've had a very quick glance at the NPS Website. I think I will be well pleased with what I see.

I plan to do several trips to the States over the next decade or so. So what I don't get to see the first time I can see later.

Thanks again and look for us next Christmas.
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Old Aug 21st, 2010, 04:49 AM
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Well, peter, the chocolates are worth drooling over, and we never saw the cowboy chocolatier. He was out on the ranch

Enjoy your trip but if you are still going to use time-shares as your lodging you are going to have interesting routing. I think you're going to need to bite the bullet and pay for hotel rooms in the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area. And, if you stay in the parks, it'll be worth it.
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Old Aug 21st, 2010, 05:52 AM
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Ok, for what it's worth -

The past two falls we have stayed a week at the Worldmark timeshare in West Yellowstone, right at the park entrance. Last year we stayed in mid-late September, the year before it was early-mid October (think we checked in around 10/6). We loved it, although there was an odd heat wave last year and it was much hotter than we had hoped.

Yes, things start to close then. Yes, you can run into the beginning of winter weather - although I believe you are more likely to see the beautiful fall color. The crowds are gone, the elk are beginning the rut, and if you have fall weather/color, it is gorgeous.

We were able to get a timeshare week then due to it being shoulder season. In July, it's always been much too high demand. April is too early, believe that entrance is still closed and it's still winter. We have a friend who lives in West Yellowstone and she sends pictures every now and then of the winters (say, November through April) -- brrrrr.
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Old Aug 21st, 2010, 09:13 PM
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Thanks for your advice.

In the past we have used a mix of Timeshare and other lodgings. We stayed a week in time share then moved around for week or so, then time share, depending on what was available. We are not locked into using timeshare, but use it if it is convenient.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2010, 05:35 AM
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We do the same thing, typically combining a one-week timeshare with a couple of nights here and there into a 2-week vacation. That way we have one place to "settle" for a week but can still do a scenic driving loop.
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Old Aug 23rd, 2010, 06:47 AM
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Go EAST young man, GO EAST!
Don't neglect the other half of the country.

Come to PA in the autumn, along with plenty of sites there's a whole town of chocolate (ok, it's only Hersheys, but its still a town of chocolate...), and some of the best apple cider anywhere!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Pennsylvania

http://www.manta.com/mb_44_C2042_39/...s/pennsylvania
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Old Aug 23rd, 2010, 03:55 PM
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We Will. We Will. Our goal is to do all fifty states before we die. So far we have done ONE - Hawaii. So 49 to go. We have at least another 30-40 years of travel left in us.

Thanks for the heads up about Pennsylvania.
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Old Aug 23rd, 2010, 03:59 PM
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If you go to PA, go see Fallingwater -
http://www.fallingwater.org/
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Old Aug 23rd, 2010, 07:20 PM
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Of geological and aesthetic interest, to tuck away for future:

in NM: Bandelier Natl Park for interesting cliff dwellings. Hot Springs all over northern NM, some with nude hippies in them. Chaco Canyon.

AZ: Besides the Grand one, Canyon de Chelly.

MO has loess hills, loads of karst topography with sinkholes and caves, and what they claim is the world's largest spring, Big Spring in the Ozarks. The Ozarks are very old mountains, worn down limestone with a few igneous intrusions.

I just drove my daughter from Jackson Hole WY to Tacoma WA, and could hardly believe the changes in topography in that 14 hr drive. Come check it out.
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Old Aug 23rd, 2010, 09:44 PM
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Stop making me drool.
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Old Aug 24th, 2010, 04:27 AM
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Well, some of the hippies are old, too.
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