We are planning a family trip (me, DH, soon to be 13 DD) to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in mid June 2004. We?re still researching but would really appreciate any advice from the experts in this region regarding staying, lengths of stay, and sightseeing. My DH loves and adores this part of the world but our daughter and I have never visited. We are fit enough to do and enjoy light hikes (5 miles not steep). I?m not a camper so, alas, we are not camping.

This is the first cut at the itinerary. Day 1 is tentatively June 11 and Day 17 is June 27.

Day 1: Fly to Denver from Norfolk, Richmond, DC (TBD)

Day 2: Denver (family and friends)
Day 3: Denver (family and friends)

Day 4: Drive to Jackson WY
Question: Drive time from Denver to Jackson is approx 8-10 hours? All highway and limited sightseeing? Does it make sense to split the drive into two days, and if so, where would be a good and/or interesting place to stop? Other threads recommend going through RMNP but we?ve visited before (it?s gorgeous) and are looking for the fastest way to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton NP.

Day 5: Jackson/Grand Teton NP (hotel TBD)
Day 6: Jackson/Grand Teton NP (hotel TBD)
Day 7: Jackson/Grand Teton NP (hotel TBD)

(Have reservations for most of the following)
Day 8: Yellowstone West Thumb (Grant Lodge)
Day 9: Yellowstone West Thumb (Grant Lodge)
Day 10: Yellowstone Old Faithful (Old Faithful Lodge)
Day 11: Yellowstone Old Faithful (OFL)
Day 12: Yellowstone Canyon (TBD)
Day 13: Yellowstone Canyon (TBD)
Day 14: Yellowstone Canyon (TBD)
Question: Does it make sense to switch locales 3 times to see different parts of the park?

Day 15: Casper WY

Day 16: Cheyenne WY

Day 17: Fly Denver to DC, Norfolk or Richmond

Thanks much for any suggestions!

You can do the drive from denver in one day, Last year (June) we left denver by 9 AM and arived in Cody (east gate) well before dark. Cody was great they have a rodeo each nite my kids loved it.
they also loved the chuckwagon diner in yellowstone. The beartooth pass was also worth the drive,still plenty of snow.

I don't want to make it sound like I didn't enjoy Yellowstone because I did, but we stayed a total of three nights all at the Lake Lodge. We were ready to go after the three nights. We drove to the other areas and really saw everything we wanted to see -- and had more relax time that I'm used to in addition. We had dinner at Old Faithful Lodge one evening -- not a bad drive back to our hotel afterwards. We also spent three nights in Jackson and could have spent longer. Seems we did more hiking and spent longer days out there than in Yellowstone.

I have visited Yellowstone quite a few times and, after last summer, I came to the conclusion that the accommodations in the park, while contributing to the atmosphere of the visit, are decidedly subpar when compared with commercial accommodations in West Yellowstone.

Grant Village is to me the worst of government control over National Park accommodations. I rate it an abomination that should not have happened.

I don't mean to adversely criticise your choices. I am trying to share with you my expriences in hopes that you will be prepared for what is coming or, if others concur in my evaluation, perhaps you can change your mind. I fell in the same trap several years ago because I simply did not now, nor had I fully assessed the level of the rooms in the park.

I think it makes sense to switch from Canyon to Old Faithful, or vice versa.
If you could move the Grant Village reservation you would be ahead of the game, in my opinion.

I have one other suggestion that I think you should consider.

Leave Yellowstone a day early and drive out the northeast gate and take the Beartooth Highway Route over the Red Lodge, Montana. The route should be open by mid June. The scenery is outstanding.

Then, I suggest retracing your steps across the pass and follow the Chief Joseph Highway to Cody. Then from Cody, continue on to Casper. I also suggest
altering your route to take Ten Sleep Canyon over the Bighorns Mountains. These are spectacular hills as well, with Ten Sleep being a very steep ascent. I descended it once and found that the I had to stop and let my ears adjust to the air pressure change.
It will be fine if you take an adjustment break or two, or go up slowly.

There are many nice hikes in the Tetons, but the one to Amphitheater Lake is steep, but rewarding. Indian Paintbrush Canyon is nice, and the walk to Hidden Falls is pretty, and flat. Bradley and Taggert Lakes are scenic because of the mountains. And be sure to visit Signal Mountain. (I would stay at Signal Mountain Lodge rather than Jackson to set some of the flavor of the park. The rooms and/or cabins are decent enought here.

My preference for visiting the park is to take in the falls of the Yellowstone River and visit the geyser basins.
The Norris basin north of the basin where Old Faithfulis located is interesting.

And the most scenic geyser in the whole park is Lone Star geyser. It is located along a flat trail that takes you through meadows and trees. (that part of the park was not burnedd). Lone Star blows about every 3 hours in two phases, a minor and a major. I think is my favorite of them all, but Grand, Great Fountain, and Castle all put on spectacular shows, particularly when viewed by the light of a full moon.

Have a good trip.

The Grand Teton is our favorite national park. The hiking is great. Dixon has given some solid info and advice. Just one clarification: The hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point is indeed a must. While the 2 miles around the lake (you can take a ferry instead) is fairly flat, once you get to the base of the falls (where the ferry alternative ferry lets you off), it's a fairly steep 1.2-mile climb. It's well worth the effort to reach the top.
I agree with his advice about staying at the Signal Mountain Lodge.
Also, if you can fit it in, the wild west museum in Cody is magnificent.

are you staying in the Old Fairhful Inn (hotel) or the Old Faithful Lodge (Cabins)?

We stayed in the cabins and found them to be a terrific bargain.

NO matter where you stay, finalize your plans soon and make reervations SOON.

Stay at least 2 places in Yellowstone - I'm not sure that 3 are worth the change. It is a big park and driving is slow, but not really crowded in mid June (that's when we went)

We were at Yellowstone a few years ago and loved every minute of it. I suggest you stay the entire trip at Old Faithful Lodge. There are many park-related activities in that immediate vicinity, including the predictable Old Faithful geyser.

As you will be there in the summer, you should consider a visit to one of the swimming areas -- or at least you could picnic in these areas if you don't want to swim. There is a thermal segment of the river that is in the north end of the park -- does anyone know where this is, what's the name? Although the water in the streams and rivers in the park is generally too cold for comfort, this spot is very enjoyable. The rocks along the sides and bottoms of this outcropping seem to have molded over the years to the bottoms of adventurous campers, making for spa-like seats. It is a short hike there from a parking lot and does not seem to be a big destination for visitors as there were not a great number of people there -- which is good because this is a rather cozy spot.

There was also a much more crowded area of river and rocks where folks went swimming and picnicing. The strong current created slides on the rocks -- if you go be more careful than I was. I had to carry my bruises with me for a few days.

Does anyone know the names of these spots? I'll track them down if you're interested.

In Grand Teton, we hiked half-way around the lake -- it looked daunting but it was a very pleasant hike.

I found the food at the lodges to be unmemorable. But there were excellent restaurants and hotels in Jackson which was a fun town with a strong sense of the old West, but not alot to do.

I meant to suggest that you stay at the Old Faithful hotel -- the grand old building just beside Old Faithful. But I did not stay there, and someone else probably has a better opinion of the rooms which I've heard can be tiny.

I camped for three nights. Loved it but my husband hated it. He doesn't cotton to roughing it.

Thank you, everyone, for such thoughtful replies! I continue to marvel at the generosity of fordorites.

dixon, we've nixed Grant village. My husband stayed there one night years ago (after camping) and he said it was low endish but abomination is a no go. We are also taking your advice about leaving YS a day early and doing the Beartooth Highway trip to Red Lodge. Cody looks very interesting too.

In Yellowstone, we now have reservations to stay three nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and three more nights in a Canyon Frontier Cabin.

I knew we weren't early in reserving but many of the nicer places are totally booked (Lake Yellowstone Hotel and the Lake Lodge Cabins) or have spotty availability (one bed or no bath). My head is swimming right now with lodge this and cabin that. The Xanterra website has lots of info but it's kind of clunky to navigate.

Tandoori_Girl, I would like to know the name of the thermal swimming area if it comes to you. Sounds great.

HowardR, the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point is already on my husband's list. It must be spectacular.

Most of you sound like veteran visitors but has anyone signed up for the hikes and trail rides? Would appreciate any feedback about these. Any advise or recommendations is welcome!

We also enjoyed hikes around the String Lake/Leigh Lake area and at Colter Bay. Plus make sure you drive down Antelope Flats Road in the southern part of the Teton to view the buffalo and walk around (and take pictures of) the history Moulton Barn.

Before any purists come after me, I mean bison, not buffalo!

I will say this much for Grant Village, it is within walking distance of good views of the lake. But the rooms are small; I could stand in the middle of the room, reach my arms out and almost touch both walls simultaneously. That means the width of the room was something like 7 feet.
The style of the buildings is 1960 Motel Modern, hardly in keeping with the mood of the park.

I would like to offer a different point of view of Old Faithful Inn. We stayed there last summer and paid well over $100 a night for the room. It was tiny, hot, and uncomfortable. The shower had a curtain mounted on a flimsy rod that fell and hit me in the head when I turned around to cut off the water. When I checked out, I told the girl at the desk about the rod.
She was very concerned -- that the rod was back in place. The fact that I got hit in the head was secondary; I was walking, coherent and able to sign the charge recept with a legible signature.

We were orginally booked for two nights, but I bailed out and went back to an air conditioned room in West Yellowstone.

Of the rooms in the Old Faithful area, the new Snow Lodge is better, with the Snow Lodge Cabins being the most spacious for two or three people, except for the bathrooms, which are about large enough for slender person.
(Which I am fortunately.) They are, as you might expect, very difficult to reserve because they are in demand.

On the other hand, let us please forget the lousy rooms and head-conking shower rods, and concentrates on the glories of the park.

Last year we walked down to Lone Star Geyser, and found a comfortable spot under the pines to have lunch and a snooze. After the geyser erupted and I thought, ok, show is over. But a young man, of about 15, was watching, and he told me it was just a minor burst; the best was yet to come. So it was. (I learned later from his grandfather, who was a ranger naturalist at Old Faithful, that the youngster had been going to Lone Star since he was 3 and knew every burp the geyser made.

On another occasion, we wandered out at night to see the geysers. To me, waiting for Riverside Geyser to erupt about midnight was a romantic experience I will never forget. While we were waiting, we could hear an owl in the trees. My girl friend (wife of 45 years) finally spotted the big bird up in the tree outlined against the lighter sky. Then a full moon rose and illuminated the whole landscape.

Shortly after the moon was up enough to cast a strong light, the geyser erupted, sending its plume arching over the Firehole River.
Then we walked back to our room by way of Grand Geyser, which picked that time to do its thing by the light of the moon. I do not recall a more spectacular evening in my life, and that includes quite a bit.

There is so much of fascination and of beauty in those parks, that you will have a great time of it. Read up on what makes a geyser function and I think your enjoyment and interest will be increased infinitely. Yellowstone is a miracle!

This article is about the thermal spa area:

www.wyojones.com/swimming_in_yellowstone.htm

I can't find anything about the part of the river (perhaps the Snake River) where there are swimmers, waders, and picnicers. I'll continue looking. Maybe I'll have something for you by June 2004 (hahaha).

Thanks, Dixon for your reply-that was beautiful.

I vote for more time in Grand Teton-we have been there 2x in June and it is still Cold! The last time, we rented a condo for 1 mo. and had to leave after 3 wks. and go to Colorado to get warm.

We cannot get enough of GTNP, seeing the scenery on flat ground and looking up! Towns are nearby- Yellowstone is great for 2-3 days but to be real comfortable stay in or around GTNP.

For that 3 wks-we went to YNP 4 times, fished by the dam at the Snake river, hiked around the lake and to Swan Lake, saw all the joints in Jackson-had a great time.

I'll go back anytime.

One more comment on Yellowstone:
Tower Falls is an ok short walk.
For good views of the falls without hoards of people, walk from the parking lot at Artist's point to the trailhead for the Uncle Tom trail, or vice versa.
The tail is a little undulating, but you get some fine views of the Falls of the Yellowstone River and views down river of that beautifully colored canyon -- hues of red and yellow which gives the whole park its name.

I got a little caught up in your Yellowstone and Teton plans.

On your return trip, I don't think you will find much to see in Casper. I really don't see spending a whole day and go no farther than Casper to Cheyenne unless there are personal reasons I don't know about.

There is not much to slow you down in Wyoming, so doing 500 miles in a day is not much of a problem. Even 600 miles is doable.

Laramie is a little more interesting because of the University of Wyoming. But my suggestion is get as far as you can down the road after you start the return journey, and detour to Denver by way of Rocky Mountain National Park and take the drive over Trail Ridge Road.

Trail Ridge Road is a spectacular mountain drive. Even though the route over the Beartooth Pass to Red Lodge is spectacular, you will find Trail Ridge Road to be at least of equal grandeur and beauty.
(I think TR is a little more scenic, but that leads into a discussion where my choice might be influenced by the phase of the moon.)

There is no other road quite like TR in the US or Canada in terms of achieving high altitude, 12,000 feet.

So if you did the Beartooth Pass, the Big Horns, and Trail Ridge, you would see three spectacular mountain passes.

You will be packing a lot into a single trip, one that I would like to do myself!!

I have done all of it at one time or the other, but never in one trip. It will give you something to remember for a long, long time.

Thanks, Tandoori_Girl, for the info on thermal spas!

Dixon, You continue to enchant with your descriptions of the region. Hope you are writing a guide book. Please share more if the muse inspires!

Casper and Cheyenne are not destinations but potential stop overs on the way back to Denver to head back east. Is it feasible to drive from YS to Red Lodge, travel the Beartooth HW and see Cody in a day? Can we drive from Cody to Denver to catch a flight? Looks like a hike. We're looking for a stopover after leaving YS that leaves us within shooting distance of the airport.

Thanks to all for any input on this or other recommendations for YS and the Grand Tetons.

If you have time on your trip, try the Jenny Lake trail (which I believe someone mentioned in a previous post). It's not too long, and it has some great views. If you want to stay just outside the park one night, Cooke City, Montana is a neat place and the Alpine Motel there is not fancy, but is very clean. The drive from Cooke City to Yellowstone is great.

West Yellowstone is touristy but pretty, and they have an IMAX theater there that is good for low-key after-dinner entertainment.

Also, if you're interested in Western music, the Bar J Wranglers put on a fantastic show in Wilson, Wyoming (just outside of Jackson). Their humor is corny, but their music and singing is amazing. They put on a true family show.

Have a great trip!

We've gone to Yellowstones several times and spent a week and still could have spent more time there. There's so much to do and some days you might just want to relax.

I'm glad your doing the Beartooth Highway. It's a fantastic drive!

Utahtea

Cody to Denver is a long jump for flight catching. Even though the roads are good and the cities small, it is as long drive.

Yes, you can do what I did once.
We drove out of the northeast entrance, tookthe Beartooth road, stopped at the visitor center-fire tower for a great view of the Absorakas and the Bearthooth mountains, drove to the top of the pass and part way down the other side. The road had been open about 2 days and the snow was piled deeply all around us and the snowmobilers were skidding around.

Then we retraced our steps, rejoined the Chief Joseph Highway, and continued on to Cody. From there we returned to yellowstone via the east gate. I like that approach because of the beautiful views of the lake.

But we had time for all that, and we left from West Yellowstone.

Thanks again, dixon. Looks like we'll have to find someplace closer to Denver to spend the final night. Just hoping to make it an interesting place!