Good thought Jere1mt, I don't have tickets yet and was trying to figure out the Beartooth pass.

thanks!

Mary

Mary, I just made the cookout reservations!!

I will also look into flying into Billings, since it would accomodate the beartooth Pass HWY. Might try to still fly out of Jackson on return...

Great tips everyone...

Thanks again.

EBZ--I did a quick search on Expedia and going into Billings and out of Jackson for me was the same fare so I think it is a great suggestion.

Thanks!

Mary

We did this trip 8 years ago with teenagers. Spent 2 nights at Signal Mountain Lodge (loved it) 3 nights at Old Faithful(loved it) and 2 nights in Jackson which my kids actually liked as they had a break from "all of the scenery". It was a great trip and I hope that your family has a great time.

We had an awesome trip in mid June 2009 to Yellowstone and GTNP with our entire family of 10 for 9 days.
Things to share:
We stayed at the Old Faitful Inn Snow Lodge cabins which was nice. The car drive from Old Faithful to the remaining areas of the park was not bad at all. I would recommend just staying put in one area as oppossed to moving base while in Yellowstone. Old Faithfuls has much more to offer in terms of ammenities than the Canyon atrea. Basing our trip out of the Old Faithful area worked out very well for us.

At GTNP we stayed at the Signal Mountain lodge and got a lakehouse lodge and the views were beautiful. Well worth the cost. We rented a boat one day and got very close views of the Tetons.

The highlight of the trip was the Yellowstone Canyon area. We planned a cookout picnic at Cascade Lake in the fire pits. It was well worth it. Don't miss Artist Point. Geyser Hill and the Geyser Basins were a close second.

The Lowlight was the Roosevely Cookout. Very expensive, and the wagon ride was very short with very average scenery. When they annouce the food to be served, you better have you running shoes on to get near the front of the line because if not your food will be cold, and the steak was very average. The meadow for the cookout was not much to look at. The people serving were very nice but it just was not what we expected. If you go, make sure to bring mosquito repellent.

The highlight of GTNP was Jenny Lake although the boat ride is a rip off. The hike around the lake is pretty long but I would save the money and enjoy the hike, It is a beautiful area.

We also went whitewater rafting with Lewis and Clark expeditions out of Jackson Hole and that was very fun.

Overall, a great trip and would highly recommend this National Park to all. The diversity of the sites in this park was incredible, not to mention the abundance of wildlife viewing.

We just returned from 9 days in both parks...5 nights total between Gardiner (North Entrance to YNP) and Old Faithful Inn, followed by 3 nights at Signal Mtn Lodge with an amazing view of Jackson Lake and the Tetons from our door. No problems with any of our locations and driving in the park was not a problem as we were able to explore the northern loop very easily from Gardiner and then the southern loop from Old Faithful Inn. The only thing I'd change is maybe adding a 3rd night to OFI to give us a little more time to really explore the areas east and west of Old Faithful. Some research really helped us with a manageable itinerary during the trip and we really got to see a lot without too much running around.

Regarding cowboy cookouts, we originally were going to book the Roosevelt stagecoach cookout but found out that there were 2 better (and cheaper) options in Jackson...Bar J and Bar T5, I think. In the end, we scrapped the cowboy cookout thing in lieu of going to the JH Rodeo, which was fun after dinner in the very cool town of Jackson (although if we go back, I'd try one of the Jackson cookouts as they both get good review for their entertainment).

Good luck with your planning!

Just a quick thought for those who are considering flying into one city and out of another. Check the cost of your rental car. Picking up and dropping off in different places can be expensive.

Enjoy GT and YS. Two of our favorite places.

Everyone has provided really great advice here, and I've enjoyed reading about your experiences. My husband and I are planning a marathon driving trip in early October, starting in Atlanta. We will get to the Yellowstone area on October 9th, after the OFI closes. We only have two days to explore YNP and GTNP - hardly enough, I know, and my husband has never been there. Can anyone make a suggestion for a place to stay based on only two nights, and the must-do/must-see areas? I wish we could leave sooner, but with work and other obligations, we are locked into these dates.

After YNP, we will drive toward Denver, so we can go through Jackson on the way "out."

Thanks!
Jennifer

hi:
while in the tetons try and stay in the grand teton lodge.
the chuckwagon dinner was lots of fun. all you can eat ribeye
steak and the fix'in. you may want to book early if it something you want to do because it stays booked.
my wife and i spent 27 days in yelowstone back in 2007 in different areas of the park, we had a great time.
if you have any question please email me.
[email protected] refence yellowstone