Yellowstone Itinerary - I messed up and need help!
 

Everyone has been super helpful with filling in the gaps for our big trip this summer in July. Here's what I originally was planning:

Day 1 - arrive Salt Lake at 10am and travel to Idaho.
Day 2 - Idaho
Day 3 - Idaho
Day 4 - hotel booked in Jackson Hole
Day 5 - hotel booked Old Faithful Lodge
Day 6 - hotel booked Old Faithful Lodge
Day 7 - hotel booked Canyon Lodge
Day 8 - hotel booked Canyon Lodge
Day 9 - stay in Gardiner overnight after spending final day in Yellowstone? Or drive to South Dakota?
Day 10 - South Dakota
Day 11 - South Dakota
Day 12 - South Dakota
Day 13 - South Dakota
Day 14 early flight home out of Rapid City

Last night I checked my Yellowstone reservations, the one I made over a year ago...and realized I had mixed up Old Faithful dates with Canyon Lodge dates. I'm so mad at myself!!! I booked flights based on my error, so now this itinerary is wacky since we're supposed to go to Jackson, then Canyon, then Old Faithful then Beartooth passage. I need some help and my brain is fried. If anyone can help with ideas to re-calibrate I would greatly appreciate it. I should add in that one of my sons really wants to visit Little Bighorn which I *thought* I could incorporate during the drive from Beartooth/Montana (somewhere lol) to SD on Day 10...which doesn't make any sense now.

I'm a wreck - help! :)

>>I booked flights based on my error<<

So why not check and see what changing the flights would cost you?

I'm confused as to how changing flights would help.

What if you did the Beartooth on Day 9 and stayed in Red Lodge, MT that night?

I don't think you've made such a horrific error, actually. Yes, you will be doing some backtracking within Yellowstone and adding some drive time on Day 5 and 9. July will be busy, so you'll likely get caught in some animal jams. But you have plenty of time built in. Or am I missing something?

Four multi city airline tickets and I'd be changing the dates which causes issues at work...

I'm just trying to rethink how I'm going into Yellowstone and now getting out in a way that makes sense...we might just have to backtrack :(

Thanks sludick - I think I'm really struggling with Jackson (which was an add-on because I've always wanted to go to Tetons) and this itinerary doesn't support it very well. Plus I'm a CPA so I'm anal retentive and mad that I didn't catch this to begin with lol.

I also don't think it's that bad. Jackson to Canyon on Day 5 isn't a problem. You just need to figure out a plan between Old Faithful on Day 8 and is Custer where you're staying on Day 10?

I'm starting to feel better.

Yes Patty, that's the plan. I was hoping to do Beartooth, stay in Montana (as a family we want to stay overnight in every state and we've never been to MT), and drive to SD stopping at Little Bighorn and Devil's Tower.

You can't change the dates, I suppose?

Of the overall trip? No, flights are involved.

I am going to try to switch lodging around within Yellowstone but I'm going to assume for now that I can't change and make plans based on what I currently have booked.

Sorry, I meant change resies at the Lodges, not the whole trip.

I'd keep the Old Faithful Lodge reservation, and work around it.
It's one-of-a-kind.

So, Old Faithful is actually booked for Day 7 & 8?

As I said on your other thread, I recommend more time in Jackson Hole, and less time in South Dakota.

Yes, old faithful day 7&8.
Hotels in Jackson are expensive, but I'm looking at adding a day and taking away from Idaho. I can't reduce the days in SD below three full days there as we have certain activities the boys have picked out there.

I'd take time from Idaho and add to the Tetons but you don't have to incur Jackson Hole prices if you can find lodging in Moose. Jackson and Moose are very close to each other in your overall drive times. Moose is in the Tetons between Jackson and Yellowstone and there are often some great moose viewing opportunities right in town. You could also take a short raft trip right from town.

Would it make more sense to go straight to Jackson area the day we fly in (Thursday), stay there 2 nights, then head to Idaho (Craters of the Moon, dune buggy's at St. Anthony's) for Saturday and Sunday and then drive to Yellowstone from there (Canyon Lodge)? Or does Idaho first still make sense?

I think it'll end up being more driving if you go to Jackson first and then ID and Yellowstone.

Idaho first makes more sense. Once you get to Jackson, you are driving through Grand Tetons going north almost the entire way to the south boundary of Yellowstone. It's a nice drive. And, you will be doing more backtracking if you go from Jackson west to ID. At this point, your schedule is logical with the only backtracking being to accommodate your dates mix up in Yellowstone.

Awesome - thanks Patty and Bailey123.

Patty I'm following your suggestion and doing beartooth and staying in MT on Day 9 over by Red Lodge (or maybe Billings). This will mean a long drive to Little BigHorn/SD on Day 10 but I don't want to miss Beartooth and my son is obsessed with Custer so...

Thanks for all the help everyone. Feeling much better and back to being excited about the trip!!!!

All you will have is an extra drive to the Canyon Lodge from Jackson Hole. No big deal. From the Old Faithful Lodge, take the western side of the loop, because you will have already seen the eastern side going to Canyon Lodge, and instead of staying in Gardiner overnight, consider staying in Cody, which puts you on the road to South Dakota.

The OP wants to go to Little Bighorn on Day 10 so Cody would be out of the way.

Going a little farther and overnighting in Billings on Day 9 isn't a bad idea and will give you a head start on Day 10.

According to Google, there is a 30 minute difference between the northern route and the one through Cody.