My wife, 9 year-old grandson and I will be making our first trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons in July, 2006. We have made reservations for three nights each in the Old Faithful and Canyon areas of the Park. We also have reservations for 3 nights in Jacskson. I would be grateful for any suggestions on sights or activities we should not miss during any stage of our trip. Finally, the only thing left unplanned is our first day. We'll arrive in Billings at 10:00 AM. I would like to drive to Red Lodge and then on to Cooke City via the Beartooth Highway. In Cooked City, I was planning to take 296 to Cody. We would stay the night there and do the cowboy things with my grandson. Next day we would enter the park via the East entrance. Is this a good idea, or should we stay in Red Lodge and enter the park through the Northeast entrance? Does anybody have an idea how long my route from Billings to Cody would take?

Make sure you do a rafting trip in Jackson. This is a fabulous trip, Yellowstone and the Tetons are the best. I think you're doing fine with 3 nights in the 3 areas. Cody would be interesting to a 9 year old- see the rodeo

You will have more than enough time to do anything you like in Yellowstone (IMO, too many nights, but that's personal preference, of course). Going through Red Lodge via Beartooth highway is NOT to be missed! You could tweak the nights in YNP/TNP to do other things in WYO, such as Jackson rafting, etc. There's so much to do in that part of the country, you can't go wrong.

Is the road over the Beartooth Pass going to be open again by next July??

I read a highway report that said the highway opened symbolically in October, but a snowstorm forced closing of the road. The report said that the highway should be open for real next season.

The actual opening date depends on the snow depth. I drove over it once in late May, and the snow was still very deep. The plows had cleared a route for us.

As for the trip to Cody via Red Lodge and the Chief Joseph Highway, I think you have plenty of time. I estimate you can make the drive over the pass to Cody in about 5 hours once you get underway.
That allows time for stopping.

On the Yellowstone side of the pass there is an old Forest Service firetower that is now a visitor center. You may ascend the tower and get a tremendous view.

Once you turn toward Cody on the Chief Joseph Highway, the scenery changes, but the drive is still spectacular.

From Cody, I would continue on to Yellowstone via the East Gate. The view of Lake Yellowstone from the heights above it on the eastern side are gorgeous.

Just be careful of bison in the highway!!

Once you are in Yellowstone, I have two favorite destinations:
The geysers in the area of Old Faithful, and the Grand Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone river.

Of the geysers, Castle and Grand are the two most spectacular of the fairly regular geysers. Daisey and Riverside are fairly predictable, and are nice as well but not as big in terms of total volumn of water emitted.

To see these geysers, however, you must be prepared for a wait. Grand has an eruption window of 4 hours with a most probable window of 2 hours, one hour on either time of the mean predicted time.

But you never know for sure when it is going to start its display. It is the one geyser in the park that draws a round of applause. No kidding.

There are some other geyser basins and waterfalls in the park, but those are the premier sights. After those, for me, everything else is a bonus. Included in the bonus list are the Fountain Paint Pots, the bison herds, the Mudpots, the Norris Geyser Basin, the various smaller falls, and any other wildlife I might happen to see.

Your nine year old might be interested in becoming a junior ranger. The requirements for youngsters who can read are fairly challenging. When my grandsons met the requirements, both parents had to be involved with guidance and encouragement.

The road issue is not seasonal, but rather the fact that it is undergoing major renovation. I believe it is supposed to be repaved/widened/improved by next summer--but it's always good to check.

The road up the Beartooth Pass to the Top Of The World opened 7 Oct but is now closed for the winter, it normally opens O/A 1 June. No matter where you go in the Yellowstone area you will find road construction, I think it is a way of life there. The season is so short it takes forever to do a small section of road. Take your time and enjoy, just expect delays at times. Many people just stop in the road to look. Next spring before your departure check the Yellowstone (www.nps.gov) site for the up to date road conditions in the area. Normally when you enter the Park you are given a packet with all the current information including a map.

Hello wbmike,

What nice grandparents you are to take your grandson on such a lovely trip!

In the Jackson area you will enjoy:
- the alpine slide (great for all ages!)
- the town square with the elk antler arches marking the entrance corners
- the beavers and their dams (awesome to see them!)
- the visitor center has some very nice wildlife displays
- there's a great shop in town (name escapes me) with literally a hundred or more mounted animals of all kinds - almost museum-like - really amazing
- if you like fishing, go to the dam near Jenny Lake - wow, the trout you catch there!
- take a hike to the hidden falls I think at Jenny Lake - either take the boat ($ fee) or walk around to the trail. Very nice, easy hike to the falls for a good Kodak moment at the top.
- the fish hatchery just outside of town on the road to Yellowstone.
- and some sort of water rafting - depending if you want just a scenic non-rapid type or rapids. They've got it all!

And my one tip for Yellowstone since you've had quite a few others already: when planning our trip last year, I read on this board about Fishing Bridge being a good area to see bears. That was so true! I don't known if we hit it just right or what, but as soon as we got there, the cars were lined up so we knew something was around. We parked, walked a bit and amazingly there were 5 grizzlies in the field.

Hope this helps.
Happy travels!

The Chuckwagon cookout at Roosevelt -- make your reservations ASAP.

I really liked Cody, and the Buffalo Bill museum is excellent for kids (and adults)...I esp. liked the Native American exhibit. We drove much of this route 3 years ago and it was all gorgeous and varied. It is great that you have lodging in the park. I think it adds to the experience. Old Faithful village feels like a "National Theme Park"....in a good way! They were skiing on the Beartooth Highway in July!!!

Lucky you!!! I grew up in Wy and have been to Yellowstone many times as a kid and have returned with my family--my favorite place to visit!!
First off it is about 110 miles from Billings to Cody but most of it is not interstate and will take you longer due to switchbacks etc. The Buffalo Bill Historical Ctr. is fun and depending when you go there are rodeos (Cody Stampede) to see.
I don't think it matters which way you come in, it depends on what you want to see first. Keep in mind that whatever the mileage is it will take you longer to drive anywhere in the park because you are driving mountain roads and there may be a 'traffic' jam due to a herd of buffalo(we have video of a herd just walking at a leisurely stroll alongside the car--very cool!) or an animal sighting.
My favorite spots are of course Old Faithful, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone--the waterfalls are breathtaking, and I really like Mammoth Hot Springs which is at the North entrance.
On your way to Jackson make sure to stop at Jenny Lake it is like looking at glass with the reflection of the Tetons. Also near Moose Wy there is the Chapel of the Transfiguration, a tiny little church that faces the tetons. My husbands grandparents and a cousin were married here. It's a beautiful spot.
Here is a neat webcam site for Old Faithful and Mammoth.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm
You have time before you go so get some maps and tourbooks so you are familiar with the area and then plan what you want to see from there.