Songdoc

I live in Nashville and have done extensive international travel and countless trips to Hawaii. But I’ve never been to Yellowstone--and it’s time to remedy that. I have so many questions.

I’m thinking about September or October. Is one of these a better time to visit? (I’m guessing there could be snow in November?)

Is there a best area to stay? A most convenient airport to fly into?

And… on an initial look it seemed lodgings are quite expensive. We don’t need luxury accommodations, but we don’t want to camp. Any recommendations under $200/night? We could spend more if needed--or for someplace very special--but would rather not.

Thanks so much for your help!

Michael

Here's a price listing of Lake Lodge cabins. Note their closure date.

http://www.yellowstonenationalparklo...-lodge-cabins/

MidwestHiker

Take a look at the closing dates of park facilities before picking your dates:

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/ocd_locale.htm

MmePerdu

I'm in exactly the same situation, years of extensive overseas travel but never Yellowstone. I've been invited to accompany a friend who grew up in Montana so, for once, don't have to be in charge of planning. She visits regularly and we'll be going mid-September, which she says is the best time and prior to the closures mentioned above. We'll arrive on Sept. 17th and I'm happily along for the ride!

Michael

Songdoc,

You might want to take a look at my camping to Yellowstone trip report, although the camping to and from Yellowstone does not apply to your intent; click on my name to find it.

Patty

There could be snow in any of those months. We had snow this past May. Accommodations are available in gateway cities after lodging inside the park closes for the season. I would look at Gardiner MT if traveling later in the season. Gardiner is near the north entrance and at a lower elevation than most of the park. Yellowstone is very large so it's best to base yourself in more than one area.

Don't miss the Grand Tetons which is just south of Yellowstone. Signal Mountain Lodge is open through October 15th this year (I believe it's the last to close of the Teton lodges). Jackson WY is also a possible base for the Tetons.

The closest airports are West Yellowstone, Bozeman and Jackson but these are all very small with limited flights. The closest major airport is probably Salt Lake City.

jayne1973

Staying in the park is the way to go, really, but if I had to choose somewhere to stay outside YNP, I would pick Gardiner, Montana. Lodging might be more affordable than inside the park. We usually stay in a couple of different areas to cut down on driving since the park is so large. My favorite place in the park is Old Faithful Inn (not lodge) --in the "old house" section if you can get it. Such history!!!!

Yellowstone is totally amazing--in all your travels, you surely have seen nothing like it!

Myer

Why have you chosen to go to Yellowstone and what are your related interests?

That may help.

There's a reason there are closing dates for various services. It gets cold and snowy. Not conducive to getting around and seeing sights.

Songdoc

Thanks so much for your responses. Wow. I hadn't imagined the snow (and closings) would come so early. It sounds like I'd better get planning ASAP if it's going to be this year.

<Why have you chosen to go to Yellowstone and what are your related interests?>

My #1 interest is nature photography. We also love easy-to-moderate hikes and viewing wildlife.

Songdoc

Um, er ... never mind. All the lodgings in the park are sold out between now and the closings.

I'm going to look into other options: Zion? Bryce? Arches?

MidwestHiker

You can also look at lodging in the gateway cities (West Yellowstone, Gardiner) and keep calling the in-park lodges to see if there are cancellations.

If you decide to switch to Utah, October would be better.

Michael

Arches because if staying in Moab you also have Canyonlands, which is completely different from Arches.

Patty

Reservations for in park lodging at Yellowstone open on May 1st for the following summer. Many people book far in advance so cancellations do happen. The first cancellation deadline is 30 days prior. Otherwise you should be able to find something in one of the gateway cities. Gardiner would be my preference over West Yellowstone.

basingstoke2

We found West Yellowstone a fine alternative to staying in the park. It is only a very few minutes to the park entrance. We stayed at a place called Three Bear Lodge, thought it an excellent stay and it is easily within your price range. They have two types of accommodations. One is in the lodge itself and the other in adjacent rooms that are somewhat motel like and maybe a bit off-putting on the outside but very nice on the inside - they are large, very nice unique furnishings and very clean. They also cost less than the lodge itself. Breakfast is included in the very good restaurant .One advantage of Three Bear is that they are open year round with snowmobile trips into the park during winter months.

fun_family_vacations

Hello,

I would echo the comments of staying in the park. On our trip we stayed at Lake Yellowstone; Roosevelt Lodge; and Old Faithful. The most economical was the rough rider cabins and our family loved it. It was rustic, but very comfortable. I would also suggest staying at more than one place within the park, allowing you to spend less time driving (park is huge)!

If you want to check out our trip itinerary with pictures, there's a link in my bio to our website.

Have a great trip!

- Mike

Myer

Songdoc,

If your #1 priority is nature photography then you MUST stay in the park and relatively close to where the wildlife hangs out.

You want to be there early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

You also want to avoid driving in the dark when there's a good chance of hitting an animal.

Zion, Bryce and Arches are not wildlife heavy. So that may not be what you want if wildlife is a priority.

In my opinion Yellowstone and Glacier are very good for wildlife.

On the positive side, a lot of the lodging gets booked up a year in advance. Then in the last month many people realize that the trip won't take place and they start cancelling.

That's when you start calling several times a day and be the first on the line after somebody cancels just what you want.

Patty

The most wildlife rich area of Yellowstone is the northern section of the park particularly the Lamar Valley. Silver Gate/Cooke City MT is actually a very good base for Lamar Valley. The only in park accommodation that could possibly put you closer to the action in Lamar would be Roosevelt Lodge which will close on September 5th this year. The primary focus of our Yellowstone trips has been wildlife and we've mostly based in Gardiner. It does take a little longer to get to Lamar from Gardiner but there's good wildlife viewing all along the route. And yes you have to be very careful with wildlife on the road.

basingstoke2

With all due respect, there is no "must" staying in the park to view wildlife. West Yellowstone is so close to the park that it might as well be part of it. There are W Yellowstone lodgings that are closer to some hot wildlife areas than some park lodging, and yes you can easily be there early and stay late - we did with no problem. Staying in W Yellowstone can be much closer to wildlife areas than some of the park lodging .

Songdoc

Hmmm... I really appreciate all the great input.

But I'm thinking this will probably have to wait until next year. My preference is to stay within the park and I'd need to choose my dates and book the time away from work within the next couple of days. I can't wait and hope for a cancelation. PS. Three Bear Lodge is completely booked.

Just to clarify, I love wildlife and it would be great to see it, but my photography focuses on landscapes. For this trip, natural beauty trumps wildlife.

I might do a driving trip closer to home -- the Great Smoky Mountains or N. Carolina -- and plan earlier for multiple National Parks next year. I guess I was naive thinking I could just book lodgings inside the park at the last minute, but I (wrongly) assumed it would be easy after summer.

Thank you all so much for your help!

indyhiker

If you haven't totally abandoned the idea of heading west, I think Arches and Canyonlands (or Zion and Bryce) would be right up your alley in terms of landscape photography. From a weather standpoint, Moab might be preferable and you should find the parks relatively quiet (well, Canyonlands is always pretty quiet), and there are other things to see in the area outside of the parks themselves.