Yellowstone-Short visit

Old Nov 27th, 2007, 01:09 PM
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Yellowstone-Short visit

We'll be arriving by plane in Jackson Hole at 1 pm on a Saturday and depart from Jackson Hole same way the following Wednesday at noon. This will be in late June. We are interested in driving around Yellowstone and perhaps take a rafting trip, if time allows it. I would appreciate any advise and tips. We are flying from the East Coast so more likely than not will stay the first night in JAC. All advised on what to see and where to stay, would be greatly appreciated.
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Old Nov 27th, 2007, 01:58 PM
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Last winter I made a real spur of the moment trip in the middle of the night. 1 speeding ticket, 1 mountain dew, lots of Explosions in the Sky and Paul Simon, very little sleep, driving for several hours without being able to see pavement, but we got there...only to find the park basically closed for the winter. I suggest planning a little more...

http://www.gosleepgo.com/users/jr/ph...llowstone-sign
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Old Nov 28th, 2007, 05:45 AM
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With only 3 full days, there is so much to do in both Yellowstone (and Grand Tetons) I'd suggest you skip staying the first night in Jackson and go straight to your lodging. The airport is north of Jackson and you should easily be able to get to Yellowstone/Tetons if your plane lands at 1 pm. If you stay in Jackson, you'll have to go south from the airport and then backtrack north again the next day to get to Yellowstone/Tetons.

If you're staying in the Park, I'd recommend Old Faithful Inn or Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons. JLL is very nice with incredible views. We stayed there and did day trips into Yellowstone for the great circle route, etc. We found it very convenient, and you have easy access to Tetons and rafting trips. JLL is about 30 mi from the airport.

If you decide to look into JLL, ask for a room on the back side in the "left" wing as you face the front entrance - unobstructed views of the Tetons across meadows and the river - really amazing.

If your budget allows, also look into Jenny Lake Lodge. One of the best experiences we've had. Really nice and the restaurant is excellent.
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Old Nov 28th, 2007, 05:48 AM
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Forgot to add, if you're considering staying in the Park(s), I'd call now for availability. The accommodations fill up early and fast.

Also, if you do go into Jackson Hole, visit Tom Mangelson's photo gallery "Images of Nature". Some of the most incredible photos of nature/wildlife we've ever seen.
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Old Nov 28th, 2007, 09:20 AM
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You need to get accomodations in Yellowstone ASAP. If you can, spend Sat thru Monday nights in Yellowstone. Spend Tuesday evening in Jackson Lake Lodge or Signal Mountain Lodge and enjoy the Tetons. Its about a 45 minute drive from there back to the airport.

I'd bag the float trip. You don't have much time and I'd spend it in YNP or the Tetons. Watching bears and bison is possibly more exciting than what you're used to at home.

www.travelyellowstone.com is the website to check accomodations in the park. You can also call them to see if they have some not on the site. For a short visit Canyon is a good location. You can see wildlife in the early AM and then drive over to see the thermals. You could also stay at Old Faithful but its hard to get to Hayden and Lamar Valleys from there in the early AM.

We put a bunch of information from our trips on our website. The intention was to help others that hadn't been there. Check www.AlandSueJohnson.com if you're interested. The Yellowstone Link is at the top.

You have enough time for a great trip but you won't be able to see it all. The park is huge. I wouldn't be surprised if you plan a return trip. June is a good month, for whatever that's worth.
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Old Nov 28th, 2007, 06:12 PM
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Old Faithful and Geysers in that area. Check at Visitor Center for eruption times (this is an educated guess not a schedule)

Fountain Paint Pots
Norris Geyser Basin
Mammoth Springs area
Canyon area
Lake Hotel

Other possible activities.
Diner and Horse ride at Roosevelt Lodge area
Swim in Firehole Creek
Yellow Tour bus ride
Hiking
Picnic

I would stay @ Old Faithful Inn, Mammoth, and Lake Hotel each one night. unless you like to just stay at one place.

I would try to dine @ Old Faithful Inn one night. Lake Hotel has nice dining also.

At Tetons I would take the boat and hike around Jenny Lake.

I would skip rafting and Jackson Hole. Head straight for Old Faithful and do the loop, finish with a day in the last day in the tetons.
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Old Nov 29th, 2007, 05:33 AM
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Hello dafajua

Ahhh Yellowstone! It's such an amazing place.

A few years ago, we visited this area in late June. We had pre-booked a raft trip before we left.

It had been a particularly snowy winter, and the snow melt was still wreaking havoc on the river. There was so much debris (logs, etc.), and the rapids were waaaay too big for us to even think of venturing onto.

So if you still want to do the rafting trip, you may want to keep an eye on the spring snow melt.

I'd also head straight to Yellowstone on your arrival day. The daylight hours will be long then, and it will give you quite a bit of time in the park that day.

When you get to the Old Faithful area, there is a visitor center you should stop at. Inside, the rangers have posted the estimated eruption times of the various geyers in the area. With your limited time, it's good to know when they might erupt. (Of course, some geysers have a large range of time, say 4 hours or more, but some are more exact.) Besides the famous Old Faithful Geyser, the Riverside and Castle Geysers pack quite a whallop, and continue spewing water for a long time. (And at certain times of day, you may see a rainbow at each of these.)

We enjoyed the dinner at the Lake Hotel much better than that at the Old Faithful Inn, but wherever you opt to eat, be sure to get advance reservations.

Staying in Jackson the last night is the best way to go. (We've enjoyed the Best Western Lodge very much.) Check out of the hotel early, head to the Mormon Row area to see the old farm houses that you see on many postcards. With the Tetons in the background, it's a perfect photo op. There's also a large bison herd in that area. And it's on the way to the airport!

Happy travels!
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Old Dec 1st, 2007, 07:20 AM
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Thanks for all the information. We have decided to drive from Jackson airport to Yellowstone the day we arrive. However, if we decide not to stay at any of the park hotels, could you recommend any chain hotel near Yellowstone? Could we stay there for a couple of nights and use it as a base to tour the park? We are not into hiking so we will mostly drive around, etc. Is 2 days enough? Could you recommend me any self driving tours? We like to keep busy sightseeing. Thanks to all.
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Old Dec 1st, 2007, 07:54 AM
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Think of Yellowstone as a Figure 8. At the southern edge is the entrance you will be arriving at; the middle is near where Old Faithful is; the west of middle is West Yellowstone; the north is Mammoth; and the right of middle is the Canyon area with the big waterfalls.

For chain hotels outside the park:

West Yellowstone, MT: there are quite a few chain hotels in this area. We have stayed several times at the Holiday Inn Sunspree and found it very comfortable and convenient, good restaurant for breakfast.

In the North: Gardiner, MT: Again, several chains here. We liked the Best Western Mammoth Hot Springs (get a river view room); but others here enjoyed the Absaroka Lodge as well.

Each area is convenient to the many scenic spots in the park.

Be sure to check out the reviews at tripadvisor.com to help with your selection.

IMHO, if staying outside the park and have only a few days, I would prefer the West Yellowstone area. There just seemed to be more of interest to us in that area. The Mammoth area is beautiful, but we were more taken with the middle to south areas.

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Old Dec 1st, 2007, 11:27 AM
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The only other place outside the park with lodgings is the old mining town of Cooke City or Silver Gate MT just outside the NE entrance.

http://www.colorado-west.com/cooke/
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Old Dec 2nd, 2007, 08:39 AM
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With only 3 days to spend, I would strongly suggest staying in the park. Yellowstone is huge, and you will spend quite a bit of time driving in and out of the park. I would spend 2 nights at Old Faithful Inn, seeing the geyser area and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and spending some time viewing wildlife in the Hayden Valley. My favorite area for viewing wildlife is the Lamar Valley, but you have to get there early in the AM to see the best. Then I would spend the last night in the Tetons at Jackson Lake Lodge or Jenny Lake Lodge, depending on how much you want to splurge. You can take a boat across Jenny Lake and hike a short way to a beautiful waterfall. Jackson is a fun, touristy little town, but with so little time, I would definitely skip it.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2007, 08:42 AM
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I should also mention that early evening is a good time to view the wildlife. Although some posters mentioned the OFI and Lake Hotel restaurants as being good, we found them to be mediocre and quite expensive. I would rather grab a quick meal and head out to look for animals.
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Old Jan 11th, 2008, 04:27 PM
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Highly recommend staying in the park. With only a few days, you'll appreciate being close to the thermal features and wildlife. Early morning and dusk are great times to walk among the geysers and drive thru the park to spot wildlife. We saw every type of animal possible! Just incredible!

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Old Jan 11th, 2008, 04:33 PM
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Staying in the park is definitely the way to go if you can get reservations.
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Old Jan 11th, 2008, 04:57 PM
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One word of caution. You say your flight is at noon on Wednesday. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get from wherever you are staying Tuesday night to airport. Animal jams on roadways make timely travel unpredictable. It took us almost 4 hours to get from Gardiner to Jackson airport 2 summers ago because of bison.
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