We are staying 2 days in Yellowstone in July as part of our 2-week trip out to the West. What few things do you recommend given that the park has many sightseeing attractions. Also, lodging inside the park is sold out. Do you recommend any towns and hotels/motels nearby?

Thank you in advance for your input.

As for lodging, I would recommend trying to find a place in West Yellowstone.
It has the most motels of the little towns surround the park. We stayed at the Lazy G once. It not the greatest, and it has a 2 day minimum. But it was an ok place because we were in the park most of the time. The 3 Bears is a good motel, but more expensive. The town has a lot of motels, but it books up well in advance because of the overflow from the park. Failing that, your next best bet is St. Anthony, Idaho.

The attractions in Yellowstone I like are as follows:

the Geysers -- Castle Geyser and Grand being the two most spectacular. Old Faithful is regular, but the crowds around it are huge. Castle puts on a 50 minute spewing marathon. Grand draws rounds of applause! (Not kidding there.)
the Grand Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone
Mud Pots
Wildlife, particularly the bison

While it would be better to spend more time in Yellowstone, you should be able to cover it in two days. As previous posters have written, the geysers, Yellowstone Falls and the ubiquitous bison are musts. Just be prepared for crowds that time of the year!

Thank you for your advices.

and Bob, thank you again for your advice on our trip out to the west. I've convinced my parents to fly so we are flying into Las Vegas and renting a car instead of our original plan of driving from Washington to Grand Canyon. We have 2 weeks to explore Las Vegas, AZ, UT, Rocky's and Yellowstone.

Kathryn

Hi Kathryn. If you want, I can email you a list of a few motels around West Yellowstone, but there is a web site, I do believe. Any way, if you can try to drive into Yellowstone through the Tetons. Take the drive up onto Signal Mountain and get a great view.

I will be in Yellowstone in late August.

Hi
We were in Yellowstone 2 years ago.
I don't know the ages or ability of those in your group,, but this is what we liked:
Tower Falls, nice but is steep hike back up.
Yellowstone Canyon--you can do lots of hiking down to it, but can also see lots with a short walk.
Try this site: gorp.com
It has link to the national parks and other interesting info.
Have fun
SG

ps
Also, second to Bob's suggestion to
drive to the Teton's and drive up to
Signal Mountain
Also, if you do go to the Teton's, take the boat ride on Jenny Lake, hike up
to the waterfalls and Inspiration POint--awesome view.(But the lines get long and parking is limited--get there early.)
Have fun.
SG

Kathryn, we took a similar trip last year flying in and out of Las Vegas from Ohio. Our itinerary:Vegas-> Hoover Dam
-> Grand Canyon -> Lake Powell -> Bryce Canyon -> Salt Lake City -> Grand Tetons
-> Yellowstone. On our way back we travelled through West Yellowstone (stayed at 3 Bears) and down I-15 back to Vegas. Stayed at some wonderful hotels in both Provo, UT and St. George, UT so if you're interested in the names, let me know.
Everything was wonderful, but my family's top picks were:
Lake Powell - sunset boat cruise
Bryce Canyon - rodeo and hiking among the hoo doos (Queen's Garden Trail)
Grand Tetons - our cabin at Signal Mountain Lodge was wonderful; gorgeous scenery! We also rented a little motor boat and tooled around Jackson Lake which was breathtaking.

Can't help w/accommodations outside of Yellowstone; we stayed 2 nights in the park and the 3rd night in West Yellowstone (none of the accommodations were anything to "write home about").