GF74

I am trying to plan a trip in August with my 10 and 6 year old to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons (although I'm still concerned we're skipping Glacier!)


Here's the very rough sketch of the itinerary but I need help building it.

Day 1: Jackson Hole

Day 2-5: West Yellowstone (still looking for accomodation, Chico Hot springs resort?) Wapiti hike a good option?

Day 6-7: Tetons (Barker-Ewing Scenic Float Trip, Jenny Lake, Inspiration Point and Jackson Lake)

Day 8: fly out

Looking for activities. Is the rodeo in Cody worth it? Any kid friendly hikes?

maria_so

Hiya. We just did yellowstone this past summer with Tetons before. Jackson Hole is a must. We stayed in a cabin IN the town of Jackson Hole - a few blocks fromthe square. I have twin 5 year old boys. In Tetons we took them to a few couple mile hikes and we also took the boat at Jenny lake and hiked up Inspiration Point then hiked all the way back (shortest circumference) back to the visitor center. We did horseback riding at a ranch on top of a plateau (I will look for the names and reply back) that had great views of the tetons during the ride. We took them to white water (not scenic) rafting (it was class III and was pretty safe). The boys loved it. We took them kayaking in Colter Bay. Oh, and swimming in String Lake (that was impromptu for us but we made it work). Keep a towel and a change of clothes in the car! That's one lesson we learned...

In Yellowstone it was all about the animals and at night we would play board games in the old faithful inn lodge. We were debating on taking them swimming down the firehole river but in the end decided against it. The current is just too fast. We've been before (on a trip before kids) so perhaps when they are older. We also took them through the Beartooth mountains getting up really early that day to see wild life at the lamar valley on our way outo f the park and was rewarded by 2 bear sightings, and hundreds of bison crossing roads, rivers, etc. Then saw some snow white goats up at the top of Beartooth and had a bit of a snowball fight with the little snow they had then headed to Red Lodge Montana to walk up and down main street before heading back to the park.

We did stop by Cody on our way out but just had lunch there. Cute little main street area but nothing much to call home about.

My boys can hike better than me (they've done Delicate Arch as well in Arches which can be difficult) so not sure if the ones we did were kid friendly but there are great little hikes. I would see a ranger so they can match their skill better with the hikes to suggest.

Hope that helps!

maria_so

This is who we went horseback riding with. We did the paddles and rides package which included a lunch at their restaurant in spring creek. We were surprised it was a sit down and off the menu (we just paid for our wine). Seriously a very good deal. We basically did the rafting one afternoon and lumch and riding the following day.

http://www.springcreekranch.com/acti...seback-riding/

GF74

@maria_so Thanks so much! How many days did you stay in Jackson? I was thinking about white water rafting but thought it wouldn't work with my 6 year old--I'll check out spring creek ranch!

Do you remember where you stayed in the Tetons?

jayne1973

I always wanted to take my kids on the Old West Dinner Cookout in Yellowstone, but we were always there too early in the season. I would certainly try to get reservations ASAP for that.

maria_so

Hiya. We were in Tetons area for 5 nights and stayed in a VRBO in town (Jackson Hole). It was a cabin, 3 bedrooms, with a jacuzzi at the back and walking distance to the square. I could not find it in VRBO anymore though. She did take it down before we even left for vacation as she was completely booked for the year, she said, so no point paying VRBO. She said she would put it back when her calendar cleared. I'll send her an email for you to see if I just missed it.

My boys were 5 when we went and rafting in a big boat (that's what they'll put them in) is pretty safe depending on the class at the time you go. They'll be the first one to restrict kids if the water is too rough. Like I said, boys really loved it but of course it depends on the kid. The captain of our boat says it's usually not the safety but that the kids may get cold and want off the boat (which of course they can't). He even got both my boys to sit with him and steer the raft on the calmer portions. At the end they wanted to sit up front (which I would not let them). You know your kid better than anyone though so just trust your judgement. That company I sent you that does paddle/saddle package, you can do a float trip vs a rafting trip so just ask them.

We did 7 nights in Yellowstone climbing up (3 nights in Old Faithful, 2 nights in Canyon, and 1 nights up Mammoth. If your kids like dinosaurs, there's a dinosaur place in Thermopolis and you can go on a dig if you like. They also have thermal pools there (with slides and stuff).

maria_so

Oh, and keep calling park reservations to see about a stay in old faithful inn. They have cancellations (people tend to book ahead of time and cancel excess rooms/dates when they've finalized their plans). Staying in Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone is just one of those experiences you don't want to miss. I love hanging out at the lounge area at night to play games.

GF74

Does it make sense to book two nights in West Yellowstone and two in Gardiner or Mammoth? I would like to book something for now and then will keep calling for the Old Faithful reservation.

maria_so

I would but make sure you know the cancellation parameters and give yourself that deadline to "give up" on old faithful. You definitely need something in place as the area books up during summer!

maria_so

Oh! I heard back from Anna. Check out the pictures here. They renovated in August to add another bathroom upstairs between to two rooms so now it's listing as 3 bedrooms 3 baths.

https://www.homeescape.com/vacation-rental/87035000/

You can email her at [email protected]

GF74

Thanks, maria_so!!

mosovich

Found this conversation and we are trying to plan a trip as well.. We were thinking of going first week of June. We were thinking of flying into Bozeman, wanted to stay I guess 4 nights in Yellowstone and two in Jackson Hole.. So, we're limited on time, so what would you recommend or are "must see"..

mosovich

BTW: boys are 8 and 11.

falcon

We did Yellowstone and the Tetons last summer for 5 nights with a 7 and 9 year old. We stayed in the park every night and, given the traffic and how much more slowly one travels in Yellowstone than expected, we were glad we did. We covered all the usual sights (the kids were crazy about the geysers) and did a few short hikes. Particularly scenic was the high overlook over the Old Faithful area (can't remember what the trail is called). Another of the highlights for them was the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery center in West Yellowstone. They also enjoyed the boat ride on Lake Yellowstone and the campfire cookout at Roosevelt. The smooth water rafting in the Tetons was nice, but I wasn't as blown away as I thought I'd be. Next time, I think we'll try something more adventurous. The Dornan's dinner buffet was pretty good. Do not pay the ridiculous price at Jackson Lake Lodge for their bar-b-que. It was pretty bad. Of course Inspiration Point is a must-do but we also did a couple other hikes in the area which were enjoyable. They also loved (!) the Wildlife Art Museum--it really is a beauty! And we took the tram to the top of Teton Village. It was a pretty clear day in spite of the fires in the area and the view was great. Of course, we had to have waffles while we were there, as well! Good luck! We came back completely exhausted but with great memories.

falcon

Oops. Just realized I wasn't completely clear in my previous post. We spent 5 nights at Yellowstone and 4 in Jackson. We couldn't have possibly gotten in everything in only 5 nights!