We're trying to plan a vacation out west with our kids (ages 11 & 13) and need help deciding which of these areas is the best for a 1 week trip. The kids have never been out west and it's been years since my husband and I were kids that we've been. Which park is best?

I loved both and it is like apples and oranges...both wonderful. But I think the boys would be more interested in the geysers and roaming buffalo and elk. Yosemite has drama, but Yellowstone has fun.

If the week is 7 days and you are not into long hikes, then I'd say Yellowstone over Yosemite. If it's 5 days..then either park and you won't go wrong with either park.

You might show your kids both the National Park websites on the two parks and ask where they want to go.

If you are planning on going this year you are probably going to have a hard time getting reservations into either of these parks, you might let that be your deciding factor.

Utahtea

Love both parks, but for kids probably Yellowstone because of the wildlife, guyers, boiling mud pots (my kids loved those the best when they were that age).

I have to agree that ,with kids, Yellowstone would be more suitable due to the enormous variety of things to see and the open space. For lodgings we've always had luck in either West Yellowstone or Gardiner. Greetings from Belgium Paul

Ditto, ditto (and ditto to Gardiner and West Yellowstone; however, Gardiner is very close to the cool white thermal terraces of Mammoth, the warm river spring swimming, and major elk viewing, all without driving more than a couple of miles.)

Yosemite is fabulous but Yellowstone/Grand Tetons are the best. You couldnt go wrong with either, I would price airline, lodging, etc for both. When you do Yellowstone you also need to include the Grand Tetons in your plans

I have been to both parks, Yellowstone twice and I also vote for Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Plan to spend a couple of nights in Jackson Hole if you can and look into a whitewater trip (and or scenic) on the Snake river. Our kids were around that age when we did that trip.
We have stayed at a Best Western in Jackson Hole, the Flagg Ranch Village in between the two parks and I think a Best Western in West Yellowstone. We stayed in Gardiner as well but I can't remember the hotel. It was right on a river though.
On our first trip to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, we were heading to Mount Rushmore from Yellowstone so we left via the East exit of the park near Lake Mary I believe. We stayed at this place called Absaroka Lodge that was around an hour east of Yellowstone. It was in a valley like area back off the road along a stream and was quite remote and rustic. They had a nice restaurant on the premises since you were too far away to go anywhere else. The daughter of the family who ran the place was our waitress and told us that she had to drive all the way to Cody to go to high school which was over an hour away.
After dinner, they said to feel free to start a campfire in a designated area down by the creek so we did. My husband our son and daughter and I sat around the fire for quite a while and the stars in the sky were spectacular. A couple of guys who were there for a fishing trip came back with their catch and the kids enjoyed watching them clean the fish and chatted with them. We had to use a flashlight to find our way back to the cabin because it was pitch black!
This is a fond memory of one of those big road trip vacations with the kids. You might try googling Flagg Ranch and Absaroka Lodge. I hope they are still in business but it has been at least ten years since we did this trip.
Good luck.

redconley, I just googled both of those lodges and they are definitely in business. In fact, two different Absaroka Lodges came up; one is in Gardiner and one is listed as in Cody. The one in Gardiner looks a lot like the hotel we stayed in on our second trip to Yellowstone and the website is:
yellowstonemotel.com

The other one that I had the long story about is :
absarokamtlodge.com
The Flagg Ranch village is:
http://www.flaggranch.com/summer/

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much for your responses - all very useful to our planning process!

You have to come back and let us know what you decide!

Utahte