Yellowstone - Grand Teton - Glacier advice

1,518 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by DB Coach
SJEAg
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AG

Taking a 6-7 day trip up there next August. Will be with two kids and our central area will be near Bozeman (extended family has a ranch near there). Although we plan to stay probably 2 nights at a Yellowstone resort and maybe 1-2 nights at another park if logistics require.

Thinking we don't have time to hit all three. Yellowstone is a definite but thoughts on Glacier vs Grand Teton? Thinking Glacier might be cooler...but the driving may be bit much and wonder if we'll be trying to do too much on one trip. Thoughts on spending any time at Big Sky...much to do there in the summer?

Any recommendation on what to do/things to see? Main interest is specific touristy sites, photography spots, wildlife, etc. Two kids and my wife has a quirky hip..so hikes would probably need to be max 2-4 mi round trip.

Thanks!
FrontPorchAg
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Glacier is amazing but it's another 6-7 hours north. Truth is both places are amazing and worth visiting. How much is your time on vacation worth? Do you care about spending another day driving in the car with your kids?
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
CDub06
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AG
Yellowstone and Tetons pair together naturally. You'll basically lose a day of travel on just the trip to and from Glacier. With 6-7 days that's just not worth it IMO.
Always_Right
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AG
Great thread, thinking about doing this same trip next summer in 2021.
FrontPorchAg
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If you want glacier I would do it as a second trip and pair it with something Southern Alberta. You can link it with Waterton, Fernie or something else in the area and that would be a pretty kick ass trip.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
DB Coach
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AG
I took my family on a similar trip 2 summers ago, and it was easily the best family vacation we've ever taken. My kids are teens and they absolutely loved it (as did my wife and I). We started with the Tetons for 1 full day, then spent another 2 days in Yellowstone, then 4 days in Glacier. We drove from the DFW area...what a long haul!

Ultimately, 10 days wasn't enough time for the whole trip...it should have been at least 14 days. I had never been to any of those parks, so the first time I saw the Tetons, I was in awe. Amazing mountain peaks, hiked around Jenny Lake, saw some wildlife and waterfalls, just gorgeous.

Then we got to Yellowstone, and it was the most magnificent place I had ever seen. We were there for 2 days, but really wish we had taken the time to stay just one more, maybe two. The wide, sweeping views were simply beautiful, and there are tons of wildlife (which makes driving around the park difficult for multiple reasons). It literally took 2.5 hours to get out of the park because of the people stopping to look at a couple of elk on the side of the road (right by signs that say don't stop).

THEN we made it to Glacier, and, well, it was just the icing on the cake. It was amazing! I didn't think anything would top Yellowstone until we drove across the park on the Going To The Sun Road. The views are breath-taking. And even more curious, is that Glacier is in a sort of convergence zone of 5 different climate types. We hiked to Bear Hat Mountain in the snow on the Fourth of July!

Days are LONG that far north. I think it was actually finally dark after 10pm, and the sun was lighting up the sky around 4:45am.

We went on several hikes, some short, like 1-2 miles, others around 8-10 miles. Seeing the waterfalls, rivers, and glacier-fed lakes in GNP was the absolute best.
ol'Porkbelly
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AG
Book your Yellowstone portion ASAP. The lodging in the park isn't super fancy but it offers the best location by far. Old Faithful Lodge is almost certainly booked by now but Canyon Village is large and more centrally located. We spent 5 nights in Yellowstone and it still wasn't enough. We left our cabin at about 7am (sun comes up early in the summer so it wasn't such a big deal) and returned back at dusk (8pm) every day.

There is a really great app called Chimani that I would recommend downloading ahead of time. You'll have no phone reception in the park, fyi. It is great because it will allow you to navigate offline as well as offer information about various trails, sights and ranger offices. Chimani you can also download the app for the Tetons, Glacier or any other national park. Chimani is also great because it helps you find some off-the-beaten path roads.

With only 2 days in Yellowstone I would definitely spend one day starting at Old Faithful and work your way north/NW where you'll find most of the geothermal sites. Another day I would do Lamar Valley early for wildlife viewing followed by other hikes that strike your fancy. We went two years ago with our then 9, 7, 4yr olds and had a fantastic time.

AllTrails is another good app that is like Yelp for hiking trails.
nosoupforyou
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AG
agree with the other posters

with the time you have - make this Teton's (Jackson Hole, WY for 5 days) and Yellowstone (2 days) and you will enjoy it more

THEN

plan a trip like I did with the wife and kids - Fly to Calgary - drive to Banff for 2 nights, then drive down to Glacier.. 4 nights in West Glacier, 2 nights in East Glacier, 2 nights in Waterton National Park, Canada, then back to Calgary to fly home. Trip of a lifetime!
SJEAg
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AG
Thanks for the advice all!

Leaning towards 3 nights in Yellowstone (in-park hotel and already booked), 1 night in Montana (family), then 2-3 nights in Glacier. May not get to see everything, but hopefully can hit a lot.

Any Glacier hotel recommendations? Something kid-friendly, in or near park.
AgRyan04
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Get a cabin at the West Glacier KOA.

Beautiful....and plenty of activities for the kids.

We have a travel trailer and take it up each summer....its a premier campground.
nosoupforyou
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AG
We found a VRBO in Columbia Falls - probably a good place for you to look if you only have 2-3 days
DB Coach
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AG
SJEAg said:

Thanks for the advice all!

Leaning towards 3 nights in Yellowstone (in-park hotel and already booked), 1 night in Montana (family), then 2-3 nights in Glacier. May not get to see everything, but hopefully can hit a lot.

Any Glacier hotel recommendations? Something kid-friendly, in or near park.
https://www.glaciernationalparklodges.com/lodging/many-glacier-hotel/

Thank me later!
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