Yellowstone

5,663 Views | 65 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by streetfighter2012
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We are all tired of being cooped up and I have some vacation so we were throwing around the idea of road tripping to Yellowstone. We have a 5 year old little girl and 3 1/2 year old boy. They are fine in the car, we've done a lot of road trips, so not worried about that part, but any tips? My wife went when she was a kid and I've never been. Thoughts and tips are appreciated.
Foamcows
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
research hotels/air bnb... im here now and everything is full, so most likely your housing options will drive most of your plans.

If you come up, go out early, like 6-7 am to see animals and avoid the rush, plus its less hot. come back or bring a lunch (limited park facilities are open). Once noon runs around you'll have a hard time finding parking spots/bathrooms at any large attraction.

Speaking of not open, the road between canyon village and tower falls in closed, taking the normal figure 8 and making it a 6... which is a shame, because one of the best roads to drive is between yellowstone and red lodge montana and its a huge time commitment if you want to make that drive.. With that main corridor being closed, you have less options on how to get around the park without doubling back somewhere.

Something else to consider is grand teton... its more photogenic and also jackson as a hub has more options on things to do/eat versus west yellowstone/cody.

Ultimately be prepared to spend in excess of 200-300 a night for a hotel. The motel 6 in jackson is currently 200 a night, the super 8 motel outside west yellowston is also 200 a night to give you an idea of what to expect.

If you buy the national parks pass for ~80 bucks, it gets you (your entire vehicle) into all national parks for a year... else you have ~35 bucks for jackson and ~40 for yellowstone...
Foamcows
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
also, if you use google maps to plan your route, research what route it wants to take you on... i ended up doing about 20 miles of dirt roads to get from colorado into wyoming because of google.
2008and1
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'd definitely check if there is any availability around there. They announced about a month and a half ago that they will not be opening a large chunk of their lodging this summer which means a lot of people with reservations had to look elsewhere. I've also heard they are limiting the amount of cars they allow in each day, so you may want to check if you can reserve openings.

My family is headed to Yellowstone end of the month, but we booked lodging last year. Good luck!
JHUAggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
They just opened several hotel rooms last week. No not every hotel is open but there were options when I looked this past weekend.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I would definitely check on availability now and book what you can. Not sure what the situation is at the park lodging facilities, but days exploring Yellowstone can be very driving-intensive, so staying in the park at least saves you the mileage of going in and out if it's possible.

If you do stay outside the park, I would recommend looking for a place to the north, between Gardiner and Livingston (Paradise Valley). It's more scenic than the park, and there are probably a lot of rental options in there. We are in this area at least once a year, so if you stay around here I'm happy to provide more detailed recs. Look into Chico Hot Springs as a place to stay or visit if you decide to go up north of the park.

As another poster stated, I would at least split your time in the Tetons, which are amazing. It really just depends on what you're looking to do. The geyser basins, where most of the geothermal stuff is, are in the southern part of Yellowstone, most of the best wildlife viewing is in the northern part (Lamar Valley in particular), the most scenic areas are actually outside Yellowstone, both the Tetons to the south and the Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains to the north. If you're into high-altitude scenic drives, the Beartooth Highway to the NE of Yellowstone is spectacular. Depending on how long you're going to be in the area, I would definitely recommend picking at least couple of home bases for exploring different areas. The greater Yellowstone area is a vast piece of land, stretching basically from Jackson to Bozeman, which is like 5 hours end to end.

Not sure what kind of city stuff you'll be able to do right now, but Jackson has cool stuff, and if you want to spend time on the Montana side, both Livingston and Bozeman are great.

This will probably be a great summer to visit the park. With tourist numbers way down, you would be avoiding one of the major hassles of visiting the park. With kids not yet in school, I would typically say wait until September, but that may not be necessary this year.
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Thanks everyone, this is great info and much appreciated. Wife and I are hoping to book something for the end of the month, looks like some openings have popped up.
ol'Porkbelly
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I highly recommend downloading the Chimani National Parks App. It is really useful for navigating NPs, especially when you are offline because of lack of wireless connectivity. Good information on a lot of sites, trails etc that help you decide what would work for your family.
BSD
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
The Yellowstone hotel management company had emailed me a few months ago and said lodges would be closed but never cancelled me...just in case. I was certain the trip was off so I booked a different trip. I just got an email yesterday saying my room is good to go. Ugh.

So yeah, there will be some availability at canyon lodge when I cancel.
2008and1
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
BSD said:

The Yellowstone hotel management company had emailed me a few months ago and said lodges would be closed but never cancelled me...just in case. I was certain the trip was off so I booked a different trip. I just got an email yesterday saying my room is good to go. Ugh.

So yeah, there will be some availability at canyon lodge when I cancel.

Only a few places aren't going to open at all, many are just delayed. I just booked a night in the Mammoth Hotel which doesn't open until July 17. I had to rearrange the one night I had booked in the Roosevelt cabins because it doesn't look like they will open in 2020 at this point.
The Grinder (99)
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I second the ref on spending some time in grand Teton. Very pretty and less crowded. Although I imagine this summer there won't be the bus-loads (literally) of international travelers, so that I'm will be good
FancyKetchup14
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yellowstone is cool, but I think Grand Teton is way better and much more beautiful than Yellowstone.

Also, Yellowstone smells like a hard-boiled egg fart.
2wealfth Man
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Staying a few nights at the Sage Lodge in Pray, MT in late August. What activities would you do there (aside from Yellowstone).
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We are in Paradise Valley regularly (the in-laws' place is literally on the same road as Sage). I'm happy to provide recs if you can give me an idea for what kind of stuff you're into. Hikes, fishing, sight-seeing, restaurants...?
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yea, as I said above, it's really a matter of what you're going for. I could see how a lot of people might be disappointed in Yellowstone itself, as the geothermal stuff loses its luster because it feels like so much of an attraction, and typically crawling with busloads of tourists. While some areas around Yellowstone are spectacularly beautiful, Yellowstone itself is not always breathtaking in terms of scenery.

Having said that, the less crowded areas like the NE portion of the park are awesome, the ability to see the kind of wildlife you are likely to see is really amazing, the park has pretty cool history, and of course, Yellowstone is one of the great American fly fishing destinations for those who are into it. Literally hundreds of miles of quality trout water within the park, some of which is world class.
ol'Porkbelly
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
You could spend a week, or even a year, in Yellowstone and never get bored of it, IMO. It is a justifiable crown jewel of our National Parks system.
ol'Porkbelly
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Also, get your kids started in the Jr. Ranger program. Fun and educational for the whole family and really helps enrich any NP visit.
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Kids definitely are looking forward to seeing the wildlife. My daughter has been asking if there are any boat rides, not sure where she got that from but really wants to go on a boat lol. Fishing would be awesome.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Haven't done it personally, but there are rafting trips on both the Snake out of Jackson Hole and the Yellowstone around Gardiner (north side of the park).
Bachelor99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
there is a family friendly boat ride on jenny lake that cuts down on the trail to hidden falls....you can take the boat ride to the falls and hike back or vice versa...actually this boat ride is in grand teton and not yellowstone sorry just caught that.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Oh yea I forgot about the Jenny Lake ferry. That would be another cool thing to do if she wants to get on a boat.
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I will definitely look at it, we are talking about checking out the Tetons since we are close.
Bachelor99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
you should definitely check out the Tetons....some would argue it is better than yellowstone it is a shame to visit one without the other.
Mathguy64
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We just finished 2 days in Grand Teton and 4 days in Yellowstone. They are very different.

GTNP you get amazing views and the chance at a moose




And in YNP you get amazing wildlife and such a varied ecology. And the things you cannot see anywhere else.




2wealfth Man
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
FlyFisher09 said:

We are in Paradise Valley regularly (the in-laws' place is literally on the same road as Sage). I'm happy to provide recs if you can give me an idea for what kind of stuff you're into. Hikes, fishing, sight-seeing, restaurants...?
Hiking, sightseeing and dining would be great. We are good with moderate trails. We (wife and I) are starting to hike seriously as the last one leaves the nest here in August. We are also starting outin Jackson, so any Teton hiking recs would be good as well.
ol'Porkbelly
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
2wealfth Man said:

FlyFisher09 said:

We are in Paradise Valley regularly (the in-laws' place is literally on the same road as Sage). I'm happy to provide recs if you can give me an idea for what kind of stuff you're into. Hikes, fishing, sight-seeing, restaurants...?
Hiking, sightseeing and dining would be great. We are good with moderate trails. We (wife and I) are starting to hike seriously as the last one leaves the nest here in August. We are also starting outin Jackson, so any Teton hiking recs would be good as well.


Check out the All Trails app. Crowd-sourced trail tips and reviews.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
For hiking, there are of course several easy/moderate hikes in the northern part of Yellowstone, which you can learn about through the NP resources or All Trails. In Paradise Valley, the most well-known hike is Pine Creek Falls and Lake. The falls are an easy, fairly flat 1 mile hike. The trail goes another 3 miles up to a spectacular alpine lake in a glacial cirque. It is an ambitious day hike (3,500' elevation gain), but many do it, and the prize at the top is phenomenal. If you're into waterfalls, there are several in Hyalite Canyon, which is also a great area to hike, but it does require an hour drive around through Bozeman. Wish I could give you good recs around GT, but it's been a while since I've hiked down there. If you're not familiar with hiking in this area, please have a can of bear spray on you and available...grizzlies are prolific in some of these areas, and they can be aggressive if they feel threatened.

If you want a scenic drive that would take most of a day, the Beartooth Highway is awesome. The Beartooths and Tetons are the prettiest mountains in the area, but only in the Beartooths can you drive up and over a high mountain pass. The views are spectacular. From Sage I would recommend driving a big loop down through the park, hopefully see some wildlife as you drive through Lamar Valley, exit the park at Cooke City and the pass will take you over to Red Lodge, a cool little town. Then come back through Livingston. Could also do it in the reverse direction. This makes for a great day.

Regarding food, I have no idea how any of these are currently affected, but I'll give some recs and you can look into them. Of course you have the restaurant at Sage, which is good. You're also very close to Chico Hot Springs, which has both upscale and low-key options. My favorite in the area is the 2nd Street Bistro in Livingston, which Anthony Bourdain visited in one of his episodes. There are also a number of other good place to eat in Livingston if you want to drive there, Gil's Goods being another favorite. The saloon right there at Emigrant also has good food. Pine Creek Lodge is another fun place to check out for dinner or weekend brunch. There are some places in Gardiner, but I haven't had much there that totally blew my socks off. Definitely check on dining availability in the park before you go, as you might want to throw lunch in an ice chest before you go in. Finally, the Wildflour in Emigrant is where it's at for your morning fix. Awesome cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, and good coffee.

The only other specific recommendation would be to go visit Chico Hot Springs, which will be right around the corner from you. The hotel is 100+ years old, and the pool is usually a fun mix of locals and visitors. They have bar service at the pool, so it makes for a great way to go spend an hour or two in the evening.
Mathguy64
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Anyone planning on YNP should be aware that the road between Canyon and Tower-Roosevelt is closed for the season for construction. It took us more than 3 hours on Saturday to make the trip from Lake Lodge and the Lamar Valley.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
That's a shame because Dunraven Pass is a pretty drive. There is some construction and occasionally closures every summer in the park. They only have about 4 months for road work between the spring and fall seasons.
Mathguy64
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yeah. If you are more interested in wildlife or regional hikes you have to pick your valley and stick with it. The big herds bison were in Lamar and the visible wolves were in Hayden.
Martin Cash
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Stay off the Dutton Ranch. They don't like trespassers.
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Awesome, decided to stay in Jackson Hole for a few days and then near Henry's Lake on the West side of Yellowstone. We have 6 of us going so VRBO's were a better option. Still have a couple of days we may stay longer or move north towards Mammoth or head back to see friends in CO on the way back home.
Scotts Tot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Hope y'all have a great time! Staying around West Yellowstone will give you the easiest access to geyser basins, which will be good.

I would recommend taking the kids over to Lamar Valley either early or late some day, as that part of the park typically has the best wildlife sightings. If nothing else, I still think it's awesome to see all the bison that roam the valley, the largest herd of American bison that remain in the wild.

And bring binoculars!
aggielax11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
FlyFisher09 said:

Hope y'all have a great time! Staying around West Yellowstone will give you the easiest access to geyser basins, which will be good.

I would recommend taking the kids over to Lamar Valley either early or late some day, as that part of the park typically has the best wildlife sightings. If nothing else, I still think it's awesome to see all the bison that roam the valley, the largest herd of American bison that remain in the wild.

And bring binoculars!
We definitely will, thank you for the tips! They are much appreciated!
streetfighter2012
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Just booked a few days in Canyon Village followed by a few days in Jackson for the 2nd week in September! Looking forward to getting out of the Texas heat and into the mountain air for a week.
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.