I'm considering a hiking excursion to Yellowstone around May, and I had a couple questions. First, all my experience around mountains is from the Appalachians which are getting increasingly overrun by tourists every year...you just can't hike anymore without bumping into somebody (which defeats the whole purpose of "getting away from the rat race") How's the crowding situation at Yellowstone? Is it possible to find a nice quiet scenic spot to stop and take in the view without somebody's kid making a fuss? Also, how's the weather in late spring?

Weather's unpredictable and snow wouldn't be a surprise. We're going in mid-June and were told snow could happen even then. There won't be too many people there in May but some. If you want total seclusion, that may be hard to find anywhere.

You should take a look at Glacier NP. There's serious hiking / backpacking out there. The scenery is spectacular. You'd need to bear (pun intended) that you're not the top of the food chain. In the back country, the hikers you meet should be also getting away from the rat race.

May would be great - far fewer tourists than the summer. You shouldn't have crowds, and camping or lodging should be available (though I'd book ahead just in case). In summer it gets really crowded. The mountains, especially in the Tetons, will have lots of snow, but you should be able to hike many of the trails in Yellowstone that time of year. It's a good time to see wildlife, too, since it's too snowy for them to go to the higher areas.

Yellowstone is not going to be as busy in May as it would in July, but there is still going to be "others" to contend with. We were there in late May '05 and it wasn't as busy as the previous July but still more people than we had expected.

Like the other traveler said, Glacier NP has great hiking and about 1/16 of the people. The only concern with that, is that in May there is still quite a bit of snow and ice to contend with. But, if you're up for an adventure, add a few extra things to your pack and it'll be worth it.

Good Luck and have a great trip!

It depends on where you want to hike. Yellowstone may be the most visited park, but most of the tourists are not there to hike. That being said, to hike in Yellowstone back country takes some planning, and no, you probably won't find a "nice quiet scenic spot to stop and take in the view" without getting off the main road and back packing in. If you do that I wouldn't expect any kids making a fuss- just bears.

However, Yellowstone has snow which may not be gone in May which will limit where you can go. On the other hand there will be far less visitors to the main attractions.

If you really want hiking in May I would try somewhere further South (Southern Utah/ Grand Canyon...etc) to avoid the snow.