Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

There will be 7 of us (3 children 16,14 and 6 included) going to Grand Tetions and Yellowstone next July.
We will arrive at SLC on July 14th and sleep at an airport hotel. On the 15th in the morning we collect our car, spend a couple of hours in the city just to say "been there" and aim to the Tetons. We have booked 2 nights at Jackson lake Lodge. Then we head to Yellowstone, where we booked 2 nights by the East Entrance and another 2 by the West Entrance. There was nothing left insinde the Park when we started looking back at end March, so we have to go in and out of the Park during those days.
Does any of you suggest an itinerary and not to miss spots? We have an idea of what the park has to offer. I have a Lonely Planet book, etc, but a personal experience from anyone having been there recently makes a difference.
As he take kids, we cannot make very strenous hikes, even though the younger one is a good companion in walking trips.

Have we done well splitting our nights this way, even considering we have to backtrack every evening?

We'd like to do some rafting. I heard there is a company on the Tetons that takes young kids on an itinerary that's not too hard. Do you know any?

Thanks a lot!
Maria

Hi
For what its worth, no matter anything else, you'll love Yellowstone. We were there July and go back in June.

I've never come in from the East entrance so I don't know about it. West Yellowstone should be a very good location. Splitting the time between two places is normally an OK thing. You might continue calling the park to see about cancellations. I understand they frequently have them. Canyon would be a better choice than outside the east entrance, I think.

Simply driving around is great. You never know what wildlife will be around the corner. You need to see Old Faithful. Its pretty cool. You should then walk the boardwalk through the Upper Geyser Basin to see the rest of them. Keep a hand on the 6 year old if he is inclined to wander. Off the boardwalk is dangerous.

We put several pictures and hopefully some useful information on our website. Some of them might help you plan. You can click on my name to see the profile. The link is there.

We didn't stay in the Tetons. I can't help much other than they're beautiful. We'll spend one night at Jackson Lake Lodge in June and I'm looking forward to that.

Maria, I've been going to Jackson/Yellowstone for the past 15 years and never tire of it. I've taken many a group of friends as well as doing it on my own merely to enjoy the scenery. I'll try to answer some of your queeries.

First of all, for affordable accomodations in SLC, try the Dayss Inn airport. (There is a convinient Denny's restaurant right across the street which makes grabbing breakfast the following morning convinient). Also, there is a Diamond Lils steak house down the street for dinner the night of your arrival. Convinient once again.

The following morning, after you depart, go as far as Bear Lake and stop there for lunch. Enjoy the quaintness of many of the little towns along the way. (Great little antique shops also)!

You don't mention how many days total you have in the area - is it only 1 week?
You will arrive into Jackson (if you leave early - say around 7:00am) by around 2pm. After you arrive into Jackson, keep in mind it is about another 2 hours to Jackson Lake Lodge and that is not counting the mandatory stops along the way for the many wonderful views which are jaw dropping gorgeous. The 2 hours will suddenly turn into 5!!!

Jackson Lake Lodge, especially if you are there during a weekend, serves the best all you can eat buffet breakfast in the area with some of the most beautiful scenery in the park which you an gaze out on from the all glass wall of the restaurant. This is also a wonderful place to spot wildlife such as moose in the evenings with a ranger led chat.
You can easily spend 1 week inside Grand Teton National park so again, how long do you plan on being there? If you must do only 1 activity, start off early and do the hidden falls hike across the lake (Jenny Lake). You must get started early to beat the crowds and the hike takes all day but well worth it.

Also, drive along airport road, Moose Junction, Kelly and see some of the old homsteads and look for antelope (in antelope valley) and bison.
In the evening, go to Oxbow bend to watch for moose, beaver and other wildlife.
For white water rafting, there are many many companies in Jackson and, welve used about 5 of them. Our personal favorite (and the one Bill Clinton used when he was in the area) was SANDS White Water rafting:

http://www.sandswhitewater.com/index.html

We found them proffessional and include a nice buffet lunch or dinner. Our suggestion is that you go in the early afternoon. You will get wet - very wet and the river is extremely cold. As you float through a canyon, if you go too early, the temperature will not be sufficiently warm enough to properly dry you off. Too late and the same thing applies. We found going on the 3:00pm trip is best. Plenty of sun and you're nice and toasty by the end of the trip! Carry plenty of dry clothes to change back into when you return to your bus. Change BEFORE you head back up the long trek to the town of Jackson or you'll be freezing the entire ride back!!! (There are porta potties you can change in where you put out of the river).

Yellowstone I wold split up as follow:
1 day Lake area and Falls (Artist point, inspiration point, Tower falls, etc).
1 day Mammoth
2 days Geyser area, including upper & lower Geyser.
*(there is nothing much in the East entrance and yes, it is a LONG drive to and from the park).
You might want to wait and do a final check with the park system a couple of days before travel. There are usually a number of cancellations which take place at the last minute. We've often gotten accomodations this way, especially in Lake Lodge cabins and Mammoth Cabins. Old Faithful cabins are harder to reserve.
The park in incredibly huge and takes hours of driving to reach from point A to point B. It may not look it on the maps but, due to road conditions, twists and turns and, not to mention the gorgeous scenery, what seems like a shor distance turns into a few hours drive.

Let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Homer

Hi Maria,
itīs been some years since I last been to Yellowstone but I made the same experience as mentioned earlier: we (my sister and I) had no reservation for any hotel in the parc and this was July.... but we went to the parc office at Mammoth and they checked and immediately offered us a room at Yellowstone Inn right by Old Faithful because other people had cancelled at short notice.... so just ask and you might get lucky.
You have to stop your car along the road to watch the buffalo... what amazing beasts they are and how huge!
Enjoy your trip, I am sure you wonīt regret any minute of it!

Claudia

Thanks for your suggestions.
It seems like you all agree on trying to change accomodation from East Entrance to somewhere inside the Park. Pahaska Teeppee was the only available accomodation we found for the 7 of us.

As for SLC I did book Days Inn. We're tuned!
From what you tell me, I guess a drive around SLC is out of the question if we want to arrive at Jackson Lake Lodge at least early in the evening.
We will arrive at JLLodge on the 15th and will stay 2 nights. On the 17th we drive to Yellowstone and stay 2 nights at the East Entrance (Pahaska). On the 19th we cross the Park to the West Entrance and stay another 2 nights.
I understand it'll be pretty hard to do much else besides driving... and after sun down it's not very wise, is it?

What time do you arrive into SLC? You can go to Temple Street (actually, I believe the Days Inn is on Temple street) and walk around the Temple.
The following morning, you can (and will) drive quite a bit around SLC before getting out. No choice there.
I actually enjoyed, just north of SLC, Ogden and the smaller towns. If you wish to be in JLL by early evening, you should be on your way by at least 10am.
Keep in mind that you will want to stop at Bear Lake and other smaller towns.

There is a wonderful art gallery called Blue Fox Gallery:
http://www.bluefoxgallery.com/
who do wonderful creative artork. They are located in Etna, Wyoming. A tiny town just north of Jackson. You'll go right past them. If you get a chance, stop by, say hi to the owners and let them know that Homer and Eddie say hello!

Thanks for the suggestions. The Fox Gallery is the kind og place I loose myself in... I'll tell the owners you sent me.
I checked the site. I guess Iīll bring a chiken mask!
Masks and wooden sculptures are my problem... I always find one to brig home. Check on my Mauritius page and find out the last sculpture I brought home.
SLC will just be a mirage to us, as we will arrive around 10 pm on the 14th.
Next time... when we come back for Zyon, Brice, etc Parks!

Wayne and Tony have been friends of mine for years. I knew them when they were first starting and I commissioned Tony to make me espresso coffee cups (one of a kind) with his blue fox logo. They were a big hit.
Wayne is a very talented young man with quite an amazing talent on his hands.
They in turn, introduced us to many other wonderful people in Star Valley and Jackson and now, going back is like going home.

Please do tell them Homer and Eddie from Miami say hello. I can't wait to go back again!

Hi, I live near Yellowstone, and therefore have been there often, but have still not seen everything there is to see. It is good that you will stay on two different sides of the park, as the main park loop road is 142-miles in size. This creates a lot of driving if you are only in one location.

Here are some things to see from the west side of the park: When in Yellowstone, of course you have to see Old Faithful, as it is the most famous of all the geysers. It is a nice one, but I have to say there are a few I like better. One thing that is fun is to take the Old Faithful Lodge historic tour. It is quite interesting. If you don't want to do this, at least go in and look around. It is the most outstanding log structure I have ever seen. Besides the Old Faithful geyser basin, the Norris geyser basin is nice. Try to see Eucinas geyser erupt while in Norris. It use to be very regular, but isn't anymore, so this may be difficult. One of our very favorite geysers is Great Fountain, which is located on the Firehole Lake Drive. You can get an estimate of when it might erupt at the Old Faithful Visitor Center. If you have enough time Mammoth Hot Springs area is quite interesting. It is on the North West corner of the park. You often see elk lying around the area, be careful, don't get too close, as they can be dangerous.

On the East side of the Park: Be sure to see the Canyon area and it's falls. Artists Point is my favorite look out point, and a must see view. Inspiration Point is also very very nice. The mud pots are pretty interesting, but they are at their best in the fall when they are really just like moving mud, in the spring with the snow melt off they are watered down and are more like gray liquid water. If you have enough time Tower Falls to the north east are also very nice to explore, although I can't remember how far you have to walk from the parking lot to see Tower Falls.

If you want to eat out in a nice restaurant the old log lodge at Old Faithful (from the West), the Lake Hotel (from the East), and the lodge at Mammoth(NorthWest) all have excellent restaurants, although they are somewhat pricey. I can't remember if they have a children's menu. If you want to eat in any of these, make your reservations well in advance as they are popular. I have a lot of pretty detailed information on places to eat, see, stay, etc. on my VT Yellowstone pages.

Have fun, enjoy the sites and wildlife, but be sure to follow park rules. We often read about injuries in the park in our local newspaper. They almost always happen because someone ignored the rules.

Hi Anne.
Thanks a lot for your informations.
I've been reading your pages and I'm going to print them out to carry them with me on our trip. They have a lot of valuable information that I'm sure will help us plan our days successfully.
We are booked at Pahaska Teepee Resort 17-19Jul. Should you be able to join us in the evening for diner or a frink, it would be just great!
Maria

I just returned from a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. As always, it was an amazing time. I actually stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge for 4 nights. It's in a great location - right in prime moose habitat. Also, the view of the mountains from here is incredible. Besides moose, the area around the lodge is also good habitat for elk, beaver, black bears, and grizzly bears. There has been a mother grizzly with 3 cubs hanging around the area for the last few weeks. The elk are giving birth to calves and she's hunting them. If you are interested in birds, it's a great area for them too. Oxbow Bend is only about 1 mile away from the lodge and is a great spot just after sunrise - if it's calm weather there will be a nice reflection of the mountains in the water.

There are a few rafting companies but the Jackson Lake Lodge offers rafting trips as well. Rafting in the park isn't hard anywhere... It is more of a floating trip to enjoy the scenery. There are no real rapids to speak of... If you want to see wildlife while rafting it is best to go very early (probably too early for the kids, haha) or towards evening. When I say early, I mean a 9am start is too late...

Colter Bay is also worth checking out. It is 5 miles north of Jackson Lake Lodge. There is a visitor center there and a marina. You can also hike here and it is mostly level and not at all difficult. I like to hike the 3 mile loop via Swan Lake. Again, to see wildlife (moose) it is best early or late in the day. I have seen moose at Swan Lake several times.

I agree that splitting your time in different locations in Yellowstone is a good idea. Staying in the park would be ideal of course, but not always possible. I also would have chosen to stay in Canyon, but it wasn't open yet when I was there. I decided to stay in Gardiner, Montana - at the north entrance for the 4 days I was there. I've been to the park quite a bit, so I was mainly concentrating on photographing wildlife in the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley and in-between this time around. For me that was a good location for what I wanted to do.

A couple of people here mentioned Artist Point in the Canyon and it is a really great view. Unfortunately, the park will be doing restoration work there this summer beginning July 9th, so it is scheduled to be closed while you are there.... No access to the viewpoint at all. The other viewpoints of the canyon will be open, however. You can also drive as far as the Uncle Tom's Cabin Trailhead on the road that goes to Artist Point. The Uncle Tom's Cabin Trail is really nice although it involves a LOT of stairs so maybe too much for a 6 year old. It isn't a very long trail, but coming up all the stairs is quite a workout. The view of the falls from the trail is worth the hike down. Early morning is best to avoid the crowds and if it's sunny - there should also be a small rainbow in front of the falls.

I'm sure you've already read quite a bit about hiking in bear country. Since there are 7 of you, you shouldn't really have a problem with making noise to warn bears of your presence... Bear spray is recommended although I have never taken it with me and luckily never got into a situation where I would have needed it...

There are also recommended distances to stay away from wildlife and I am still surprised when I see people disregard the warnings. On this latest trip I watched a car stop on the road next to a bear. The bear was about 10 ft off the road. Two kids got out with cameras in hand and the car pulled away to look for a place to park off the road.... hmmm....
Just 2 weeks ago a photographer in Yellowstone got too close to a grizzly with cubs and he was mauled. He survived, but his face was torn up pretty badly... I don't mean to scare you, as attacks by animals in the park are rare, especially considering the number of people visiting here each year. If you remain sensible about what's going on around you, you shouldn't have any problems. It is interesting to know that more people have been injured or killed by bison, than by bears...

It is ok to pull off the road to view wildlife, but park rangers will have you move if you are not completely off the road (outside the white line on the road). This is to keep traffic moving. I have seen cars parked in the middle of the road, all four doors wide open and the people are 100 meteres away photographing an animal...

Anyway, I just wanted to mention a few of those things. I think they are important things to know.

Enjoy your trip! I'm thinking about going back up there for the first week of July if I can get the time off. The area just draws me back again and again!

Hi Ernst
Thanks so much for your tips.
I've been away from this site too long and had no idea I had another posting.
All hints will be printed and carried with us.
Yes, we are aware of the distances from the wildlife and will keep that in mind at all times! After all it's us invading their space, so we should be respectful.
I'm on the count down now...