Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

Hi,

My wife and I will arrive in Yellowstone from Teton Park on this Sunday for 6 days. We have reservations for 3 nights at Grant campground, then for 3 nights at Canyon campground.

What is the best way to spend our days? - Where to go, etc. We would like, ideally, to move some distance from the main road to get far from crowds and hike in solitude, while staying in interesting and beautiful places. Is this realistic?

What car is better to rent? Does it make sense to get a convertible or an SUV?

How long will it take me to get back to the airport form Canyon campground?

I would not take a convertible to the park - in the extreme possibility you would need to deal with a bear it would not be too practical -plus the weather in Yellowstone can be absoloutely beautiful and turn bad very quickly.

Not sure what airport you're flying into. When in Yellowstone it's important to keep 1/2 tank in your car, and fill up when you get to half tank. When I went there gas stations closed at eight, and it'w a ways from one station to the other. Here's where bear issue comes in ...

We spent a week at Yellowstone last year. Not really sure what your interests are... but there are so many good hikes to get away from the crowds. Get bear bells or at least make lots of noise! Lots of black bear sightings.

From Grants Village head west to Old Faithful and hike the loop near the Old Faithful Inn ~ it's touristy but SO much to see. Morning Glory is my favorite
bubbly pool. You can continue on that road to Firehole Canyon, great for a swim if its hot. Dont plan on doing any back country hiking around these areas,
too many "hot" spots. From Grant's Village you can also head north to Hayden Meadow. Tons of bison, we saw wolves too. Bring your binocs! Plan a really early morning here to catch the best wildlife and miss the crowds. You can also stop at Yellowstone Lake Hotel for lunch /drink. Way cool hotel. Going back in time. From there you can continue north to Grand Canyon of YNP. Some good rim hikes here but again, people too.

From Canyon Village you can head north to Lamarr Valley for some good hikes and wildlife. I would also recommend a trip to Mammoth Springs and Gardiner, MT for a white water raft trip. Flying Pig Adventure Co. does a great job personalizing your rafting. It was our favorite YNP adventure. We did a cowboy cookout thru them also , wonderful! If you picture YNP as a figure 8, all of the above trips will cover all territory. There is so much to see and do ~ we cant wait to go back. There are many spots to pull over for a picnic along the drive from the Canyon area to Mammoth. Some folks were even fly fishing some streams. Just beautiful views and vistas. You see all the fire damage also from
1993 ( I think it was 93??)

Depending on what airport ( Jackson??) I would plan on 4-5 hours - more if it's a busy time of day. It took us 5 hours to go from Mammoth Spring to Jackson.

Hope this is helpful. I'm jealous, have a great trip!

Please remember to observe all wafety warnings, check with the park rangers for latest updates on wildlife, store all food, clothing, lotions and other smelly things properly, talk or sing loudly while hiking alone or in twos- I enjoyed Yellowstone, but also found out how deadly it could be. I found the geysers fascinating, decided to never get in or on the lakes due to low water temperature all year round, learned how quickly the temp could change in just one day, and loved attending the night program and other talks by rangers. I think it will be a full moon around the 14-16th?

The tour of the Yellowstone Lodge was interesting, also. Make sure you let someone know what areas you will be hiking in or camping in. Not to scare you, but it's a wilderness area, not a tame park or zoo.

There's a great web site - www.yellowstone.net. Click on the "online forums" button. You can ask them all kinds of questions - which trails are open, where wildlife has been sighted, how the weather has been, etc. I went there this spring and my trip was a lot more fun because of that web site. I found out where to go to see a family of baby foxes, a mother bear and her two cubs, and much more.

There's also a hike page - http://yellowstone-natl-park.com/hike.htm with a good list of hikes. There are a few books as well.

As for hiking, my experience in Yellowstone is that once you get any distance from a boardwalk, you will have the place more or less to yourself.

I think a convertible would be fun, but sadly, there is some theft in Yellowstone. If you want to leave valuables in your car at all while you're hiking you might be better off with a hardtop.

You will have a wonderful time.

There is no reason to have an SUV, and remember you are in wild animal country, so I wouldn't take a convertable. Elk have been know to ram cars, as occassionally other animals have.

You are going in August, so expect crowds. It is one of the most popular months to visit. Having said that, here are a couple of my favorite short hikes into the back country. Be sure to check with a ranger to find out if there are bears in the area first! Carry bear spray into the back country, and wear bells, or talk as you walk.

Pelican Creek Trail. This is a very easy 1.3 mile hike. Pelican Creek is a very pretty hike that travels through the pine forest to the lakeshore, then loops back across a marsh along Pelican Creek to the trailhead. You will get a beautiful view of Yellowstone Lake and the distant mountains that edge the east side of the lake. When you reach the lakeshore you can extend your walk by walking out on the sand beach.

Storm Point hike: It may be my favorite short hike in the park. This is a wonderful 2.3-mile hiking trail. The trailhead begins at the Indian Pond pullout, 3 miles east of the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center. As you begin this hike you will walk along the Indian Pond, passing through open meadow. The trail then turns into the forest, and from there out to the stunningly beautiful, wind-swept Storm Point. Here you can look across the Yellowstone Lake to its beautiful mountain skyline. The trail then leads you along a high, barren shoreline where you will look down onto the waves, lapping or pounding against the shore, depending on the lake’s mood. Eventually the trail loops back through the lodge pole pine forest on its way back to Indian Pond. I consider this a five star hike. It

I forgot to mention that if you would like a little more info and some photos from the Storm Point and Pelican Trail Hikes, I have a travelogue I wrote after hiking them one fall. Visit this link for the travelogue

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/58927/#TL