Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

I have taken previous advise and dropped Glacier NP as part of trip. Would a week be long enough for a car trip thru Yellow stone and Grand Teton's? Again, recommendations for airline arrival location and departure location, suggested car route and places to stay. Much appreciate any recommendations. Probably try to spend 5 days with airline on either end (7 day total).
Jetfixer

A week-long car trip should be enough, that's what we did in 2007. Although some friends have spent a whole week just in Yellowstone alone.
I'd suggest fly into either Jackson or Cody if you can, although last time we flew into Salt Lake City just because the tickets were much cheaper. The routes obviously would depend on which airport you pick.
Our routes:
Salt Lake City to the Yellowstone west entrance via I-5 and US-20.
Yellowstone to Grand Teton.
Grand Teton to Salt Lake City via US-89.
Perhaps others can give recommendation on places to stay.

A week is fine. Jackson Hole, Wy is serviced by United, American, and Delta. Idaho Falls is serviced by Delta and Alaska. Bozeman, MT is serviced by Alaska, United, Delta, and Northwest. I tried to stay in the Park but all rooms were booked. I stayed in West Yellowstone for 3 nights to take the upper and lower loops inside Yellowstone. West Yellowstone has many hotels/motels to choose from as well as restaurants and shops. You are only about 3 blocks to the west entrance of Yellowstone and within a 1/2 hour to the loop drives. I then stayed in Jackson Hole, Wy for the Grand Tetons area. You can tour Yellowstone down through the Grand tetons to get to Jackson Hole or opposite to get to West Yellowstone. Check the VT accommodation tips for West Yellowstone and Jackson Hole.

I would fly into Jackson unless it's prohibitively expensive. Last time I went I flew into Idaho Falls. It didn't save a whole lot of time over flying into Salt Lake City on account of the connection time (I think all the flights to Idaho Falls connect in SLC.) That said, it's a pretty drive through the mountains. But on a limited schedule, Jackson is probably your best bet.

Look NOW and see if you can get accomodations in the park. If your budget permits, one of life's great treats is a view room at the Jackson Lake Lodge. In Yellowstone I like to spend at least one night at Old Faithful. It gets horribly crowded with tour buses during the day, but if you stay there you can get up early and have the geysers to yourself for an hour or two. I also like staying at the Lake. But anywhere in the park is nice. If it's too late for reservations in the park, spend a couple of nights in Jackson and a couple of nights in West Yellowstone and another in Gardiner. That way you'll get to see all of the park.

Don't get so wrapped up in the geysers and boardwalks that you miss the Lamar Valley. It's off to one side, but it's spectacular.

Take a look at http://forums.yellowstone.net/ before you go. I followed it for a week before my last trip and it was extremely helpful for finding wildlife.

Look for the web site for the city of West Yellowstone - you will get the best deals on hotels. Be sure to have lots of memory for your camera!!!

I live near Yellowstone, and therefore travel there often, but have still not seen everything there is to see. Having said that, you can still enjoy Yellowstone/Jackson in a 5 day stay. I would recommend one full day in Jackson/Tetons, and the other four in Yellowstone. The main Yellowstone park road is 142-miles in size, so figure out what you want to see, and plan what days to see what, to minimize your driving. To save driving, you might also want to consider staying on the west side of the park for two or three full days, and the east for one or two full day. I have an extensive page on Yellowstone Park that you might want to look at. It will help you to decide what the main sites are that you don't want to miss seeing. You will find the geysers and hot pools mainly on the west side of the park. Check at the Old Faithful Visitor Center, to see if there is a prediction on when some of the major geysers erupt. Be sure to see the Canyon and its wonderful waterfalls. This is one of the most breath taking vistas in the park. The Lower Falls drops 308 feet, and is one of the highlights of the park, so don’t miss it. All the look out areas in the canyon are nice, but Artists Point is my favorite look out point, and a must see view. Inspiration Point is also one of my favorites. The canyon area is on the east side of the park.

Check this interactive map for a look at Yellowstone and where things are located:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/interactivemap/

Be sure to make your reservations for your stay early, they book up fast.