Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

We are planning to visit YNP in OCT 2009 with kids aged 6 and 2. This is our 1st time this park. Heard lot of good things about this park.So decided to make a trip. We are planning to stay for 4 days to look at Old faithful,Canyon,Roosevalt Water falls. Is it possible to find a place in the park with kitchen(like marriot residence inn). Someone suggested Hiliday inn on west side. How far is the drive from there to the main points of interest.
We are thinking of flying to Jackson Hole from Newyork.
Would appreciate any suggestions on the itenary too.
PS: we are not looking to hike.

take a look at this link - http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/hours.htm If you're going in late October you may run into road closures.

This link http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/open_closedates.htm#CP_JUMP_138397 tells you when the facilities close.

You might want to consider going earlier in the year. The weather in Yellowstone in October is unpredictable.

if you stay in the park, you will stay in a concessionaire hotel - all pretty modest - the newest in the Old Faithful new wing - avoid the old lodge which is cruddy - go in there to look but don't stay there

the west side suggestion is probably West Yellowstone, Montana - its just outside the gates and a nice little town with some chain hotels - probably 45 minutes to Old Faithful if the weather and roads are ok

make sure to go to the Tetons as well - the kids will love that too

Thanks for the responses.
Hows the snow lodge and yellowstone lake hotel .
How far is the canyon and Grand Prismatic Lake from the old faithful.
Do we need to hike to look at the Tower Roosevelt Falls.

"cruddy" is a matter of opinion. It is not what you want because there is no kitchen but it is very charming and so what the bathroom is down the hall? Right out your door on the balcony you overlook the lobby, listen to someone play the piano, have game tables (cards, chess, etc all over the place) My kids were small when we were there and I am sure they remember it as a fantastic place. 4 days traveling around the park I would suggest you stay in at least 2 different places to avoid backtracking. No need to hike in yellowstone, the boardwalks are short and easy walks and it is safest to stay on them, (and the law I am sure) You have plenty of time to take your time.

Lake Hotel is probably the nicest hotel in YNP - maybe 20 minutes to the falls and 30-45 minutes back to old faithful - really depends on traffic - it can be brutal with the summer tourist rush

hopefully in october the summer traffic jams will be long gone. :)

yep - should be good - we also went in the winter and it was so nice - enjoy

If you're staying at Jackson Hole, I would recommend the Virginian, if you get one of the 'newer' rooms. They come with a small kitcken(counter, refrigerater, sink) and two adjoining rooms as well as a TV in each room. The hotel also has a swimming pool which I'm sure would be great for the kids. As for itinerary, I would strongly recommend putting aside at least one whole day to travel into Lamar Valley. It's a scenic drive and PACKED with wildlife (we saw 10 bears there!)-you'll need a whole day because of how many times you pull over to see the amazing sights/animals

We did this trip 2 years ago, you will love it!
Night 1 - Best Western, Jackson Hole, drive 40 mile Grand Teton Loop
tons of wildlife, bison, moose, eagles, etc.
Night 2 - Old Faithful Inn - be sure to go out on the "balcony" to play cards,
have a picnic, relax. Walk the Boardwalk , short.
Night 3 - Yellowstone Lake Hotel - Beautiful old Victorian Hotel, luxury!!
Take a boat tour of the Lake, a Ranger Program at the campground,
Ice Cream at the Camp Store.
Night 4&5 - Drive north thru Hayden Meadow area, we saw wolves!
Stop at Grand Canyon/Yellowstone
Continue on to Mammoth Cottages, really cute. Drive from Grand Canyon YNP to Mammoth was fantastic!
Night 6 - Head south to Jackson Hole again. Stop at Firehole Canyon to swim.

October may be cold!! Check the weather. Enjoy.

Forgot to mention that Snow Lodge is practically new, very nice.
Good cafeteria area. It is behind the Old Faithful Inn, you will have to walk a short distance to see the geysers.

BAsed on the many replies we decided to do the trip in August when the weather is good. chances of we finding rooms in a hotel or lodge the park are grim .

which option is better, staying in westyellowstone or north or south near jackson hole.

Primarily we will be visting oldfaithful,canyon ,lake.
PS: we are thinking of flying to bozmane airport since thats much closer to park than jackson hole airport. any advice is appreciated.

Be aware that the main park road is 142-miles in size, so you may wish to spend two or three days on the West side, and one or two days on the East. Check this interactive map for a look at the park and where things are located:

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

October weather is very unpredictable, we were up there one year for a week, and I had shorts on the first day, a light jacket the next two, and a winter coat after that as it snowed. Be prepared for any type of weather.

Kimberly ann told you the weather is unpredictable and it is, but it is doable. You just need to be prepared for anything from Indian summer to early snow. I have been to Yellowstone in August and it is hot and traffic jammed and I saw not even one animal. Otherwise, I have only been there in May when a little snow remains and all the baby buffalos are roaming. I would stick with the October plan.

West Entrance may be your best bet for late housing but know that it is extremely touristy! And crowded. The YNP roads are like a figure 8,
the West Entrance is near the middle so ~ you are pretty close to geysers,
and Canyon... alittle farther to Lake area.

North Entrance, you may get a room in Gardiner, MT but you WILL have a drive
to all the places you mentioned. Really not much in Gardiner other than rafting.

South Entrance - Have to stay in Jackson. It's a drive to geysers, Lake
and especially the Canyon.

July and August are the busiest months in Yellowstone, and the sites can be very crowded. One thing I like about October is that you may hear elk bugling. Often elk can be seen in the Mammoth Hot Springs area, and this can be a good place to possibly hear the bugles, it is a sound you will never forget.

Do be aware that on October 13, 2009—Roads close to the public at Tower Fall to Canyon Jct.

I wouldn't stay in Jackson, it is a year round tourist town, expensive, and really too far from the Yellowstone sites. You would be driving way more than you would like.

Facilities in the park begin closing down in October: I copied the below dates from the Yellowstone Park Web Page.

October - Facility or Service Closing Dates
Oct. 2 Canyon Village - General Store
Oct. 4 Lake - Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins
Old Faithful - Clinic
Oct. 5 Fishing Bridge - General Store
Grant Village - Mini Store
Mammoth - Hotel & Dining Room; Service Station
Oct. 6 Old Faithful - Lower Store
Oct. 11
Mammoth - Terrace Grill Fast Food
Old Faithful - Inn, Gift Shop, Food Service

Oct. 12 Canyon Village - Service Station (credit card service available at the pumps all season); wrecker
Old Faithful - Service Station (Lower)
Oct. 19 Old Faithful Snow Lodge Restaurant, Cabins & Dining Room
Oct. 20 Old Faithful - Upper Store
Oct. 25 Madison - Campground (concession)
Oct. 31 Slough Creek Campground (National Park Service)

As another responder said, August is very crowded, and you will see less wildlife, as they move away from the roads and crowds. I am surprised that she saw NO wildlife, however. If you decide to change your visitation dates, I would recommend Lamar Valley on the NE side of the park for wild life viewing. Take binoculars and/or a scope if you own them, as often the wildlife are at a distance from the road. If you see a lot of people out with scopes/binoculars, stop and see what they are looking at. Sometimes a local or other tourist will offer a peek through their scope. I live in the nearby community of Cody, and do volunteer work in the Natural History wing of the museum there, and the curator told me that Lamar Valley is the area with the highest concentration of grizzlies in the park. The Druid Peak wolf pack also live in Lamar. This doesn't mean you will necessarily see wolves or bears, but this is a good area to look. We have been up sometimes and seen very little, and other times seen a lot. The curator I work for chooses this area when leading a museum sponsored outing in Yellowstone to look for wildlife.

Be sure to visit some of the geyser basins on the West side of the park, and don't miss the beautiful waterfalls located in the stunning canyon on the east side.

I have extensive pages on the park if you are interested to learn more about things to do, etc. http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/3d935/dc5a0/

Decide on your dates, and then go to this web-link to see what if anything is available for accommodations while you are visiting the page. If there is, reserve right away, or you may loose out. It is best to stay in the park if possible, otherwise West Yellowstone, a very small community not too far from the West gate is your next best choice.

http://www.travelyellowstone.com/

If you can't get lodging in the park, I do recommend the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone; it is newly remodeled and is kid friendly. It does not have a kitchen, but microwave and fridge in the rooms. Also in Cook City the Alpine Motel; my brothers use this motel every year to go snowmobiling with clients. They do have some rooms with kitchenettes.

Take time to go see the shoot out at noon in Jackson Hole, the kids will love it.