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paullac
Explorer
Jun 06, 2015

Grand Teton & Yellowstone Questions

Can anyone help on some Grand Teton & Yellowstone questions. We are leaving for there later this month. Just have some logistics questions.

1) Route:
Is the better route from Cincinnati, OH to Grand Teton I-80 or I-90?
Internet programs favor I-80 as it's a shorter. I wasn't sure if one road is more RV friendly (less mountains). We have a 32 ft class C. We don't have a toad but are planning to pickup a rental car closer to the park (see below). Unfortunately, we don't have time for other stops or sidetrips.

2) Rental car:
Assuming I'm coming from the south, is Jackson the best place to pick a rental car up? Does anyone know if I could get a class C close enough to the Jackson rental car area? Is there a better alternative?

3) Bikes:
Are bikes beneficial / needed on this trip?
We will have the rental car so can use that to get around. We are staying at Colter Bay & Fishing Bridge. We're not big bicyclists. We just want to see the sights.

4) Verizon coverage at Fishing Bridge:
Does anyone have recent experience on how good it is, if at all?
I keep reading on the internet that there was a plan in place to improve it in the last year or two. I'm not sure if that's happened yet though.

Thanks!
  • bikes would be really good in Grand Tetons, but not so in Yellowstone, so don't bother if you aren't really into biking.
    Jackson Airport is probably where the car rentals are, so yes, you can get in there ok.
    if you plan on entering from the south, take I 80 to Rock Springs and 191 north from there to 89. No noticeable mountain driving on that route. Fuel up on the south side of Jackson where prices are cheaper.
    Can't tell you about verizon availability.
  • From Cincinnati, my recommendation would be to take I74 to Davenport/Moline to pick up I80 all the way to Rawlins, WY then route 287 through Lander to route 26 over the Togowtee Pass into Grand Teton. Between DuBois and the top of the pass is a gradual climb and the descent isn't bad either. Use lower gears to control speed going down to save your brakes. I90 is much further north and would be a better return route when starting from Yellowstone, which also makes the trip a nice loop.

    Do a Google search for "Jackson, WY car rental". There are a number of rental places in town and also at the Jackson Hole Airport.

    There is a bike trail in Grand Teton that starts at the south end of the Park and goes at least as far as Jenny Lake. I don't recall any bike trails around Colter Bay. No bike trails that I can recall in Yellowstone. IMO leave the bikes at home as the distances are large and you indicated that you don't have a lot of time.

    Verizon works in the Old Faithful area and at Mammoth Hot Springs. We have also obtained a good signal at the Pumice Point turnout along Yellowstone Lake.
  • I can't answer the route question but I think if you are not big cyclist to start with, then I would forego bikes. I think there are areas to bike near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton but Yellowstone is really too big and the traffic too bad to gain a benefit.

    You need to plan your routes as well to maximize sightseeing and minimize road time. There is construction and no matter what you do you'll drive roads twice but that isn't that big of a deal since it's all beautiful.

    I found this site useful when I planned my 2014 trip: Yellowstone Itineraries
  • We camped at Fishing Bridge last summer and there was no Verizon reception. We drove about 20 miles southwest along the lake to get reception.