best time to travel Glacier, Yellowstone, Badlands

Rice wrote:


Also, watch the closing (or opening) date of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP. We wanted to get there in 2011 but just didn't have enough time by going to the Tetons and Yellowstone after Labor Day. Depending on your travel style, it could be pretty tight getting to the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier between Labor Day and the road closure.

However, if you were to approach from the north, you could do Idaho and Glacier before Labor Day. Surely they're nowhere near as crowded as Yellowstone. And you could schedule to get to Yellowstone after Labor Day, and then head to South Dakota.

This is what I would do.

Check the Glacier NP web site for typical dates on GTS road. With an average snowpack and no late snowfall, it's normally mid-June. One year it was July 10.

enblethen wrote:
Spring after snow is mostly gone and before schools get out.
Autumn before snow flies and after school starts.
Yellowstone and Tetons in the fall. Elk buggling is something to behold. Fall colors in the trees.
Spring with all the baby animals and the wild flowers.
Badlands can get hot during the summer. Late spring and fall.
Confused? I didn't help any. Two trips would be my choice if you have never been there. OH! Wait! Do both and extend your trip. Early May and come home in October.

This.

The only downside to late summer and fall is that it is fire season in the Yellowstone area. You could have part of your trip marred by smoke or closed areas. We ran into that in the Grand Teton/Jackson area, when there was a fire in the Gros Ventre wilderness area. The smoke was just hanging in the valley, even though the fire was 10 miles or further away.

There is one time you want to avoid being in the Yellowstone or BadLands area: the weeks before, during, and after the Sturgis bike rally. Google for the dates.

The entire region will be full of groups of people going to and coming from the Sturgis area on motorcycles. They particularly like the Beartooth pass.

Unless you like having your outdoor experience accompanied by large groups people competing to see how much ear-splitting noise they can make---then it would be fun.

If you are in the Glacier area those weeks, you will likely miss most of them. It's not on the way to anywhere except relatively unpopulated areas of Canada.

I like after Labor Day. The male elk and buffalo are in the breed season and the trees have the fall colors. See the link to my travel photos. The photos are dated.

Planning to travel in that area in the spring is difficult because you don't know how long the snow will last.

I've read that people are figuring out that Yellowstone is best after Labor Day and that it's getting more crowded then--record crowds for that time of year. It still won't be like the summertime crowds, but it won't be deserted, either. And it will be cold, especially at night.

We were there in September 2011, and they were closing the campgrounds in Yellowstone on the 24th, and closed entire loops even before that, so it was difficult to get a spot despite the fact that there are fewer people there than in the summer. However, the CGs in West Yellowstone were still open.

Also, watch the closing (or opening) date of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP. We wanted to get there in 2011 but just didn't have enough time by going to the Tetons and Yellowstone after Labor Day. Depending on your travel style, it could be pretty tight getting to the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier between Labor Day and the road closure.

However, if you were to approach from the north, you could do Idaho and Glacier before Labor Day. Surely they're nowhere near as crowded as Yellowstone. And you could schedule to get to Yellowstone after Labor Day, and then head to South Dakota.

Then again, this can all be done in the summer without worrying about road closures and the like--it will just be a lot more crowded. But hundreds of thousands of people do it every year.

Going to the Sun has width, height restrictions. There is a shuttle to take if you do not have a vehicle that meets the requirements.

Thank you so much for all the advise and thanks for good wishes. Excited but nervous. I think we will begin mid Aug and end mid Oct in S.Dakota. Is it true that "Going to the Sun" is not advisable for RV travel?

Mid-August through September are the best months. Kids return to school in many places early August in the West. Glacier's "Going to the Sun" road doesn't typically open until the end of June. Rushmore and Badlands should be your last stop as the weather will be better in Sept./Oct. Have a fun trip!

Spring after snow is mostly gone and before schools get out.
Autumn before snow flies and after school starts.
Yellowstone and Tetons in the fall. Elk buggling is something to behold. Fall colors in the trees.
Spring with all the baby animals and the wild flowers.
Badlands can get hot during the summer. Late spring and fall.
Confused? I didn't help any. Two trips would be my choice if you have never been there. OH! Wait! Do both and extend your trip. Early May and come home in October.

I agree with bikendan about visiting after Labor day to avoid crowds, however, It can start getting cold. You can always bundle up a little though. I have visited those areas once in August, the other 3 times in September. I always head to The Tetons, then to Yellowstone, and from there to Glacier. There are a number of beautiful parks in Canada not too far from Glacier that are worth checking out also, such as Banff, and Jasper. Calgary and Edmonton are nice cities to check out also. Do a Bing search on those places to get an idea. Have a Great Trip!

Bob in Calif.