DH dreading 2019 trip to Yellowstone.

dedmiston wrote:
We stayed at the Lodge (not camping) in mid-October years ago. It was the last week before they closed for the season. The fall weather was gorgeous and the mood with all of the staff was like a carnival before they ended their season. I would absolutely go back at that time.

We are Montanans and the above is true. Crowds may have been up, but just come in late July - August. Until the Kids go back to school no Montanan goes. There is that two week window after the kids go back to school and before they shut down most of the facilities that is the best time to go. As noted, the staff are in good moods, the crowds and stress is sharply reduced and they put stuff on sale and a little xtra maybe in the drinks at the restaurants etc.

So, yes, it gets worse crowd wise every year as the rest of the world still comes (maybe that will change a bit)but it is 85% better in Sept to about the third weekend.

We were there a few years ago with our 100 lb Golden Retreiver "Amazon Blonde" (name: Yellowstone Wyoming) and I parked at a curb so the significant could run in to go to the bathroom and two buses showed up. One was full of Germans and the other one was Chinese. I was standing against the Suby with the dog on a leash and first the Germans came over. Meinem Grossvettern sind Deutch and so speak a bit and told them her name and like 20 people were trying to pet her (she loved it) and THEN the chinese people came over and I told the translator her name when she asked what was going on and they went nuts laughing and repeating her name and pointing to my license plat and so there were like 50 people trying to pet her speaking all different kinds of languages. She's so mellow she just sat there basking in the attention. My significant other couldn't even get to the car and the rangers came over and then laughed and scooted the people away from the road so I could leave. It all happened in like a minute. And this was the first week in Sept. Still too early...

Oh best time to go is mid winter to the north end. The campground is actually open at Mammoth and people are actually camping there in TT's and Class A's and C's. We stay in Gardiner or West Yellowstone and cross country ski and snow shoe. Yellowstone in Winter is beyond belief.