Yellowstone Best in Late Spring or Fall?

Fall, in my opinion. We volunteered for 3 summers in a MT state park. May is usually cold & rainy or snowy. It can snow in September but usually not, temperatures are still decent and the crowds are gone. You don't really need reservations at Yellowstone in Sept. If you go to Yosemite and Glacier, you need reservations for campgrounds.

Yosemite is by far best in the spring because of the snow melt for the waterfalls. Yellowstone & Glacier spring or fall depending upon what you wish to see. Lots of young wildlife in the spring. Pretty colors in the fall.

I agree with the late spring. See the flowers and new wildlife in Yellowstone. Must see the waterfalls in Yosemite.

YS:

I like each but for different reasons. In the spring there is more water and the rocks look wet and more (?) steam. In the Fall the elk have the full antlers and the buffalo are also breeding and putting on a display.

The Spring (late May) is colder than Mid-Sept. -- Based on two trips.

In summary, for wildlife go in the Fall -- For the view go in the spring.

Yosemite: GO IN THE SPRING. No other options. The waterfalls will not be have any water in the late summer.

FloridaNative49 wrote:
Beginning plans for a Western excursion in 2017 and have been to Zion and Grand Canyon, but would like to do Yellowstone, Yosemite and Glacier. Welcome all suggestions, routes, etc. Coming from FLA ---

Yes, Yellowstone is Best, in the Spring and the Fall. Actually hard to beat! anytime of the year.

Do you have time to do this right? Have you seen - Canyon de Chelly - Page - Lake Powell - Antelope Canyon - North Rim - Monument Valley - Bryce - Rt 12 - Escalante - Kodachrome - Goblins - Moab Rt 128? Just to throw a few names out there from Arizona and Utah.

So my thought if you are brave enough to go for it to do a figure 8 starting in The Southwest running up to Yellowstone for an early peak in the Spring - May then heading up to Glaciers in mid June. Then we would head across to Redwood NP on the Coast of California (Lot's to see and do in between) then down to Napa Valley for some good Wine before catching Yosemite NP (and a few others if you are up for it).

Then through Vegas before heading back up to Yellowstone and the Fall - that way you can answer the question of what time of year is better- Then you can get back to us with pictures and the like with an Answer to your Question.

After the first two weeks of September in Yellowstone head down to Colorado to Catch the Aspen going from one pass to the next watching the color. then in the fall heading down through Texas across the South and Back home for the Winter.

Just a thought, might it work?

let us know,

Edit;
Look at getting the front end aligned on the new Coach - get it loaded the way you will travel and then take it in with the right tires and air pressure for a proper Alignment, should steer easily with one hand, if not something is wrong. JMHO.

You're planning Yellowstone, Yosemite and Glacier. Each is different for seasons.

Yellowstone is great in May to mid-June and the last week of August through September.

Yosemite is a spring park if you want to view the waterfalls.

Glacier - You'll want to do Going-to-the-Sun Road and it normally doesn't open fully until the 3rd week of June.

For your trip I'd head to Yosemite first then drive along the Oregon coast. Work your way across Oregon via I-84 at Portland or Hwy 26 to I-84 toward Boise/Idaho Falls and then West Yellowstone entrance.

From Yellowstone (& definitely work in Grand Teton Nat'l Park) head north to Glacier for the road opening.

Have a great trip!

We were in Yellowstone in mid May. Weather was great. Days high 50's and low 60's. Nights low 40's or high 30's. Sunshine every day. Crowds were low. Only one small buffalo jam. We stayed in Madison Campground which is pretty centrally located. Not everything was open,but enough to make it a great trip. We stayed 4 nights in the park. We saw a mother grizzly and 3 cubs on the road between Norris and canyon in the vicinity of Wolf Lake. We had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn. It is the largest log structure in the world.Beautiful lobby. The food was very good and ranged from $12 to $30.