Yellowstone Questions

[wowens79]

Hope y'all don't mind me posting this, but there seems to be lots of knowledge on here of that area.. We are looking at a trip to Yellowstone, and unfortunately with the vast amount of land between Georgia and Yellowstone, we will have to fly due to limited vacation time.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of staying in the park vs outside the park? Can you get into the park early in the morning from outside?

Thanks for any feedback!

[KPetrick]

We went 7-8 years ago with our kids and stayed in cabins that were available through the national parks service. They were nice and spacious but not 4 or 5 stars. We stayed at several different ones around the park. They were clean, quiet and we had it all to ourselves. One was right by the lodge and we were able to walk over and see Old Faithful

Keith

[richardcoxid]

Some helpful information about YSNP (some general items apply to GTNP also)

YNP is BIG!, about 45 miles E/W and about 65 miles N/S (2.2 mil. Acres total). The “figure 8 grand loop” road inside the park is about 140 miles around. The lower loop is 96 miles and the upper loop is 70 miles around and yes, it is bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Whatever time that you think you will need to see YNP you better double it, or to say it another way is that you will see one half as much as you planned on in the allotted time. The Bison think that they own the road (they do!) and will slow down the traffic to walking speed or stop all traffic for 1/4 mile or more blocking both directions of travel, the thermal attractions also tie up traffic and with a 5 month long summer tourist season that coincides with a 5 month long road construction season and a 45 MPH radar controlled speed limit it will take about a full day to see each loop and then you will only see the main attractions. In addition to the occasional construction delays they will also sometimes close whole sections of road (for uninterrupted night construction) between 10 PM and 8 AM in the morning, if you are running late and get caught at night in the wrong area it CAN be a LONG way around to your CG! (The entrance stations will have current construction information or go on line to check it out)

Then there is the elevation- YNP ranges from a low at Mammoth- 6239 ft to 7784 ft at Fishing Bridge or higher if you go hiking and there are passes on the grand loop road that are close to 8000 ft or so! Drink plenty of liquids and pace yourself when walking.

I recommend that you get up EARLY, leave the CG and be back by 4 or 6 PM have dinner and be sitting in your recliner drinking a cool one when your neighbor drags himself back to the CG at 8-10 PM. Remember that from mid May to mid July in YNP the sun doesn't set until about 9:00- 9:15 PM then there is a long and bright twilight.

Cell Phone Service- Only at the major visitor centers, otherwise non-existent!

Clothing- Especially in the early or late season it is not unusual to have a 30 or even the occasional 40 degree temperature change throughout the day. Dress with easily shed layers of clothing. Also dress in bright easily seen clothing. I am sure that we all have been to a sporting event, parade or Disney World etc. and we blink our eyes and our partner/child has disappeared. My DIL was born and raised in HI, you guessed it, every Xmas, b-day or Father's Day I receive a Hawaiian shirt. One of them is shiny black with 4-5 inch dia. bright flowers. Not many of them in Wyoming and in YSNP, that is what I wear. If your partner has on a Violet blouse and a Orange scarf with a Pink hat I guarantee that she will be the only one within the boundaries of either NP. It can save you a few anxious moments.

Water- Now I will have to contradict myself, at the altitude of YNP yes, drink lots of water! HOWEVER, be aware that the flush toilet restrooms are in the major tourist areas- Mammoth, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Lake Hotel, Bridge Bay, Grant Village, Old Faithful, Madison Junction etc. The geyser basins and other thermal attractions areas only have pit toilets. I have seen the pit toilet line at the lower Geyser Basin (2 R/Rs) 25 or more feet long (bless the tour buses) So be smart about drinking your water and use the major tourist area R/Rs before leaving the area! I.e. “Never pass up a flush toilet!”

Sun- At YSNP altitude the Sun is intense (uv) have and apply sunscreen, wear that old floppy wide brim sun hat, wear Sunglasses!

If your luck is like mine Old Faithful will have just erupted when you get there and you will have up to a hour and 10 to 15 minutes wait for the next one. Tour the O/F Geyser basin while waiting. O/F INN is a must see, reportedly the largest LOG building in the U.S. (Meals in the O/F Inn dinning room are “A OK” also.

We have lived about 110 miles from West Yellowstone, MT since 1964, go to YSNP 3-4 times a summer (normally before Memorial Day and after Labor Day) and haven't seen it all yet! So don’t be discouraged that you didn’t have the time to see all of it. Just plan on coming back another time!

I honestly don’t mean to scare or discourage you but to give you a heads up as to what to expect! After all there was 4.1 million visitors in 2015! As far as I know we didn’t lose one of them. Except those who by their own stupidity step off the board walks into BOILING HOT water and ignoring the warnings about the WILD ANIMALS! That is called purifying the gene pool!

Now, for the early spring/late fall visitors, YSNP is closed to ALL wheeled traffic from mid November to mid March (Snow Machines, Snow Coach’s, Snowshoes, X-country Skiing etc only as of mid Dec to mid March) the first road to be plowed open in mid April is from West Y’stone, MT to Old Faithful. The last roads to be plowed is Norris to Canyon to Fishing Bridge, West Thumb south to GTNP. Other tourist venues are open AS the shelves are stocked, beds are made, winter debris cleaned up etc. All tourist venues are open by Memorial Day weekend the official opening.

Note I have seen on this blog and others about folks “day tripping” from YSNP to GTNP, it is done all the time (myself included) however remember this is BIG country and with the speed limits, animals and thermal attractions you will be doing a LOT of slow driving. From Grant Village Visitor Center (extreme S/E corner of the lower loop road) to Jackson, WY is about 80 miles with Coulter Bay being about 1/2 way, then from Grant Village you have to add the distance to your CG it will be a Long days trip!

A point of Coulter Bay (GTNP) clarification- there are two (2) CG’s at Coulter Bay, One the “Coulter Bay RV Park” a full service “RV Park” with FHU’S that takes reservations. The other is the “Coulter Bay Campground “ (FS CG) has no hookups and doesn’t take reservations. Both have about 300 sites and are basically across the road from each other.

The Gros Ventre FS CG in GTNP (about 5 miles north of Jackson and about 4 miles n/e toward the town of Kelly, on the right side of the road) is about 300 sites (including about 30 sites that are electric only) has no hookups and doesn’t take reservations.

When in the Jackson area I highly recommend seeing the Bar J Chuckwagon dinner show! If you go, MAKE RESERVATIONS and BE THERE EARLY TO PICK UP YOUR MEAL TICKETS/ TABLE SEATING ASSIGNMENTS! They seat you by when you show up to get your tickets NOT by your reservation number. Tim, their fiddle player has won the "Idaho state old time fiddle contest 9 times and the US open fiddle championship twice". If you decide to go you will sit at picnic type of bench seats/table, they get pretty hard, I recommend that you take along a blanket/pads to sit on. We day trip it there 2-4 times every summer just to see them! Disclaimer- We have no financial or other interest in the Bar J only that it will be the best $$ value for your money on your trip! Check out their website.

http://www.barjchuckwagon.com

Also in Jackson check out the “COWBOY” bar, the bar stools are saddles and the # of Silver Dollars imbedded in the bar. The Wort Hotel Bar (just around the corner from the Cowboy Bar) also has Silver Dollars imbedded in the Bar.

[wowens79]

Thanks all the insight, we do have an RV, but at 2000 miles each way, we just don't have the vacation time to take the RV. All that time across the midwest would east up all our time.

We've debated renting an RV vs a hotel, but will probably end up in a hotel

[djsamuel]

We stayed at the Old faithful Inn and it was amazing. I would highly recommend that. The location is great but more importantly the building itself is one you will never forget.

[westernrvparkow]

dodge guy wrote:

GeoBoy wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
What do you want in your hotel room or vacation rental? If you want to be in the park the Lake hotel, the lodge at Old Faithful or the Mammoth Hotel are all amazing. For the best park experience split your time between them.
However, you won't get things like television, wifi, multiple dining options, fast food, shopping etc. And you will pay dearly. Outside the park, you won't have the ambiance of being in Yellowstone, but you can get those creature comforts and better pricing. It only takes a few minutes to go from the gateway towns into the park if you get up early. If I was going to vacation by hotel I would stay a couple of days in West Yellowstone, a couple of days in Gardiner, a couple of days in Jackson (Grand Teton Park) and maybe two days in Silvergate/Cooke City (for the animals in the Lamar Valley). That would have me close to new places every couple of days but still in civilization. But I am in to creature comforts and enjoy turning on the TV after a long day and am not really into paying double cost for a bad hamburger at one of the restaurants inside the park. For me, packing and unpacking a suitcase is worth it to not have long, repetitive drives.

Well said.;)

I agree except on the “only takes a few minutes to go from gateway towns into the park”. Yes, it may be 5 minutes to the gate. At the gate it may take you 5-30 minutes or more to get into the park. After that you still have a 30-45 minute drive to the closest main attraction.

I would highly recommend staying in the park. I didn’t think about moving around, but staying at different ends of the park would be a good option.

I guess that is true, but if all you are going to do at Yellowstone is see the main attractions, you might want to consider another trip.
One example, that 30 to 45 minute drive from the West Yellowstone gate to Old Faithful is amazing. First you drive along the Madison River where there will likely be Eagles and Ospreys soaring and diving. There is almost always Elk browsing and wading the waters and in the morning a rising mist gives the drive a magical look. Once you reach the Junction with the Central Loop you can take the Firehole Loop Road and see amazing waterfalls and rapids in the steep canyon below. Then you rejoin the main road and drive along the Firehole River with all it's thermal features. Again you will likely be joined by the wildlife Yellowstone is famous for. Only then will you enter and see Old Faithful. Or you can give up all that and walk out of your room at the lodge, jostle with the crowds and see Old Faithful, unaware of all the things the people standing next to you who drove in from West Yellowstone Saw. Yellowstone isn't about the main attractions it's about the diversity and surprises that await around every corner of it's 2.2 million acres. And no matter where you stay, you won't be walking distance to everything else.

[dodge_guy]

GeoBoy wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
What do you want in your hotel room or vacation rental? If you want to be in the park the Lake hotel, the lodge at Old Faithful or the Mammoth Hotel are all amazing. For the best park experience split your time between them.
However, you won't get things like television, wifi, multiple dining options, fast food, shopping etc. And you will pay dearly. Outside the park, you won't have the ambiance of being in Yellowstone, but you can get those creature comforts and better pricing. It only takes a few minutes to go from the gateway towns into the park if you get up early. If I was going to vacation by hotel I would stay a couple of days in West Yellowstone, a couple of days in Gardiner, a couple of days in Jackson (Grand Teton Park) and maybe two days in Silvergate/Cooke City (for the animals in the Lamar Valley). That would have me close to new places every couple of days but still in civilization. But I am in to creature comforts and enjoy turning on the TV after a long day and am not really into paying double cost for a bad hamburger at one of the restaurants inside the park. For me, packing and unpacking a suitcase is worth it to not have long, repetitive drives.

Well said.;)

I agree except on the “only takes a few minutes to go from gateway towns into the park”. Yes, it may be 5 minutes to the gate. At the gate it may take you 5-30 minutes or more to get into the park. After that you still have a 30-45 minute drive to the closest main attraction.

I would highly recommend staying in the park. I didn’t think about moving around, but staying at different ends of the park would be a good option.

[GeoBoy]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
What do you want in your hotel room or vacation rental? If you want to be in the park the Lake hotel, the lodge at Old Faithful or the Mammoth Hotel are all amazing. For the best park experience split your time between them.
However, you won't get things like television, wifi, multiple dining options, fast food, shopping etc. And you will pay dearly. Outside the park, you won't have the ambiance of being in Yellowstone, but you can get those creature comforts and better pricing. It only takes a few minutes to go from the gateway towns into the park if you get up early. If I was going to vacation by hotel I would stay a couple of days in West Yellowstone, a couple of days in Gardiner, a couple of days in Jackson (Grand Teton Park) and maybe two days in Silvergate/Cooke City (for the animals in the Lamar Valley). That would have me close to new places every couple of days but still in civilization. But I am in to creature comforts and enjoy turning on the TV after a long day and am not really into paying double cost for a bad hamburger at one of the restaurants inside the park. For me, packing and unpacking a suitcase is worth it to not have long, repetitive drives.

Well said.;)

[westernrvparkow]

What do you want in your hotel room or vacation rental? If you want to be in the park the Lake hotel, the lodge at Old Faithful or the Mammoth Hotel are all amazing. For the best park experience split your time between them.
However, you won't get things like television, wifi, multiple dining options, fast food, shopping etc. And you will pay dearly. Outside the park, you won't have the ambiance of being in Yellowstone, but you can get those creature comforts and better pricing. It only takes a few minutes to go from the gateway towns into the park if you get up early. If I was going to vacation by hotel I would stay a couple of days in West Yellowstone, a couple of days in Gardiner, a couple of days in Jackson (Grand Teton Park) and maybe two days in Silvergate/Cooke City (for the animals in the Lamar Valley). That would have me close to new places every couple of days but still in civilization. But I am in to creature comforts and enjoy turning on the TV after a long day and am not really into paying double cost for a bad hamburger at one of the restaurants inside the park. For me, packing and unpacking a suitcase is worth it to not have long, repetitive drives.

[Mike134]

GeoBoy wrote:
Have some of the posters read the OP’s question? They are flying in from Georgia, they don’t have an RV!

Nope

[GeoBoy]

Have some of the posters read the OP’s question? They are flying in from Georgia, they don’t have an RV!

[Gjac]

It really depends on how you like to camp . Some like FHU's, some like a more remote CG. I found the CG's inside the park very crowded with small sites and hard to get without reservations. Stayed in the NFS CG's in west Yellowstone, sites were larger, less crowded and no problem getting into. Woke up one morning to buffalo sleeping in our camp site, saw a grizzly chasing a mother and baby moose into the river. Short drive with the tow car into the park. GS and I hiked into the park from our campsite along the river and fished in park, never saw another person.

[dodge_guy]

It’s been mentioned a few times. Make sure to spend time in the Tetons! I consider it part of Yellowstone. And for us I consider it just as spectacular if not more!

[Gonzo42]

we stayed an henry's lake near West Yellowston and then moved to the Teton Lodge campground. We were there for a week. Senior pass lane is very short and quick.

Pain in advance for both. Henry's lake charged me extra for the toad, even though I declared it when I bought the tickets.

[GeoBoy]

Fly into the Town of West Yellowstone, rent a car and stay at a hotel in town or at Grizzly RV Park. The town is convenient to the west entrance and you can see all the high points of the park easily in a week. Enjoy your trip.