Yellowstone

[llewis27]

How long would be a good stay at West Yellowstone to drive into the park each day and view the sights? Once I leave Yellowstone heading down to the Grand Canyon, near Flagstaff to see the canyon. I appreciate all the ideas and tips from people that have already been there done that.

[westernrvparkow]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
You didn't say when you will be there. We have traveled there in the Winter and the crowds are not to bad so there are no traffic delays. We also get up early to be at the gates when they open. This is the best time to see wild life from our experience. Without crowds, we spent three days in West Yellowstone. This gave us plenty of time to explorer all of Yellowstone.
If you plan on going there at a time when it is crowded, I would add at least one more and maybe two days to be able to see everything. There will be times when you are just stuck in traffic and can't go anywhere. If there happens to be an animal near the road, you can sit for a long time before you move again.

In the winter only the road from the North Entrance to the Northeast entrance is even open. In the winter, the Northeast entrance is a dead end, you must go in and out of it via Yellowstone. In the dead of winter, the park receives an average of 200 inches of snow, that's about 16 feet, so you won't be hiking too far off the one plowed road. You really don't need more than a day to see all of Yellowstone that can be toured in a car or RV in the winter. Not sure of your point, since this thread opened in June. And the OP said they were staying in West Yellowstone, which doesn't have a single RV park open in the winter. Don't really think the OP is planning a winter trip.

[kedanie]

Miles from West Yellowstone/ Miles from Fishing Bridge

Old Faithful Geyser .......... 31.3 miles/39.4 miles
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone............ 39.6 miles/15.7 miles
Hayden Valley............. 47.1 / 8.4 miles
Mammoth Hot Springs............ 48.7 miles/48.6 miles
Yellowstone Lake (nearest approach) ............ 48.6 miles/ .3 miles
Norris Geyser Basin............ 28.2 miles/27.7 miles
Lamar Valley...... 65.2 miles/41.9 miles
Tower Fall....... 55.4/31.8 miles
West Thumb Geyser Basin...... 48.3 miles/20.5 miles

Add to that animal jams and traffic in general.
Keith

[DesertHawk]

I've never been out to West Yellowstone, but it doesn't seem too far of a drive to get into the park from the town. But Yellowstone is a pretty good sized place. Depends mainly on how much you want to see & do as to how long it would take someone.

We did a quick trip in 2009 using Mammoth CG as our base. We mainly just drove the Loops of the loose Figure 8 found in the park. We only stayed 3 days. But it was really too quick to really see it well. It was our 3 trip & had plans on going back the next year (which we did). I'd say one needs a least 5 days to really see the place & take time to enjoy it. But 7 would be better.

The Speed limit at most is about 45 mph, but often less. Traffic can be slowed by number of people there & by animal sightings as well. A bear on or near the roadway can stop travel. A Bison herd can stop it as well.

Norris, Madison & Old Faithful Areas are fairly close to West Yellowstone. It is some 50 miles or so to Grant Village/West Thumb Area. 55 miles or so to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Mammoth Springs is almost 50 miles from West Yellowstone.

Be sure to drive the Grand Loop Rd through the Hayden Valley (usually see Bison there) from Canyon Area to Fishing Bridge Area. The Lamar Valley has been a wolf watching mecca since the wolves were reintroduced in 1995. It has Bison as well & we have seen bear there as well. This is in the Tower Area east toward the NE Exit of the Park.

What I have on Yellowstone.

You might consider driving out the South entrance & stay a couple of days to see & enjoy the Tetons as well.

Then leave for Grand Canyon from Jackson. We used US 89 to get from the Salt Lake City Area to the Tetons/Yellowstone in 2010. It was a nice route which went by Bear Lake & Logan in UT. But one could also go via Evanston, UT as well to bypass Salt Lake City.

Bryce Canyon & Zion are also off US 89 in southern Utah on the way to the Grand Canyon. All worth a stop.

[Johno02]

We stayed at West Yellowstone and drove into the park each day. With Golden Age passport, there is no admission charge. Plan at least 5-7 days, especially if you expect to do more than just drive through. for Example, Paint Pots is at least a good 4 hours to see fully and enjoy, time plus the hike to get there. Sign in parking lot says Paint Pots 3/4 mile. That is to the end of the walkway. Most of the other places are the same. Plan on taking some time, and enjoy the park. Old Faithful is a must see, at least 2 hours to see eruption, plus time to get there, find parking, walk around and see the sights. Plan in time to hike some trails if you are able. Of course, we tend to walk slower, and spend a lot of time looking at things. We don't know how much time we actually have left to see things, so we try to see as much as we can while we can.

[2gypsies1]

3-4 days minimum in Yellowstone. The last day be sure to head south through the park to get to Grand Teton Nat'l Park and plan to spend about 3 days there. It's a beauty and altogether different from Yellowstone. In Grand Teton Colter Bay campground has 300 non-reservable dry sites as does Gros Ventre. If you need hookups, Colter Bay RV in the park has F/H/U and is right next door to Colter Bay campground - reservations needed. Staying IN the parks themselves saves you time and gives you a better feeling of the surrounding wilderness rather than staying outside the parks.

For Grand Canyon, definitely stay in the park near the rim's edge at Trailer Village with F/H/U. The free shuttle stops just outside the campground entrance and you can ride it all day getting on and off whenever. It's a great way for touring. Have a fun trip!

[WyoTraveler]

I never stay in the park. I just cut through park as shorter route to where we are going. Windy roads, lots of traffic. Very few spots to park if driving in an RV. To eat lunch we pull into those huge hotel parking lots & just block parking spaces. The nat'l park service is on schedule to destroy Yellowstone with those huge hotels just like they are doing at the Grand Canyon & now even at Death valley. Feel sorry for younger generation when the park service gets finished.

[TexasShadow]

best to plan on 4 days if you want to take in all the major walk arounds and visitor centers (there are several, each one focused on different aspects of the park)
I suggest taking a picnic lunch with you each day so you can save some money and also stop and eat when and where you feel like it.

[rgatijnet1]

You didn't say when you will be there. We have traveled there in the Winter and the crowds are not to bad so there are no traffic delays. We also get up early to be at the gates when they open. This is the best time to see wild life from our experience. Without crowds, we spent three days in West Yellowstone. This gave us plenty of time to explorer all of Yellowstone.
If you plan on going there at a time when it is crowded, I would add at least one more and maybe two days to be able to see everything. There will be times when you are just stuck in traffic and can't go anywhere. If there happens to be an animal near the road, you can sit for a long time before you move again.

[winnietrey]

At least two days, three would be better. One thing to remember about Yellowstone, is you won't be going any where very fast. You have to get through the gate each day. Roads will be congested, time you park and walk around, to see stuff, it all burns time. The actual distance between stuff is not that far, on the map. But the actual time to get anywhere and do any thing is quite a bit longer.

Grand Canyon, unless you are going to ride the train, or do some hiking is more of a one day thing. And it tends to be over run with tour buses, not something I enjoy being around. Just talking about the south rim, not the north rim or the sky bridge etc, which of course would take longer

[two-niner]

The OP stated he would be driving into the park each day.

My advice: Forget costs, a long drive daily just to get to the entrance will suck all the joy out of the visit(s).

Bryce and Zion are once in a lifetime thrill.

Kerry

[The_Texan]

We have never stayed LESS than a week and still see something different each day. You need at least 5 days to see all the main and side roads once, so plan accordingly. West Yellowstone is a good base, as you will see different animals every day as you head to Madison junction to begin your day.

[rv2go]

Just some figures:
From West Yellowstone to Madison is about 15 miles.
From Madison, the bottom loop is 96 miles around and back to Madison.
From Madison, the top loop is 84 miles around and back to Madison.

I would think at least 2 days per loop might get some highlights.
We generally stay a week at Madison and a week at Mammoth Hot Springs.

[DougE]

Geeze WyoTraveler, he said he'll be staying at West Yellowstone. You can do the south loop on one day and the north loop on another from there. I usually spend 5 days to see most of the attractions. Consider seeing Bryce and Zion on the way down to the Grand Canyon. I would also stay a night at the north rim and then go down to the south rim. If your wife would like to check out indian crafts go out the east entry of the Grand Canyon to the little Colorado river where a number of vendors set up.

[WyoTraveler]

Driving into Yellowstone from where each day? There is a lot of driving in Yellowstone. But from the gate to your spot may be an extra drive. Just for an example: Gate to Cody is 70 miles.