Yellowstone anyone?

[ShoelessWes]

OK, the wife has been hounding me again about us making a trip to Yellowstone National Park within the next couple of years. Since the national park seems to cover almost the whole state, I'm wondering if this can be done in a self-paced fashion. We're not interested in camping, so some sort of motel/hotel lodging is going to be a must. But in not knowing how long it's going to take to get from point A to point B in the park, I'm wondering if it's possible to just drop in and get a room for the night. Any thoughts?

I just got back from there working at the Montana State University football game a few weeks back. I stayed in a remote cabin near gardiner for a few days, and then stayed a night in Chico Hot Springs. I cannot reccommend Chico enough. Cheap drinks, clean rooms, an awesome truly hot springs fed pool, and rooming options from dirt cheap to sickly expensive. They also have horseback riding, a day spa, fly fishing adventures, hunting adventures, etc. As for the park itself, give yourself several days. I'd drive right up the gut one day to chico, spend the night in chico, than take a nice drive to red lodge or over by jackson hole and hit the tetons on the way out.

[ShoelessWes]

A fun side note... it is so cold there in the winter time they ace bandage handwarmers to the valves in a vein attempt to keep them from locking up.



It was -6 at game time for the game.

[ShoelessWes]

You're not meaning to go in the next few months, are you? Sure, the temps aren't much different than Amarillo right now, but I remember going in March one year and the entrance though Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs was the ONLY way in.

Ken F.

It is true, check out the yellowstone website way in advance. Things are open and closed funny times. Also, even then, the website is sometimes wrong, and you'll get there... mid summer/mid winter/whenever and a large portion of the road will be closed and you won't know it until you are right on it.

[Ricko]

We did the Yellowstone trip this past summer - camping in our popup the entire way - it was a two week trip for us and truly the trip of a lifetime.

We set up 'base camp' in West Yellowstone and did day trips from there.

Suggestions for the trip without a camper - plan on a week in the park and spread the nights out staying in the lodges and hotels in each of the major areas - Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, Canyon (our favorite area), Grant Village, Mammoth and Roosevelt - you don't need to stay in all of them... just plan some sort of flow and go with what is closest. You will need to start making reservations now, especially if you anticipate going during 'peak' season (July).

The park is huge, but you can make a full day (6am-9pm) trip to most any section of the park and have a great time (short of the Tetons from West Yellowstone).

Do it - you will love it

Ricko

[Lew]

I second the comment about planning to stay in a few different locations. If you try to stay in one place and take day trips from there you will spend too much time traveling each day and lose some sight seeing time. It's been many years since I've been there, but I think that if you could spend half of your time staying and traveling from Mammoth Hot Springs and the other half at the Lake Yellowstone hotel you should be able to cover everything reasonably. The only problem is that these places, like most of the hotels in the park book early and can be hard to get reservations in. I understand that some of the most popular lodging sites have multi-year waiting lists. Oh, and as others have said, I would only go in the warmer months, unless you happen to like sub-zero temperatures.

[bort]

I have not been, but it is on my list of places I must visit in my lifetime.

I'm not certain, but besides being bone-chillingly cold (it's basically in a bowl of mountains, so it's far colder than the surrounding areas), a lot of the park might just be plain snowed-in for the winter and much of the spring. I'm sure that information would be easily available on the Yellowstone National Park web site.

Speaking of the Yellowstone web site, they have some neat Web cameras, where you can watch Old Faithful live on your computer. Maybe that'll buy you some time while you plan.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

[SRanney]

When do you want to visit? Peak summer tourist season (i.e., Memorial Day through Labor Day)? Don't just stay in one place as you'll be stuck in traffic. There are lots of hotels in W. Yellowstone, MT (West), a few in Gardiner, MT, and a few in Cody, WY. There are a few lodges/cabin areas in the park that can have vacancies, but these are not drop-in-and-get-a-room type stays. If you do plan on coming in the summer, have a plan: what do you want to see? The whole park over a week? Maybe it'd be best to base yourselves in West for a few days then head over to Gardiner. If you plan far enough in advance, you may be able to get a room at the Old Faithful Inn (start looking NOW).

The north entrance at Gardiner, MT (Mammoth) is the only entrance open to cars during late autumn/winter/spring. The rest of the park won't open to wheeled vehicles until early May, depending on weather. (Snowmobiles/tracked vehicles are allowed in now.)

PLEASE don't try to do the "drop in and get a room for the night" anywhere around Yellowstone during peak season. You'll either be staying 200 miles away from the park or in a ridiculously expensive room. Plan ahead and consider camping. There are a number of non-chain hotels/motels in the area, some dude ranches (i.e., 320 Guest Ranch, The Elkhorn) that have decently priced digs, and fancy-schmancy resorts. Make a plan of what you want to see, do some research on the YNP webpage regarding driving times, and go from there.

Remember, however, that the Park does have unbelievable traffic during the summer and every least freaking animal on the side of the road will be a cause for a traffic jam. My wife and I play a game when we go to the park: when we get out to take photos or walk around, we like to point at random things off in the distance to see how many cars we can get to stop. We're up to 18 vehicles so far and hoping to make 20 next summer.

We prefer visiting the park in mid-May as all the age-0 offspring are out and about and the park is near empty. Late summer/early autumn (after Labor Day) is also nice because the elk are bugling and there's almost no one else around.

If I can help, let me know!

Steven

[SRanney]

If you do visit after Labor Day, I gah-ron-tee you'll have a better time. Fewer people, bugling elk, active wolves, bears gorging themselves preparing for winter, and birds starting to move south will make the trip much more worth it. You could have some spotty weather (it has snowed on Labor Day weekend, even at lower elevations), but you could also have spectacular weather.

If you're an angler, the brown trout will start their spawn after Labor Day, making the fishing pretty damn hot.

What kind of lodging are you looking for? Simple rooms? Want to try a (semi)-fancy place nearby? Small cabin on a river? Trying to stay in the park the whole time?

I really like visiting the Park on a cool day. When the conditions are right, the steam rises from all of the geothermal vents in the park making all of the hidden-in-the-trees and less popular thermal features visible.

Steven

[Mark]

Something I haven't seen mentioned and think you should know. If you are driving up from the south, or even if you're not, try to include Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons in the trip. Also check out the Grand Teton Music Festival.

[SRanney]

Something I haven't seen mentioned and think you should know. If you are driving up from the south, or even if you're not, try to include Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons in the trip. Also check out the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Definitely check out Grand Teton NP. Definitely visit Jackson Hole, WY but try not to spend any money. Everything in Jackson is roughly 1.25 times more expensive than anywhere else.

Also, if your timing is right, try to take a drive on the Beartooth Highway (US 212) out of the NE entrance. It's a gorgeous drive.

[ShoelessWes]

Also, if your timing is right, try to take a drive on the Beartooth Highway (US 212) out of the NE entrance. It's a gorgeous drive.

Indeed.

[Jack Denniston]

We were there last summer over the 4th of July weekend and had a great time. There were lots of people there, but it didn't feel crowded. We made reservations 6 months in advace- 2 nights at the Old Faithful Inn and 3 nights at Colter Bay Cabins. Even that far ahead, choices were limited, but we were very satisfied with our accommodations. It wasn't cheap, but we'll probably only get there once, so we felt like it was worth it to be able to walk out our room and see Old Faithful erupting or the Tetons across the lake. We drove the short loop around Yellowstone (very nice) and made a day trip to Jackson Hole (just OK). Otherwise, we just took short walks around the area and enjoyed the sights. I got the Lonely Planet Guide to the 2 parks, and found it very helpful while planning, and a lot of fun to read and re-read while anticipating our trip. We flew into Denver and rented a car- the drive through WY was long, but beautiful. Lots of great photos and memories- enjoy!

[clunkertruck]

Have you considered renting (or borrowing) a nice RV ??-- Then there's never any pressure to be anywhere - anytime - And some of those things are way over the top comfortable-- ???

[Captain Sousie]

I spend at least some of every year living and working in Jackson and the park. After Labor Day is a good idea as a lot of things are cheaper and less crowded. If you want you can PM me and I'll try to get you specific info about places to stay and things going on.

Dave

[Rev Rob]

Scheleporello,

I concur with the recommendation for a stay at Chico Hot Springs. great accommodations, food and of course spending your evening soaking in the hot water. Another option is Cooke City at the North East entrance. A little more rustic than Chico, and make use of the motels. I would not recommend camping, a number of campers have been mauled by Grizzly bears. If you are traveling with your tuba, you are not to far from me in Absarokee, or Steve in Bozeman. Come and jam a bit, sit in with Alte Kamaraden in Red Lodge.

[DLThomas]

I also prefer a visit after Labor Day, for the reasons already mentioned.

If you do happen to stay at Chico and enter the Park at Gardiner, be ready to take elk pictures in Mammoth. They sometimes outnumber the humans.

Dave T.