Jackson Hole/Yellowstone
by Bryan (IrishCavan), Howth Castle and Environs, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:34 (2383 days ago)
I have a conference in Jackson Hole in October and want to spend a day going to Yellowstone. I won't have a car, so I'm looking for a bus tour or something like that. The one's I've found are ridiculously expensive (1 was $800 for a day/the other $250 for 1/2 day). I could rent a car, I suppose, but would rather take in the sights as opposed to keeping eye out for signs, etc. Have any of you been to Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons, or the southern part of Yellowstone? Suggestions would be appreciated. You can also email me at bmcgover at kennesaw dot edu
Tags:
travel
Does anyone have an opine on best time of year to visit?
by Grantland, y'allywood, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 06:04 (2382 days ago) @ Bryan (IrishCavan)
- No text -
February or March.
by nedhead , Thursday, August 02, 2018, 06:28 (2382 days ago) @ Grantland
- No text -
Jackson Hole, yes. Yellowstone, no
by Jack , Thursday, August 02, 2018, 08:31 (2382 days ago) @ nedhead
edited by Jack, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 09:01
I'm sure it's worth seeing in the winter, mind you. I've been to Yosemite in the winter and it's pretty neat, especially in contrast to the summer. But it's so much more accessible after the snow melts, and I'd have to think it's the same at Yellowstone.
Up until the 90's Yellowstone wasn't even open to the public outside of the summer months without requesting permission (though it wasn't hard to get) because there was a skeleton crew of rangers and other staff and there was no in-park lodging open. Why? Because it's so bloody cold!
Yellowstone is remarkable in the winter,
by nedhead , Thursday, August 02, 2018, 16:41 (2382 days ago) @ Jack
moreso than in the summer. But appropriate attire is necessary.
Yellowstone —> July/August
by Mark, O Town, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 15:46 (2382 days ago) @ Jack
The first time I’ve visited Yellowstone was 25 years ago during the first week of June.
It snowed on us a couple of the nights we were out camping.
I think the best time to visit Yellowstone is in July or August.
--
"2020 ... Let's win it all ..."
Been there, done that - rent a car
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:39 (2383 days ago) @ Bryan (IrishCavan)
edited by Jack, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:46
Yellowstone is unique among national parks, partly because it's the first, in that the major sights are all easily accessible because of the main figure 8 road. It's easy to find everything, and it's very well marked.
But I'm pretty much an anti-bus tour guy, so take that into consideration.
Hey, though, I wonder if we have someone from Wyoming on this board? Anyone? Anyone at all?
Hey, I resemble that remark
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 10:04 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
Wyoming in the fall is beautiful, especially up in the Tetons and Yellowstone.
If you have a chance, you might want to look into staying a night in the Lake Yellowstone cabins.
https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/
Jackson is a bit touristy, or at least by Wyoming standards, but some things that are great to hit are the: 1) Million Dollar Cowboy bar ( https://www.milliondollarcowboybar.com/); 2) I am partial to the Mangy Moose ( http://www.mangymoose.com/ ); and the Wort Hotel ( https://www.worthotel.com/the-hotel/ ).
The other thing I recommend, if you enjoy any kind of thrill seeking, is Snake River raft rides.
We are staying 3 nights at Old Faithful in August 2019
by MattG, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 12:36 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
We got one of the old rooms. I'm pretty excited and basically building the entire trip around that.
I need to pick your brain for Wyoming things to do.
The trip looks like Chicago--->Mason City--->Badlands NP--->Black Hills---->Yellowstone--->Jackson Hole. 10 days (or so) total.
I'm strongly leaning toward renting an SUV one-way, dropping it off in Jackson nd flying home, which IMO makes the entire trip work.
Unfortunately, my dream of staying in one of the saloons in Deadwood is NOT going to happen b/c we really can't avoid Sturgis during that August timeframe and "Deadwood during Sturgis" would not fly with the family.
Just got back from this trip yesterday
by Flann, Central New Jersey, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 14:03 (2382 days ago) @ MattG
With my wife and 4 kids (14, 11, 9 and 5). We were out camping at Yellowstone with a couple friends from ND and their families. Went through a group called Wilderness Inquiry at Yellowstone, whom I would recommend. On the way out from Central NJ, we took a more southerly route through St. Louis up to Jackson and the Tetons.
On the way back this was the itinerary:
Day 1: Towards the northeast pass out of Yellowstone: beautiful scenery, Tower Falls and thousands of bison in the Lamar Valley. Outside of the park we passed through the Beartooth Pass to Montana, which had scenery in its own way as striking as Yellowstone.
Day 2: Towards the Black Hills: Little Big Horn battlefield, Devil’s Tower, Stay outside of Custer, SD
Day 3: Staying in a cabin outside of Custer: Mt. Rushmore via the Iron Mountain road (US16A) which frames the monument in one way tunnels heading north. Wind Cave, via Custer State Park, great meal at the Begging Burro in Custer.
Day 4: Needles Highway North to the interstate, Wall Drug, Badlands, (check out the skeleton man walking the skeleton dinosaur on the westbound side near exit 170), Corn Palace, Stay in Sioux Falls
Day 5: Stop in Mason City to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright House there and see some of the other Prairie Style architecture, check out the Music Man stuff, stop at the Field of Dreams site to have catches with the kids.
That pretty much takes it back to Chicago. Did stop at ND on the way back and took a pretty bad and poorly guided tour of the stadium. They no longer take you into the locker room or really anywhere else but the concourse, but you do get about 10 minutes on the field, so bring a football, if you ever go.
Hey, cool!
by MattG, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 21:40 (2382 days ago) @ Flann
My mom did the interior for the Frank Lloyd Wright hotel in Mason City. That place is awesome. We had our 20 year HS reunion there.
That’s awesome
by Flann, Central New Jersey, Friday, August 03, 2018, 18:12 (2381 days ago) @ MattG
It’s beautiful and seemed like quite the renovation from the before and after pictures and descriptions they had in the building across from the Stockman House.
here's what we did
by Pat, in the cloud, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 16:58 (2383 days ago) @ MattG
This was part of our moving trip from east coast to west coast. We'll pick up the journey at Chicago.
Day 1: Chicago -> Sparta, WI
We drove to check out Madison and then pushed a bit past that. With a car full of stuff and kids, we weren't doing any marathon driving days.
Day2: Sparta -> Mitchell, SD
Corn Palace? You betcha. We stopped first in Sioux Falls to see the rapids/waterfalls which was cool.
Day 3: Mitchell -> Rapid City, SD
Starting to hit the more known tourist areas. A great wide open driving day. Stopped at the Badlands for awhile and did the required stop for ice cream at Wall Drug. I lost in a bid to indulge in an hour-detour to see Winner, SD, birthplace of one Frank Leahy. Also didn't have time to go across the street from the Badlands and tour a former nuclear missile launch site. (https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm)
Day 4: Rapid City -> Sheridan, WY
Tourist day. Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Devils Tower. Lots of side trips and one of my favorite days.
Day 5: Sheridan -> Cody, WY
Driving through (up and over, really) Bighorn National Forest was a surprise. Some great views from the top. And we ended the day as you must in Cody, with a night at the rodeo.
Day 6: Cody -> Yellowstone
On in to Yellowstone to see all the amazing sites the park has to offer.
On another road trip, we did fly into a city (Salt Lake), rent an SUV for a one way trip (Glacier National Park), and then fly home from there. It worked out fantastically. Especially because somehow the car rental guy said he'd give us the SUV at the price of a compact.
I would definitely hit Cody.
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Thursday, August 02, 2018, 07:56 (2382 days ago) @ Pat
They have a rodeo every night during the summer. If you've never been to one, this is a great opportunity.
https://www.codystampederodeo.com/
I'd also second Pat's day 4. That's a lot of cool stuff to get to in one day. Devil's Tower is awesome. It's really quite the spectacle. Just talked with a family that hiked it and said it was their highlight of their trip out west. When you combine that with Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood, well, that's a fantastic day of really cool and historic sites.
One other place that often gets overlooked (or at least by non-Wyoming folks) is Thermopolis. It's not on I-90 so it doesn't get as much traffic. But there is a great hot springs park there that we used to love to visit when I was growing up.
That’s awesome.
by MattG, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 18:16 (2383 days ago) @ Pat
We’re gonna go to Mason City in day 1, because that’s my hometown and we’ll likely have at least one set of grandparents coming.
Day 2 we definitely will see the Corn Palace, but I want to do the Friday astronomy hike in the Badlands with their ranger.
Then a couple of days in the Black Hills, I suppose. Wind Cave, Rushmore, Custer; etc. Devils Tower on the way out. Then Yellowstone.
Cody and the rodeo sounds like a definite. I also will be booking the Wort hotel in Jackson. We were looking at Under The Canvas, but I think we’ll be ready for some modern conveniences at that point.
Did all that, loved it all. That's an excellent itinerary
by Jack , Thursday, August 02, 2018, 09:03 (2382 days ago) @ MattG
- No text -
That'll be a great time
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 14:31 (2383 days ago) @ MattG
We'll catch up at some point soon. I'll try to rack my brain for some ideas for you.
At THE Old Faithful Lodge?
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 13:45 (2383 days ago) @ MattG
edited by Jack, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 13:54
That place is way cool. I would love to stay there.
Most of the older national parks have great old historic hotels, and that one's at or near the top of the list. Yellowstone might be the only park with more than one, as there's also a great old lodge at Mammoth Hot Springs and another at Yellowstone Lake. But Old Faithful is the oldest and best in my opinion.
I've only been able to book one on premise national park hotel, in Shenandoah, and that was terrific. Most of them sell out way, way in advance for the summer vacation season.
by the way, on that route you of course have to go to Wall Drug and the Corn Palace. It's not an option, it's state law.
Speaking of great old historic hotels and the Black Hills, there's one in Custer State Park also.
the Ahwahnee at Yosemite is really cool
by Jay , San Diego, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 14:55 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
now called The Majestic Yosemite Hotel
by Pat, in the cloud, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 15:47 (2383 days ago) @ Jay
but still an amazing place to stay in Yosemite.
https://www.npr.org/2016/03/03/469006049/iconic-names-change-at-yosemite-after-trademar...
Yep, it's outstanding
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 15:18 (2383 days ago) @ Jay
edited by Jack, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 15:27
We had drinks in the outdoor patio, with a view like nowhere else.
My grandfather stayed there once in something like 1928. We have pictures of him standing in about that spot in the first picture. There must have been a train to the park then, because in his 86 years he never learned to drive a car. And he was there for work, believe it or not. He was an auditor for the federal government.
I stayed at the cheap property my first time there (I've been to Yosemite twice), and it actually had a nice bar too. I don't know if that property still exists.
The one and only.
by MattG, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 14:28 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
Someday we'll get to Yosemite and El Tovar, but for 2019, it's Old Faithful.
If you want to stay in the old part where there are no bathrooms in the rooms (we did) t's kind of shockingly cheap. But you have to get your room like 18 months in advance.
This will be the second hotel we've stayed at which Disney World copied (the Wilderness Lodge = Old Faithful, and the Grand Floridian = Del Coronado, right?)
That is great. I was gonna say you needed to plan way, way
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 15:26 (2383 days ago) @ MattG
in advance to get a reservation there.
Do you have a recommendation for places to stay?
by Dave , Memphis, TN, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 12:14 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
I have 4 nights booked at the Canyon Lodge in Yellowstone for next summer. We want to head to down to the Tetons, and am looking for lodging recommendations. We will have 3 families traveling = 13 people.
A couple of thoughts
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 13:34 (2383 days ago) @ Dave
Not sure where you asking for lodging recs (Jackson or Yellowstone), but I'll give you a couple of options even though it sounds like you might already be set for Yellowstone.
The Wort hotel (I mentioned in my other post) in Jackson is pretty historic. One of the nicer places in Jackson. Another option is to stay near Teton Village (the mountain foothills). Places there include (although some fairly pricey): Snake River Lodge, Hotel Terra, Teton Mountain Lodge.
Another idea is to go to the other side of the mountain and stay in Grand Targee (Alta, Wyoming). It's less touristy but still a very cool place.
If you're looking for a unique option that works for both Jackson and Yellowstone, my friend has been looking to invest in a place right outside of Ashton, ID called the Fall River Lodge. It's a 40 acre plot not too far from Jackson or Yellowstone. Has 20 beds, 8 bathrooms, located on the river. It's a nice option for a multi-family trip.
Thanks!
by Dave , Memphis, TN, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 13:43 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
We are set at Yellowstone with the Canyon Lodge. I hope that is a good place, I picked it because of its central location.
I was thinking specifically of lodging in the Teton/Jackson area. We are not doing a super cheapo trip, but trying to keep things reasonable for the families.
I will take a look at the places mentioned.
I've been to the Mangy Moose!
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 11:58 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
I figured a place with that name was worth at least looking at, and it was definitely worth it. Fun place.
+1
by Mark, O Town, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 11:27 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
I agree with all of this.
The Mangy Moose is awesome, but I've really only hung out there during the ski season.
Also, the Triangle X Ranch outside of Jackson Hole is owned by a family of ND alums. Great people and a great place to visit.
Personally, I like Jackson Hole (& the Tetons) so much that I would consider Yellowstone a separate vacation. (Yes, I've hiked/visited both multiple times & ) both are amazing and worth all the time you can spare, but when I've been limited for time I tend to simplify and make the most of the immediate opportunity (JH/Tetons etc).
--
"2020 ... Let's win it all ..."
Thanks.
by Bryan (IrishCavan), Howth Castle and Environs, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 10:54 (2383 days ago) @ Domer99
I'm staying at the Wort. I am there from a Wed. to Sunday and will likely only have one day to get out and sight see.
I'm typically anti-bus tour as well
by Bryan (IrishCavan), Howth Castle and Environs, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:42 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
but there are times when I want to observe rather than drive. Is there typically a long wait to get into Yellowstone?
You might not have any wait at all at that time of year
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:54 (2383 days ago) @ Bryan (IrishCavan)
I wouldn't even worry about it.
My first time to Yellowstone I was also in the area on business (in my case in southwest Idaho) I did half a day in Grand Teton upon arrival and then a day and a half in Yellowstone. But I did stay overnight in the park, in a cabin in the Old Faithful area, so I had maximum time. In that day and a half I saw every major site I wanted to and didn't really rush, though I did go dawn to dusk on the full day.
With a more limited time I'd say the absolute must sees are the geyser area and Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls (do NOT miss them, you can stand over both and they're one of the great sights I've seen in my life). But there's so much more - Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Firehole area, Yellowstone Lake.
Just always remember the travel dictum that you'll be back. And once you go for the first time to Yellowstone, you will make sure you WILL be back to see everything you missed the first time. The place is indescribably incredible.
Wait until you see how the terrain completely changes every few minutes on that road. It's stunning. You're in valley with meadows, then in a forest, then driving through a mountain pass, then along a lake. It's amazing.
Also, when you see a bunch of cars parked all of a sudden it always means one thing - bears, or moose, or elk, or bighorn sheep, or bison near the road. And if you're lucky you might see an eagle swooping down to grab a fish in its talons from a river or lake.
Yup, booking a cabin inside the park
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 09:17 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
really cuts down on travel time. If you're booked outside and come in you're at the back of the car queue even if you leave early.
I'm trying to book a cabin now for next year.
Thanks to both you and Hobbs.
by Bryan (IrishCavan), Howth Castle and Environs, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:56 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
- No text -
This. Unless you want top pay through the nose
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:42 (2383 days ago) @ Jack
edited by hobbs, Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 08:53
a rental car really is the best way to see part of the park. I say part because given the roads and traffic your max speed will be about 30 mph. I would also advise one to leave early to any park destination.
That said Yellowstone is amazing.
Truthfully given the parks size, and how spread out it is, you probably need 4 days to see the place. Getting from the Tetons to the sights at the NE entrance takes hours. Select some albums or a good audio book to make the time pass more pleasantly.
Exactly. When we did it right many years later
by Jack , Wednesday, August 01, 2018, 09:00 (2383 days ago) @ hobbs
we did four days in Yellowstone and two in Grand Teton, and it was perfect.