Visiting Yellowstone area - Suggestions?

[Kimist]

Later this summer I will likely be cruising along I-90 from the Midwest to the Seattle area. Having never been in that part of the country, I would like to visit whatever locations along the way that would be worth a stop.

High on my list is visiting Yellowstone (as well as the Bad Lands and Mt. Rushmore area).

For those who may have been there before: What is a reasonable amount of time to allocate to see the most important stuff at Yellowstone, and what are the "don't miss!" locations? Is everything in a central area, or like some national parks I visited in the SW there is a lot of driving from one vista to another. (Sadly, I was around when Bob Verga played for Duke, so my overall activities are now limited a bit. I'm healthy but no longer "young." :rolleyes: ) Suggestions for overnight lodging (I-90 appears to be about an hour away?).

My schedule will be very open and flexible, so that will not present any significant conflicts. I will likely do a bit of late afternoon web surfing and/or use AAA stuff for my evening sojourns.

Any and all suggestions will be welcome and greatly appreciated!

k

[hurleyfor3]

How much hiking/camping/backcountry stuff do you want to do?

First off, check when the Sturgis motorcycle rally is. This will greatly affect your experience of visiting South Dakota.

Mount Rushmore is a good candidate for America's Most Overrated Thing. At least Stone Mountain has a couple of golf courses and a good view of Atlanta from the top. There's a traffic light outside the thing; you can see it from there and more on.

There are some nice little hikes in the Black Hills, most obviously Harney Peak. The terrain is similar to WNC.

Yellowstone isn't a great park for dayhiking. I think you're best off staying in the park as everything is a longish drive from everything else, and you WILL be stuck behind people in RVs doing 30 mph. I spent 3½ days/3 nights in Yellowstone and felt it was more than enough the see the frontcountry stuff. As always, get up early.

[bundabergdevil]

Yellowstone is an amazing place and worth at least a couple days of exploring, IMO. The geyser areas are all worth checking out, if only to realize most of the park is one enormous caldera --- the remnants of a mega-volcano.

You'll see plenty of wildlife even if you stick just to the main roads. Definitely elk and bison but you also stand a pretty good chance of a bear or moose sighting. Be warned though, the park can seem a bit like an Arbuckle's Wilderness when a big animal is spotted and the road turns into a traffic jam so everyone can take turns snapping pictures.

A slightly less visited portion of the park but also a very pretty one is the Lamar Valley area. This is your best spot to see the reintroduced wolves. Some lucky visitors have been able to observe pack kills, which would be pretty incredible.

If you're bearanoid (or big cat weary) at all, I'd stick to the front country. It's never a pleasant walk in the woods if you're worried about creatures higher up the food chain. I spent several days in the Tetons last summer and saw four bears, including a Grizzly within about an hour span...so they are out there.

Which brings me to the next point, take the trip down 89 to see the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole. Stunning area. Jackson's a fun town. Go for a raft trip on the Snake or do some fishing.

Hope this helps and enjoy.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Don't feed the bears.

[OldPhiKap]

Yellowstone will change your world. I would at least take two days -- one for the Northern loop, one for the Southern.

Need to see: Lower Falls, geysers along Southern loop (each one is different), and "American Serenghetti" (spelling wrong and real name forgotten) which heads northeast out of the park into Montana (thousands of bison, everywhere).

If you can swing an extra day or two to head down to Jackson Hole and Grand Tetons, I recommend that as well.

If you are an East Coaster like me, the landscape will truly blow your mind.

Let us know how the trip turns out!



Edit to add: Lamar Valley is the name that escaped me.

We based out of West Yellowstone, MT which had good access to the park and lots of hotels. Some better that others, no doubt.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Don't feed the bears.

Be able to outrun your least favorite companion if you do come upon a hungry bear! :rolleyes:

[hurleyfor3]

You're far more likely to get killed in a car accident, or by ignoring signs telling you not to do things like go down steep cliffs or swim above a waterfall, than by a bear.

But yeah, if you're worried about it, take your least favorite kid along with you, assuming s/he's the slow one.

Yellowstone might be my least favorite national park, although if I had a week or so to backpack there my opinion may be different. I can see all the wildlife I want here. There's a buffalo herd that lives along I-70 in the foothills towards Denver. A couple weeks ago I was coming down a nearby 13er and a herd of elk ran across a couple hundred feet in front of me. Whoop-dee, welcome to Colorado.

I absolutely love the Tetons for climbing. It sounds like you're taking a more northern route, so they probably require an extra day or two of commitment.

[sagegrouse]

Later this summer I will likely be cruising along I-90 from the Midwest to the Seattle area. Having never been in that part of the country, I would like to visit whatever locations along the way that would be worth a stop.

High on my list is visiting Yellowstone (as well as the Bad Lands and Mt. Rushmore area).



I haven't been to some of the places you are talking about, but there is a reason the Great Plains are called "flyover country." I would hurry through the Dakotas and eastern Montana and spend time at the mountain parks. Yellowstone is huge and much of the scenery is less than spectacular as you go from one place to the next. I think Old Faithful and (especially) the Geyser Trail nearby is worth seeing. Some of the other geysers are actually better than Old Faithful but not as, um, predictable. Yellowstone Falls is worth a trek to see.

Don't miss the Tetons, which are truly spectacular from just about every vista. And Jackson Hole is a neat town. It is 100 miles or so south of Yellowstone. I found bison easier to see on the road down to the Tetons than in Yellowstone proper.

Of course, like Hurley for 3 I can sometimes see moose, elk, deer and what-have-you (grouse, e.g.) in my yard, so you do what pleases you.

sagegrouse

[roywhite]

After a day or more of hiking, you might enjoy a nice soak in one of the area's hot spring pools.

Chico Hot Springs Resort (http://visitmt.com/listing/categories_NET/MoreInfo.aspx?IDRRecordID=114) is a good spot; it's about 30 miles north of Gardiner, MT, which is the park entrance on the north side. Good for a stay of a night or two, or also available for just a swim in the warm waters.

[devildeac]

All good suggestions above, especially the inclusion of the Tetons/Jackson Hole if you can. Our two visits were both in the off season (late May/early June) and we covered plenty of miles each time we traveled through the park with rather light traffic. I also like the idea of a raft trip down the Snake river which we did with our family on our second trip. Early June. Light rain and snow. Temperatures in the low to mid 40s. Brrrr. Don't forget to enjoy one of these from a "nearby" brewery (in Idaho) if you are able to find one:

2689

[-bdbd]

Don't feed the bears.

What, have you been posting over at IC again?? :p



Yellowstone is an amazing place and worth at least a couple days of exploring, IMO. The geyser areas are all worth checking out, if only to realize most of the park is one enormous caldera --- the remnants of a mega-volcano.

You'll see plenty of wildlife even if you stick just to the main roads. Definitely elk and bison but you also stand a pretty good chance of a bear or moose sighting. Be warned though, the park can seem a bit like an Arbuckle's Wilderness when a big animal is spotted and the road turns into a traffic jam so everyone can take turns snapping pictures.

A slightly less visited portion of the park but also a very pretty one is the Lamar Valley area. This is your best spot to see the reintroduced wolves. Some lucky visitors have been able to observe pack kills, which would be pretty incredible.

If you're bearanoid (or big cat weary) at all, I'd stick to the front country. It's never a pleasant walk in the woods if you're worried about creatures higher up the food chain. I spent several days in the Tetons last summer and saw four bears, including a Grizzly within about an hour span...so they are out there.

Which brings me to the next point, take the trip down 89 to see the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole. Stunning area. Jackson's a fun town. Go for a raft trip on the Snake or do some fishing.

Hope this helps and enjoy.


I agree with much of what Bundaberg says. I have two young kids, 8 & 10, and last summer (2011) we flew out (from East Coast) to Jackson Hole, and drove around Grand Tetons and mostly Yellowstone for a week. It is big as Nat'l Parks go, with a road system essentially shaped like a big oval - think of the several park entrances as about 5 spokes sticking out from that oval. There are at least 5-6 very different areas in the park, and I'd think you could easily spend 5 different days getting 5 wholly different experiences.

- Old Faithful and Yellowstone lodge next to it is a must, at about "9-o'clock" position on the oval. That area, heading north from OF along the oval road, has many geysers and hot-spring/"hot-pots" stops. There's also a cool small-river-through-a-small-canyon spur near the park's West entrance.

- The north and NE area of the park has a LOT of wildlife -- we took a Park-provided paid tour (they use these cool, yellow old-time-looking stretch cabs carrying 12+ people) and saw hundreds of buffalo - some literally brushing the car! - a couple of black bears, lots of deer, elk, an eagle, and maybe a wolf (too far to be sure). In that area of the park there's also a fun 2-hour r/t wagon-train ride to a campfire dinner in the hills sort of deal. Book it at least a few days early though.

- At about "3-o'clock" on the oval is a very cool "baby Grand Canyon" worth visiting as well. A couple of huge, gorgeous waterfalls included.

- The south end of the park has more recreational activities, lakes and camping.

Each of the areas I've mentioned has its own Park Service Lodge and restaurant(s) and Park office with Rangers. The lodges and restaurants, IIRC, are run by a private company called Xterra. Find the booking site through the National Park Service website for whatever park you are visiting. We got lucky and managed to find rooms only a few days ahead (same day in one case), but if possible try to book at least a couple weeks ahead of your visit.

The Grand Teton mountains that stretch for 40-50 miles south from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole are just spectactular. I know some who have hiked there, though we did not - but did enjoy stopping several times along Rte 89 to snap pictures along that main n/s road from Yellowstone to JH.

Jackson Hole is a pretty cool faux "old west" town, with great commercial "old west" downtown area. If you have money, there are several fancy resorts just outside of town -- this is, after all, where the 'Rich and Famous' go to ski in the Winter... There's several "chuck wagon" dinner camps around/near town too. The Snake River (and a couple others) mean there are a large number of rafting companies in JH, offering several different levels of rafting experience. With young kids we just did a scenery-oriented float trip, which was really beautiful.

Separately, if you have the flexibility to swing south from there, we just got back from another one-week trip through Utah, and had a wonderful experience with a series on smaller national parks there, each with a very unique experience/geology/environment experience. Try Arches/Moab in eastern Utah, Bryce in couth-central Utah, and Zion in SW Utah. Zion, FWIW, is within a couple hours of Vegas as you head west... But if you need to angle further north, head for Reno and Lake Tahoe on the Nev./Cal. border.

If you are a history buff, one site that we didn't get to see, though we heard was kind of interesting to visit, is the site of Custer's Last Stand at Little Big Horn, in north-east Wyoming I believe.

[Kimist]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.

There is obviously much to see in the region. This blog appeared recently in the WRAL web site - it's worth a read and be sure to watch both of the videos (and enjoy the music!): http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/blogpost/11245239/

As I mentioned previously, what I can do in my mid-60s differs significantly from what I would have been able to do in my 20s.

FWIW: I did play around with the Xterra reservation site re lodging in Yellowstone. As expected, there are virtually "no rooms at the inn[s]" through at least mid-September. Reminds me of years ago when I planned a great SW trip (mainly Four Corners states) and even in the late winter encountered some challenges for upcoming summertime lodging in the popuiar/remote areas. I was successfull at obtaining lodging atop Mesa Verde and a comfortable, but not swanky, room at the Grand Canyon. Included was a night at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango - I belive it was their centennial year?? But that trip involved exact scheduling, including lodging for each night, and I will not be in that type of situation this year.

One of my most enjoyable trips was into southern Colorado/Utah during late September, when the aspens were at their peak. I will always remember the area around Durango as being, well, ....spectacular!

It now looks as if I may plan a similar fall trip, although I assume at some of the higher elevations I would have to factor in the weather even during that season.

Thanks again!!

k

[JulesInLA]

My in-laws have a small cabin in Fisherman's Village just outside of West Yellowstone, so our family has been visiting the area for twenty years or so! In fact, we're heading up for a week beginning 7/14.

I concur with many of the comments already posted, and would also suggest a trip south to see the Tetons and Jackson Hole. We thoroughly enjoy float trips which are gentle and meandering with great opportunities to see wildlife and for bird watching.

As for the park itself, I would devote a minimum of two days to see the park - one day for the northern and southern loops. The northern loop is more impressive for the animals and Lamar Valley...you will not have to get in and out of the car as much. The southern loop has the thermal spots and you will have the option of MANY short hikes which are on boardwalks and mostly on level grades. When we go into the park for only one day, we always go on the lower loop.

Also, if it's incredibly hot weather, check your map and stop by the Firehole River near the West Entrance for a swim. The water is warmed by thermal heat, but still feels great on a hot day!

You mention that your schedule is flexible, so you may want to check out the website for the Yellowstone Institute, the park's nonprofit which offers educational programming. We visited the park in the winter for the first time in January this year on a wolf watching trip through the Institute and it was AMAZING! We would like to go back for a photography trip with them in the future. Trust me that wolves are much easier to see in the winter than in the summer.

While I can't offer feedback on lodging, I do have some pointers should you end up staying in West Yellowstone.

Ernie's Deli is the place to pre-order your picnic lunch to bring into the park. You can call the night before and it will be ready whatever time you want.

Best restaurant in town is the Serenity Bistro (formerly Sydney's Bistro). A former waitress bought the place a year ago and changed the name, but the food's still great and they're now open for breakfast and lunch. Everything else in town is pizza, burgers and meat/potatoes. The best halibut dish I've EVER had (including travel to Alaska) was at Sydney's a few years ago. We always plan at least one "date night" there. Reservations recommended!

Finally, just across the street from the bistro is Arrowleaf which is a good place for a quick lunch or dinner of burgers, etc. - but it's true calling is it's ice cream. You pick a vanilla or chocolate ice cream or frozen yogurt base and then select your "add ins" with a dazzling array of fruit, cookie, nut and candy choices. It is common knowledge in our family that a "trip into town" for groceries is code for an opportunity to stop by Arrowleaf. It's amazing how many volunteers we can get for food shopping!!

Hope you have a great trip!

Jules

[-bdbd]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.

There is obviously much to see in the region. This blog appeared recently in the WRAL web site - it's worth a read and be sure to watch both of the videos (and enjoy the music!): http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/blogpost/11245239/

As I mentioned previously, what I can do in my mid-60s differs significantly from what I would have been able to do in my 20s.

FWIW: I did play around with the Xterra reservation site re lodging in Yellowstone. As expected, there are virtually "no rooms at the inn[s]" through at least mid-September. Reminds me of years ago when I planned a great SW trip (mainly Four Corners states) and even in the late winter encountered some challenges for upcoming summertime lodging in the popuiar/remote areas. I was successfull at obtaining lodging atop Mesa Verde and a comfortable, but not swanky, room at the Grand Canyon. Included was a night at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango - I belive it was their centennial year?? But that trip involved exact scheduling, including lodging for each night, and I will not be in that type of situation this year.

k

FWIW, when we did Yellowstone last summer, we were able to get inside-the-park lodging EVERY night over the course of a week, as we progressed "clockwise" around the park loop road, as people inevitably cancel reservation 48-72 hours in advance. Keep the Xterra phone numbers and URL's handy, and keep checking a couple days ahead as you travel. There WILL be openings.

[rthomas]

my 2 cents:

Even if you are not staying at Old Faithful Inn, go inside and look around. It is an iconic old log inn and beautiful inside.

If you are traveling west from Yellowstone, go through Montana to Glacier National Park. The glaciers are disappearing due to climate change so you should see them while you still can.

[hurleyfor3]

Glacier's nowhere near Yellowsnow and anyway it's north, not west.

And it's too good a place to lump together with other parks anyway. I could spend an entire summer there (throwing in the Bob to the south). In fact maybe I will.

[rthomas]

Glacier's nowhere near Yellowsnow and anyway it's north, not west.

And it's too good a place to lump together with other parks anyway. I could spend an entire summer there (throwing in the Bob to the south). In fact maybe I will.

If Kimist is cruising along I-90 from the midwest to Seattle and wants to see the sites, I suggest detouring off to Glacier. Personally I like it better than Yellowstone, but that is relative.

[Indoor66]

If Kimist is cruising along I-90 from the midwest to Seattle and wants to see the sites, I suggest detouring off to Glacier. Personally I like it better than Yellowstone, but that is relative.

Relative to what? I don't understand. They are soooooooooo different.

[rthomas]

Relative to what? I don't understand. They are soooooooooo different.

Relative to the fact that I love the Tetons and Yellowstone.

[Indoor66]

Relative to the fact that I love the Tetons and Yellowstone.

Gotcha. I agree with you.

[Dev11]

Some quick notes:

-One poster above mentioned ice cream. If you aren't eating huckleberry ice cream, you're missing out.

-Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley (both east side of the park) are where you want to be for wildlife, particularly at dawn and dusk. I have many pictures of wolves, coyotes, elk, moose, and the like. The bison get old really fast, unless you happen to witness a bison fight, which is pretty fun.

-If you are allergic to the presence of a million other tourists, plan to spend only the 5 minutes necessary at Old Faithful to catch an eruption and leave. Teeming is a severe understatement.

-The other geological feature that is pretty awesome is the Grand Prismatic, a thermal pool near Old Faithful. Take the short hike up the hillside nearby for some stunning views.

-Do yourself a favor and go to Teton. Great pictures and hikes to be had. If you want to hike up into the mountains a little to see the scenery up there, I recommend starting at the Jenny Lake visitor center.

-Grab a Lager at the Snake River Brewing Company in Jackson.

-Follow the speed limits in the parks and don't feed the animals. The rangers take their jobs very seriously.

[devildeac]

And you must have one of these after your Snake River Lager:

2701

[Dev11]

And you must have one of these after your Snake River Lager:

2701

Yep, had a few of those, too. And a few from Teton Brewery.

[Mal]

Late to the party, but thought I'd add a few thoughts, having been out that way a couple times:

- I actually think Mount Rushmore's pretty cool. You're passing through, anyway, and it's just a few hours.
- You can, however, skip just about everything else that's not nature-related in the Black Hills. By all means, don't waste your time on Wall Drug or Deadwood or Crazy Horse or pretty much anything in Rapid City (and don't be tempted by the Corn Palace on the way out there). Badlands National Park has lots of good, short hikes with neat terrain and vistas and conveys a great sense of emptiness. Wind Cave is cool, too, if you like caves. Those are much more worthwhile excursions.
- Little Bighorn is very cool, and worth a stop. Looking out over the gravestones and the massive plains and rivers beyond and the great big Montana sky is both haunting and breathtaking.
- Taking that detour gets you up to Billings and Red Lodge, which conveniently sends you down the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone's NE entrance. Amazingly scenic drive.
- I think Yellowstone's underrated, actually, mostly because it's overpopulated on the main route. The geologic features are generally underappreciated - 60% of the world's geysers are within Yellowstone! The backcountry is endless and fantastic and little used. It's got likely the best fishing of any national park, as well, with the possible exception of Denali; in fact, some of the best trout streams in the world are there or right outside the park.
- Must-sees to me are the Lamar Valley, Tower Falls, and the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone and its Lower Falls. One could, theoretically, cover all of those starting from the NE entrance and zip out the south end toward Jackson Hole in a day, although that would be silly. I'd suggest that route and make it 2-3 days. One can leisurely drive that way, and stop along the Yellowstone River to fish at plenty of good spots accessible through the vast meadows. Detouring to the west to hit Old Faithful instead of going directly south around the lake, would make it easier to leave via the NW exit, if that's where you're headed instead of the Tetons. If you're not up for the campgrounds, the Old Faithful Inn is incredibly cool. At least the lobby and fireplace, which you almost can't believe isn't a Disney faux-great American frontier resort kind of place.
- I'll second everyone else's endorsement of Jackson and the Tetons.

[Bob Green]

- I actually think Mount Rushmore's pretty cool. You're passing through, anyway, and it's just a few hours.

I spent a couple of hours at Mount Rushmore yesterday. It is impressive.

[Jim3k]

I spent a couple of hours at Mount Rushmore yesterday. It is impressive.

When framed by the tunnels on the southerly approach, it is darn near magical. (The southern approach is after the Wind Cave visit.)

[JulesInLA]

Also, if it's incredibly hot weather, check your map and stop by the Firehole River near the West Entrance for a swim. The water is warmed by thermal heat, but still feels great on a hot day!

Jules

We drove by the Firehole River swim spot in the rain the other day and were dismayed to see the stairway down to the river boarded up and closed. Local feedback is that it was getting too crowded, too many people without adequate swimming competency and so it got closed down because liability issues were looming.

Fact: It's closed for swimming. That's a bummer.

[Tripping William]

Bringing this old thread back, as we are doing a loop from SLC to West Yellowstone to Jackson to Bear Lake and back to SLC. Two nights in West Yellowstone, one in Jackson, and three in the Bear Lake Valley (family reunion). Any material changes to Yellowstone/Tetons the past five years? Especially on the food or Ymmm Beer front? :o

[devildeac]

Bringing this old thread back, as we are doing a loop from SLC to West Yellowstone to Jackson to Bear Lake and back to SLC. Two nights in West Yellowstone, one in Jackson, and three in the Bear Lake Valley (family reunion). Any material changes to Yellowstone/Tetons the past five years? Especially on the food or Ymmm Beer front? :o

Our family had a very similar loop but it was well over a decade ago so I'm of little to no value here, even with the beer. I think you know already what the Utah beers/laws are like.

[sagegrouse]

The Tetons are incredibly scenic, in the way of magnificent vistas that are not typical of Yellowstone. Yellowstone is more about going to each and every attraction -- Yellowstone is hu-u-u-ge, so yoy need to allow some time.

[bundabergdevil]

Bringing this old thread back, as we are doing a loop from SLC to West Yellowstone to Jackson to Bear Lake and back to SLC. Two nights in West Yellowstone, one in Jackson, and three in the Bear Lake Valley (family reunion). Any material changes to Yellowstone/Tetons the past five years? Especially on the food or Ymmm Beer front? :o

It's been a few years since I lived in Utah but I recall a beer scene on the up and up. Uinta, Epic, Wasatch, and Squatters are all based in Utah but the beers they produce can be found throughout the region. I've also been surprised to see Uinta and Epic appearing in East Coast bottle shops in the last year so they must be doing something right. With Uinta, it's typically their Hop Nosh IPA but they produce a Cutthroat Pale Ale that always tasted pretty darn good after a long day hiking in the Wasatch (or Uintas). I had to revisit the Epic website to refresh my memory but they produce three lines of beers - classic, elevated, and exponential. The exponential line is where they get into their seasonal and experimental stuff and incorporate some of the regional flavors. Probably worth sampling a few (then a few more!) but I recall some fun pints here...though I can't remember the exacts.

Wasatch produces some solid brews in Park City but they're probably most famous for their tongue-in-cheek Polygamy Porter. I thought it was just okay but did like their Evolution Amber Ale. You'll find most of the beers in the area are named after mountains, animals, or certain stereotypes of the local religion. If you're looking for fun memorabilia to this effect, Roosters Brew Pup in Layton and Ogden also produce a Polygamy Pale Ale and sell lots of stuff about not being able to have just one...

...if you do swing by, I wouldn't recommend eating at Roosters in Ogden though. I'd hit up Tona or the Slackwater Grill. At Slackwater, you can get a good pie, but I'd order the char-tipped pork chili verde nachos and then throw a few elbows to keep my dining companions from stealing any. If you're looking to feed a family and have some kids with you, I 'd also recommend Cafe Rio. It's a local burrito joint that started in St. Georges but, like Uinta and Epic, has started to make its way to the East Coast. Still, they serve up some great smothered burritos with fresh, chewy tortillas that have my mouth watering just thinking about them!

I assume you'll be driving through Logan Canyon on your way to or from Bear Lake. If that's not the plan, I'd recommend rerouting to include it. I also assume if you're having a family reunion at Bear Lake folks are familiar with the area and know all about the annual Raspberry Festival (in August, I think). All manner of raspberry concoctions, milkshakes and such.

Can't say much for the food/beer scene in Jackson that you probably won't be able to find online. Between the wealthy West Coast and New York landowners in the area and the continued growth of tourism, Jackson can be surprisingly expensive and surprisingly congested downtown. I did get a kick out of their traffic light going viral a year or so ago: http://time.com/4482233/jackson-hole-wyoming-live-stream/

Hope some of that is useful. Realize it's mostly Utah-specific. Sounds like a great trip - enjoy!

[Tripping William]

Looping back on this, as we returned home earlier in the week. Thanks to all for the suggestions. The beer portion of our trip has been summarized in the Ymmm, Beer thread. The golf portion will shortly be summarized in the Fore! thread. Some other quick tidbits.

(1) I highly, highly recommend the Gypsy Guide app for Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It is a GPS-based app that provides running audio commentary, while you drive, about nearby and coming attractions. It was extremely helpful, especially in Yellowstone, where we saw and learned things that we otherwise would not have noticed.

(2) Yes, Yellowstone is absolutely massive. We ended up spending nearly two full days there (a half-day Monday, a full day Tuesday, and a half-day Wednesday), and that was without getting up to any of the Mammoth Hot Springs part of the park on the north. Because of construction between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction, we elected to forego that part of the park. And we also did not reach any of the park that is east of the main loop (toward Cody).

(3) Yellowstone's thermal features are otherworldly. And because there is SO much variety of things to see in Yellowstone, going to the Tetons thereafter (as spectacular as they are, and they are quite impressive) is almost a let-down. If I had to do it again, I think I'd do the Tetons first, for that reason.

(4) Huckleberry (in ice cream, margaritas, vodka and coffee) was a culinary highlight. Raspberries were in season at Bear Lake, so raspberry shakes were especially tasty in that part of the trip.

(5) The days were warm, although dry and not stifling like we've had here in NC. And nights and mornings nice and crisp.

All in all, a great trip.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

(5) The days were warm, although dry and not stifling like we've had here in NC. And nights and mornings nice and crisp.

All in all, a great trip.

Amazing... My parents were there the week prior and said temps were in the triple digits. What a difference a few days make.

[Tripping William]

Amazing... My parents were there the week prior and said temps were in the triple digits. What a difference a few days make.

Highs in the upper 80's at West Yellowstone and in Jackson Hole, and low 90s in the Bear Lake Valley and Logan.

I should add that the drive through Logan Canyon from Bear Lake to Logan was spectacular as well. Amazingly green.

[Indoor66]

For something different, take US 14 east from the north end of Yellowstone Lake and travel over to Cody and its Buffalo Bill and western museums. Then on to Greybull on US 20. Continue south on US 20 to Worland. At Worland, continue on to Thermobolis and enjoy the largest concentration of thermal springs in the world. A very unique area. There is lots to see and you can swim in the thermally heated water. I've done it outside while snowing one Thanksgiving!

From Thermopolis you can go south to Shoshoni and then east on US 26 to Casper and catch flights to Denver and wherever. If you have more time you can go south and pick up US 287 to Rawlins and there pick up I-80. At that point you can turn West and on to San Francisco or East and on to New York City.

This is a little off the beaten path but is quite enjoyable. After you see the Tetons, Jackson is another tourist town. Go East and see something most never do!

[Jim3k]

Haven't tried to read the entire thread. But...two weeks ago Mrs. Jim3K and I drove into Yellowstone from the Northeast entrance (driving from Billings). To do that you must go over Beartooth Pass. That baby is absolutely amazing (even terrifying)--10,947 feet. Long, twisty and slow. Incredible views, cliffs, snowfields, mountain lakes--absolutely breathtaking. The Beartooth Range itself is a seriously beautiful one. Rugged as they come. Best way to see it is over the pass.