Chuppi

Stayed at the Snow Lodge 3 years ago at about the same time of year you're planning--it's nice. Nothing ostentatious and not nearly as picturesque as some of the other park properties, but nice. One word of warning: we found very long lines at the only restaurant in the lodge at dinner time. Seemed to me that they were understaffed (as if the summer help had gone back to school already). Food was decent, but just be prepared for a wait if you can't get a reservation. (Definitely get a reservation for dinner one night at the Old Faithful Inn--lovely old inn.)

And be sure to go out into the park (both at Yellowstone and Teton) around dusk to see the animals--particularly in and around Jackson.

darthbimmer

I'm envious of your trip.

You're planning a few days each at major national parks like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain. That's good. The most common mistake I see people making with visiting national parks is trying to knock them off in a single day.

In that vein I suggest adding a second day in the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. Don't rush through this area in a single day. There's a surprising amount to see, and it's very relaxing if you pace it well. Definitely make time for a cave tour at Jewel Cave (and call ahead for a reservation!), though I suggest skipping Wind Cave if you do get in to Jewel Cave. The tours at Jewel are much better.

gnggng

darthbimmer,
We plan to head out from Rapid City first thing in the morning to explore the Black Hills area, then spend the night in Keystone or Hill City. The following day we would have to again explore the area before heading to Gillette for the night. Do you still think we need another night in Black Hills? If so, should we split between Custer and Keystone?

I am on the fence about the caves. We both grew up within a short drive of Mammoth Cave Ky and think we may be underwhelmed by just another cave.

JPat

Montrose is quite convenient to the BCotGNP. There are several motels along the road that runs east out of town to stay in there. I doubt that any take Hilton points though.

Good to see that Breckenridge is now in your plans. You could still take a quickie side trip to Telluride on your way to Montrose.

cblaisd

Actually there is a Hampton Inn in Montrose.

gnggng

Thanks guys, our plans are starting to take shape.

I am looking for suggestions on the most scenic route to take when coming from Jackson Wy to our overnight stop in Rawlins on the way to Estes Pk Co. We will most likely be heading back into the Tetons for another drive thru before heading south, but may be ready to head straight on from Jackson first thing in the morning. Would it be best to head back down 181 to I80 or go over 287 and down?

Thanks again for any help.

TRRed

As to routes from Jackson to Rawlins, I think your best options would be 191 if leaving from Jackson or 287 if leaving from GTNP. Near the park there is some nice mountain driving on 287, but for the most part you'll be driving on rolling plains on either route, IIRC.

A few miles east of GTNP on 287, I was pleasantly surprised by Togwotee Lodge. If your time in Jackson is really for GTNP, I think you would find that Lodge significantly closer to much of GTNP than Jackson, so consider reducing the nights in Jackson. There are a few other places near Moran Junction also, both Park properties and also.

On the Gunnison, Black Canyon, and Montrose area, a few additional thoughts: Starting in Grand Junction, you could do Colorado National Monument (stopping for pics and a short hike or two), hit a couple of the wineries south of GJ such as Reeder Mesa, drive to Black Canyon (stopping for pics and a short hike or two), have a stop in Ouray or Silverton, and arrive in Durango around dinner time. It's a full day but doable.

Hope the above is useful.

gnggng

Just got back online and would like to thank everyone for their helpful replies.

Nanook

We stayed at the Yellowstone Snow Lodge and loved it. Yes, the restaurant there and over at Old Faithful Lodge get very busy.

Hope you're going to drive into Yellowstone via the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway...it is breathtakingly gorgeous there. There are quite a few nice looking places to stay in Cody, WY, which then puts you within an easy drive into Yellowstone.

Forget staying overnight at Cooke City, MT. It's a dumpy little wide spot in the road where everyone and their brother seems to stop. Drive in further and stay in Yellowstone. If you can make it over to Mammoth Hot Springs hotel, you'll be entertained by the elk that come down the hill every night. There's plenty to do there for a night or two. Dining options are okay and you're not that far, 5 miles or so, from the North Entrance to the park. Just outside that entrance is Gardiner, MT. You can use the internet there and do laundry. We couldn't get our phones to work in Yellowstone and no internet, so that proximity to the outside world was a nice break for a couple of hours. There's a nice little coffeeshop there and you can sit as long as you want and check your email.

At Jackson, we stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge because they have cabins (all attached to each other, but still feels private. You can sit outside and just enjoy the fresh air. You can also use your computer there in the Lobby as it has free wifi.

Enjoy your road trip.

gnggng

Thanks Nanook,

After checking out Cooke City a little more, we are considering extending out stay in Cody to 2 nights, with the second day used to go up to Red Lodge and down the beartooth hwy and then Chief Joseph back to Cody. We could then enter Yellowstone through the east entrance.

Any feedback on this idea.

Thanks again for all the help so far.

TRRed

Cody has several B&B's that accept (or at least used to accept) the $100.00bedandbreakfast.com gift card sold by Costco for $80.00 (I think it is a little cheaper at the moment). At a recent stay not in that area I was allowed to use 3 cards. If you are OK with B&B's, that is a nice discount.

PS: to my earlier comment about routes to JAC, a colleague who visited recently ran into a lot of roadwork enroute. IIRC, WY DOT has a pretty good website showing construction (which my colleague did not check). Since there are a couple of options, it might be wise to check just before you depart.

gnggng

Thanks for the tip on the Costco card. Does the card itself have info on what B&B's accept them or do you have to address it with each place one by one?

I will also be sure and check out the WY dot for road info before setting out and again at times along the way.

Nanook

I'm sure you're doing this already, but have you checked tripadvisor.com?

I looked over your schedule again...I'd add another day to Yellowstone and deduct one from Santa Fe, if it were me. We didn't allot but a few hours for the geyser area near Old Faithful. Actually, they are all different and amazing. Sorry we left that til last.

Also, if you're near a WalMart, they sell a Rand McNally Road Atlas that has a section in the back of where all the US WalMarts and Sam's Clubs are located by State. This was quite helpful to us in trying to locate lower cost gas along the way, however, it wasn't always convenient to take much of a detour to get to one. We did use it several times.

One other thing...bring some battery-powered lights for your hotel rooms. Seemed like no matter where we stayed in the Park, the bulbs were quite dim. Couldn't even read by them. At Jackson Lake Lodge, we didn't have this problem, just in places in Yellowstone.@:-)

peersteve

Wow! How wonderful.....all the scenic areas...... and a lot of driving..... perhaps consider adding satellite radio (SiriusXM) to your vehicle? We find SiriusXM is so worthwhile on long road trips--you can get just the right music for your mood or the scenery, keep-up with news, sports, etc. Continuous driving just seems to go more smoothly when you're not frustrated by tuning-around looking for your favorite music, especially wth hundreds of miles in rural areas.

For your itinerary, all I can give advice on is the sprint home.... if you haven't seen a moon rock close-up, there's one in Weatherford, OK Stafford Space Museum.....for your Route 66 interests, the section which parallels I-44 between OKC and Tulsa includes some original roadbed and small towns.....also the Old 66 section between Joplin, MO and Springfield.

Here in OKC there is the meaningful federal-building-bombing-Memorial where people still leave flowers (in downtown OKC off I-40)..... but most of the good museums or history is in Tulsa area.The OKC art museum has a large permanent display of Chiluly glass sculputes, if that's a favorite. (okcmoa.org -- or give a call and we'll lend you or museium pass)

For traveling through rural states/areas, we go to the library for the 1930s "WPA Guide to [state]" since those books give info on every small town along the old US Highway routes......

enjoy!

b1513

Instead of staying in Gunnison, think about Crested Butte. It's about 12 miles
( if memory serves me correct) from Gunnison and is gorgeous country. Also, on your way down 550, stop in Ouray and visit Box Canyon Falls. It's right off 550.

I really don't think 4 days is too much in Santa Fe. There are so many days trips from there that are well worth doing.....Angel Fire, Bandolier, High Road to Taos (although you can do the High Road in Reverse-Taos to SF). I never can get too much of Santa Fe. Oh, and the Puye Cliff dwellings are well worth visiting.

Your trip sounds great. Makes me want to go out there again, and again, and again.

Bobette