Y_me?

LH738:

In addition to the info above --

1) Suggested sites to visit:
* Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation (south of Rapid City), which will cast Mt. Rushmore in a different light, and driving around the reservation is sobering
* Eat at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park (near Mt. Rushmore) -- bison steaks and pheasant are the specialities
* Take the cave tour at Wind Cave National Park (south of Custer State Park); there's a resident bison herd also, but you'll see plenty of bison in Yellowstone
* Thermopolis, WY: take a dip in the hot springs there
* Stop in Cody, which somewhat retains the feel of a frontier town
* In Yellowstone, that time of year the Lamar Valley (NE corner, near the Cooke City entrance) should be teeming with wildlife; they know it's the warmest spot in the park.
* Returning to Rapid City, you may want to take a northerly route, hitting Bozeman (take Route 191 to drive along the Gallatin Range), Billings, and Little Bighorn Battlefield (Custer's Last Stand) near Crow Agency.

2) Lodging possibilities:
* In Yellowstone, the newer wing of the Old Faithful Inn has en suite bathrooms; the rooms in the original lodge are authentic but have shared bathrooms. Staying outside of the park will eat up precious time -- you'll have limited daylight in November. The other lodges in the park, if open, are less interesting but well located.
* In Jackson (south of Grand Teton NP), I like the Alpine House. Eat at the Cadillac Grill and quaff a beer in one of the saddle bar stools at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

November will be a nice time to visit the area. Keep in mind that you can make good time on the backroads of Wyoming and Montana (except over mountain passes and in foul weather), so there's no need to stick to I-90 unless you're really short on time. Depending on how many days you have in Yellowstone, you probably can't see and do everything, so, in consultation with a ranger, decide what interests you the most and try to achieve a depth of experience in that particular area while touching on the park's other sites/activities. And pack your binoculars.

pierre mclopez

One more idea....see Sunlight Basin.

http://www.imt.net/~rodeo/sunlight.html

amanuensis

My wife is from Deadwood, SD, and we go back there often to visit her mother, who now lives in Sturgis, SD, home of the famous Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally. If you are going to do the Black Hills, I really recommend flying into Rapid City -- it doesn't make sense otherwise. I highly recommend seeing the South Dakota caves that are run by the National Park System, i.e., Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. I also recommend seeing Deadwood if you want the Wild West thing. There are enough authentic things to still see there that the gambling hasn't ruined to make it worth your while.

You asked about hotel stays with Hilton, etc. Rapid City and Deadwood have Hampton Inns. We have stayed at the one in Deadwood and recommend it -- I posted a review of it in the Hampton Inn review thread in the Hilton forum.

It is a fun drive from the Black Hills to Yellowstone -- fun because every conceivable route has signs from the local tourism promotion folks trying to get you to drive via their town. The signs claim that going via Route A is the "shortest route" while the towns along Route B is the "fastest route" and the folks along "Route C" want you to know that their way is the "most scenic". Personally, I recommend going via Newcastle, Wyoming, and stopping by the Blue Moon Boutique there and making a large purchase from their extensive selection of authentic western art. (Why? Because a sister of mine is a part owner of the gallery.) <grin> Truthfully, however, they do have the fair dinkum article, unlike many stores in the Black Hills that sell only tourist kitsch.

If all you want to do is Yellowstone, then I recommend flying into SLC instead of DEN, or into Idaho Falls, ID, or Jackson, WY, if you have the money or miles to burn.

Canarsie

I will be staying in West Yellowstone, as well as one night each at the Colter Bay cabins in the Grand Tetons and a cabin at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins in Yellowstone National Park.

I will spend a week to see both Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Does anyone have any additional suggestions for seeing either park?

FlyForFun

Hi Canarsie:

We travel to Yellowstone at least two times every year and have for the past twelve years. I am not an expert on the park - just a huge fan. I am also a certified geyser geek since I belong to the Geyser Observation and Study Association. We usually spend most of our time observing geysers in the Old Faithful area; however, we do explore and hike other areas of the park.

I have a fifteen page guide to the highlights of Yellowstone that I prepared for a friend who was visiting Yellowstone for the first time with her husband and two teenagers. I will be glad to email it to you.

Excellent website for Yellowstone is the official one at www.nps.gov/yell/hom.htm - you can access the webcams at Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs from this site.

One of the GOSA members has a terrific website at www.goecities.com/~dmonteit/ You will probably encounter Dave and some of the other GOSA members at Yellowstone if you visit the Old Faithful geyser basin. They are recognizable because they all have radios that they use to communicate with each other. The geyser gazers are an excellent resource if you have questions about geysers or want to know more - just don't laugh when one tells you that he or she has been waiting for three hours or more for an eruption (we are very sensitive).

The wild life in Yellowstone is usually easy to see - especially elk, bison (not buffalo), and coyotes. I have only had three bear sightings over the past twelve years, but you may be more fortunate.

The Canyon area is breathtaking! The hikes are worth the time and effort. I can also recommend lots of short hikes in other areas of the park.

What time of the year are you visiting? We will be there over the 4th of July; we made our reservations last August.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Sweet Willie

The Roosevelt Rendezvous, a four day educational experience, features a daily selection of field trips for a variety of interests and abilities, evening educational programs by park experts, and exclusive use of the historic Roosevelt Lodge. The program is offered four times in September, and all-inclusive packages are still available. Check it out at: http://www.yellowstoneassociation.or...il.aspx?cid=59

mujz

Planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park and would appreciate opinions on which lodges to stay at within the parks. Also, where should we fly into coming from the East coast, and which park should we spend more time in.I know we need to make reservations ASAP so woould appreciate your help.

mwp2paris

My parents just retired after 18 years of working in Yellowstone Park. The last 8 years or so they lived year around in a cabin right behind the Old Faithful Inn. Mrs. Paris, the Paris offsrping, and I made many trips there over the years including spending two Christmas holidays in the park...winter is amazing there. Here are my suggestions:

Fly into Jackson Hole, WY and rent a car. The airport is the gateway to the Tetons (you land looking right out at them) and you are about a 90 minute or so ride from the South Gate of Yellowstone. I'll never forget the time a few years ago I did a day of training for a company in a little town in south Wyoming, drove the 4 hours or so up to the South Gate where my parents met me. The Park was closed for the season, the gate was locked but my dad had a key. He swung open the gate and I drove in...cool...my dad had a key to Yellowstone National Park!

We have flown into SLC a couple of times but that involves a 6-hour drive to Yellowstone or the Tetons. The drive is amazingly beautiful but eats up time if you are on vacation. You can also fly into Bozeman but that is a good 2 hour drive to the West Gate of Yellowstone. There used to be seasonal service into West Yellowstone, MT on Delta from SLC but it was way expensive.

For lodging in the Tetons, check out http://www.gtlc.com/lodging.aspx. I think Jackson Lake Lodge is beautiful. You enter, climb an wide staircase and are met with huge, floor to ceiling windows that look out on the mountains jutting majestically up from the valley floor...breathtaking.

The Tetons are an amazing range...rugged and Alp-like...be sure to catch them at sunrise when the light off of them is unbelievable. This park is small and easily doable. I have never spent as much time exploring them as I would like. There are paths to hike and lakes you can canoe. You will only need a good 2 days or so to savor the Tetons...you will need way more to take in the awesomeness of Yellowstone.

For Yellowstone, I'd suggest making Old Faithful your base camp. You can set out everyday and explore a different part of the park and you are about a 40 minute drive from West Yellowstone, MT (West Gate of Yellowstone). West Yellowstone has a grocery or two, have breakfast at the 3 Bears diner or eat dinner at Trapper's Inn.

The incredible thing about Yellowstone is its size and vast diversity of landscape...as you drive around be prepared for traffic...it can get bad especially if there is wildlife present...buffalo are basically ugly but they can sure cause a traffic jam! Notice how the landscape changes so dramatically from one part of the park to the other.

My list of don't misses: the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; an eruption of Old Faithful for the nostalgia of it; vast fields of wild flowers on gently rising slopes; a drive up to the North Gate and Mammoth Hot Springs...be sure to walk through the lovely hotel there and note the wall mural in the "writing salon"; go to the Lake Hotel and see the beautiful lobby or have lunch in the restaurant and imagine what it must have been like to be there in the early 1900s...deep in the wilderness yet surrounded by all this luxury; buy a cheep styrofoam cooler, keep it stocked and be prepared to picnic at some lovely table with a killer view; keep an eye out at dusk for bears...so exciting when you see them but they are not as plentiful as when I was there as a child in the late 60s and we saw 48 in a week...that was when people actually walked up to them like they were pets; hit all the geyser basins around Old Faithful; take a walk on the boardwalk through the geyser basin in front of the Old Faithful Inn at sunset and savor the light then go into the Inn, go to the second floor balcony and take a seat and just love being there; if the restaurant in the Inn or Lodge at Old Faithful has "trout and eggs" on the menu for breakfast order it...I always loved having that when I was there; drive through the areas burnt in the 1988 fire and notice how the forest is repearing itself; take hikes, long drives, and enjoy.

For Yellowstone Lodging, I would recommend the Old Faithful Inn. Built in 1904 or something, it is the largest log structure in the world. The vast lobby area soars up for ever and is all logs...the architectural detail is mindboggling. They are renovating the original building right now so I'm not sure what they have done to it but try to get a room in the "old house" which is the original building. The baths are on the hall in the European tradition but the rooms are lovely...no phones, no TVs...heaven. Some of the rooms face out towards the geyser basin...try to ask for one of them on the second or third floor. There is also The Old Faithful Lodge which is new and modern but not historic or atmospheric like the Inn.

Enjoy your time at what I think is one of the most amazing, unique, and inspiring places on this great green orb.

TRRed

Tons of great info above. Are your plans for a winter or summer trip, as there are completely different options. Much of Yellowstone is closed in the spring and fall. Both summer and winter are great times to visit, but access in the winter is more limited.

I have flown into both Bozeman and JAC in both summer and winter. Bozeman's only about 90 miles from the north entrance at Mammoth Hot Springs, and I found that highway fine when I visited in the winter. Last I checked, both have a combination of mainline and commuter jet service. My impression is that BZN is a bit larger airport and may have more mainline options. A number of years ago, I flew into JAC in late December during a light snow. My plane landed fine but the American Eagle plane behind us ended up a few feet past the end of the runway, shutting down the airport for the rest of that day.

I'll second the OFI recommendation (for a summer trip). However, I don't think you can make summer reservations this early.

Xanterra's site (link below) is a little qwerky. On the bottom right are arrows to click to move forward and backwards within each section. There is some good info there about packages, etc.
http://www.travelyellowstone.com/dyn...tm?articleid=2

mujz

Thank you both so much for the great info. I can't wait- when we went to Grand Canyon and Glacier, I planned a year in advance to get the lodging in the park, so I'll have to call and see if I can make the reservations this early. Once again, Thanks for providing such valuable and informative opinions.

redeeming

Can you fish in the Tetons or Jackson Hole in the spring? More importantly can you catch anything?

flyingcat2k

The fishing around Jackson Hole is quite nice but I have heard different versions of fishing regulations in the national parks. Some have said that you can't fish at all, some say you can only keep non-local fish, this would be lake trout in this area of the country. According to the state wildlife site (NOT the tourism site - all outfitters yech!), there are a number of places in Teton County that are closed to fishing year round. Others have size restrictions and such and I am sure that the game wardens do not have much of a sense of humor about out-of-state'rs not knowing regulations. There used to be a 10 day non-resident license offered but it is no longer listed in the fishing pamphlet. It may exist as judging by the amount of advertizing, it was not produced for locals and this particular license is more for the Idaho/Montana crowd. Ask at a good fishing store or sporting good place. The wildlife department website is below. 1 other note, some of the locations near the border aren't marked with signs but the Idaho and Montana game wardens know where the boundry is. Just be careful not to cross without a permit as in Montana, you can be fined for even having a pole without a valid fishing license.

http://gf.state.wy.us/

redeeming

Thank you so very much. I will do my research. I want to send my son and husband on a fishing adventure.

woodway

Many of the rivers in this area are open in the spring, check the regs carefully, they can be quite confusing. Also many of the rivers are catch/release only with gear restrictions (barbless hooks, fly-fishing only). The other problem you will have is that many of the rivers will be full with run-off making fishing difficult.

You can fish within the national park boundaries. I had a great time fishing there last summer, and had decent luck on the firehole river. When you arrive in the park, you'll need to get a fishing license, and they will give you a brochure telling you where you can fish.

Finally, my family and I stayed in the Old Faithful Inn last summer (August), and it was a great experience! I made all my reservations on the Xanterra website about 10 months before, so I don't know why you would have any problems making reservations right now (unless they are full).

faithng

You've got to make reservations at least a year in advance. We were there in June of last year and I think we tried almost everything in the park in Dec/Jan and most everything was booked. Old Faithful Inn was definitely booked. We ended up staying outside the park in Montana.