I agree that Bozeman would be an easier drive to YNP, but the price into Billings was much cheaper for this particular week. I guess I was really asking whether going into Billings was a bad idea, either because of the potential for snow, the roads coming from Billings, or something I hadn't thought of.

Thanks,
AGS

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty diligent about keeping an eye on him, and he's not too crazy. We were in Hawaii Volcanos National Park last month but I never felt nervous about his being on any of the trails, even though some had decent dropoffs.

We've already got cabins in YNP booked, but I'll check into these options as well.

Thanks,
AGS

Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear. I was just worried about having to drive on snowy roads.

AGS

We'll likely arive in Billings around midday. How long is a realistic drive from Billings to the NE entrance?

Thanks,
AGS

My personal opinion is that mid-september is the best time to visit Yellowstone. The second best time to go is June. In either case you should be prepared for snow and the potential for cold temperatures.

The US 212 (Red Lodge to Cooke City) should be open by mid June. Some years the Park gets good snow and the road doesn't open until ~Memorial day but it should be ready. I don't know the condition as they had to do some major roadwork on the highway last year. I prefer US 212 over Gallatin Canyon (US 191?) due to the scenary and there is a heavy amount of construction traffic going to Big Sky. If you are looking for road snacks in Red Lodge, stop at the City Bakery for breadsticks. Growing up, we always purchased some on the ride home to BIL from skiing or being in the canyon.

Beartooth Pass
 

My wife and I are taking a trip to Yellowstone the week before Memorial Day. What are the chances that Beartooth Pass will be open then? We're flying into Bozeman and driving to Billings on Monday, 5/21, then heading for Yellowstone the next day, hopefully via Beartooth Highway. How far in advance do they know when that highway will open?

US 212 notices
 

AGS may be able to help you with better information. In my opinion, the best web sites to watch for US 212 being open are either the Billings Gazette or the Yellowstone National Park website. As Beartooth Pass straddles the Wyoming/Montana border, the state DOT websites might conflict each other. US 212 opening was usually on the front page of the paper, every year, when I was growing up in BIL. Having attended MSU in Bozeman, I have nothing good to say about that paper or its website and much of what they print is 1 or 2 day old news from other papers.

Is 48 hours enough time for either Yellowstone or Grand Tetons Natl Parks?
 

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to plan a Memorial Day trip somewhere out west and was considering either Yellowstone Natl or Grand Tetons Natl Park. The problem is that due to work constraints, we would not be able to leave on 5/25 until after 7pm (from Atlanta) and need to return by 6am on 5/29. Due to flight limitations it appears we wouldn't be able to leave before first thing Sat morning (into, I'm guessing, only Idaho Falls, Cody, Helena or Billings) and would have to leave at the latest around 3pm or so on the 28th. Therefore, my question is whether or not approximately 48 hours would even be worth it to for 2 people who haven't been to either of the natl parks listed before, to spend 48 hours there. I'm guessing that it's not, but would love to be able to make this trip work.

In addition, if anyone has any ideas to alternative destinations in the northwest over the same weekend, that would be very much appreciated as well. Depending on the location, we might be able to find a direct Delta flight into and out of a destination, which would give us considerable more time there.

Thanks!

4 Days
 

Memorial Day is early in the season for this area, especially Yellowstone, which is high elevation. The main season would be July through Labor Day.

Many people allow too little time for the area, which is quite big. Unlike Yosemite, where the Valley area is compact and is the focal point, the attractions at Yellowstone are spread out over many miles. It takes a long time just to drive around the figure-8 road once. Typically I would say that 4 full days are needed to get to each of the major areas. Adding Grand Teton just makes it more difficult.

All that said, like anything else, some time may be better than no time. I spent just a day each in Vienna and Rome in 1988, and, despite extensive European travels, have not been back to either of those cities yet, although I plan to. And yet those 2 days are still memorable today. I don't think I would have been better off not going at all!

Could you fly into Jackson? You can certainly see some or both parks in 48 hours. One issue is lodging. I'd certainly see if there were a place to stay in Jackson or in Yellowstone before I booked my flight. I assume but don't know for sure that Memorial Day would be tight on accommodations.

If you stayed in the car, you could drive from Jackson along the Snake River in Grand Tetons and then up through at least part of Yellowstone. You could see Old Faithful. You might have time to get out of your car and hike a bit.

My suggestion would be to fly into Jackson, rent a car and stay at a lodge in Yellowstone. You could spend Sunday driving and some hiking in Yellowstone. Monday, you could have for a leisurely drive back to Jackson for your flight home. It would be quick but doable.

My son calls first trips to a destination exploratory. It would give you an idea what you would like to do on a longer visit to the park.

I used to make the round-trip from Idaho Falls to Jackson just to hear the symphony play, so I'm inclined to say you could definitely see Grand Teton National Park in the time you have. Do the scenic drives, take a hike at Jenny Lake, check out Jackson Hole, and you'll know whether you want to return. It's a gorgeous and magical place. There aren't so many specific sites to see or specific things to do, so it's actually the kind of place you CAN get a pretty good feel for in a short time.

Yellowstone would probably be more challenging because it's bigger and there are more sites to get to - I think you might end up spending the whole time in the car.

You asked for suggestions, and this is not in the northwest, but have you considered flying to Las Vegas and driving over to Zion National Park? The weather will be great that time of year, and it's a terrific place too. Do the hike in the Virgin Narrows, and you'll never forget that day!

Too rushed
 

Grand Tetons can be accomplished in a day, assuming you just go to the visitors center and do some small hikes. Yellowstone is too large to be done in a weekend unless all you ever want to see is done from the car and even an hour at Basin or Old Faithful would be pushing the envelope. The problem isn't the distances but the traffic jams that envelop even a bison or moose near the road, much less a bear. All roads are 2 lane and are in some state of disrepair. If Congress really cared about the park, they'd shut it down for a year so all the roads can be repaired without some tourist complaining about it. BTW, grizzlies are no longer endangered inside the park boundaries so the likelihood of seeing a bear is pretty decent now. Just don't be the typical out of state tourist that feeds the bear a sandwich and gets mauled. If you are looking for a weekend park, Glacier (if it's open) would be better as it is smaller. I also can't recommend CDY as a destination due to the rental car situation described in this forum. Have you also considered BZN? It's much closer to the park than Helena. I'd recommend BIL (cheaper flights) but BIL adds 2 hours to the commute each way and on a short trip, the 4 hours is a big loss.

I agree with other posters particularly on these points: YSNP needs several days, at least, not just a weekend; with the limited time, you'd get a pretty good taste of GTNP; JAC is the best airport to fly in for access to GTNP; JAC, CDY, WYS, and BZN are probably your best bets for access to YSNP.

I know that I will be verbally mauled for this, but (loosely) compare YSNP and GTNP to Walt Disney World and Universal, respectively. You could probably have a decent experience at Universal (or GTNP) in 2 days. You clearly wouldn't want only 2 days for your first visit to WDW (or YSNP). And if you hadn't already been to WDW, would you really want to go to the theme park area outside of Orlando and not go to WDW?

If you decide to go, consider staying at one of the places between GTNP and YSNP, such as Togwotee Lodge (slightly east of the northern part of GTNP) or Flagg Ranch, near the south entrance to YSNP. There are others as well (cabins, lodge, etc.). Quality varies from what I've seen, but most of the accomodations in the area are not luxury resorts (Jenny Lake Lodge is an exception, but you pay for the luxury).

If considering kmcg's suggestion for Zion and if you have no particular interest in Vegas, consider flying into St. George, UT, several hours closer to the park and stay in Springdale. If DL flies to SGU, you'd probably have to make a change in SLC.

If you haven't been to Rocky Mountains National Park, about 90 minutes northwest of Denver, you might consider that as well. DIA is clearly non-stop from ATL. Stay in Estes Park (or Boulder if you only plan to visit the park on one day). There are other threads about it in the forum, so I won't repeat those comments in this thread. Trail Ridge Road may or may not be open, though the last several years it has been open by Mem'l Day, IIRC. (The time I visited Glacier, Going to the Sun Road, something you don't want to miss there, did not open all the way until very late June.)

It might be helpful if you told us what kind of activities you're looking for. . . auto touring, fishing, hiking/trekking, animal or scenic photography, etc. Any kids going?

Finally, if you really need to be back at a certain time, your odds would be better if you were flying out of the larger airports (such as LAS, DEN, or SLC), rather than the smaller ones (SGU, BZN, CDY, JAC, etc.) since you'd have non-stop service to ATL plus more flight options, especially on other carriers.

Thank you for everyone's help; it's very much appreciated. For now, I'll continue look into GTNP for that weekend and save Yellowstone for a longer trip.

Thanks again!