Yellow Stone

[yjgirl32]

I have been looking over the other posts about YS but still had some questions:

1. when did you start planning your trip? How far out can you make reservations?

2. If you did a tour- which ones and thru who did you book your tour? How far in advance did you book?

Thinking of going in two years and wanted to make sure we start early enough. Thank you for all your help.

[Altair]

1. when did you start planning your trip? How far out can you make reservations?

Thinking of going in two years and wanted to make sure we start early enough. Thank you for all your help.

For best chances make your reservations a year in advance for in park lodging.

[NJGIRL]

I have been looking over the other posts about YS but still had some questions:

1. when did you start planning your trip? How far out can you make reservations?

2. If you did a tour- which ones and thru who did you book your tour? How far in advance did you book?

Thinking of going in two years and wanted to make sure we start early enough. Thank you for all your help.

Reservations open up May 1st the year in advance.....say you want to go August 2017...you would book your trip May 1st 2016. I suggest you be on the phone the minute they open up. I believe it's 8:00 am Mountain time. But double check on that because it has been a few years since I booked. I was online and on the phone at the same time. It was like trying to get FP for the Mine Train. lol.......Things were booked up the moment they opened.

Also I would start planning now. There is so much to do, such a big area, and many different places to stay. Get a good travel book...yes an actual book...that helped me a lot. Let me know if you want book suggestions. Also the National Park website has tons of info. Contact Yellowstone and ask them to send you maps of the park. They are simple and give you a great idea how much time it takes to get from point A to point B...they also show you where everything is located.

Book the tours at the same time you make reservations. Don't forget to book your restaurants too....because they book up too.

We went on two great tours and one I would skip. We did the Yellowstone Lake Cruise (about an hour tour) and I thought it was a little boring...but it was very cheap and relaxing.

We did the evening wildlife tour in Lamar Valley and it was soooooo good. It's in an opened air bus and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He had a scope but we didn't need it because a pack of wolves were only feet away from us.

We also did a private tour....it was six hours and only the people we were traveling with. It was expensive...but not really when broken down by the five of us. I made the itinerary months before for left. We went to the exact attractions that we wanted to see, stayed as long as we wanted, and stop for lunch and bathroom breaks as we needed. So much better than being stuck on a bus that has an inflexible schedule. Our tour guide was so good and had a lot of inside info.

We spent most of our days touring on our own. It's easy to get around the park and everything is so beautiful. I did more research for this trip than I had ever done before and it paid off. While we didn't get to see everything in our 6 days in Yellowstone we didn't leave feeling "I wish I had known about this or that".

I also suggest you spread out your hotel stays instead of booking just one hotel.. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is a must see!

[Altair]

Do a search for "ranger-led programs in Yellowstone" for a listing of ranger walks. These are free, do not require reservations and are very fun and informative.

[NJGIRL]

Do a search for "ranger-led programs in Yellowstone" for a listing of ranger walks. These are free, do not require reservations and are very fun and informative.

This is something that was on my list that we just never got to do.

[yjgirl32]

I would like the name of a good book. I am all about planning. Have always planned our Disney trips and know this trip will be even more planning, but I like planning things.

Just looking thru some stuff I have realized it might be better to stay in different areas. Thank you so much for all the tips. I really appreciate them and would love as much advice as I can get.

Intercot Rocks!!!!

[yjgirl32]

Also what time of the year did you go? I'm torn between spring and summer. If I did go during the spring it would need to be during the Easter break since my son is older and its harder on him with school. Although this trip will be a great learning experience. Thanks again.

[dnickels]

Also what time of the year did you go? I'm torn between spring and summer. If I did go during the spring it would need to be during the Easter break since my son is older and its harder on him with school. Although this trip will be a great learning experience. Thanks again.

Spring can be just about impossible for a normal traveler because of all the snow. Currently they're in the midst of plowing the roads in Yellowstone so very few roads are open. The remaining road segments open as follows this year

April 17: Mammoth to Old Faithful;Madison to West Entrance;Norris to Canyon.
May 1: Canyon Junction to Lake;Lake to East Entrance (Sylvan Pass).
May 8: Lake to South Entrance;Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
May 22: Tower Fall to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass); Beartooth Highway.
June 11: Old Faithful to West Thumb (Craig Pass).

As you can see that isn't very conducive to a spring visit. In addition, most of the lodging in the park doesn't open until about Memorial Day weekend so for a choice between Easter and summer you almost have to choose summer. I spend my summers out in Montana and while it definitely gets more crowded that time of the year I'd choose summer in a heartbeat.

[yjgirl32]

ok thank you. I didn't realize that. What month have you gone? Thanks for the help.

[dnickels]

ok thank you. I didn't realize that. What month have you gone? Thanks for the help.

May, June, July, August, September and October.

The peak season in terms of visitors is mid July - early August. When I say 'peak' I mean it can be difficult to find a parking spot at mid-day at many of the more popular attractions/features. Keep in mind of course that something like 95% of visitors to Yellowstone never venture beyond the road or developed areas so if you're willing to go on even some short hikes you can escape the crowds even at the height of summer.

Yellowstone is one of those places like Disney. It's so big and there's so much there and so much to explore that even spending a week only allows you enough time to hit the 'headline' type things, that's what makes giving advice about it so difficult. That, and I could talk about it and Glacier nat'l park for days and days, they're my second homes. The National Park Service Yellowstone site under their 'Plan your visit' link has a ton of great info to get started.

[yjgirl32]

Thank you so much I really appreciate your help. We are in the early stages of planning and the information you have given me is a HUGE help.

[NJGIRL]

I used two books and will dig them out tonight.

I agree that spring is too cold. We went the second week in August and our trip was 10 days. We flew into Salt Lake City and had an easy 5 hour drive to Jackson Hole where we stayed for two days. Then drove an additional 3 hours to Yellowstone. I would not go in June or July because from what I read it is very crowded. By the time we went (I guess many schools around the US are already back in session) it did not feel crowded at all. While the hotels were filled, the roads were not crowded and parking at the sites was not bad at all.


BTW we stayed at The Old Faithful Lodge for 5 nights and just loved it! We also stayed at the hotel in the area of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone for two days. I will get you that hotel's name. It was very basic but clean and looked almost new. We had a buffalo sleeping at our doorstep! If I had to do it again I would do only three nights at the Old Faithful and do the other two nights at a different area of the park.....just to spread out a little more.

[Altair]

Yellowstone Treasures is a great book to get.
You can also go the Yellowstone Association Bookstore website for books and travel planning info.

If you go after Memorial Day you should be fine, be ready for low temps in the 30's at any time of the year.

On average you will see more animals in the spring, more wildflowers in the summer and less people in the Fall.

[NJGIRL]

I used Fodor's "Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks"

and

Lonely Planet's "Yellowstone & Grand Teton's National Parks"

and

Frommer's "National Parks of the American West" (which contains many parks....I already had that one)

and I can't say it enough...the National Park's website gave me as much info as the books did, but I like to have the books in hand to highlight . I even took one of them with me.

I have only been there once, but Dave has gone many times so he will be better when comparing different times of the year to go. And I am sure he has done much more in the parks than we got to do on our one and only trip.

[yjgirl32]

Thank you both for all your help. It will be me, my husband, our son who will be 12/13 depending on when we go and our two friends. Like I said we are in the very early stages of planning. I have looked on the website and found a LOT of great information, but I too like to have a book in my hand. I will be going today to look thru the books you both have suggested. Thanks for the tips.

I read possibly on Intercot about flying into Salt Lake City- which seems like a great idea and will save some money. We were thinking of staying in various areas, possibly renting cabins, but that is still up in the air.

Did anyone do any tours and if so which ones? We would like to a couple of them but again still looking into all possibilities. Thanks again for all your wonderful and very helpful suggestions.

[NJGIRL]

I listed the 3 tours we did in one of my above post.

One thing to be careful of when booking a room/ cabin/ hotel......not all have private bathrooms....just something to keep in mind if that kind of thing bothers you.

[Altair]

A few of our favorite short hikes:
Storm Point
Pelican Creek
Trout Lake
Uncle Tom's Trail
Fairy Falls
Mystic Falls
Crystal Falls
and the hike to the summit of Mt. Washburn. This one is a little and more strenuous, but you get some nice views and will probably see Mountain Sheep.

[yjgirl32]

Sorry NJgirl- I missed that.

Thank you- ALtair

I have each group looking into which places they would like to visit and possible places to stay. Trying to stay organized with all the information I have collected.

You guys have been a huge help.

[NJGIRL]

I loved everything about the parks...animals, thermal features, hiking....but my favorite thing were the water falls. So many beautiful waterfalls....loved them!

[yjgirl32]

I am seeing how beautiful they look from the website. Can't wait!!!