Yellow Stone

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.

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.

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.
:thumbsup:

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.

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

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

There has been a lot of valuable information alread given in this thread, but I thought I'd add my two-cents worth! My husband and I loved Yellowstone when we visited a few years back (we were there the same time as Rita!) Some of the main attractions there are certainly must-do's:

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Old Faithful area (Upper Geyser Basin)
Mammoth Hot Springs
Tower Falls
Lower Geyser Basin
Norris Geyser Basin

Try to stagger your geyser days with non-geothermal sites if you can, to keep it all fresh. And if you can, do get off the beaten track and explore some of the less-traveled areas and trails. One of our favorite memories was hiking the (Grand Canyon) South Rim Trail to Point Sublime and then doubling back to pick up the Clear Lake Trail loop. We saw tons of backwoods geothermal features (Clear Lake itself is a bubbling geothermal lake) and only saw three other hikers the entire time we were on the trail. We also saw evidence of recent bear activity. Always pay attention to the rangers as far where bears have been sighted and follow their guidelines related to bear safety!

Lamar and Hayden Valleys are both popular wildlife-sighting areas. Lamar is beautiful and expansive; if you have time, continue on past the valley and drive 212 alongside Soda Butte Creek for a while. There are some very picturesque spots and hiking trails. We did the Trout Lake trail, a steep but short hike to a breathtaking view of the lake.

Although Lamar is a favorite for some people because of the wildlife you see there, we actually preferred Hayden Valley. It is a much more intimate feeling, as far as the Yellowstone River running through it and the animals you will see around it. This area is famous for "bison jams", where large herds of bison will cross the road, causing long traffic backups. The only thing you can do is sit back and enjoy the view. There is nothing more humbling than a bison weighing one ton or more walking past your (closed) car window!

Which leads into another piece of advice. Guidelines state that onlookers must stay at least 100 yards away from bears or wolves and at least 25 yards away from other wildlife in Yellowstone. I cannot tell you how many times we saw people walk within a few yards of elk or bison that could have charged them at any moment. They were crazy stupid! Also, stay on the boardwalks and designated trails, especially in the geothermal areas. We went on one ranger-led tour where she recounted stories of people who had suffered burns by stepping off the trails and then breaking through the surface crust into scalding water below.

It's good that you are planning so far in advance, especially if you want to stay in one of the on-site park lodgings. We stayed three nights in a ranch cabin outside of the west entrance (near the town of West Yellowstone) and two nights in Lake Yellowstone Hotel (a very cool place!) From there we traveled down to the Grand Teton National Park and stayed three nights in Jackson Lake Lodge, our favorite lodging of the whole trip. The Grand Teton area has amazing scenery, prettier in some ways than Yellowstone, so if you have time to combine the two parks in your trip it would be worthwhile.

I remember that Beth. We kept missing each other....so much to do in such a big area.

We too saw many people getting too close to the animals...and especially saw people leaving the boardwalk and walking on the thermal crust. :( Even with the picture of the boy getting burnt post all over the place.

Thank you
MNNHFLTX for all your help. You said you stayed in a cabin- what company did you go thru? Thanks again for all your help.

yjgirl32;2451217 wrote: Thank you
MNNHFLTX for all your help. You said you stayed in a cabin- what company did you go thru? Thanks again for all your help.

We stayed at the Bar N Ranch in West Yellowstone. It was just a short drive from the west entrance of Yellowstone. The cabins are very nice; each one even has its own outdoor hot tub. It's right on the Madison River and the scenery there is amazing.

Thank you very much!!!

Thanks MNNHFLTX looks very nice.

Have you given any thought to the number of days you'll have available in the park?
I'd recommend a minimum of three full days plus the partial days of park entry and exit, four days plus the partial days would be better.
If you fly into Salt Lake City you can hit the Tetons on the way up. Both parks are included in one entrance fee which is good for a week.
Here are some shots I took last July. They are best viewed at maximum size by clicking the white arrows in the upper right corner.
tetons and yellowstone

We are shooting for at least 9 maybe ten days. Those pictures are amazing.

With that much time you might want to consider taking a day to take the NE exit out of the park then taking US212 to Red Lodge, Montana. This is the Beartooth Highway and many consider this the most scenic drive in the United States. Much of this drive is above 10,000 feet and is only open Memorial Day through mid October. :thumbsup: