Any Yellowstone budget tips and advice?

[ekatiel]

We've just decided to go this summer. We're driving from Houston because we're insane (or cheap, or both!!) . We'll stay one night in Amarillo (10 hr drive), Two nights in Estes Park, CO (9 hr drive), three nights in Yellowstone (10 hr drive), three nights in Jackson Hole (2-3 hr drive), two nights in Colorado Springs (10 hr drive), and then one more night in Amarillo (10 hr drive). Mostley staying in camping cabins-- no batheroom, but at least we'll have beds (that's my comprimise with DH who wanted to tent camp). Any tips on must sees in Yellowstone would be great. Currently I have us booked for one night in a Lake Lodge and two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt, BUT they are rooms for two people, and we are a family of four. I'm hoping to catch a cancellation between now and then, but if I don't are they going to arrest us for having our kids sleep on the floor in the rooms??!! We'll have 2 and half days of sight seeing in Yellowstone. What should we see? Thanks for any tips. --Katie

 

[lindsey]

I'm sure you will get lots of ideas. But I bought the book Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks from Amazon. It was a great help.

 

[LSUDis]

We stayed with 4 people (2 preteens) and a dog in Roosevelt cabins--in June. It was sooooo cold at night that we all huddled in the beds, so you may not mind being crowded in those cabins. Also, my best tip since you are driving and have the room--take an electric blanket for Roosevelt cabins. Trust me on this.
The communal restrooms there are very nice and clean. Make reservations at the dining room there b/c there is not much else around--unless you bring your own food. Reservations there go fast.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just remember that the animals in Yellowstone are wild animals and will attack you and could kill you if you are stupid. Just Youtube Yellowstone Animal Attacks. Even if the bison look like stupid cows, they are very dangerous.

When are you going? The ice on the lake doesn't break up until early June and you will still find snow on the ground at that time as well.

 

[Kathi OD]

We've just decided to go this summer. We're driving from Houston because we're insane (or cheap, or both!!) . We'll stay one night in Amarillo (10 hr drive), Two nights in Estes Park, CO (9 hr drive), three nights in Yellowstone (10 hr drive), three nights in Jackson Hole (2-3 hr drive), two nights in Colorado Springs (10 hr drive), and then one more night in Amarillo (10 hr drive). Mostley staying in camping cabins-- no batheroom, but at least we'll have beds (that's my comprimise with DH who wanted to tent camp). Any tips on must sees in Yellowstone would be great. Currently I have us booked for one night in a Lake Lodge and two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt, BUT they are rooms for two people, and we are a family of four. I'm hoping to catch a cancellation between now and then, but if I don't are they going to arrest us for having our kids sleep on the floor in the rooms??!! We'll have 2 and half days of sight seeing in Yellowstone. What should we see? Thanks for any tips. --Katie

Personally, I would spend more time in Yellowstone & Grand Teton than in Jackson Hole (JMO, it's a cute little town, but I'd rather spend my time seeing the wildlife and natural features of the two national parks).

I purchased two books, Fodor's "Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks" and "Yellowstone Treasures" by Janet Chappel. Both books driving tours and help make sure you don't miss anything you want to see. "Yellowstone Treasures" also has hiking trails listed in the back, if your family is into that. I actually bought the books before making reservations so I could plant the trip in an efficient manner.

We flew into Bozeman, MT and drove from there, staying 1 night at Mammoth, 3 nights at Old Faithful, 2 nights in Grand Teton @ Signal Mtn Lodge (from there we drove into Jackson one day), 2 nights at Canyon (by far the worst lodgings I have ever stayed in...although the cabins at Lake Village looked even worse), and then our last night was back at Mammoth.
We weren't able to get a cabin at Roosevelt, so I'm jealous! I don't think you will be too overcrowded if you are just sleeping there.

What time of the year are you going? We were there in late August and the nights were chilly, but the days were HOT!

There are many beautiful natural features throughout both parks. While Old Faithful geyser erupts at a more frequent interval, a more impressive geyser is just a short drive away. Great Fountain Geyser provides a much longer display. Also, along the same road are several other geysers (Pink Geyser comes to mind).

You'll also want to see the Great Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace (the Mammoth Entrance to the park has the huge stone archway where the park was dedicated and Mammoth has several buildings that were originally used by the Army to govern the area), Inspiration & Artist's Point.

If you're going to spend time in Jackson Hole, it's worth the trip over to Teton Village, where you can take the ski lift (gondola) up to the top of Mt. Rendezvous. If you choose to go, make sure to dress warmly, as it is COLD and quite windy up there. You can also go to Alpine Slide (a good time for the kids) or book a rafting trip.

In the Grand Tetons, a drive to the top of Signal Mountain provides a nice view of the surrounding area. Going around dusk should provide you an opportunity to see some wildlife in the fields below. Eat dinner at Signal Mountain Lodge, very good food.

One thing you should make sure to take is a GOOD pair of binoculars for viewing wildlife. Some of the wildlife will be quite close, but other times you will be glad you have the binoculars.

How old are your children? Stop at the ranger station at Old Faithful early in the day and ask for a junior ranger pack. they have laser thermometers where you can measure the temperatures of the geysers. There is the Stagecoach Adventure & Old West Cookout (wagon ride w/ food - at Roosevelt corral) and Yellowstone Lake Scenic Cruise. You also might like experiencing Boiling River which is on the park entrance road from West Yellowstone. You can stand with one foot in the Gardiner River (cold) and the other in a a hot spring.

I hate to tell you that I don't think 6 nights total will be enough time to do everything. Well maybe that's a good thing, as you can go back again and do what you missed this time!

 

[DizneyDogs]

Having been to Yellowstone numerous times the "must sees" are Old Faithful, Lower Falls (Grand Canyon of Yellowstone) and Mammoth Hot Springs. Also Jackson Hole probably can easily be seen in a half day.

 

[hsmamato2]

ooo! my current favorite subject!
Frommers website has a very busy and active forum on this,as well as trip advisor....lots of good advice there!
I am planning a summer trip also,wish I could get roosevelt cabin,those are SO booked
I would bring camping mats for the 2 extra people,and down sleeping bags...that's what I'm planning for as I've been reading late June temps are around 40 every night- we are tent-cabin-camping as well,can't wait! Since we usually use a tent, I don't foresee any issue for us...there is heat in the tent cabins,either wood or electric.....
I agree with a pp,I'd cut down your Jackson hole time,and spend more nights in Y-stone itself, and those guidebooks mentioned are great, get them from your library,or buy from Amazon,I've been reading a LOT lately...
to a pp,I had heard good things about the cabins at Canyon....hope we manage ok as we have 3 nites there.... but it's about the scenery for me, I don't much care where we stay as long as we have a (semi) roof over our heads at night!plus one at Mammoth,plus 2 at Old Faithful, and 2 at Colter bay tent cabins also. We have to stay one night in Jackson area before flying out of Salt Lake, but the prices for a hotel in Jackson are
however,we are hoping to catch some 'wild west toursim' stuff in Jackson also,so hoping for some fun there.
I was thinking about the tram to the mountain top sounded cool, what is the Alpine slide? it sounds great

 

[ekatiel]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Keep it comin' . Unfortunately, the stay in Jackson Hole is the only thing we can't change about the trip. DH is attending a conference there for 3 mornings. He doesn't have much conference $ left for this year, but he is determined to spend every last penny of it. We booked the Buckrail Lodge, which is at the foot of the Snow King Resort (where his conference will be). Since he didn't have a ton of conference funds left, we couldn't afford the hotel where the conference will actually be (well, we could, but we'd have to pay for it!!).

We are going in late July/early August. This morning I snagged 2 nights at Mammoth Hotel in a room with 2 double beds and a shared bath. BUT, I realized the first night is for 7/27, which is when we're supposed to spend our second night at Estes Park . I think I will keep the second night for 7/28, though. Still stuck in the 1 bed cabins at Roosevelt for the nights of 7/29 and 7/30. The lady on the phone at reservations told me that we really can't have 4 people in there (she mentioned fire code). I will keep checking for cancellations. Boy, this is worse than getting WDW ADRS!!! --Katie

 

[PlutoPony]

however,we are hoping to catch some 'wild west toursim' stuff in Jackson also,so hoping for some fun there.
I was thinking about the tram to the mountain top sounded cool, what is the Alpine slide? it sounds great

We did the Alpine Slide several years ago and it was a blast! Fun for adults and kids. Not sure about the tram, we were there when the gondola was still running to Rendezvous Point and thoroughly enjoyed that.

The biggest thing to know about Yellowstone is how BIG the park is and how long it takes to drive from place to place. The speed limit is slow, roads are clogged with drivers who are trying to look for animals and keep the car on the road at the same time so it's not quick to get anywhere. Add in animal jams when the whole line of cars has to come to a complete stop and you have to allow plenty of time to move around. Having been to Yellowstone several times, we are starting to prefer Grand Teton. It's not as crowded and the the mountains are more stunning/higher. Animals are not as plentiful (except for moose) but they are definitely there if you do your research and know where to look.

One other thing (and I'm not saying this to get into a political discussion), the National Parks are likely to take a good sized financial hit in this budget morass, whether it goes to sequestration or not. So be aware that you will probably see the results of that in the well used parks like Yellowstone..... they have been operating on a shoestring budget (i.e. already cut to the bone) for years so losing any $$ could be very visible to the visiting public. Programs, trail maintenance, hours of operation, etc. If you have something very specific that you want to do, keep an eye on it for changes.

 

[PlutoPony]

I will keep checking for cancellations. Boy, this is worse than getting WDW ADRS!!! --Katie

Am surprised you got anything at this late date actually. The rooms in Yellowstone (and a lot of national parks) book up quickly by 11 months out. You might consider staying outside the park in West Yellowstone (lots of options there) and rework your schedule to do things on that side of the park then.... it's not far from there to say the Old Faithful area.

 

[Kathi OD]

to a pp,I had heard good things about the cabins at Canyon....hope we manage ok as we have 3 nites there.... but it's about the scenery for me, I don't much care where we stay as long as we have a (semi) roof over our heads at night!

That was me! We were there 2 years ago and the cabins were just not maintained well. There were nailheads that were not flush w/ the floorboards and handrails, wood that had torn away and was not sanded down, and gaps between the wood, allowing air and who knows what into the cabin. This is a safety issue to me, and our cabin was not the only one in this condition. Every. single. one. was the same. The people in the cabin next to us were complaining about the same thing. In comparison, the cabins at Mammoth were deluxe accommodations for just about the same cost. I did complain at the time, even sent pictures to Xanterra, but nothing was done, and by that I mean I didn't even get a reply to say, thank you for letting us know that some repairs were needed. Understand that I realize the cabins were full, so there probably wasn't anywhere to move us, so I didn't expect that. But we weren't in the cabin all day, so maintenance could have come around then to make repairs. I really wasn't expecting anything more than that.

 

[Kathi OD]

Another thing you might want to do is go out the east entrance to the town of Cody, where there is a rodeo. Along the way is the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and Dam. There is a visitor's center at the dam that has displays about the building of the dam, which we all found quite interesting.

 

[mrsklamc]

Well and the cabins shouldn't be affected by the cuts since they are managed by Xanterra who is apparently doing just fine:

http://newsok.com/xanterra-parks-an...stom_click=pod_headline_national-finance-news

 

[3boymthr]

You may want to call and ask but I don't think you'll be able to put the kids on the floor in the cabins in Roosevelt. We stayed in them. They were very nice for a camping cabin. The issue is I don't think your kids will FIT on the floor. Those 2 person cabins are SMALL. IIRC there is just enough room to maneuver around the beds. We stayed in a 6 person cabin and there was plenty of room but the 2 person - not so much.

Inside of 6 Person:

Piture of Outside of 4 person cabin:

Picture of 2 Person cabin (left hand side):

For Yellowstone be prepared with long sleeves, jeans and coats - it snowed one night when we were there and we were there in July. ETA- Note the corner of wood stove in the lower left corner of the photo of the inside of the cabin. We laughed when checked in and we saw fuel and matches had been supplied but when it snowed were very happy to have it and we DID use it.

Also, at Yellowstone, if you can swing it financially, you're not vegetarians, and if you can get a reservation book the back country BBQ. The trip leaves from Roosevelt and the ride into the back country to the BBQ site is just spectacular (either Horseback or covered wagon) and it's all you can eat.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Check here: http://www.yellowstonemotel.com/

We've stayed at the Absaroka Lodge (it's not the greatest but you do have two double beds) before the park opened for the winter a few years ago. They seem to have availability right now for your dates.

This one is also available: http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-gardiner-montana-MT411?sid=x7h5mi.pj0U3gg9z.33

http://business.gardinerchamber.com/list/category/lodging-95 will give you a list of hotels to check. Gardiner is right outside the NW gate to Yellowstone. They have some neat little stores there and the K-Bar has great pizza.

 

[PlutoPony]

Well and the cabins shouldn't be affected by the cuts since they are managed by Xanterra who is apparently doing just fine:

http://newsok.com/xanterra-parks-an...stom_click=pod_headline_national-finance-news

I think the contract gives Xanterra management of the park food and lodging but not long term maintenance. The latter is my concern, last couple times we've stayed in Yellowstone we saw significant signs of shall we call it "deferred maintenance"....

Trail and road maintenance, ranger activities, those are probably candidates for cuts imo

 

[disneybirds]

We want to go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons next summer. The whole "cabin camping" and "shared bathrooms" has me nervous!!!

 

[3boymthr]

We want to go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons next summer. The whole "cabin camping" and "shared bathrooms" has me nervous!!!

There are hotels with very nice accommodations private bathrooms and all in Yellowstone. You don't have to do the cabin camping. It's Roosevelt LODGE and cabins and the Lodge is VERY nice. As is Old Faithful Inn and the Mamoth area hotel. The cabins are just the most affordable option. You also have to call very early as the rooms in the hotels book up early, especially in tour group season.

 

[ekatiel]

Just called them and switched to a cabin at Roosevelt with a bathroom. It still only has one double bed, but the guy on the phone was very helpful, and he told me that it's probably a little bigger than the previous cabin we were booked in, so hopefully, we can get two kids on the floor if we have to. I'm going to keep stalking them for cancellations, though!! The room with the bathroom is almost twice as much, but it has a real heater, and not just the stove in it, so that's a bonus.
Also decided to keep the night of the 27th at Mammoth Hotel, so we'll have 4 nights/ 3 and half days in Yellowstone.

Our trip now looks like this:
7/24: Leave Houston after DH gets off work, drive to Ft. Worth (4.5 hours)
7/25: Ft. Worth to Colorado Springs (11.5 hour drive ), stay in basic cabin at Lone Duck Campground
7/26: Explore Colorado Springs, same cabin
7/27: Colorado Springs to Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone (11.5 hour trip ). Stay in Mammoth Hotel (2 beds, no bath)
7/28: Explore Mammoth Area and who knows what else!, stay again in Mammoth Hotel
7/29: Move to Roosevelt Cabin (1 bed with bath), explore old faithful-- I know this is quite a drive
7/30: Roosevelt cabin again, explore canyon area?, cookout for dinner (by covered wagon)
7/31: Explore more of Yellowstone until early afternoon, drive to Jackson Hole, stay at Buckrail Lodge (3 nights, with a bathroom and two beds )
8/1: DH to conference in the AM (kids and I will play mini golf at snow king, and maybe do the alpine slide), PM: Explore the Tetons
8/2: DH to conference in the AM (kids and I will head to the rec center to swim), PM: Tetons again?
8/3 DH to conference inthe AM. Leave by noon, head to Estes Park (8 hr. drive). Stay in basic cabin in Jellystone Park.
8/4: Explore Estes (Rocky Mountain National Park), stay in same cabin
8/5: Estes to Amarillo (8 hours)
8/6: Amarillo to Houston (10 hours)

This trip is getting pricier by the minute! --Katie

 

[StephMK]

Just called them and switched to a cabin at Roosevelt with a bathroom. It still only has one double bed, but the guy on the phone was very helpful, and he told me that it's probably a little bigger than the previous cabin we were booked in, so hopefully, we can get two kids on the floor if we have to. I'm going to keep stalking them for cancellations, though!! The room with the bathroom is almost twice as much, but it has a real heater, and not just the stove in it, so that's a bonus.
Also decided to keep the night of the 27th at Mammoth Hotel, so we'll have 4 nights/ 3 and half days in Yellowstone.

Our trip now looks like this:
7/24: Leave Houston after DH gets off work, drive to Ft. Worth (4.5 hours)
7/25: Ft. Worth to Colorado Springs (11.5 hour drive ), stay in basic cabin at Lone Duck Campground
7/26: Explore Colorado Springs, same cabin
7/27: Colorado Springs to Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone (11.5 hour trip ). Stay in Mammoth Hotel (2 beds, no bath)
7/28: Explore Mammoth Area and who knows what else!, stay again in Mammoth Hotel
7/29: Move to Roosevelt Cabin (1 bed with bath), explore old faithful-- I know this is quite a drive
7/30: Roosevelt cabin again, explore canyon area?, cookout for dinner (by covered wagon)
7/31: Explore more of Yellowstone until early afternoon, drive to Jackson Hole, stay at Buckrail Lodge (3 nights, with a bathroom and two beds )
8/1: DH to conference in the AM (kids and I will play mini golf at snow king, and maybe do the alpine slide), PM: Explore the Tetons
8/2: DH to conference in the AM (kids and I will head to the rec center to swim), PM: Tetons again?
8/3 DH to conference inthe AM. Leave by noon, head to Estes Park (8 hr. drive). Stay in basic cabin in Jellystone Park.
8/4: Explore Estes (Rocky Mountain National Park), stay in same cabin
8/5: Estes to Amarillo (8 hours)
8/6: Amarillo to Houston (10 hours)

This trip is getting pricier by the minute! --Katie

Lots of driving but sounds like a really fun trip! I am enjoying reading this since we are hoping to plan a similar trip next summer. DH has some friends in WY so we have been trying to do this a few years now.

I hope you come back to post pics, I love the ones that have already been posted!