Budget Yellowstone Trip - possible?

[McKelly]

If the budget starts to balloon on ya, you might want to pare that list down to the essentials. I've been to Yellowstone twice & the Snake River float is the only thing on your list I've ever done. And there was still WAY more to do & see (for free) than I ever could have accomplished in the time I was there

Word of warning on the whitewater trips - I've done it in June & in August. The water is still cold in August (I fell in - my own fault ), but it is brutally cold in June or May. The river runs much higher in June as well, so not only will you get wet, but you will likely have 3-4" of ice cold water in the bottom of your raft at all times. Make sure you pick a sunny day for your float if you do the whitewater version rather than the scenic version!!

Thanks for the tips. Having never been to Yellowstone, it's so hard to plan the time. Right now I have 4 days Yellowstone, 3 days Grand Tetons/Jackson, which could be changed to 5/2. I DO want to shave the activity budget down a little. I was thinking the Old West Cookout, because that's $300.00 right there, but it seems to be a favorite of many.....plus I didn't want to have to "reserve" anything and kind of go with the flow.......which is so hard since the majority of our vacations have been to WDW and it's all about the planning!! Hard to break the habit!

 

[floridascgirl]

Since the original post was about trying to have a "budget friendly " trip, I've been trying to think on that. Since my upcoming trip is a first for me too, I can only pass along some advice that I've heard from others.

The main one was planning for picnic style lunches. We are going to purchase a cooler when we arrive in Jackson and then stock up at Albertsons (I've already joined their loyalty club online). We're planning on buying water (just like for Disney ) and lunch items. Here is a list and map of all the picnic areas in Yellowstone. http://www.yellowstone.co/picnic.htm

Other than that, we've tried to scale activities back to things that are free, except we are planning on a float trip down the Snake River when we stay at Signal Mountain Lodge.

One more thing...someone posted about taking a tram ride (which is pricey), but I did hear that the Bridger Gondola (it takes you to 8,000 ft.) is free to ride after 4:30.

 

[McKelly]

floridascgirl - great website and map, thanks for sharing that. We also plan to eat out of the cooler as much as possible, well, that's my plan at least, until the DH and kids start complaining. They are not big sandwich eaters. Any ideas for "non-sandwich" cooler foods?

 

[floridascgirl]

One more thing...here's a link for a printable coupon if you are planning on visiting the National Museum of Wildlife Art between Jackson and GTNP.
http://www.wildlifeart.org/

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Thanks for the tips. Having never been to Yellowstone, it's so hard to plan the time. Right now I have 4 days Yellowstone, 3 days Grand Tetons/Jackson, which could be changed to 5/2.

Either plan could work. I've never spent more than 3 days in Yellowstone, but that was due to time constraints. I felt like I got to see "a lot", but one could easily stay much longer. Tetons probably require a day, you need 1/2 a day to do the float (we always just go to one of the commercial float places in Jackson), and then there's Jackson itself. If you plan to spend any time exploring the town, figure on using a day on that IMO.


As for suggestions on non-sandwich ideas out of a cooler, I'd search this board for threads on how to pack lunches for Disney. Lots of good ideas there. We have a freezer full of venison Sommer Sausage, so sausage-cheese-crackers is always on our picnic menu

 

[ilovebassets]

We went in the shoulder season (early May), and everything was empty and therefore cheap. Downsides? Still tons of snow, even some fresh snowfall while we were there, but it did make for a beautiful park that most people probably never get to experience. It was also still quite cold while we were there. Apparently the year we went, winter was long and hard according to the locals.

It was great to feel like you practically owned the place though. I can't imagine dealing with summer crowds or traffic.

We flew in and out of Idaho Falls. Drive wasn't bad at all.

 

[3boymthr]

Well, if you are remotely interested in the Old West BBQ, call today to see if you can get it. It sells out - FAST. You can cancel if you decide it's not in the budget but really it was soooo worth it. We were on a huge trip month long when we went to Yellowstone - it was one of our first stops (OMG I typed Jellystone first ) and this was our one big splurge and I totally don't regret it.

Just to make you think about it even more:

This is a back country area that you can only see if you go on the BBQ or you hike in. At the time we went even the horseback rides don't hit this area. Just saying. The first photo is of the ranger who makes the "cowboy coffee" and who tells stories after the meal. The actual meal is served under a canopy that you can see in the background.

Oh and I had this pic of the inside of our cabin in the same folder so I thought I'd share.

 

[yoopermom]

DH goes "out west" at least once, if not twice, a year with other guys from MI/WI and wants me to point out that it's really *not* a bad drive, at all. Once you get past MN, the plains are wide open and flat and people drive really, really fast. They make it to WY/MT in no time flat, and that's in fully loaded pickups, often pulling trailers. Due to my work schedule, I'd have to fly out to join them, and that's always quite expensive, unfortunately.

Have a GREAT trip!

Terri

 

[Gumbo4x4]

If you do the drive, there is definitely a whole lot of nothing in between, BUT also some really, really cool stuff as well. On the Northern end of the spectrum (I90ish), you have Mt. Rushmore, The Needles, Devils' Tower, The Badlands, Custer National Battlefield (not much to see, but very interesting from a historical perspective - Custer comes off even dumber once you see it ).

I80's a bit more lacking of interesting stuff.

I70's pretty much just wheat & sunflowers from Topeka to Denver (edit: if you're going for hunting season, the crops are all out & it's nothing but bare earth)

 

[MrsPete]

ooooo I love this thread.... I wanna go!!!
what is the best area of the park to stay? for instance, when we visited Yosemite I researched,and we stayed in the valley- wouldn't want to stay anywhere else after actually being there, what about Yellowstone, any faves? What do you like/ not like about the various areas?
And when does the season open/close? I mean for snow free travel

There really is no "best" portion. I suggest that you look over the park map and determine which areas interest you most -- and then pick cabins near that area. As I said previously, we stayed in the Canyon area, which was centrally located. I didn't love the cabins, especially given that they were rather expensive . . . but the central location was good. If memory serves, the Lake area is centrally located too, and it's closer to the Southern border, which means you'd be able to access the Tetons more easily.

When you look at the maps, you forget how big the park is. It is close to the size of Connecticut but with a speed limit of 35mph (?) and there will be plenty of times where you are lucky to average 5mph. This is due to the rod constructions and from tourist stopping in the road. Yes, I said stopping in the middle or the road.

Yes, this is something people don't expect. People tend to think, park -- relatively empty. No. Your comparison is a good one: A small state with a 35 MPH speed limit.

I was thinking the Old West Cookout, because that's $300.00 right there, but it seems to be a favorite of many

Someone else mentioned a different name, but I think Old West was what we did.

We really did think it was worth the money, but we were on a moderate-to-high budget that could accomodate a few splurges. We did a cookout-type meal in Yellowstone and again in the Grand Canyon. They were the most expensive meals of our trip, but we enjoyed them tremendously.

 

[floridascgirl]

Well, if you are remotely interested in the Old West BBQ, call today to see if you can get it. It sells out - FAST. You can cancel if you decide it's not in the budget but really it was soooo worth it. We were on a huge trip month long when we went to Yellowstone - it was one of our first stops (OMG I typed Jellystone first ) and this was our one big splurge and I totally don't regret it.

Just to make you think about it even more:

This is a back country area that you can only see if you go on the BBQ or you hike in. At the time we went even the horseback rides don't hit this area. Just saying. The first photo is of the ranger who makes the "cowboy coffee" and who tells stories after the meal. The actual meal is served under a canopy that you can see in the background.

Oh and I had this pic of the inside of our cabin in the same folder so I thought I'd share.

By chance, is your cabin photo one of the Roosevelt Lodge "Roughriders"? If so, how did you like it? We have 2 nights booked in one after returning from our drive on the Beartooth Scenic Byway. Also, your cookout photos were super and it looks like such a fun time!

 

[McKelly]

Wow, I didn't realize the Roosevelt Cookout would sell out so fast. I was under the impression you had to do it at 60 days out. I guess I need to make a decision right away then. I suppose I should just book it and like you said, we can always cancel. I wonder if you pay right away, or if it is just a credit card hold.....I suppose I will have to call them and find out!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Since the original post was about trying to have a "budget friendly " trip, I've been trying to think on that. Since my upcoming trip is a first for me too, I can only pass along some advice that I've heard from others.

The main one was planning for picnic style lunches. We are going to purchase a cooler when we arrive in Jackson and then stock up at Albertsons (I've already joined their loyalty club online). We're planning on buying water (just like for Disney ) and lunch items. Here is a list and map of all the picnic areas in Yellowstone. http://www.yellowstone.co/picnic.htm

Other than that, we've tried to scale activities back to things that are free, except we are planning on a float trip down the Snake River when we stay at Signal Mountain Lodge.

One more thing...someone posted about taking a tram ride (which is pricey), but I did hear that the Bridger Gondola (it takes you to 8,000 ft.) is free to ride after 4:30.

We also focused on the free things to do, but did do the float trip down the Snake River. We absolutely LOVED it. Besides that though, we were so busy seeing the sights and taking hikes, that we didnt pay for any other adventures.

I also second the plan of buying lunch items and packing them in a cooler. We alway fly Southwest, so I have always checked a cooler for one of our pieces of luggage. Once we land and get our rental car, we make a grocery stop and stock up.

We like to maximize our time in the National Parks and not spend it trying to find places to eat, so we find it much easier to have our own food with us. Of course its cheaper too, but honestly, even if I won the lottery, I would still want a cooler with essentials in my car.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

If you do the drive, there is definitely a whole lot of nothing in between, BUT also some really, really cool stuff as well. On the Northern end of the spectrum (I90ish), you have Mt. Rushmore, The Needles, Devils' Tower, The Badlands, Custer National Battlefield (not much to see, but very interesting from a historical perspective - Custer comes off even dumber once you see it ).

I80's a bit more lacking of interesting stuff.

I70's pretty much just wheat & sunflowers from Topeka to Denver (edit: if you're going for hunting season, the crops are all out & it's nothing but bare earth)

Yes, after we left Yellowstone, we headed to Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Needles, Badlands and of course Wall Drug. So much to see if you dont mind doing a bit of driving.

 

[Deb & Bill]

OP, instead of flying into Denver, consider flying into Billings or Bozeman and renting a car from there. From Billings you can drive either through Red Lodge and the Beartooth Mountains and enter through the NE Gate or through Mammoth Hot Springs at the NW Gate. If you go through Bozeman, you can enter through the NW Gate. Both of these will be much closer than Denver.

 

[3boymthr]

By chance, is your cabin photo one of the Roosevelt Lodge "Roughriders"? If so, how did you like it? We have 2 nights booked in one after returning from our drive on the Beartooth Scenic Byway. Also, your cookout photos were super and it looks like such a fun time!

It was one of the Roosevelt cabins. We really loved it, but for us it was a step up from our previous and subsequent accommodations on that trip - our Tent! We were camping our way across the country but I dislike camping in bear country so found these to be a very budget friendly option to the tent. The beauty of staying in this location is it was literally walking distance from our cabin to the starting point of the cookout/BBQ as it leaves from the corral near the main entrance to the lodge. I found the cabin to be roomy but we had a three bed cabin (sleeps 5 -6 people). I have to say that I was really really glad we were in a cabin instead of a tent and not because of the bears - while we were in Yellowstone as despite it being July it SNOWED. We laughed at the stove when we arrived which came complete with wood brick and matches but actually did put that stove to good use.

 

[Joy Lammers]

I agree that you should check into Billings for flights. Or even Salt Lake City. They have also added more flights into Jackson,WY for the summer. Make sure that you purchase gas before you get into the Parks since it is alot higher at the little stores. Both Jackson and Cody are worth checking out but can be spendy.

 

[CKBear]

My DH and I went last September and I would say we had a fairly budget trip. We were actually in Yellowstone for 4 days, and the only day we paid for anything was when we went into Montana to the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center, all the other days we just went on hikes in different areas of the park.

My biggest tip would be to make sure you pack lunches unless you want to be tied to the different areas for lodging. If we had not had our cooler of lunch fixins we wouldn't have been able to see half the things we got to see.

Also make sure you pack layers, we were there the end of September and during the day it was comfortable but in the mornings and evenings we needed sweatshirts, once the sun disappeared it got cold really quick and it was belowing freezing before you knew it. The nice thing about the type of cold it was though all we really needed were the sweatshirts; we are from the south and I didn't believe everyone that said "It's a different type of cold" and we brought our big snow jackets but they spent the week in the room we never put them on.

Hope you guys have a great trip!

 

[arthuruscg]

You could get a small propane grill to cook hamburgers, steaks, chicken, ect on.

There is sooooo much to do inside the park, that you don't even need to venture out or pay for anything. You could spend an entire month there and feel like you still missed a lot.

Also, keep your food and coolers covered while in the car. I can't remember about YNP but in Yosemite the bears learned how to identify food in the car. Lets just say, they don't know how to use a door handle since they come equipped with a built in can opener.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Also, keep your food and coolers covered while in the car. I can't remember about YNP but in Yosemite the bears learned how to identify food in the car. Lets just say, they don't know how to use a door handle since they come equipped with a built in can opener.

And the bears come in a larger version in Yellowstone, too