Is there a DISBoard quality forum for Yellowstone National Park?

[marthachick]

And if you are going to hike any, buy or rent bear spray!

 

[sweetpeama]

Be prepared for road construction ... this summer there is major construction between Norris and Mammoth ... wait times are roughly 30 minutes or more (they have signs up telling you to turn off your engine). Also major construction from Fishing Bridge eastward (on the east entrance road) with substantial wait times. Of course all of this may be completed by the time you go next year although the construction east of Fishing Bridge looked like it could take more than a summer to complete. So construction can certainly determine which roads will be easier to take (we drove over Dunraven Pass multiple times ... not a big deal for us but not everyone is comfortable with driving this road that doesn't have a whole lot of guardrails).

There is a tendency about every 15-20 years to have a year of major road construction in the park with most of the jobs being in one year though the season is short due to the elevation making the season much shorter than even going to other close by areas. The 2nd year is often done finishing these jobs especially the larger ones. My dad had a couple of different summers where the crew he was with had jobs in the park during the years from 87 to 12 that he was on the road with 2 different crews (one the company closed down after the 1st season and the other one they worked under 4 different names due to buy outs and later the one company deciding to get ride of the distant road crew and they were all picked up by the final company he worked for. In case you are wondering it was not a we will take you if you want to come work for us those guys and the few gals were wined and dined including taking them and their spouses out for steak and lobster dinners. Most of the time when he had those jobs he either stayed in or near Big Sky or the Gardnier area at a small town called Geraldine and would drive because those were cheaper areas to drive from. Due to it being a natural park they are hauling the gravel and asphalt further as they can not set up a job pit right in the park so it will be outside the park even driving from the 4 corners, Belgrade, Manhattan area or the Livingston area. This does reduce the number of trucks they can haul each day which effects things along with the weather. Ideally the roads should be touched up every 4-8 years but getting the money in the budget and people convience that it is less of a distraction to do an overlay than a complete rebuild because it is so torn up does not seem to get though the buracracy.

 

[mommylove70]

We just went to Yellowstone last month. I did my research using TripAdvisor, along with many other online resources and guide books. It was part of a 3 week trip for us, a party of 4 (two adults, one teen one preteen, three out of the four of us not terribly adventurous)
. That portion of the trip was as follows:

We overnighted in Pinedale before heading into Grand Teton. I could not stomach the prices in Jackson Hole, plus our schedule would have us arriving at night, and I figured I wanted to see the scenery and drive into the mountains in the day. Worked perfectly. Our hotel was great. We actually could have spent another day here as my husband would have loved to rent a boat for the day and boat the lake nearby.

Drove into Jackson Hole the next day, visited the town, hit the grocery store (we had bought a cooler at the beginning of our trip, breakfast, lunch and snacks were out of the cooler - worked well!). Got the obligatory picture at the antler arches.

Visited Grand Teton. Stayed at a cabin at Colter Bay for two nights. Great location, beautiful park. We hiked Jenny Lake (saw a mama bear and two cubs), hiked to every waterfall we could find. We resort hopped here just to check them out. Loved Jackson Lodge, great place to hang out and relax on the patio viewing the mountains, but was out of our price range to overnight. We also went up to the top of the Jackson Hole Ski Lodge in the late afternoon - Gondolas were free after 5(?) and there is a nice restaurant at the top where we shared some apps. The information center in Jackson Hole was a great resource, we found the man that we talked to there was great with info on attractions and hikes, and how to maximize our dollars. He told us the hint about the free gondolas. We did not eat in the park.

We then entered Yellowstone. We stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Cabins for two nights. Great rooms! There was so much within walking distance at the Old Faithful location. We easily could have stayed another night as my husband became obsessed with seeing the gysers go off. There are all sorts of prediction schedules online. We ate at the Hamilton General Store there - worst food of our trip. The other night we splurged and ate the buffet dinner at the Old Faithful Inn - absolutely worth it! Food was great, and that Inn is beautiful! We spent time hanging in the lobby at times - grabbed some coffee, watched Old Faithful from their seating from their 2nd floor once. Loved that Inn and location! I heard the Inn rooms were rather small and "quaint" and expensive for the $$. We loved our Snow Lodge room.

Next stayed at Canyon for two nights. Same kind of room as Old Faithful, for more money. The room was definately not as nice, and neither was the service. If I had to do it again, I would spend one night at Mammoth Hot Springs and only one night at Canyon. There is a town right next to Mammoth Hot Springs outside the park, so you can eat less expensively there with more choices. We ate at the cafeteria at Canyon - had food from the Wok section, and it hit the spot. Looked like we were going into the cafeteria at one of the values at Disney lol!

We spent a lot of time hiking (nothing too crazy, but we loved the waterfalls and views!). We also tried to hit a lot of ranger talks. They were all pretty awesome, and we loved talking to the rangers about the park. We saw lots of wildlife, some too close for comfort especially while driving. The bison pay no attention to people or cars as they will just go where they want, boardwalks/roads or not!

Any questions ask away. I love talking about my trips!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We stayed one or two nights at that Super 8 in Gardiner before the park opened for the winter season and we moved to Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We had elk in our parking lot right next to our car. At Mammoth, we had elk right outside our bedroom window. KBAR in Gardiner had some good pizza, too.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We went to Yellowstone recently and were so happy to have seen it. I made a huge effort to get a reservation in the original part of the Old Faithful Inn in a room with an attached bath. ( Most rooms mean you have to go down the hall to a shared facility.)

If I had it to over again, I think I'd still want to stay in the Inn as a once in a lifetime thing, but I would stay in one of the newer wings. The room we had was a little too "authentic" for me. It wasn't pretty or particularly comfortable, even with the en suite bathroom.

There are also plenty of other really nice places to stay just a stone's throw from the original inn, if you just want to visit it. It was really nice to sit on the huge upper balcony and watch Old Faithful erupt.

 

[eco-muse]

1. Which inns/lodges to stay at?
I'd recommend staying at Canyon (if possible), because I think it's the most centrally located spot. However, it depends on if you are going during their on-season or off-season (most of the in-park lodging is closed during the off-season, as are most of the roads).

2. Is it worth staying on site?
Yes. I've stayed outside of the park (West Yellowstone) and in the park (Canyon), and in the park is definitely preferred.

3. Is it worth doing a split stay?
Sure, it might be easier that way, since the park is so huge. Where you stay depends on what you want to do, though.

4. What are the major attractions besides Old Faithful?
Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin (I think that's where the Grand Prismatic Spring is), Hayden Valley, Lamar Valley (etc.)

5. How many days to allow? In our case, it’s towards the low end, as we have a bunch of other places out west to visit. So I’m thinking about three nights with 2 1/2 days, and the remaining half day driving to Grand Teton.
At least a week, because the park is huge and you will spend a lot of time just driving from one place to another (and even moreso if there is a Bison jam, or if people are watching animals from the side of the road). Grand Teton is also fairly decent in size and has a lot of hiking options.

6. Best strategy for seeing as much as possible (rope drop equivalent) in limited time?
That depends on your priorities. Do you want to see wild animals, go hiking, or see the geothermal features most? If animals are your thing, get up before sunrise and head to Hayden Valley or Lamar Valley. Slough Creek is another area that sometimes has decent sightings. A tour might also be good (we never did one at Yellowstone, apart from a ranger-led hike, so I can't say much on those).

7. Any restaurants in the park that are musts or to be avoided?
Restaurants to check out: Mammoth Hotel Dining Room, Lake Hotel Dining Room, Old Faithful Inn Dining Room
Restaurants to avoid: Canyon Lodge Cafeteria, Canyon Fountain and Grill