Sedona Arizona? Big Sky Montana?

[LSB]

Has anyone visited either location?

Has anyone stayed at the resorts listed as Interval International exchanges for either location?

I'm interested in taking my mom and dad w/ us to see the Grand Canyon (and maybe the Monument Valley area) or to the Yellowstone Area . We're from Illinois, and are mostly interested in seeing the sights/ nature trails/ etc. We're more interested in "outdoor family fun" than spa experiences. We will be driving.

We might be interested in a 2BR exchange/ member getaway, or we might rent our points and pay cash for hotels as we travel... just doing my homework/ gathering ideas...

Any input or suggestions would be great!

Thanks

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

I have been to Big Sky but only in the winter to ski. It is a beautiful place. I'm sure they have plenty of summer "family fun" too. Yellowstone is not that long of a drive from Big Sky. As for Sedona- I am heading there mid July. I'll know more about it then.

 

[JimMIA]

For both of those parks -- particularly Yellowstone -- I would recommend doing what you do at WDW. Stay on-site!

Both parks have a wide variety of lodging available within the park, all run to National Park Service standards by very good concessioners. The links to the parks' websites are

Grand Canyon www.nps.gov/grca
and Yellowstone www.nps.gov/yell

On both sites look for the "Plan your visit" button on the right side of the page, click on that and then look for "Lodging" on the left side of the planning page. Those buttons will take you to the in-park lodging, which ranges typically from tent camping to super-deluxe lodges.

Both Sedona and Big Sky are quite a distance from where you want to be in those parks.

 

[JimMIA]

From Big Sky to West Yellowstone, MT is only about 50 miles. However, from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful is another 30 miles, W. Yellowstone to Canyon is about 26 miles, and other areas are somewhat farther. All of those distances, of course, are ONE-WAY, so you have to double them for a day trip from Big Sky.

From Sedona to the South Rim Visitor's Center in GCNP is 113 miles one way.

All of the distances for both destinations are on good two-lane roads, but both parks are parking lots in the summer.

Also, on ressies -- I have not checked with those concessioners, but at most National Parks you can make ressies one year and a day prior to arrival.

 

[mtdsnylvr]

I live in Montana, so I am very familar with Big Sky and Yellowstone. The Summit at Big Sky is a beautiful condo, high rise 4 star resort. Big Sky itself is abolutely gorgeous, pretty sleepy in the summer. There is a golf course, white water rafting, horseback riding, hiking, etc. It is not convenient to drive from Big Sky to the Park and back in the same day.

If you are interested in Yellowstone, I recommend Old Faithful Lodge for one night and then a stay in Jackson, WY. It is just to the south of Yellowstone, with TONS of activities, fine dining, etc. We book a condo there for a week every summer. We just love it (my husband, myself, 2 kids-now 14 and 10). Two days in Yellowstone gives you plenty of time to see the sights. Any longer, I think is overkill, unless you are planning to do some extended hiking in the Park. We just returned from there yesterday, and it wasn't too busy. If you want any more info, let me know!

 

[JimMIA]

Last time I was in Yellowstone, we spent 4 days in Grand Teton NP (south of Yellowstone, just north of Jackson, WY) and 5 days in Yellowstone. We didn't do any backpacking, but did do a couple of short hikes (1-2 hours). We felt like we probably had one day too much in Grand Teton, but about the right amount of time for Yellowstone.

I won't bore you with the details, but Yellowstone is the second largest NP in the 48 contiguous states (after Death Valley), and it has several distinct sections within the park, so we took a day to explore each. If you'd like more info, feel free to PM me.

We stayed in inexpensive concession lodging in both parks, and found both places spacious, clean, and comfortable.

I strongly second the idea of visiting Jackson. (Jackson, WY, BTW, would be the place to fly into if you are flying.) It's a really cool western town with good dining, good shopping, and just an interesting place to walk around.

Grand Teton National Park is my third favorite for scenic beauty (after Yosemite and Glacier, way ahead of Yellowstone). There are no foothills there, because you are in the middle of Jackson Hole, and the mountains rise right up out of the lakes. Very dramatic, very beautiful. Their website is www.nps.gov/grte and they also have nice lodging inside the park. It's just a short drive from Grand Teton NP to Jackson, and about 30-35 miles from the northern boundary of Teton to the south entrance of Yellowstone.

 

[salmoneous]

I've never stayed at that resort, but Sedona is one of the great places to visit for outdoor scenery. It's as spectacular as any national park, but without the crowds and restrictions national parks bring.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We were just in Sedona about three weeks ago. We got there before the fires hit and it was very pretty. Now since the fires came through, I don't know. It is an easy drive to Grand Canyon from there.

 

[LSB]

Thank you for the responses and the offers of extra information (I may take you up on that as I'm reading up on things...)

Thanks JimMIA for the nps info. I found the Grand Canyon lodging info. and it looks promising ... much nicer rooms than I thought we might find (DH and I aren't very outdoorsy but we try ie: Tents or non airconditioned cabins would definitely be out of our league!)

Jackson Wyoming sounds wonderful too... now I have plenty to read about this week!

Thanks

 

[ryley26]

Thanks for the great info dw and I were thinking of going out west next year and these ideas will really help. We won't use points so were interested in other location to stay.

 

[JimMIA]

Tents or non airconditioned cabins would definitely be out of our league!

Forget air-conditioning...think heat! Both Grand Canyon and Yellowstone are 7500+ feet elevation -- you'll be wearing a jacket at night, even in summer. It snows in Yellowstone in August sometimes!

ETA: Hint on booking lodging inside national parks: Because many lodgings allow booking one year and a day in advance, and because many people go back to the same place at the same time each year, many accommodations are booked far in advance. Therefore, it's best if you can book as far in advance as possible. Usually there is no penalty for cancellation until you get quite close to your arrival date (14-30 days out, depending on the lodging).

The other side of that coin is that many people make tentative reservations far in advance. Then, they cancel, reschedule, or upgrade/downgrade to something that was not available when they first called. So...if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. You'll get your ressie, even if you have to call day by day.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I've not done it on points, but I've been to Sedona and the Grand Canyon some time ago. Both spectacular. I would go to Sedona again in a heartbeat. A nice little village, not crowded or over-touristy. Can do lots of short nice hikes. And the GC is of course breathtaking. There is lodging inside the GC Park, I would recommend it. El Tovar I think is the name of the beautiful lodge right on the rim of the canyon. We did not stay there but stopped in and I believe its design & decor is reminiscent of WL, if I'm not mistaken. We stayed at a different lodge (cheaper!) inside the NP. Most people do not realize how MASSIVE the NP is around the GC. If you stay outside of it, you are pretty far away.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We got reservations for Yavapai Lodge at the South Rim about four months out. All the other resorts were totally booked. We had two queen beds and no AC. It was warm when we checked in, but got cooler during the night. It was still a bit warm in the room. There was a ceiling fan. The other lodges were much nicer and did have AC. You need to be getting a reservation for next summer right now if there is still vacancy. The room we had cost $102 per night. This was mid-June.

Same with Yellowstone. We have stayed in Old faithfill Inn, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel,Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Canyon Lodge. The best rrom was at Canyon Lidge in the Cascade Lodge - pretty new and comfortable with AC. You need to try to get your lodging at Yellowstone now.

Sedona was pretty, but I'd bet it looks pretty burned right now.

Once we did Memorial day weekend at Yellowstone. We lived in Montana at the time. Some of the raods were still impassible with snow (especially the entire NE corner of the park). Lake Yellowstone was still frozen and was just starting to break up. The park roads close in Sept.

 

[disfreak4life]

We live in Washington State. We have been to both Yellowstone and Sedona. I am familiar with where Big Sky is in relation to Yellowstone and am familiar with how far Sedona is to Grand Canyon.

Personally, I think both Big Sky and Sedona are too far from either park. Don't look at the drive in terms of miles, look at it as to how long it will actually take (on slow roads) for you to get to either place. You are probably better off selling/transferring DVC points and using the cash to stay on either site.

I love Sedona Arizona. It is one of the most beautiful small towns of the West. But really, it is too far from Grand Canyon if you are planning to go to Grand Canyon for more than one day. If you want Grand Canyon, stay at the lodge there.

Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton Natl. Park is in my opinion far better than Yellowstone. If I were you and you were taking my advice in staying on campus of either park, then I would spend 3 nights in Yellowstone Lodge and another 3 in either Jackson Hole or Grand Teton Lodge.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Nah, Yellowstone is much better than Jackson or Grand Tetons. You have the geysers, hot springs, lots of waterfalls, mountains, mud pots, the lake, trails for hiking, wild animals to observe, canyons (both grand and small), forests, history, etc. Much more to Yellowstone. And several different choices of where to stay if you look early.