Vacation at Yellowstone and Glacier questions

[daannzzz]

For those of you who live in Wyoming or Montana OR those who have traveled in these areas during the first week of May I have some questions.
I am taking my Father on a road trip back to the very small town where he was born in North Dakota. He has been before and I have not. I have two weeks so we are going to travel the area between Portland Oregon and North Dakota. We will be there the first week of May and I am finding that most, if not all, lodges in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks do not even open until mid to late May. The websites have loads of info on summer and winter activities but are very vague for my time period. It looks like some roads are not even open. I am sure that the "Road to the Sun" will not be open at Glacier but will we be able to get to Lake McDonald? We will be arriving at Yellowstone from Grand Teton NP and I am unclear if we can enter through the south entrance and drive through the park to the west entrance where all the motels are located.
Any information you can all give about visiting the parks as well as driving in this region the first of May would be appreciated. We are also going to Devil's Tower and Craters of the Moon.

 

[Buckleybunch]

I don't have any information, but I just wanted to say.
How special that will be for you and you dad, and what memories you two will have.

 

[daannzzz]

Thanks. Yes it will be. He is 76 and visited the old farm (now delapidated) about 15 years ago but I would like to go. I guess there is not much left to the town but it will still be neat to see.

 

[cathymailme]

What town in ND?

 

[daannzzz]

Bentley, near New Leipzig. I don't think there is much left to Bentley but Dada has an Aunt that lives in New Leipzig.

 

[noodles]

My Mom lives near Glacier and I will ask her tonight for sure, but I think you can still get into lake McDonald when "Going to the Sun Road is closed". I will report back later tonight with more info!

Shannon

 

[cathymailme]

I went to high school in Flasher which is about 40 miles from New Leipiz. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[daannzzz]

Originally posted by noodles
My Mom lives near Glacier and I will ask her tonight for sure, but I think you can still get into lake McDonald when "Going to the Sun Road is closed". I will report back later tonight with more info!

Shannon

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

 

[daannzzz]

Originally posted by cathymailme
I went to high school in Flasher which is about 40 miles from New Leipiz. Have a wonderful trip!

I looked on Mapquest.com and Flasher looks pretty close.
I was thinking of going to New Leipzig in June to attend the German Festival. It looks like the food available tha sounds similar to some family favorites that Grandma use to make (and we still do).

 

[jsmith]

This is not a question we will be able to answer now-it will depend on the snow conditions that occur in March and April. If it is a dry year-as the last few have been you should be able to enter Yellowstone at Flagg Ranch (south entrance) and exit at either West Yellowstone (horridly out of your way if you are going to North Dakota) the east entrance toward Cody, Wyoming or at Gardner or Cooke City Montana in Mid-May. However, if it is a very snowny year some of those roads will not be passable before Memorial Day..I do know that the east entrance is currently experiencing a better snow year than the last four or five but do not know if this applies to the west , north and northeast gates or not. The best course of action would be to follow weather conditions in that area for the next couple of months and then check park service web sites or with either the Wyoming Travel Commission or the Montana Travel commission around the 1st of May-even that will be no garuntee as weather conditions in the spring change rapidly.
the reason you find most of the lodges closed at this time is that snow conditions are generally too bad to allow for winter modes of travel (snow coach or snowmobile) and too bad for car travel. Although it can vary greatly-four years ago we drove to Mammoth Hot springs for New Years eve-usually a snow coach only trip

 

[daannzzz]

Thanks jsmith. I think I better have two different plans prepared! I usually like to have all my motels booked ahead of time. Looks like we might want to take things as the come though!

 

[gshoemate]

I know back in the end of May in 1996 we took a vacation out to Yellowstone and didn't even bother researching it. As we traveled between Cody and the East entrance of Yellowstone rain turned into snow and we were shocked. By time we got into the park there were so many snow drifts.....and they were tall. I agree with jsmith as far as following the weather out there. You might also want to keep an eye out on this chat board....www.yellowstone-natl-park.com There is alot of good info on there and also employees working at Yellowstone during the winter months post on it so you might be able to keep informed as to what roads are open and what the road conditions are like. If you make it ther ehave fun, I like to call Yellowstone my second home, it is just a great place.

 

[daannzzz]

Thanks so much for that link. I am going to bookmark that one.
I have never been to this part of the country and am looking forward to it. I am hoping to go on one of the geyser trails!
After researching this a little bit I was thinking of bringing chains in the car, now after your post I beleive I will definately bring chains.

 

[noodles]

I just talked with my Mom and she says it really depends on the snow pac. If they dont have a lot of snow you may be able to go to the top of Going to the Sun Road, but if they have lots of snow this winter you may not be able to get into lake McDonald. She recommended waiting until April and checking out the conditions then and make a decision on what route to go. She says at their house it has been snowing all day today and they have about a foot of snow which is alot for them.

We went over one year for Memorial Day Weekend and going to the Sun Road was still closed and we sat by the lake and had a picnic lunch and went home. There is not much to see if you cant go up to the top or walk the boardwalk hiking trails on the bottom. PM me if you have any more questions.

Shannon

 

[daannzzz]

Thanks Shannon. It looks like we are going to just have totake a wait and see attitude. Because our rout to North Dakota takes us along I 90 I couldn't see being so close to Glacier and not taking the time to go up there. I am happy to just be on the road so even if we can only drive on Highway 2 along the southern border I will be happy! Thanks again for asking for me.

 

[daannzzz]

This is an artical my Dad sent me this morning.

Have you planned your next vacation yet? Yellowstone you say. Some say be cautious.


From the December 2003 Idaho Observer:

Scientists closely monitoring Yellowstone

Recent eruptions, 200 degree ground temperatures, bulging magma and 84 degree water temperatures prompt heightened scrutiny of park's geothermal activity

BILLINGS, Mont. -- Yellowstone National Park happens to be on top of one of the largest “super volcanoes€? in the world. Geologists claim the Yellowstone Park area has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years. The last eruption
was 640,000 years ago making the next one long overdue. This next eruption could be 2,500 times the size of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Volcanologists have been tracking the movement of magma under the park and have calculated
that, in parts of Yellowstone, the ground has risen over seventy centimeters this century.

In July, 2003, Yellowstone Park rangers closed the entire Norris Geyser Basin because of deformation of the land and excessive high ground temperatures. There is an area that is 28 miles long by 7 miles wide that has bulged upward over
five inches since 1996, and this year the ground temperature on that bulge has reached over 200 degrees (measured one inch below ground level).

There was no choice but to close off the entire area. Everything in this area is dying: The trees, flowers, grass and shrubs. A dead zone is developing and spreading outward. The animals are literally migrating out of the park. Then during the last part of July one of the Park geologists discovered a huge bulge at the bottom of Yellowstone Lake. The bulge has already risen
over 100 feet from the bottom of the lake and the water temperature at the surface of the bulge has reached 88 degrees and is still rising.

Keep in mind that Yellowstone Lake is a high mountain lake with very cold water temperatures. The Lake is now closed to the public. It is filled with dead fish floating everywhere. The same is true of the Yellowstone river and most of the other streams in the Park. Dead and dying fish are filling the water everywhere.

Many of the picnic areas in the Park have been closed and people visiting the Park usually stay but a few hours before leaving since the stench of sulfur is so strong they literally can't stand the smell.

The irony of all this is the silence by the news media and our government. Very little information is available from Yellowstone personnel or publications. What mainstream newsstories do appear underscore the likelihood of a massive volcanic
eruption. Though geologists publicly admit Yellowstone is overdue, they have been quoted as stating another massive magma release may not occur for 100,000 or 2 million years. Others close to the story are convinced that a massive eruption is imminent. A source that has demonstrated first-hand knowledge of the park's history and recent geothermal events stated the following:

The American people are not being told that the explosion of this 'super volcano' could happen at any moment. When Yellowstone does blow, some geologists predict that every living thing within six hundred miles is likely to die. The movement of magma has been detected just three-tenths of a mile below the bulging surface of the ground in Yellowstone raising concerns that this super volcano may erupt soon.

 

[noodles]

Wow! That is really interesting. We were thinking about taking the kids through Yellowstone on our way to Billings for my sisters wedding in August. I think I will have to keep an eye on this story before we make up our minds!

Noodles

 

[KarenB]

Interesting article. We spent a week in Yellowstone in the summer of 99. While in the Old Faithful area, there was a lot of movement. A seismograph (sp) was set up in the visitor center and it was amazing how much underground activity was going on. Also while there' the naturalists and forest rangers were very surprised about a recent eruption from a geyser that has been inactive for quite sometime. It is a fascinating place and constantly changing. We also got to see what we thought was the ugly remains of the Great Yellowstone Fires of 1998......after talking to rangers there, we quickly realized that it was just the beauty of nature. Our outlook really changed!!


I do believe the Snow Inn/Lodge in the Old Faithful area is open year round but I don't know which entrance is.

Have an awesome trip.....we can't wait to go back!
Karen