Yellowstone deals, activities, ect...

[zaja]

We are planning a trip to the Yellowstone area next September. Anyone know of any lodging deals for that time of year - (should be value season?), or websites to check? Also, anyone who's been - what are some of the not-to-be-missed activities in the area? Any info is very appreciated. TIA.

 

[Antonia]

We're hoping to go to Yellowstone next year, too! We aren't even sure what month though.

 

[janette]

The biggest activities are hiking, fishing, horse back riding and rafting. Really depends on what you are comfortable with. The further off the beaten path you are willing to go the more you'll see.

There isn't many lodging choices in the park, we go to a camp about 30 miles north so we've never stayed at any hotels in the area. Check the towns on the borders of the park. Gardiner, MT is at the north entrance and it is a pretty neat town.

 

[judi]

We have done the ranger programs every time we've gone. Interesting facts and they don't cost anything. If you have children they have programs for them also, they become junior rangers. We also hiked the trails and checked out the other hotels in the park. We've been a few times and love it.

 

[ceiligh1]

I dont know if you have kids or not but my family has always liked to stay at the lake lodge. It is not as crouded as old faithful inn and there are cabins there that you can rent as well. For us staying in the park is expensive but worth it as you dont have to drive into and out of the park everyday. You get to use that time to explore the park, and when you factor in bisonjams then it has saved us at least a couple hours a day.

 

[PlutoPony]

If you stay inside the park lodging is handled by Xanterra (Yellowstone NP Lodging ) and there's one price for the whole season. We've never stayed outside the park but I suspect you'll find a drop in prices there after Labor Day. If you stay inside the NP be aware that you're paying a premium for location NOT amenities, as some lodging is on the "rustic" side. But IMHO you just can't beat waking up in the morning to Old Faithful going off just outside your window (or watching the buffalo out front as you have your morning coffee). Yellowstone is a HUGE park and it's easy to underestimate how long it can take to get from one area to another if you haven't visited there before. This is definitely a vacation location that will be best enjoyed if you've done your homework. We spent a week between there and Grand Teton NP (definitely worth a visit) last summer and I'll be happy to answer any questions I can.

 

[zaja]

I'm not all that concerned with being right inside the park as far as lodging goes. Any area attractions around the area that we should not miss? What are the Grand Teton's like? It'll be myself and my 2 boys. We're going to take Grandpa along, (Dh can't get the time off - using it for our December Disney World trip ) So, we have a pretty broad age group going....hopefully won't make activity planning to difficult.

 

[KarenB]

We spent a week in Yellowstone in 1999. We split our stay between the Old Faithful Inn (the newer wing which I think is the west wing) and a cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs. We just enjoyed hiking and exploring with our kids!

Karen

 

[jsmith]

I am from Cody, Wyoming--the nearest community to the east entrance-DH and dont live there now but our parents do and my dad is a professional guid in yellowstone-a good many of the activities-the night rodeo, and the nightly street entertainment will end at labor day but there is a ton of stuff-in Cody the do not miss is the Museum Complex-its a truely world class collection of museums-The Buffalo Bill Museum, The Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indians Museum and the Draper Museum of Natural History-they are awesome. There is not much of a "value season" for lodging in either Cody or Jackson since the summer season seugues directly into hunting season which pulls in people with a lot of money to spend. Actually that statement applies also to Cooke City, West Yellowstone and Gardner. Big game hunting and guided hunts are an important part of the tourist economy in that area.

The Grand Tetons-wow-in my opinion they are one of the most spectacular sites in the contiental US-and will be absolutely beautiful in september when the leaves have changed. Jackson is a funky town with a broad collection of cool shops and resturants=Jediahs Original House of Sourdough is the awesomest breakfast place. here again-alot of the activities like river rafting will end at labor day-the weather tends to be a bit unpredictable for rafting that late-but i highly recommend taking the tram up the hill at Teton Village-it will be amazing. if you can get reservations at one of the lodges in Teton park go for it-it will be a wonderful experience. Most of the lodges and dude ranches should still have some horse back trips available but you will be competeing with the hunters and so there may be some resticted availablity. Also if you plan to do any riding or hiking in forest areas out side the national parks check into regulations about blaze orange clothing for safety.
Keep in mind when traveling in this area that distances are decpetive because of restricted speeds-i.e. it is 180 miles from Cody to Jackson thru Yellowstone-but that is a minimum of a 5 hour trip on a slow day-max speed limits in Yellowstone is 35 on most roads and in GTNP 45 so you dont make good time going anywhere-we usually assume a very very long day to go from my parents in cody around the "lower loop" and back home-even tho its less than 300 miles.

www.wyomingtourism.org
www.codywyomingnet.com
www.jacksonholenet.com

 

[cheyita]

I only have one bit of advice - don't underestimate the size of this park!!

Yellowstone is ginormous (as my kids would say). We went for the first time this summer and stayed in West Yellowstone, MT. When we go again, we would definitely get lodging in the park. The down side is that those accomodations don't have TVs, pools, AC -- things kids usually appreciate in a hotel. That doesn't bother us at all, but for some it wouldn't be something they'd consider. But we spent so much time driving from West Yellowstone to whichever area we were visiting. Then we spent so much more time in the car going from spot to spot. We would take the pace much slower next time.

 

[PlutoPony]

... but i highly recommend taking the tram up the hill at Teton Village-it will be amazing. if you can get reservations at one of the lodges in Teton park go for it-it will be a wonderful experience.

Unfortunately the tram will be shut down for good this fall . We took it in July and it was amazing! You end up at 11000 feet altitude, at the top of some double black diamond ski slopes - NO WAY would you ever get me to go down one of those (yeah, I'm a true easterner).
If you have interest in wildlife viewing, I would seriously consider staying in the parks. By far the best time to see animals is dawn and dusk. If your accomodations are outside the park you're looking at a 1-2 hour drive at o'dark thirty to see things. When we stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge, we were out the door at 6:30 a.m. to look for moose. When we did see them, they were typically melting back into the brush by a little after 7:00. Btw, the view of the Tetons from the Lodge is SPECTACULAR! Well worth the $$ to stay there IMHO!
Jackson is a fun town, with a real variety of shopping, eating, and other entertainment. Stop by the National Museum of Wildlife Art on the north side of town and several top notch wildlife photographers have galleries in town (Tom Mangelson is a favorite and live in Jackson). If you have kids with you try the Alpine Slide at Snow King resort.
Sorry, I could go on and on.... I love this part of the country and would go back every year if I could!

 

[goofy's friends]

We went this summer, to all of these areas mentioned! I am ver opinionated so PM me if you want more than I give you here :

1.Yellowstone is hard to do with the very young, old, or handicapped. It's not safety-proofed, like Disney, that's for sure!! We under-estimated the need for fitness and ability. The hikes, even if they said 1 mile, could be with cliffs or very steep climbs and we had young kids and weren't prepared for that. Just something to think about with you age ranges.

2. We were a little disappointed in the lack of accomodating they did for kids. You ask about activities, there aren't many at all. Horse-back riding over 8--make reservations. There's a chuck-wagon dinner, but you can do that cheaper in Jackson. NO playgrounds, NO kids meals, NO marshmallow roasts or firesides, NO planned activities and there is so much that they could do. We did the ranger program which was good.

3. Our favorite parts of the trip were Jackson and the Grand "Tetons and Cody. In Jackson, love the town and did Chuck wagon dinner here. Grand Tetons, love the Jenny Lake Hike--perfect for everyone! In Cody, love the rodeo.

4. In the park, we stayed 2 days in West Yellowstone and did the west side of the park and then stayed 2 days in Canyon village and did the east side. This worked for us----lots and lots of driving, no matter what!

Do a search for Yellowstone on here--I had great response when I asked. Also, buy a guide book, I don't think we could have manuvered the park without it! REefered to it non-stop!

 

[IWantMickey]

We stayed in Gardiner, MT at the Absaroka Lodge last September. Nothing fancy but they had reasonable prices and we had a kitchen and a balcony that overlooked the Yellowstone River. Quiet place. Gardiner is right outside the North entrance to Yellowstone.

We started out in Jackson Hole, then to the Grand Tetons (fogged in, no view, so we have to go back ), then Yellowstone. Absolutely loved it!!! Can't say enough about the spectacular scenery. We're going back within a few years and bringing family along. I can understand why people want to live in this area.