Yellowstone/Grand Tetons/South Dakota (Rushmore/Badlands) Trip Help!

[bcla]

Great minds think alike. We were typing at the same time!

To be fair - some reputable online travel agencies (like Travelocity) may be able to book lodges in national parks with all the standard terms. But there's a lot of these companies that really don't have any kind of value added.

 

[disny_luvr]

You are very smart for planning so far ahead! I'm currently planning something similar for THIS summer and the options are incredibly limited. I was able to make suitable arrangements but oh how I would have loved to have been able to stay IN the park!

Have fun planning!

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[disny_luvr]

We went to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons a few years ago, flying in and out of SLC. We had originally booked a year out (Roosevelt Cabin and one of the hotels in the Old Faithful area) but had to reschedule everything a few weeks out. There are often last minute cancellations, but I didn't feel like checking every day, so we stayed in West Yellowstone and Cooke City for the Yellowstone part. It was fine. I'd prefer to stay in the park, but I don't have any complaints about staying in the gateway towns. We stayed in Jackson Lake Lodge for GTNP.

I recommend a whitewater rafting trip from Jackson. I also recommend picking up some picnic supplies for easy lunches in the parks. The areas with cafeterias and restaurants always seemed packed. We enjoyed being able to pull into a nice picnic area and eat our lunches away from the crowds. Look into the swimming areas in Yellowstone (Boiling River and Firehole river). They are currently closed, but if open when you go, they was a fun spot for our then preteens.

Yes, we are definitely considering a whitewater rafting trip!

When we were in the Smokies last summer, we packed lunches everyday. We hit up a local grocery store when we got into town and made sandwiches right in the park. We will probably do the same on this trip. I do worry about bears smelling our food, but we were okay in the Smokies so hopefully we will be okay here, too.

Thanks for the tip on the swimming area. We'd love that!

 

[disny_luvr]

Two things to know about booking lodging inside any national park:

1. The earliest possible date to book (typically one year and one day from arrival)
2. The latest date to CANCEL. A lot of people book a year out, their plans change and they wait until the last minute to cancel. So if cancellation is one month out, a week or so before that would be the time to re-try often to see if there have been cancellations. At parks with a lot of lodging (like Yellowstone or Grand Canyon) there are very frequent cancellations.

I just want to make sure I have this correct - we are planning an arrival to Yellowstone on or around June 24, 2022. Can I only book on June 23, 2021 or should I try to book on June 2nd, which is when I saw you can start booking 2022 reservations?

 

[disny_luvr]

In Yellowstone we stayed in cabins right next to old faithful and in Grant Village- Neither had a TV, A/C or wifi- made for some VERY long nights with me and my teen! I would not stay in the cabins again- they were dark, one tiny little light in the whole thing, our DID have a bathroom but some of the others did not so they had to use shared bathrooms/showers and that is NOT for me. The wall was so thin that I was kept up most of the night by the guys snoring in the adjoining cabin- banging on the wall stopped it for a short time until he fell back asleep then the noise started right back up. Couldn't get a cell signal for a phone call in either place.

Yes, I noticed on the website that there is still no TV or A/C and wifi can be spotty. Makes me a little nervous, but I think our days will be busy enough that we'll more than likely come back to the room and head to bed pretty quickly. I'm not too worried about A/C. I think it might get cool enough in the evenings.

 

[disny_luvr]

We booked 10 months in advance with a ranger from YS, he was excellent and answered so many questions I had. If you have the senior pass for National Park's, there's no admission fee, which we were.

We flew into Rapid City's airport, nice and small compared to what I am used to! Got our new car at the cheapest rate for 23 days! We stayed there for 4 days, did all the attractions that everyone mentioned. Headed to Devils Tower and stayed over night in that area. We headed to Cody for 2 days, the museum was excellent! Went to a concert at the Cody Theatre and saw the Buffalo Bill Dam. Then off to Yellowstone for 9 days, we actually stayed in different hotels in the park. I loved everything about Yellowstone, bison, bears, elk and others. While staying at Mammoth, right across from our window, a mother elk gave birth! It was amazing to say the least! I got pictures of the baby nursing.

From Yellowstone we headed to the Teton Mountain Lodge at the Teton Village for 6 nights. You can take a ride on the aerial tram or the gondola which goes up the mountain and has wonderful views. This location was a short drive to Jackson. Along the way, we always saw moose, something we didn't see at YS.

Traveling back Rapid City to fly home, we drove through the Shoshone Mountains and headed to Casper for an overnight stay. We took the long way because we had time and we wanted to really see all of Wyoming. We actually plan to go back to Wyoming within the next few years.

Have a wonderful trip!

This is awesome information. Thank you so much! How long was your entire trip? We are looking at 12 days, which I think is a reasonable amount of time, but we can add on more days if needed. I'm a teacher so my summers are very flexible. Unfortunately, my DH will have to get back to work, but he does have 4 weeks of vacation time.

ETA - I just reread your post and I see you were in that area for 23 days. When you say you talked with a ranger, did you call to make your hotel reservations? I am a little confused by which type of room we'd like to stay in at Old Faithful Inn. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I just don't want to share a bathroom, lol.

 

[JimMIA]

I just want to make sure I have this correct - we are planning an arrival to Yellowstone on or around June 24, 2022. Can I only book on June 23, 2021 or should I try to book on June 2nd, which is when I saw you can start booking 2022 reservations?

If they say you can book June 2nd, most definitely book then! They may have changed their procedures from the last time we were there.

 

[disny_luvr]

If they say you can book June 2nd, most definitely book then! They may have changed their procedures from the last time we were there.

Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[JimMIA]

Yes, I noticed on the website that there is still no TV or A/C and wifi can be spotty. Makes me a little nervous, but I think our days will be busy enough that we'll more than likely come back to the room and head to bed pretty quickly. I'm not too worried about A/C. I think it might get cool enough in the evenings.

Two things.

First of all, any time you visit a national park, expect zero cell coverage, no a/c, and probably no wifi either. Many national parks are located in remote wilderness areas (that's why we GO to them!) and communications services and other amenities may be minimal.

On the a/c at Yellowstone, remember that the LOWEST elevation in Yellowstone is more than 5,000 feet. We've been to Yellowstone many times, always in the summer, and never been bothered by lack of a/c.

 

[bcla]

Yes, I noticed on the website that there is still no TV or A/C and wifi can be spotty. Makes me a little nervous, but I think our days will be busy enough that we'll more than likely come back to the room and head to bed pretty quickly. I'm not too worried about A/C. I think it might get cool enough in the evenings.

Merely cooler in the evenings? No - it's going to be cold. It's at a higher elevation and generally in the mid to high 40s F at night. Cabins generally have gas heat although I mentioned one cabin I stayed in with a stove for heat. I asked for extra logs. In the morning our room smelled like smoke.

 

[disny_luvr]

Merely cooler in the evenings? No - it's going to be cold. It's at a higher elevation and generally in the mid to high 40s F at night. Cabins generally have gas heat although I mentioned one cabin I stayed in with a stove for heat. I asked for extra logs. In the morning our room smelled like smoke.

You are right - cold would have been a better word to use, lol!

 

[disny_luvr]

Two things.

First of all, any time you visit a national park, expect zero cell coverage, no a/c, and probably no wifi either. Many national parks are located in remote wilderness areas (that's why we GO to them!) and communications services and other amenities may be minimal.

On the a/c at Yellowstone, remember that the LOWEST elevation in Yellowstone is more than 5,000 feet. We've been to Yellowstone many times, always in the summer, and never been bothered by lack of a/c.

I am ready to unplug! We've been on a few cruises before, and I loved not being connected to my phone. My boys on the other hand, that's a different story...

 

[jsmith]

A little start, first with airports.

• Closest airport to Grand Teton/Yellowstone-- Jackson, Wy (airport code JAC)
  • Closest major airport to Grand Teton/Yellowstone -- Salt Lake City (SLC) -- about a 5 hour drive
• Closest airport to Mt. Rushmore/Devil's Tower/etc-- Rapid City, SD (RAP)
  • Closest major airport -- Denver, CO (DEN) -- 6 hour drive

Good but somewhat incomplete information-especially if you are concerned about dollars.
You can fly to Cody, WY ( COD) which is just outside the east entrance to Yellowstone much less expensively-and much less hair raising landing than Jackson Hole
If you wanted to do round trip flights i would look at Billings Montana BIL. Its central to both ( 4.5 hours from yellowstone and 5 from the Black hills) and has major airline service-again much less expensive than Jackson, Cody or Rapid City and much closer to both than Cheyenne-no one who lives in Cheyenne flys from there-they drive to Denver.
Casper Wyoming is also an option but Billings has better major airline service

I just reread your post and I see you were in that area for 23 days. When you say you talked with a ranger, did you call to make your hotel reservations? I am a little confused by which type of room we'd like to stay in at Old Faithful Inn. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I just don't want to share a bathroom, lol.

If you don't want the shared bathroom book your room in the Snow Lodge which is a standard but not fancy ( motel 6 ish) Hotel attached to the historic old faithful Inn. The best meal you will get in Yellowstone-not unique but fine dining-is in the Old Faithful in Dining room. I spent part of my teens and early marriage in Cody, Wyoming and my parents retired there. My dad ran a yellowstone tours guide service for several years. In the Summer Old Faithful in was a go to special occasion meal.

 

[JimMIA]

Good but somewhat incomplete information-especially if you are concerned about dollars.

Oh, my bad...sorry!

 

[bcla]

You are right - cold would have been a better word to use, lol!

The odd thing is just such wild temperature swings from daytime to the middle of the night. I was wearing shorts during the daytime with temps in the high 70s, but always packed some light pants and maybe even long underwear in my bag just in case the weather changed. The it was in the high 40s in the middle of the night. If I had to make a late night or morning bathroom run from a cabin without one, I had to either bundle up or move quickly.

There will occasionally be snow, even during the summer. We got there in early June and were told that it snowed the week before. I did some hiking and found some of that snow at higher elevations.

And take it easy because the thin air will get to you. However, after about 2 weeks at those altitudes I was feeling really studly at sea level.

 

[bcla]

If you don't want the shared bathroom book your room in the Snow Lodge which is a standard but not fancy ( motel 6 ish) Hotel attached to the historic old faithful Inn. The best meal you will get in Yellowstone-not unique but fine dining-is in the Old Faithful in Dining room. I spent part of my teens and early marriage in Cody, Wyoming and my parents retired there. My dad ran a yellowstone tours guide service for several years. In the Summer Old Faithful in was a go to special occasion meal.

The Old Faithful Snow Lodge is pretty new. It's got the advantage that it's open during winter for those arriving by snow coach, snowmobile, or occasionally even cross country skis or snowshoes. It's not really attached to anything. It's a standalone building that was built away from Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Lodge.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Merely cooler in the evenings? No - it's going to be cold. It's at a higher elevation and generally in the mid to high 40s F at night. Cabins generally have gas heat although I mentioned one cabin I stayed in with a stove for heat. I asked for extra logs. In the morning our room smelled like smoke.

Yes! I was there in mid-July last year and it was in the high 20s/low 30s at night. It was definitely some cold tent camping haha. Though I would take that over the tent camping we did a few weeks earlier at Zion when it was 95 at midnight.

 

[JBRB828]

This is awesome information. Thank you so much! How long was your entire trip? We are looking at 12 days, which I think is a reasonable amount of time, but we can add on more days if needed. I'm a teacher so my summers are very flexible. Unfortunately, my DH will have to get back to work, but he does have 4 weeks of vacation time.

ETA - I just reread your post and I see you were in that area for 23 days. When you say you talked with a ranger, did you call to make your hotel reservations? I am a little confused by which type of room we'd like to stay in at Old Faithful Inn. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I just don't want to share a bathroom, lol.

Sorry, accommodations for YS are made through Xxerrta (sp) Yes, I called and spoke with a rep that helped me with all our rooms in YS. We had 10 days in YS, but dropped the 10th day because we did most everything. That's when we added a day to Teton Village.
At Old Faithful we stayed in a regular room and had a private bath..LOL It is a gorgeous hotel.

 

[Becky Mouse]

Two things.

First of all, any time you visit a national park, expect zero cell coverage, no a/c, and probably no wifi either. Many national parks are located in remote wilderness areas (that's why we GO to them!) and communications services and other amenities may be minimal.

On the a/c at Yellowstone, remember that the LOWEST elevation in Yellowstone is more than 5,000 feet. We've been to Yellowstone many times, always in the summer, and never been bothered by lack of a/c.

YES. We love staying at national parks, but some of them are quite remote. When we stayed at Isle Royale, there was absolutely no cell service or internet at the lodge. Where we camped at the Great Smokies, we also didn't have cell service, and there was also no power at the campground. So, you always want to make sure you read about those details at national park lodging and campgrounds, and also get some paper maps of places you'll be driving or hiking, just in case!

 

[rangerxenos]

We did this a number of years back. Make sure you make your in park reservations as soon as you're able, as they book fast. We ended up staying a 45 minute drive from Yellowstone because 8 months out we couldn't find anything closer.

We spent 3 full days in Yellowstone and could have easily spent 3 more. I would skip Custer State Park, we were not impressed and were sorry we drove out there, we didn't think it was worth the drive.

Grand Tetons are spectacular, I'd plan on spending a couple of days in that area as Jackson Hole was great as well.

If you can, see Mount Rushmore at night, we didn't stay because we had a long drive ahead of us to our next destination. I was shocked at how impressive Mount Rushmore was, it's one of those places where photos don't do it justice. Crazy Horse is also worth the trip.

Definitely don't miss Devil's Tower, you'll have to drive all the way across WY to get to Mt. Rushmore anyway. Be aware, there isn't much interesting to see between Yellowstone and Devil's Tower, it was a long, mostly boring drive.