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Driving Bozeman to West Yellowstone

Passepartout

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That should work well, if nothing else, to whet your appetite to return. Happy trails. Be sure to get out of the car and take a 'Ranger Walk' or two- the schedule is in the weekly guide you'll be given at the park entrance. They are very informative. Remember, the park is huge. Only about 5% of it is visible from ANY road.

Jim
 

linsj

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For future reference, here is my two-day itinerary. Each day was 5-6 hours of driving, all I wanted to do. I didn't get a guidebook but did a bit of research on Yellowstone sites to help me plan my routes.

Day 1: Drove from Bozeman to the north park entrance, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls, canyon drive, lower falls (missed the sign for upper falls), over to Norris but road to Norris Geyser Basin was closed, paint pots (didn't have the energy for the two-mile round trip walk to this sight so skipped it), out the west entrance. Spent the night in West Yellowstone.

Day 2: Drove through west entrance toward Old Faithful--Firehole Lake Drive, Fountain Paint Pot trail, Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful, Old Faithful Inn. Arrived at Old Faithful five minutes before it erupted; didn't know predictions in advance but couldn't have timed it better. Drove back to Bozeman via 191N, and spent the night there.

I left hotels early, and traffic wasn't bad (almost none from Bozeman) until going back to Bozeman, when it was close to a parking lot for miles and no apparent reason. Both ways were easy drives. I wasn't near any restaurants at meal times, so glad I took food with me. I easily got a parking space at every stop.

Only two brief stops for animal crossings on day 1--a deer and a couple of bison. Although I didn't see much wildlife, this week was a good time to go before the crowds descend.
 

DaveNV

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Only two brief stops for animal crossings on day 1--a deer and a couple of bison. Although I didn't see much wildlife, this week was a good time to go before the crowds descend.

You did well! Congratulations on getting in so much in such a short time. And I'm sure you're already thinking of a longer trip, right?

What was your favorite part?

Dave
 

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For future reference, here is my two-day itinerary. Each day was 5-6 hours of driving,
You saw much of what Yellowstone has to offer.

Two 5-6 hour days was a much better choice than trying to visit the same attractions in one 10-12 hour day.
 

Passepartout

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Linsj, glad you made the effort, and you did get a brief drive-by of some of the major sites, but REALLY, a visit to our National Parks is so much more. It's the wonder. The appreciation of nature. The rejuvenation, relaxation that communing with nature brings. I mean no disrespect, but what you got was a 'road-trip' experience, not the re-creation of body and spirit that was intended when our National Parks were proposed.

Forgive me, but I'd call your report, "How NOT to visit Yellowstone."

I hope you get the opportunity to come back, spend some quality time, smell the smells, walk the trails, actually be alone with the wonder that is there.

All the best....

Jim
 

linsj

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Passepartout: I know what you're saying (and I get all that when I go to Hawaii), and I knew I wouldn't have time for what you describe. And that was OK for this trip. Just seeing mountains and being away from cities refreshes me. Yellowstone was an add-on to collecting my 50th state of Montana. I'll go back to enjoy the park in a more leisurely fashion another time.

Dave: I can't pick out one part as favorite. I enjoyed it all and was amazed at the diversity of the land in such a small area.
 

ilya

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Linsj, glad you made the effort, and you did get a brief drive-by of some of the major sites, but REALLY, a visit to our National Parks is so much more. It's the wonder. The appreciation of nature. The rejuvenation, relaxation that communing with nature brings. I mean no disrespect, but what you got was a 'road-trip' experience, not the re-creation of body and spirit that was intended when our National Parks were proposed.

Forgive me, but I'd call your report, "How NOT to visit Yellowstone."

I hope you get the opportunity to come back, spend some quality time, smell the smells, walk the trails, actually be alone with the wonder that is there.

All the best....

Jim


I will be going to big sky in a few weeks and would like to know what are the must do in the area. we are staying 2 weeks and don't mind taking overnight trips. We will not be back in the area for a very long time so want to make the most of it.
 

Passepartout

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I will be going to big sky in a few weeks and would like to know what are the must do in the area. we are staying 2 weeks and don't mind taking overnight trips. We will not be back in the area for a very long time so want to make the most of it.
Depends on your interests. Big Sky is primarily a winter ski resort, so in Summer, activities will be different. There is a gondola to a high mountain lookout. Big Sky is roughly halfway between Bozeman and West Yellowstone. Bozeman is a nice college town, and you might want to buy your groceries there as the pickings will be thinner and costs higher at the resort or even in West- though there are a couple of smallish supermarkets. You will probably want to spend a couple of days exploring Yellowstone and seeing the thermal features. I'd suggest one day from West into Madison Junction then go right toward Old Faithful as far as you want to go, then backtrack either to West and spend the night- or go back to Big Sky, then go back into the park and go the other way at Madison to the Norris Geyser Basin and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone area. You can continue the loop and go all the way around (it's a big circle) from either side. Hotels are expensive in the park and require reservations. There are crowds. Cell service is all but nonexistent. And food, water and facilities are pretty spread out. From the South side of Yellowstone, the road basically goes from one park into Grand Teton Nat'l Park and on to Jackson Hole WY.

You can find plenty to do, but you'll be spending a good bit of time in the car to see it all. Which reminds me, you can only see about 5% of Yellowstone from ANY road, so plan some hiking.

Enjoy our little corner of the world.

Jim
 
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