# Yellowstone Trip



## New2time (Jan 24, 2015)

My family is hoping to go to Yellowstone this summer- We are mostly there for the sights... a few questions

1. We are looking at some lodging in Blue Sky, MT- is it feasible to stay there and drive over to Yellowstone a few days?
2. Would Blue Sky also be easily accessible to Grand Teton?
3. We are tying to decide between going in late May or Mid July...any thoughts on which would be better. I THINK that the airfare MAY be cheaper in May and I was wondering if there would be any snow still at that time  ??
4. Is there one entrace that is better than the others?

thank you in advance for the info


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## Passepartout (Jan 24, 2015)

You can drive from Big Sky into Yellowstone, but it's about an hour of driving outside the park. It would be a long haul into Grand Teton.

July is far better, but more crowded than May. We went to Yellowstone & G.T. over memorial weekend and found 6' of snow on picnic tables, some roads still closed. Good news, no crowds.

I like entering from West Yellowstone, or from Grand Teton, but ymmv.

Jim


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## zinger1457 (Jan 25, 2015)

Agree with the above, there's a very good chance that there will be snow in some areas of the park in May.  July is definitely the better time to go but will be very crowded and lodging availability/cost will reflect that.  Grand Teton has a lot to see and is worth staying either inside the park or nearby, Jackson Hole makes a good home base for visiting the Grand Tetons.  Early September is the best time to visit in my opinion, decent weather and a lot less crowded.


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## Timeshare Von (Jan 25, 2015)

I suppose it is all a matter of your preference as to time of year.  I was there in July (like the 9th through the 13th) 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed my time.  It wasn't unbearably crowded if you got up early enough to get to high traffic areas like the Norris Geyser area, Mammoth and Old Faithful.  I timed my visits to early in the AM or later in the afternoon to avoid parking hassles from the crowds.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming trip May 24 - 29 because I do want to see the snow and to enjoy the wildlife, particularly the young bears coming out of hibernation.  Often they will be at the lowest altitudes as them come down to find food.  As the snow melts higher up, they will retreat back up, especially when it actually starts getting too warm for them (late July/early August).

I would encourage you to go over to Trip Advisor's Wyoming forum and do some reading and ask some questions.  There you will get a diverse perspective from people who live in the park year round, because of the interest in the wildlife and their movements.


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## Timeshare Von (Jan 25, 2015)

*Follow Up*

This is what I'm talking about.  I would not let the possibility of snow on the roads (or picnic tables) to keep me away.


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## DaveNV (Jan 25, 2015)

New2time said:


> My family is hoping to go to Yellowstone this summer- We are mostly there for the sights... a few questions
> 
> 1. We are looking at some lodging in Blue Sky, MT- is it feasible to stay there and drive over to Yellowstone a few days?
> 2. Would Blue Sky also be easily accessible to Grand Teton?
> ...




The thing about staying further away from Yellowstone is travel time.  As Jim said, from Big Sky you'd be driving an hour outside the Park, but then you ALSO have to factor drive time inside the Park, which can take even longer. For example, from the West Yellowstone entrance to Old Faithful is a distance of 31 miles. Park speed limits are low, and traffic can back up or even stop for extended periods, if there is road construction or animals in the roadway. It may take you an hour or more to get to Old Faithful from the West Yellowstone entrance.  (It's even further from the North entrance at Gardiner.) Yellowstone is a very large place - it's roughly square, and as I recall, it's more than 50 miles on each side.  Lots to see and do, but the longer it takes to get there, the less time you'll have to see or do things inside the Park.  I strongly recommend trying to stay closer, if you can do it.  

Grand Teton National Park is south of Yellowstone, so drive time would be even longer. It would be difficult to do a day trip from Big Sky to Grand Teton and back and do anything more than drive through it. 

As for dates, either would work, but late May will show you more baby animals than July. We were last there the first week of June 2013, and it was great to see all the baby critters. By July they'd be much bigger. Just a thought. 

It's totally worth the trip, so figure out what works best for you and your family. Enjoy!

Dave


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## DebBrown (Jan 25, 2015)

The first time we were at Yellowstone, we stayed in the park but I still felt like we spent most of the day in the car.  Traffic is slow and the park is big.  You will probably do a better job of planning than we did but, anyway, I recommend staying close to make it an enjoyable trip.

Deb


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## WinniWoman (Jan 25, 2015)

We stayed in West Yellowstone and it was so convenient- a couple of minutes to the entrance. We also took a day to go to the Tetons. We also went to Earthquake Park one day in Idaho. I highly recommend this area as a base. We went in September. The weather was great during the day, but would drop as low as 20 degrees at night. The park was not crowded. It was perfect! We did a lot of driving, but you can't avoid that as the park is big. We set out every day at 9am when the park would open and spent entire days in the park. We even made dinner reservations at the Old Faithful Inn (do it as soon as you arrive at your resort) and drove there. Hell- you're on vacation and if you go off-season there will not be any "traffic" and you will be fine. It's all worth it. The best national park!


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## beejaybeeohio (Jan 26, 2015)

*Staying in the park advantages*

If possible, try to stay in Yellowstone itself for at least a couple of nights.  Why?  
-you won't have to join the lineup of cars waiting to enter the park
-you will be able to see the highlights before the crowds arrive
-you can more easily participate in ranger-led programs
-if you enjoy photography, you will have sunrise/sunset photo ops

We stayed in West Yellowstone at the Worldmark earlier this month and drove to Big Sky for a day of skiing...Hwy 191 was uncrowded at that time, but once we made the turnoff to Big Sky we needed to add another 15 minutes onto our trip. It'll be worse in the summertime.  If you wish to experience Yellowstone, staying at Big Sky is not the best option...but if it's your only option then I'd chose May.

Even from West Yellowstone, it's about 20 miles to the Old Faithful area!


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## Timeshare Von (Jan 26, 2015)

*Sunrise Photo over Yellowstone Lake*

Taken in July, around 6:30am-ish:


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## WinniWoman (Jan 26, 2015)

I guess 20 miles is nothing to us. Heck- we live in a rural area and we drive that just to go grocery shopping!


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## DaveNV (Jan 26, 2015)

mpumilia said:


> I guess 20 miles is nothing to us. Heck- we live in a rural area and we drive that just to go grocery shopping!



Actually from West Yellowstone entrance to Old Faithful is 31 miles. It's 14 just to Madison Junction.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 26, 2015)

BMWguynw said:


> Actually from West Yellowstone entrance to Old Faithful is 31 miles. It's 14 just to Madison Junction.



31- piece of cake! My husband drives 60 t0 work each day and back. On vacation- to drive to Old Faithful- no problem!


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## DaveNV (Jan 26, 2015)

mpumilia said:


> 31- piece of cake! My husband drives 60 t0 work each day and back. On vacation- to drive to Old Faithful- no problem!



It's not the distance, it's the time. Speed limits in the Park top out at 45, I think, and many areas are slower than that.  Last time we were there we sat for at least a half hour in a buffalo traffic jam. All I could see was an endless string of cars in front of me.  Somewhere around the next corner was a herd of bison that meandered down the middle of the roadway. laid down, rooted in the weeds on the side of the road, and generally blocked traffic until they decided to meander off the side of the road and traffic got moving again.

OP's question has to do with staying at Big Sky and driving down to Yellowstone to see the Park.  Yes, certainly, it can be done. But the drive time is going to get pretty old pretty quickly.  Getting TO the Park can be much easier than getting around IN the park. And seeing Yellowstone more than marginally requires multiple days, at minimum. 

Dave


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## Timeshare Von (Jan 26, 2015)

I should have also added that many people advise against driving in the twilight or after dark in the evenings due to the number of animals that are on or that cross the road.  It is easy to run up on them, literally, with out realizing they are there.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 26, 2015)

BMWguynw said:


> It's not the distance, it's the time. Speed limits in the Park top out at 45, I think, and many areas are slower than that.  Last time we were there we sat for at least a half hour in a buffalo traffic jam. All I could see was an endless string of cars in front of me.  Somewhere around the next corner was a herd of bison that meandered down the middle of the roadway. laid down, rooted in the weeds on the side of the road, and generally blocked traffic until they decided to meander off the side of the road and traffic got moving again.
> 
> OP's question has to do with staying at Big Sky and driving down to Yellowstone to see the Park.  Yes, certainly, it can be done. But the drive time is going to get pretty old pretty quickly.  Getting TO the Park can be much easier than getting around IN the park. And seeing Yellowstone more than marginally requires multiple days, at minimum.
> 
> Dave



Not an  issue in off-season, though. We didn't have anything like that in Sept. We drove everywhere every day and loved every minute of it. I would never go in prime summer season myself. I would not stay in Big Sky, but West Yellowstone is great- very doable.


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## DaveNV (Jan 26, 2015)

mpumilia said:


> Not an  issue in off-season, though. We didn't have anything like that in Sept. We drove everywhere every day and loved every minute of it. I would never go in prime summer season myself. I would not stay in Big Sky, but West Yellowstone is great- very doable.



I agree.  West Yellowstone is a perfect launching pad. 

Dave


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## Deb from NC (Jan 27, 2015)

We rented a cabin in West Yellowstone (through vrbo.com) the last time we went.  It was great, only a few miles to the park entrance.  We went in mid-September and had fabulous weather....70's and sunny every day !


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## WinniWoman (Jan 27, 2015)

Another thing to take into consideration is how far will you be from an airport. West Yellowstone is 2 hours from Bozeman. The other thing, there is a Walmart in Bozeman and we brought a collapsible cooler with us and bought our groceries there after we left the airport on arrival because once you are any where near Yellowstone, you are in the wilderness.


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## Passepartout (Jan 27, 2015)

It isn't quite THAT bad. There are 2 fair sized supermarkets in West with produce, fresh meats, & bakery items. It isn't Whole Foods, but totally adequate. I would stay in West if possible. Island Park, as a 2nd choice, Jackson as 3rd, and Big Sky as 4th. Now if not visiting inside the parks is OK, you might rearrange my order of preferance.

Jim


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## beejaybeeohio (Jan 28, 2015)

*Airport option*



mpumilia said:


> Another thing to take into consideration is how far will you be from an airport. West Yellowstone is 2 hours from Bozeman. The other thing, there is a Walmart in Bozeman and we brought a collapsible cooler with us and bought our groceries there after we left the airport on arrival because once you are any where near Yellowstone, you are in the wilderness.



We flew in/out of Idaho Falls (IDA)..far less expensive than BZN and our rental SUV was cheaper too.  It's a very easy drive into West Yellowstone from the airport.  This airport also makes sense if you wish to visit Grand Teton in addition to Yellowstone as you can make a circular trip to encompass both of these spectacular parks!

I would stock up on groceries in Idaho Falls if possible.  The two groceries in W. Yellowstone are adequate as Passepartout says, but prices are high and selection small.


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## New2time (Jan 28, 2015)

Does anyone have any recommendations for good but affordable condos/townhomes close to Yellowstone?


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## Passepartout (Jan 28, 2015)

New2time said:


> Does anyone have any recommendations for good but affordable condos/townhomes close to Yellowstone?



Check with trading places dot com for Island Park Village. It's 22 miles from the park entrance. Or vrbo.com for private rentals.

Jim


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## WinniWoman (Jan 28, 2015)

New2time said:


> Does anyone have any recommendations for good but affordable condos/townhomes close to Yellowstone?



Do you mean to rent or to purchase? We stayed at Worldmark West Yellowstone. We rented from a Worldmark West Yellowstone owner who was advertising on Redweek. Reasonable rent- decent, but small,  2 bedroom condo.


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## New2time (Jan 28, 2015)

Looking for condo-cabin-house to rent- 3 BR- Nice but reasonable- Anyone know of a good place?


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## Deb from NC (Jan 28, 2015)

New2time said:


> Looking for condo-cabin-house to rent- 3 BR- Nice but reasonable- Anyone know of a good place?




I don't know how much you want to spend, but we rented a cabin from this site:

www.letsgotoyellowstone.com

We loved the cabin ( we rented the 3 bedroom Mountain View cabin) and the owner was great to work with..we had a wonderful time !


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## WinniWoman (Jan 29, 2015)

New2time said:


> Looking for condo-cabin-house to rent- 3 BR- Nice but reasonable- Anyone know of a good place?



Maybe try Home Away?


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