# Visiting Yellowstone Park - Is Early Oct Too Late?



## jenmcnitt (Oct 27, 2016)

I have an RCI timeshare trade match that just came up for The Timbers Condominiums at Island Park Village starting Sept 30 2017 going until Oct 07 2017.

We wanted to visit the Yellowstone Park toward the end of the season so that it would not be as busy and hot there.   Is this too late in the season though?  Will we run into closures that we should consider?

Thank you!


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## Passepartout (Oct 27, 2016)

That will be late in  the season for sure. And there won't be crowds. You probably won't be rafting the river, but the fishing should be good. The parks don't close until November, so the roads will all be open and the animals don't leave, and they don't turn off the geysers. In fact the animals should be down from the high country, and hence, more visible. Many of the facilities will be closed before you arrive.

I'd go for it, with the understanding that early in the morning you might have to scrape windshields, and jackets will be necessary. You'll need to pack lunches because most of the dining opportunities will be closed.

Just FYI, check Nat'l Weather service for the next few weeks for West Yellowstone for a clue as to what to expect. They have already had snow, but it won't be staying for a while yet.

Jim


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## CO skier (Oct 27, 2016)

That is a lucky exchange.

The last couple of September weeks is an ideal time to visit Yellowstone.  The first week of October is still good, but some of the facilities will be closing down.

There is a 2016 "Opening and Closing Date of Facilities" link within the following link that will give you an idea of what to expect for closures.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/ocd_locale.htm

The main centers -- Old Faithful, Mammoth, and Lake Village -- should still be open.  Plan your trip to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to take a picnic lunch or allow about an hour to get to lunch or dinner from there, since Canyon Lodge eateries will likely be closed for the season.


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## Luanne (Oct 27, 2016)

I worked at Yellowstone during the summer after my freshman year of college.  This was ages ago (like in 1969).  I worked at one of the northern resorts.  They shut that one down before Labor Day I think.  Pretty much most of the park closed down soon after.


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## BellaWyn (Oct 27, 2016)

Passepartout said:


> ....and they don't turn off the geysers.
> 
> Jim



Funny!!  :rofl:


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## geist1223 (Oct 27, 2016)

We were at the Worldmark in West Yellowstone 2 years ago for 10 days just after Labor Day. We had a wonderful time. Some things were shut down or about to shut down. As we drove out after our stay they were having their first snow fall of the season.


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## SMHarman (Oct 27, 2016)

Passepartout said:


> That will be late in  the season for sure. And there won't be crowds. You probably won't be rafting the river, but the fishing should be good. The parks don't close until November, so the roads will all be open and the animals don't leave, and they don't turn off the geysers. In fact the animals should be down from the high country, and hence, more visible. Many of the facilities will be closed before you arrive.
> 
> I'd go for it, with the understanding that early in the morning you might have to scrape windshields, and jackets will be necessary. You'll need to pack lunches because most of the dining opportunities will be closed.
> 
> ...


It is a different experience. I went there in Winter. It was beautiful.


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## Passepartout (Oct 27, 2016)

SMHarman said:


> It is a different experience. I went there in Winter. It was beautiful.



Yes, I've snowmobiled into the park over the winter including a full lap West to Old Faithful, to Lake, Canyon, Norris basin - out as far as Island Park. It's a spectacular place in any season.


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## WinniWoman (Oct 28, 2016)

A few years ago we were there in mid Sept- like around Sept. 18th (?) and it was awesome. Great weather, though it would drop into the 20s at night and we would wake up to frost on our car windshield- but would quickly warm up during the day where you just had to wear a light jacket.


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## JohnPaul (Oct 28, 2016)

It was 8 years ago, but we were there at almost the exact same time.  Our dates at Worldmark West Yellowstone were September 25 to October 2.

In our case, the weather was beautiful.  Not much in the way of crowds.  Many facilities were in their last few days or just recently shut down.  It was a most enjoyable trip.

One of the resorts was closing down and had a deal on their "last" Yellowstone mini-blanket/throw.  When we decided we wished we could get a second one, the miraculously found one.  And when we decided we needed a third - "Magic" one more "last one" appeared.


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## DaveNV (Oct 28, 2016)

I always wanted to take my 4X4 to Yellowstone in Winter so I could drive around and not have to take a bus or snowmobile.  This website makes me think it could almost happen. So cool!  Check their videos.

www.trackngo.com

Dave


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## Passepartout (Oct 28, 2016)

DaveNW said:


> I always wanted to take my 4X4 to Yellowstone in Winter so I could drive around and not have to take a bus or snowmobile.  This website makes me think it could almost happen. So cool!  Check their videos.
> 
> www.trackngo.com
> 
> Dave



I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to be able to take your own track vehicle into the Park. Maybe outside the park on various State and privately groomed trails.  Snow travel inside the parks is highly regulated, as to numbers, required guides, speed limits, emissions and on and on. Not to mention that the hardware on the shown track conversion is probably too costly for an individual. The setup shown in  SMHarman's photos above was invented by a guy in West Yellowstone. He runs a hotel/snowmobile rental/snowcoach service there. He's the acknowledged expert on winter tours of Yellowstone.


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## DaveNV (Oct 28, 2016)

Passepartout said:


> I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to be able to take your own track vehicle into the Park. Maybe outside the park on various State and privately groomed trails.  Snow travel inside the parks is highly regulated, as to numbers, required guides, speed limits, emissions and on and on. Not to mention that the hardware on the shown track conversion is probably too costly for an individual. The setup shown in  SMHarman's photos above was invented by a guy in West Yellowstone. He runs a hotel/snowmobile rental/snowcoach service there. He's the acknowledged expert on winter tours of Yellowstone.




Well, sure.  I know it's an expensive thing, and I don't own the right kind of 4X4 anyway.  But the idea of snap-on tracks seems really cool. If I lived where there was enough snow to warrant it, these tracks seem like a nifty gadget worth having. I think it's pretty awesome. 

Dave


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## Dollie (Oct 29, 2016)

*Yellowstone Trips*

In Sept of 2014 we did a Teton & Yellowstone trip from 9/5 to 9/21, a little earlier than your trip but it will give you an idea of what things are like at that time of year.  We spent a week at a timeshare in Teton Village, took a two day side trip to Yellowstone, staying one night in West Yellowstone (would have preferred to stay in Mammoth Hot Springs but couldn’t get reservations).  At the end of the week we took off, working our way to Cody and the Beartooth area, traveling through Yellowstone again.  We have been to this area several times at various times of the year.  The fall trip has the advantage of fewer crowds, a plus.

We, too, have done Yellowstone in the winter.  Once from the south, staying in the Snow Lodge, and in February, 2013 from the north (Bozeman, MT) and staying at Mammoth Hot Springs.  Fascinating trips, I highly recommend.  There is a tale they tell of a guy who drove his rental car passed the winter barriers and all the way to Old Faithful.  He was arrested.  His rental car had to stay at Old Faithful until the roads opened in the late spring.  I wonder what that little escapade cost him.


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## PamMo (Oct 30, 2016)

Camping  the first week of October with our kids was one of our favorite vacations in Yellowstone! I'd say go for it!


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## Laurie (Oct 31, 2016)

Last year we visited 3rd week of September, thinking the crowds would be thin - not. (First visit had been over July 4 - when crowds were actually not as bad as I expected.) 3rd wk of Sept: tons and tons of of tour buses, mostly Chinese tourists, I guess cheaper "off season", with some of the major lookouts even more crowded than July 4. So from that standpoint, your dates sound good.

We had a bit of snow, sleet and ice, and some temporary road closures inside the park for a couple of days - the snow dusting made the mountain scenery pretty and we could work around the closures.

I agree with others, I would go for it.


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## humor_monger (Nov 18, 2016)

You are in luck. One of the highlights, in my opinion, is the inside of the Old Faithful Inn. It will be the last week it's open next year. You want to walk around inside.

*THE INSPIRATION FOR PARK-ITECTURE*
2017 Dates – Opens: May 5, 2017 | Closes: October 8, 2017

As a national historic landmark, Old Faithful Inn is the most requested lodging facility in the park. Built in 1903-1904 with local logs and stone, the Inn is considered the largest log structure in the world. The towering lobby features a massive stone fireplace and a hand-crafted clock made of copper, wood and wrought iron serving as focal points. With 327 rooms, the Old Faithful Inn is open from early May until mid-October and features a full-service restaurant, lounge, snack bar, gift shop and daily tours.


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## SMHarman (Apr 23, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Well, sure.  I know it's an expensive thing, and I don't own the right kind of 4X4 anyway.  But the idea of snap-on tracks seems really cool. If I lived where there was enough snow to warrant it, these tracks seem like a nifty gadget worth having. I think it's pretty awesome.
> 
> Dave


I would imagine the effort to lift and snap in would almost be as much as switching out to the change the tyre and put this on the hub instead design of the ones on our Yellowstone tour minibus.

Picture earlier in thread.  

Sent from my E6603 using Tapatalk


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## Passepartout (Apr 23, 2017)

It's a little earlier than usual this year...

"YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park on Friday will begin opening select roads that had been closed over the winter within the park.

Roads opening at 8 a.m. Friday include Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, Norris to Madison, Madison to Old Faithful, Madison to the West Entrance and Norris to Canyon Village.

Road construction also is resuming between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris with delays up to 30 minutes.

Yellowstone closes about 320 miles of road over the winter and plows them open in the spring."


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