# Visiting the National Parks



## javabean (Sep 23, 2012)

DH and I have never visited any of the major National Parks in the western/central part of the country. Many of our friends have done so numerous times and when we start a conversation the suggestions become overwhelming. We enjoy driving and make trips along the east coast on a regular basis. I was wondering if it might be a reasonable idea to take a bus touring trip or planned adventure for the first time. I'm afraid I will try drive myself crazy over planning and overchecking and second guessing myself, especially since I have no frame of reference. What do you think? How do you know where to begin?


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## DaveNV (Sep 23, 2012)

National parks are a great place to visit, but you can never see everything in a day or two at any one place.  If your intention is to see a little bit of several parks, a driving trip is fine.  If you want to see one park in-depth, that's also good, if you can devote several days to it.  So you need to make some choices before you ever start planning. If you don't mind driving a bit, to see some of the scenery, you can have a great trip to several parks without spending too much time in the car, and without a lot of backtracking.

One trip I've enjoyed doing is to fly to Las Vegas, and renting a car (with free miles, of course.)  Driving two hours north on I-15 takes you to St. George, Utah. Using that as a base camp, you can drive 45 minutes in one direction and get to Zion National Park. Driving about two hours in another direction takes you to Bryce Canyon National Park.  Driving about three hours in a third direction gets you to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Once you're in any of these parks, you can drive/hike/explore to your heart's content.  Stay over a night or two in each of the parks, and you can get a lot of vacation bang for the buck. From St. George, you're just that two hour drive back to LV and the airport.

Hope this helps,
Dave


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## susieq (Sep 23, 2012)

If you plan to make it a timeshare vacation, just pick a "home point" & make your reservations.  DH & I have flown to numerous destinations out in the Rocky Mountain area, just driven, and had wonderfully memorable vacations, with new things to see and do at every turn. That whole area of the country is just so beautiful, you can't go wrong no matter where you choose.  And I know that once you've been out west once, you* WILL* go again, maybe, (probably), not to the same area.  But there's so much to see & do ... and so little time!  Whatever you decide, I know it'll be a great one!! 

Just read the above post, that's one of the ones we've done also ~ loved it ~ although that first day we also drove down to Hoover Dam. Our first trip out west, was to Sedona.  We checked out the South Rim of the Grand Canyon that time, and had lots of scenic day trips.  We've been to Pagosa Springs, CO, and saw the Great Divide, and the Four Corners. We were up in Lead, SD, saw Mt. Rushmore, Custer National Park, and lots more. .... There's still so much more we'd like to see ... ah-h-h what was that about no time..........


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## prickler (Sep 23, 2012)

Where to start??

Step 1) Visit http://www.yosemitepark.com/lodging.aspx

Step 2) Book a trip to Yosemite for late spring. Any available lodging inside the park will do. Lodging fills quickly so don't wait, even for next year.

Step 3) Once you book your trip you'll have 8 months to figure out how to get there. Spend at least 4-7 days inside the park, take a couple hikes on whatever trails are within your comfort zone, visit the waterfalls, take lots of pictures, and revel in the beauty of mother nature.

Step 4) Thank me later.


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## sue1947 (Sep 23, 2012)

You've listed a very large part of the country; western and central.  You will want to narrow it down quite a bit.  Pick a state and then go to http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm and select a state to see which national park sites are in each.  You will find many you didn't know existed.  They list national parks, monuments, historical sites etc.  It's a good reference site to start with.

Bus trips are fine for some.  For me, it's too structured and doesn't allow time to stop and look at the stuff I want to look at.  I prefer a car trip where I set the amount of time to spend in each.  Bus trips provide an overview but not much depth.  

Some suggestions:
   Arizona has a high concentration of national park sites and also some good timeshare options that aren't far away.  For example, staying in Flagstaff or Sedona is a good base for the Grand Canyon as well as some lesser known sites very close as well as others that are longer drives, but doable in a day trip (Petrified Forest or Navajo NM and Monument Valley come to mind).  Tucson has Saguara NP and other smaller sites within a days drive (or a long days drive to include Organ Pipe Cactus).  
  Add in some motel stays in between to see Canyon de Chelly or Chiricahau NM and you have a really nice trip.

There is a high concentration of sites in the Four Corners area and I've done several roadtrips to see those.  There's not much in the way of timeshares (except in Santa Fe and that's on the outside of the loop) so this is more of a motel trip.  But all those ancient ruins and colorful rock formations are amazing.  It's a large area with lots to see so you might want to split it up into multiple trips.  I especially liked some of the smaller and lesser known sites; Colorado National Monument, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, El Moro NM, Pecos National Historic Site and especially Chaco Canyon.  

Don't overlook state parks.  There are some that rival the national parks.  Custer State Park in South Dakota is spectacular and with the old lodges really reminded me of the national parks.  I did a week trip to see Badlands, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave and some of the Oregon Trail/Pony Express stuff in Nebraska and Wyoming.  Then we headed to a timeshare in Estes Park to spend a week exploring Rocky Mtn National Park.

Lots to see so narrow down your focus a bit and dive in.

Sue


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## myoakley (Sep 23, 2012)

*.*

Last year, my husband and I took a fantastic 10-day bus tour with Caravan Travel.  The trip began in Rapid City, South Dakota and ended in Salt Lake City.  We visited Mt. Rushmore,  the Crazy Horse monument, the Custer battlefield, Billings, Montana, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole.
It was very reasonably priced with a superb guide, excellent hotel accomodations and most meals included.  Caravan also has another tour which goes to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park.  I cannot recommend Caravan enough!  I believe that you would spend more money and see a lot less if you try to do one of these trips on your own.  Nowhere else can you get the same value for the money.  We loved the trip so much that this year, we went to Costa Rica with Caravan.  Check them out.


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## PStreet1 (Sep 23, 2012)

Those of us who live in and love the West will be happy to help.  If it were me, I'd start by thinking about what kinds of things I'd like to see.

My personal recomendation for a place to start Is Yellowstone; it's the one that is most unusual (though they all have their own unique features).  The "thermal features"  are what can't be found anyplace else.  However, a little known fact is that Yellowstone has more waterfalls than Yosemite.  The animals are more visible at Yellowstone, I think, than at any of the others.  It has hiking/canyons/trees/animals/waterfalls....and of course, thermal features.

Other than that:
1.  Do you want red-rock canyons?  If so, Utah has the most.
2.  Do you want Native American ruins?  If so, consider Arizona and New Mexico (and Mesa Verde in Colorado).
3.  Do you want Redwoods?  Got to go to California.
4.  Do you want Grand Canyon?  If so, you get Native American ruins also.  You can also get red rocks in Sedona, which is quite close to Grand Canyon.  There are many Native American sites scattered all over Arizona, plus the Peterfied Forest and the Meteor Crater.
5.  Do you want gorgeous mountain scenery?  Colorado and Wyoming and California.
6.  Do you want dramatic shoreline + redwoods + interesting cities?  That's California.

Second big question:
How long are you going to spend on this trip?  1 week?  2 weeks?

Whatever your time period is, you can't do it all, but depending on what you most want to see and the time you have available, I expect you can get some good recomendations on this board.


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## glypnirsgirl (Sep 23, 2012)

This trip  has always been a dream of mine.

Last year, Ian and I did a chunk of it, visiting Bryce, Zion and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. 

We were in each park for at least 2 days. It was a great trip, but I got tired of seeing red rocks after about 5 days. 

I wish that I had mixed in more parks with forests instead of all rocks.

elaine


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## Sandy VDH (Sep 23, 2012)

I am planning the grand circle, but am doing it in more than 1 trip.  

I just came back from the Vegas to St George leg, (which is actually a nice drive through the corner of Arizona up to Utah).  I used St George as a base, and did Zion and Bryce, Cedar Breaks and Kolob Zion (northern part of Zion).  I had planned to go to Page area and north rim of the Grand Canyon, but it rained.  I wanted to visit the slot canyons and the rain and slot canyons do not mix.  I have been to the GC from the south rim already.  Bryce was my favorite of the 3.  It is very interesting. 

Just today I booked the Worldmark West Yellowstone, for the last week in April and the first week in May via RCI.   It is early for Yellowstone, but I was being opportunistic since I found it online at RCI today.  

We are considering making it a 3 generate trip.  My Dad 84, me 49 and my neice 22.  My neice and I both like nature photography and my Dad has never been to Yellowstone.  I do hear that early May has no crowds, and lots of baby animal photo ops.  

We  may even consider doing a two week trip and driving from MT south through UT down to the grand canyon.  Sort of the Yellowstone Arches trip, but only one way, not round trip.  Has anyone ever done that trip?

http://www.us-parks.com/yellowstone-arches.html


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## javabean (Sep 23, 2012)

Thank you all for the ideas and the enthusiasm. Tomorrow I'll start by printing out your suggestions and highlighting them  on a BIG map. I don't feel like I'm in a stuck spot any more. now it seems like it is gonna be fun!


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## Karen G (Sep 23, 2012)

Sandy VDH said:


> We  may even consider doing a two week trip and driving from MT south through UT down to the grand canyon.  Sort of the Yellowstone Arches trip, but only one way, not round trip.  Has anyone ever done that trip?


 I haven't done the trip that way but I've been to Yellowstone and to Arches and points south in Utah.  It will be a great trip with lots of wonderful things to see.  We loved our stay at the Worldmark West Yellowstone!

There's a "scenic highway" south out of Arches that was worth seeing as well as Deadhorse State Park and Canyonlands.  I hope you'll get another chance to see the slot canyons in Page, AZ, on your way to the Grand Canyon. Spectacular!


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## DaveNV (Sep 23, 2012)

Karen G said:


> I haven't done the trip that way but I've been to Yellowstone and to Arches and points south in Utah.  It will be a great trip with lots of wonderful things to see.  We loved our stay at the Worldmark West Yellowstone!
> 
> There's a "scenic highway" south out of Arches that was worth seeing as well as Deadhorse State Park and Canyonlands.  I hope you'll get another chance to see the slot canyons in Page, AZ, on your way to the Grand Canyon. Spectacular!




Next June I have a week at Yellowstone, and we'll follow it up with a second week driving across northern Wyoming to Devil's Tower, and on to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore.  An awesome road trip, for sure.

Then in the Fall of next year we're flying to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta, and a week in Santa Fe, followed by a second week working our way north through Eastern Utah - Four Corners, Antelope Canyon, Arches and Canyonlands.  Some amazing scenery waiting to be explored - some of it new to me, and some of it to be seen all over again!

Dave


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## MuranoJo (Sep 23, 2012)

Sandy VDH said:


> We  may even consider doing a two week trip and driving from MT south through UT down to the grand canyon.  Sort of the Yellowstone Arches trip, but only one way, not round trip.  Has anyone ever done that trip?
> 
> http://www.us-parks.com/yellowstone-arches.html



I've been through all of this area, but via miscellaneous multiple trips, not just one.  The Timpanogos National Monument trip was introduced to us a few years ago by my sis who lives in the area.  The hike up to the cave is fun, but can be challenging, so make sure you're acclimated.


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## csxjohn (Sep 24, 2012)

BMWguynw said:


> National parks are a great place to visit, but you can never see everything in a day or two at any one place.  If your intention is to see a little bit of several parks, a driving trip is fine.  If you want to see one park in-depth, that's also good, if you can devote several days to it.  So you need to make some choices before you ever start planning. If you don't mind driving a bit, to see some of the scenery, you can have a great trip to several parks without spending too much time in the car, and without a lot of backtracking.
> 
> One trip I've enjoyed doing is to fly to Las Vegas, and renting a car (with free miles, of course.)  Driving two hours north on I-15 takes you to St. George, Utah. Using that as a base camp, you can drive 45 minutes in one direction and get to Zion National Park. Driving about two hours in another direction takes you to Bryce Canyon National Park.  Driving about three hours in a third direction gets you to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
> 
> ...



We made this  trip last summer as a part of a 3 week vaca.  We rented the car in Vegas, drove to Hurricane Ut and stayed in a motel.  The next day we drove to the North Rim and stayed in the park.  We then went to Bryce and Zion.  There are buses that will take you through both of these parks very cheaply.

We stayed in St. George then headed to Arnold Ca for a timeshare week there.  We stopped in Tonopah Nv overnight and visited the silver mines and did some star gazing, very dark in that part of the country.  Then it was over Ebbetts Pass, the worst drive I've ever taken, and on to Arnold and Calavaras County.  We did a day trip to Yosemite from there and took a guided bus tour through the park that was worth every penny.

We ended up spending a week in San Clemente  in a TS then back to the Vegas airport for the trip home.

How did we know where to start?  We booked a week at the timeshare in Arnold Ca then decided if we're flying out west we might as well visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and if we do that we might as well visit Bryce and Zion.  The day trip to Yosemite was easy because it was only a couple hours drive from the TS in Arnold.  We then found the TS available in San Clemente the week after we checked out of the one in Arnold.  It's funny how it all came together almost by accident. 

Be flexible when you plan the trip and leave enough time to spend a day in each park if you can.  We did Bryce and Zion the same day because of a weather related flight delay the first day of the trip and wanted the whole week at the TS in Arnold.  We still had time to get out and do some hiking in Bryce.  The bus lets you off and you can get back on later.


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## Laurie (Sep 24, 2012)

One thing I love about visiting a National Park is that much less planning is needed, compared to other destinations, because the visitor centers have so much info, and they've done a lot of the research for you.

I'd recommend starting with Yellowstone, because there's such a variety of landscapes and features. Then just plan to walk as many of the boardwalks as you have time for. While you're there, a more detailed and customized plan will naturally emerge, I promise you.


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## Karen G (Sep 24, 2012)

Laurie said:


> One thing I love about visiting a National Park is that much less planning is needed, compared to other destinations, because the visitor centers have so much info, and they've done a lot of the research for you.
> 
> I'd recommend starting with Yellowstone, because there's such a variety of landscapes and features. Then just plan to walk as many of the boardwalks as you have time for. While you're there, a more detailed and customized plan will naturally emerge, I promise you.


I agree about the planning part. Sometimes too much planning ruins the serendipity of a trip.   

I discovered that fact when we went on our first cruise. I did so much research and read so many reviews that when we were actually on the cruise it was like de ja vu. It felt like I'd already done everything before. On our most recent cruise, which we did on the spur of the moment, it was totally different. I knew very little about the ship other than that it had a pretty high rating. We decided on Thursday to go on the cruise and it left on Sunday. It was so much fun to discover new things every day.


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## Passepartout (Sep 24, 2012)

Seems to me that once one makes the decision to 'see the Nat' Parks', one is confronted by the enormity of the task. Not unlike preparing for a first trip abroad. You've heard and read so much that you just naturally want to see it all. IT JUST ISN'T POSSIBLE!

Narrow down your 'must sees'. A good way to do it is center your desires on North or South. If South, basically follow Bimmer's outline, flying into and out of Las Vegas and doing a bunch of driving. If your hearts desire is to see Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier and the North, you can save some money by flying in and out of SLC, though it isn't the most convenient. Laurie's outline is as good as any. While there are timeshares around the northern parks, they are fewer and harder to get exchanges into the closer your timeframe.

Like seeing Europe, seeing and enjoying the Western Parks can't be done in just one huge bite. Do it over 2 or 3 or more years. I have lived in the middle of the West all my life and there is still a surprise every time I get out into the natural bits and out of town.

Enjoy the planing, but don't over plan it. Leave some time to enjoy the unexpected detours.

Jim


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## sue1947 (Sep 24, 2012)

Sandy VDH said:


> I am planning the grand circle, but am doing it in more than 1 trip.
> 
> I just came back from the Vegas to St George leg, (which is actually a nice drive through the corner of Arizona up to Utah).  I used St George as a base, and did Zion and Bryce, Cedar Breaks and Kolob Zion (northern part of Zion).  I had planned to go to Page area and north rim of the Grand Canyon, but it rained.  I wanted to visit the slot canyons and the rain and slot canyons do not mix.  I have been to the GC from the south rim already.  Bryce was my favorite of the 3.  It is very interesting.
> 
> ...



Yellowstone at the end of April/early May is uncrowded because much of it isn't opened yet.  You will have plenty of snow on the ground still and a good chance of spring snowstorms.  You will be about a month too early for good viewing of the baby critters as well as good access to all areas of the park. 

It's a long drive from Yellowstone down to Arches and I think you would be better off to concentrate on one area or the other.  I have done the desert parks in late April and early May on multiple trips.  We were always dodging a snowstorm getting to or from.   At least when we came up from Phoenix, the snow wasn't sticking, though we weren't able to do the walk to the ruins at Navajo NM since they closed them due to icy conditions.   Save Yellowstone for another trip in June-Sept and include a trip to Big Hole NM and up to Glacier or east to the historical parks in eastern Montana.  

The SW section through Arches/Canyonlands etc is perfect at that time of year.  This is flower season and it hasn't gotten too hot yet.  You can easily fill your time with visits to the SE Utah and Four Corners area parks.  Add in Colorado NM, Canyons of the Ancients, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Chaco Canyon, El Moro etc and you have plenty to keep you occupied for more than 2 weeks.


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 24, 2012)

I/we have done several vacation trips to western NPS locations.  I agree that the Flagstaff area is a great home base for much of what AZ has to offer.  When we owned at Wyndham Flagstaff we did a couple of March vacations and found that to be a really nice time as the weather was good and little to no crowds.

From Flagstaff, you can see and do many parks including the Grand Canyon (southern rim), Petrified Forest, Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Montezuma Castle.

If you are interested in Yellowstone, I concur with the thought to plan later into the summer (June through September).  If you want to include South Dakota (Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and the Minuteman Missile Site) you would probably better off flying in/out of Rapid City and driving over to Wyoming for the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone.

I have also done the drive from Las Vegas up through Zion to the north rim of the Grand Canyon which is very nice too . . . as is Yosemite from San Francisco.

Lots of options for you to consider once you fine tune your interests and dates for travel.


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 24, 2012)

sue1947 said:


> Yellowstone at the end of April/early May is uncrowded because much of it isn't opened yet.  You will have plenty of snow on the ground still and a good chance of spring snowstorms.  You will be about a month too early for good viewing of the baby critters as well as good access to all areas of the park.
> 
> <<snipped>>



Agreed . . . you will be about a month too early and many of the roads inside the park may not be cleared of snow yet.  We drove through the park from Salt Lake City heading east to Milwaukee in mid May 1996, and was able to get to Old Faithful.  But we were unable to go the most direct route west due to snow covered roads.  We made the most of it . . . and we did see a lot of baby bison, but that was about it.

When considering shoulder seasons at Yellowstone, September is far better than May.


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## PStreet1 (Sep 24, 2012)

Javabean, happy planning and prioritising.  Once you know how long you'll have and what you would most like to see, you'll find that lots of us have "been there/done that," and can help with some possible routes.

The poster above who said she saw too many red rocks in too short a time is speaking for many people, I think.  Having some variety in the types of things you see helps each of them be more special, in my opinion--kind of like seeing "a cathedral a day" in Europe, or Heaven forbid, more than a cathedral a day--pretty soon, they all look alike.


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 24, 2012)

Laurie said:


> One thing I love about visiting a National Park is that much less planning is needed, compared to other destinations, because the visitor centers have so much info, and they've done a lot of the research for you.
> <<snipped>>



I couldn't agree more!  You'll need to plan for where you are going to stay, which in Yellowstone may mean having a general idea of what you want to see/do each day . . . but beyond that, being flexible to take things as they happen, is pretty important in my book to having a good time and not stressing over a scheduled itinerary.

As many of you may know, I'm a big fan of Trip Advisor and their travel forums.  That said, the people ("Destination Experts" especially) on the Yellowstone forum get way out of hand with detailed planning.  The fact of the matter is, a lot can change from day to day including the geyer predictions and wildlife . . . the two big attractions inside the park.

Additionally, people get hung up on "not backtracking" when visiting there.  Given that the main park road is a figure 8, you generally have a "top loop" and the "lower loop" with lots to see on each.  By definition, you will most likely double across the middle road that goes between Norris and Canyon.

The more time you spend on the roads, the more opportunities you have to see wildlife . . . especially in the two main valley areas of Hayden and Lamar.   During my recent trip to Yellowstone, I drove/parked in these two valley areas as many as three times in any given day.  Doing so was especially beneficial in seeing bears late in the day.  Unfortunately, I never did see any wolves . . . so I have that to look forward to on my next trip there!


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## DaveNV (Sep 24, 2012)

Timeshare Von said:


> The more time you spend on the roads, the more opportunities you have to see wildlife . . . especially in the two main valley areas of Hayden and Lamar.   During my recent trip to Yellowstone, I drove/parked in these two valley areas as many as three times in any given day.  Doing so was especially beneficial in seeing bears late in the day.  Unfortunately, I never did see any wolves . . . so I have that to look forward to on my next trip there!




The last time I was in Yellowstone, bears were in Lamar Valley.  Gibbon Meadow was where the wolves were hanging around.  Initially I'd have figured they were waiting to hunt elk, but they seemed to spend most of their time going after burrowing critters. Groundhogs, ferrets, prairie dogs, or whatever it is that tunnels around the area.  One black female, in particular, seemed to be teaching her youngsters how to catch them.  She was pretty good at it.  The Ranger who loaned me his binoculars said she was one of the older females who did a lot of that sort of thing.

I'll be in Yellowstone again next June, and this time I'm bringing my own binoculars.  

Dave


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 24, 2012)

BMWguynw said:


> The last time I was in Yellowstone, bears were in Lamar Valley.  Gibbon Meadow was where the wolves were hanging around.  Initially I'd have figured they were waiting to hunt elk, but they seemed to spend most of their time going after burrowing critters. Groundhogs, ferrets, prairie dogs, or whatever it is that tunnels around the area.  One black female, in particular, seemed to be teaching her youngsters how to catch them.  She was pretty good at it.  The Ranger who loaned me his binoculars said she was one of the older females who did a lot of that sort of thing.
> 
> I'll be in Yellowstone again next June, and this time I'm bringing my own binoculars.
> 
> Dave



Very cool!  I was able to see bears in several areas.  In Hayden & Lamar I saw grizzlies; I saw black bears between Tower and Blacktail Plateau in a couple of places, as well as just N of Roosevelt on the road heading out towards Lamar.

This past summer the wolf activity was very high, including the killing of the Mollie's alpha female by the Lamar Pack very near the road in the valley area.

I hope you have a great time Dave!


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## coachr32 (Sep 24, 2012)

*visiting national parks*

My DW and I did a 19 day road trip in July of 2011. We started planning a year in advance. We took of from the LA area and drove to LV. Stayed in our TS in LV. The next day we drove through Zion. We have seen Zion many times because of our proximity to it. We had a long day but made it to SLC. Next day drove to the Grand Teton NP. Stayed three days before going to Yellowstone. Did two days and one night at YNP (again, many trips before) Plus it RAINED HARD the second day. Made our way up to Glacier NP. Stayed in East Glacier area by choice. Three days and two nights. Then eight days up in the Banff/Jasper NP in Canada. Back to West Glacier, then into Idaho and back to LV and then back home. We used trip advisor for info. Yes, a years worth of information and choices. In Glacier, we worried about the Going-to-the-Sun road. It was closed until July 13 and we traveled it on the 14th. Awesome, snow drifts and melting water. The summer of 2011, had record amounts of rain and snow in Wyo and MT so the river/lakes were high in July. Teton had snow levels normally found in May/June.

 We use  Brian Head TS as our "home" base for Zion, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks. We also use Sedona for the Grand Canyon.

In 2009, we did a 15 day loop in CA of the NPs located there. Again several days in each before driving to the next. And again planned a yr in advance. 

Working on a road trip up to the Oregon coast over the fourth. Booked TS's for our stays. 

Our advice is to get information in advance and then decide, as difficult as it is, what you want to see and do. Lodging for in the NP's tend to fill up well in advance. We usually stay just outside the NP's but have enjoyed the lodging in the parks.


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## Sandi_Roger (Sep 25, 2012)

If visiting Yellowstone, Glacier, Mt Rushmore, consider flying into Billings, Mt.
We found the airfare much lower than other small airports and the central location ideal. 

We've been through all five of Yellowstone's entrances and consider the northeast through Beartooth Pass the best. The second best is from Cody, Wy. With a one day stay at Cody you can have a fun time at the rodeo.

If going to Mt Rushmore, catch Crazy Horse in the evening when they have the light show.

We spent a week at Glacier Park at three different resorts. We loved our balcony room overlooking the lake at Many Glacier Lodge in the center of the park.

Roger


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## PStreet1 (Sep 25, 2012)

I agree about the entrances.  We like the east, from Cody, because it's more convenient for seeing the park in an east side/west side path, staying one night (or more) in the north and one night (or more) in the South.  Cody is kind of a fun little town, too.


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## ml855 (Sep 28, 2012)

My husband and I have visited many of the National Parks while driving cross country.  We're from the east coast, but my husband worked in CA for a couple of years right after we were married.  We did the northern route and visited Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Tetons and the southern route which included Zion, Bryce, Arches, GC.  While living in CA we did Yosemite.  

I'm now planning our trip next summer to Glacier, this is a week long trip end of August beginning of Sept.  Since I don't really camp any longer, I've decided to reserve rooms in 3 of the National Park Lodges, 2 nights each inorder to see different parts of Glacier.  I'm really looking forward to this trip and staying in the lodges.  The lodges start booking way in advance, I made my reservations April, 2012 for our visit next August and got the rooms I wanted. I'm very excited about this trip.

All I need to do now is book our airfare.


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