# Island Park ID vs Jackson Hole WY to visit Yellowstone NP



## John Cummings (Jan 30, 2010)

We are planning on visiting Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons next summer. I have some questions that hopefully you folks can answer. There are just the 2 of us so I am not interested in the suitability for children.

1. Would you choose Island Park Village timeshare in Idaho or Towncenter at Jackson Hole WY? I am considering the quality of the 2 resorts, location and ease of flying in and out from Southern California. We will rent a car.

2. We are warm weather folks so we are not interested in cold weather. Would late May/early June be good or should we plan for July or August. Doesn't have to be hot.

Any other info will be greatly appreciated.


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## sandkastle4966 (Jan 30, 2010)

I would take whatever exchange you can get.....

Jackson in the summer is a very, very difficult exchange - I have not seen any SUMMER (june, july, aug) using Tiger traders.  I have been looking off and on for over a year........ I have seen October and November (and April - not a good time).   You have to pay attention to "baby season" - they close up parts of the park.

Jackson airport is a short hop from denver - United flies at least one "big plane" a day, plus several regional jets.

good luck.

(fyi - Jackson Towncenter, Jackson Pines are both downtown, and are "rustic".  I love them both - but I am into being in downton Jackson and 20 minutes from skiing.  Nothing fancy, clean,  nice size,  pleasant staff, has a hot-tub. thats about it.)


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## John Cummings (Jan 30, 2010)

sandkastle4966 said:


> I would take whatever exchange you can get.....
> 
> Jackson in the summer is a very, very difficult exchange - I have not seen any SUMMER (june, july, aug) using Tiger traders.  I have been looking off and on for over a year........ I have seen October and November (and April - not a good time).   You have to pay attention to "baby season" - they close up parts of the park.
> 
> ...



I will be exchanging through SFX and will be making my request in the next week or two.


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## Passepartout (Jan 30, 2010)

John, if you can get July/Aug it will be better. We were there Memorial Day last year and there were still roads closed and 4' of snow on the picnic tables. For Yellowstone, Island Park is better, for Teton, Jackson is better. Jackson is a real 'town', though a bit 'drug store cowboy' for my taste and Island Park is 22 miles from W. Yellowstone. Bring a fly rod for entertainment. Jackson town center is a remodeled motel- comfortable and clean, but it's no Marriott. You can walk to most of town. Think of IPV as a rustic place in the woods. The fireplaces are real and functional- even in July.  

You can fly into Jackson or Idaho Falls for West (as we call it) and it's ~ an hour drive. Neither are exactly int'l airports and flights are somewhat limited. Most fly into SLC Int'l and drive to either place. It's a 5-ish hour drive.  

My personal choice is IPV, because I just think Island Park- and especially Big Spring is just about the most beautiful place on earth, but you are free to not share my opinion. 

Jim Ricks


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## Karen G (Jan 30, 2010)

I think I would pick Island Park Village if your main place of interest is Yellowstone.  We stayed there the middle of June and it was still rather cool then.  It rained a bit during the week and we needed our jackets every day.

We drove there from Las Vegas and took a route where we went through Jackson Hole just to see it.  We had lunch there and walked around a little. It was a nice, scenic drive by the Grand Tetons and through the southwest part of Yellowstone over to Island Park.

There is also a beautiful Worldmark resort right in West Yellowstone, but I imagine it's pretty hard to get an exchange there in the summer. We had the girl at the desk show us a unit just to see what it's like and it was gorgeous.  I would love to have been able to stay here.

We did enjoy our stay at Island Park. The unit was spacious, comfortable, and had everything we needed. It's older and rather rustic, but perfectly fine.  I have a review posted in the TUG Resort Database that gives more details.


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## John Cummings (Jan 31, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> John, if you can get July/Aug it will be better. We were there Memorial Day last year and there were still roads closed and 4' of snow on the picnic tables. For Yellowstone, Island Park is better, for Teton, Jackson is better. Jackson is a real 'town', though a bit 'drug store cowboy' for my taste and Island Park is 22 miles from W. Yellowstone. Bring a fly rod for entertainment. Jackson town center is a remodeled motel- comfortable and clean, but it's no Marriott. You can walk to most of town. Think of IPV as a rustic place in the woods. The fireplaces are real and functional- even in July.
> 
> You can fly into Jackson or Idaho Falls for West (as we call it) and it's ~ an hour drive. Neither are exactly int'l airports and flights are somewhat limited. Most fly into SLC Int'l and drive to either place. It's a 5-ish hour drive.
> 
> ...



Jim,

I was leaning toward IPV but wanted other's opinions. The SFX agent recommended IPV and they do exchanges into both. IPV also has better reviews. You have confirmed it. We are not interested in staying in some tourist town so the town of Jackson Hole doesn't really interest me.

Thanks for the info.


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## John Cummings (Jan 31, 2010)

Karen G said:


> I think I would pick Island Park Village if your main place of interest is Yellowstone.  We stayed there the middle of June and it was still rather cool then.  It rained a bit during the week and we needed our jackets every day.
> 
> We drove there from Las Vegas and took a route where we went through Jackson Hole just to see it.  We had lunch there and walked around a little. It was a nice, scenic drive by the Grand Tetons and through the southwest part of Yellowstone over to Island Park.
> 
> ...



Karen,

Thanks for the info. We wil definitely do Island Park Village in the summer.


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## Laurie (Jan 31, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> You can fly into Jackson or Idaho Falls for West (as we call it) and it's ~ an hour drive. Neither are exactly int'l airports and flights are somewhat limited. Most fly into SLC Int'l and drive to either place. It's a 5-ish hour drive.


You can also fly into West Yellowstone. A friend joined us last summer for part of both our weeks in West Yellowstone and then Jackson Hole. She got a really reasonable open-jaw flight from the east coast into West Yellowstone (teeny tiny airport) and out of Jackson Hole, it worked out great.


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## Rose Pink (Jan 31, 2010)

*FYI*

Jackson is the name of the town.  Jackson Hole is the name of the valley.  Just thought you might like to know.


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## John Cummings (Jan 31, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> Jackson is the name of the town.  Jackson Hole is the name of the valley.  Just thought you might like to know.



I was wondering what the difference was.


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## Rose Pink (Jan 31, 2010)

John Cummings said:


> I was wondering what the difference was.


Fur trappers (if I remember my history correctly) called basins or valleys "holes."  

The name of the nearby mountain range is attributed to the French Canadian trappers as well.  (although there is some dispute about that)  If you know French, you know that grand means large and tetons mean, well, ahem.....those trappers were some lonely guys.


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## falmouth3 (Jan 31, 2010)

SFX booked us into Island Park for this coming summer.  I'll post when I return from that trip.

Sue


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## Passepartout (Feb 1, 2010)

Laurie said:


> You can also fly into West Yellowstone. (teeny tiny airport)



Not sure what kind of service they have. There's not even a tower. One runway, 8400 feet at 6600ft elevation. In the summer heat it's over 10k ft density altitude. A friend crashed a Mooney trying to take off at West on a summer day. It couldn't clear a fence at the runway end....  Jim


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## DianneL (Feb 1, 2010)

*Island Park*

We stayed at Island Park Village starting May 29, 2009 for one week.  We had a mixture of weather, but nothing very warm.  We did see some rain, but only one day that was a complete wash out.  The beauty of going that time of the year is the lack of crowds and traffic.  Also we saw not only lots of wildlife, but animals with young.  I think Island Park is definitely a great place from which to visit and see Yellowstone.  And, one day we drove to Jackson Hole and the Tetons, and back through Yellowstone to our Island Park lodging.  We did see lots of snow on the sides of the roads in the higher elevations, and one day one of the roads in Yellowstone was closed due to weather.  Our trip to Yellowstone was wonderful.  What a great place to visit.  We flew into SLC, as the airfare was better and we really didn't mind the 5-hour drive.  Hope you get the trade and have a great trip.


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## Iwant2gonow (Feb 1, 2010)

Mid July o8 flew into SLC stayed 5 days in Park City with a trade thru TPI and then drove to Island Park for 7 days (also a trade thru TPI.  Marci at TPI matched the weeks up.)  Visited Yellowstone most days and brought change of clothes for the ever changing temp’s.  Would start out in jeans in early AM, change to capri’s around noon and then to shorts and back as the day wore on.  We took a day trip to Jackson Hole and we (family with 2 teens) all preferred Island Park with so much to see at Yellowstone.  We would not have liked a week at Jackson Hole from our one day impression.  The Tetons were wonderful but 2 days would have been enough for us there. Everyone who works at the Island Park resort works very hard to give you the best service and information.  Our 2 bedroom was immaculate… the furniture a little dated but that was easy to overlook considering the proximity to Yellowstone.  Have a great trip!


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## suzanne (Feb 5, 2010)

Try a private email to beachbarbie. She owns at IPV. She was there last summer for first time and could tell you more about it for a stay during July/August time frame. As I understand it is pretty rustic. We have been to Jackson Hole twice and loved it. Both our trips were in the winter for dog sledding and other winter sports. We did go to Yellowstone but it was in a snowcat. We flew into Jackson Hole from Salt Lake City as we were coming from Florida and it was the closest airports for us to get there. We would love to go back during the summer as there is not a lot of wild life moving around in the winter time. We did see bison, elk and a couple of wolves.

The dog sledding trip is awesome. We did the full day trip and we got to mush our own dog team. We went to Granite Hot Springs. It was beautiful being in the hot springs surronded by snow while our guides prepared a wonderful BBQ steak lunch for us in the snow before we headed back to Jackson Hole.

Suzanne


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## John Cummings (Feb 5, 2010)

At this point, we are leaning toward skipping the timeshare option and staying in the park itself. I was talking to a good friend of mine a couple days ago and he strongly recommends staying in the park.

We definitely do NOT like rustic.


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## MuranoJo (Feb 5, 2010)

Yep, IPV is not a GM.     The appeal is the location so close to Yellowstone and the people at the resort and in the area.  

I would be surprised if anything inside the park is much more upscale; however, I have no personal experience to testify on that account.  Staying in a hotel within the park probably provides more personal service.

I'd really like to snag the WM West Yellowstone, but, sigh, wishful thinking.


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## John Cummings (Feb 5, 2010)

muranojo said:


> Yep, IPV is not a GM.     The appeal is the location so close to Yellowstone and the people at the resort and in the area.
> 
> I would be surprised if anything inside the park is much more upscale; however, I have no personal experience to testify on that account.  Staying in a hotel within the park probably provides more personal service.
> 
> I'd really like to snag the WM West Yellowstone, but, sigh, wishful thinking.



They are supposed to have a decent hotel within the park. Many of the National Parks like Zion have oretty decent hotel accomodations.


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## Steve (Feb 5, 2010)

Hi John,

The Lake Hotel probably has the nicest rooms of any of the properties in the park.  They are not luxurious, but they are much nicer than most of the other lodging facilities in Yellowstone.  Based on your stated preferences, John, I think you might be happy there for a couple of nights...but I don't think a long stay would be your thing.

If you want someplace elegant, then Jackson Hole really is your only choice in the greater Yellowstone region.  The nicest place I have stayed there is the Four Seasons:  http://www.fourseasons.com/jacksonhole/

I have never stayed at the Amangani, but it is the other resort in Jackson Hole that is truly luxurious:  http://www.amanresorts.com/amangani/home.aspx

Jackson Hole is much more than just an old west tourist trap.  It has very upscale dining, shopping, and galleries.  It compares favorably with resort towns such as Park City and Vail.

On the other hand, Island Park (where IPV is located) is extremely isolated and rustic.  There's almost no town there.  You're basically out in the woods.  West Yellowstone is a town, but it is very rustic as well.  It kind of reminds me of the mythical Alaska town in the old tv show "Northern Exposure"...albeit with a ton of motels and restaurants thrown in.

Hope this is helpful.  

Steve


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## Dollie (Feb 6, 2010)

Steve said:


> The Lake Hotel probably has the nicest rooms of any of the properties in the park.  They are not luxurious, but they are much nicer than most of the other lodging facilities in Yellowstone.



John, I agree with Steve, the Lake Yellowstone Hotel is probably the nicest.  We stayed there last July.  It is centrally located within the park allowing you to make several loops to various areas of the park.  The food at this hotel is expensive and not that good but they did have a quartet that played every afternoon.  It was pleasant, relaxing, listening to the music, and looking out the picture windows at the lake.  (After awhile we went a short distance to the campground and ate in the cafeteria, food just OK but at least it wasn’t expensive and the view was just as good.)

For the Jackson Hole area, we stayed in the Tetons at Jackson Lake Lodge.  Good food, nice room (we were in the lodge itself) and you can’t beat the view from the lobby. 






It’s still a short distance from Jackson but a beautiful area.  As mentioned, Jackson is a great little town with some good restaurants.  Our favorite is Sweetwater right in town; the Mangy Moose in Teton Village is always good for at least one interesting night; and Bubba’s for BBQ with the locals.  There are many more to choose from.


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## John Cummings (Feb 6, 2010)

Steve said:


> Hi John,
> 
> The Lake Hotel probably has the nicest rooms of any of the properties in the park.  They are not luxurious, but they are much nicer than most of the other lodging facilities in Yellowstone.  Based on your stated preferences, John, I think you might be happy there for a couple of nights...but I don't think a long stay would be your thing.
> 
> ...



Steve,

Thanks for the info. I will defintely check out all the places you mentioned. Trip Advisor shows quite a few nice hotels in Jackson. I am thinking that 2 or 3 nights in the park and a couple in Jackson Hole may be the best.

I don't see spending more that 4 or 5 days in the area.


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## John Cummings (Feb 6, 2010)

Dollie,

Thanks for the info. You and Steve have given me some good choices to look into.


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## Laurie (Feb 6, 2010)

Just for greater convenience to so many fabulous geo-thermal features, think about that nicer Inn at Old Faithful too. Several geisers' schedules are posted at that center, and if you're based there for a couple of days, you can time your visits to take advantage of being there during the eruptions. There are so many more and different ones than just Old Faithful itself. And this is partly why just driving and walking thru the park isn't best done in a hurry. Although IMO in some ways the Old Faithful geiser itself is overrated compared to so many of the other park features, we ended up at this center more often than any other. Also it was fun to see the geiser while eating dinner! 

We also liked the dining room at Lake Yellowstone for quiet and views. By the way, this area is very convenient to the West Thumb Geiser Basin, which we almost skipped, but was in fact one of the most beautiful geiser basins, both for colors of the water and because it's set against the backdrop of the lake. It's also a relatively short walk along the boardwalks, so be sure to include it.

Maybe think about 2 nights at Old Faithful Inn, 2 at Yellowstone Lake hotel, and 2 nights Jackson Hole.


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## John Cummings (Feb 6, 2010)

Laurie said:


> Just for greater convenience to so many fabulous geo-thermal features, think about that nicer Inn at Old Faithful too. Several geisers' schedules are posted at that center, and if you're based there for a couple of days, you can time your visits to take advantage of being there during the eruptions. There are so many more and different ones than just Old Faithful itself. And this is partly why just driving and walking thru the park isn't best done in a hurry. Although IMO in some ways the Old Faithful geiser itself is overrated compared to so many of the other park features, we ended up at this center more often than any other. Also it was fun to see the geiser while eating dinner!
> 
> We also liked the dining room at Lake Yellowstone for quiet and views. By the way, this area is very convenient to the West Thumb Geiser Basin, which we almost skipped, but was in fact one of the most beautiful geiser basins, both for colors of the water and because it's set against the backdrop of the lake. It's also a relatively short walk along the boardwalks, so be sure to include it.
> 
> Maybe think about 2 nights at Old Faithful Inn, 2 at Yellowstone Lake hotel, and 2 nights Jackson Hole.



Laurie,

Thanks for the info. I am now getting a pretty good idea of what to do. Your 2+2+2 sounds like a good idea.

We are really interested in seeing some wildlife like moose and bears. I promised my wife we would see moose when we went to Canada. Well we spent several days touring Kooteney, Banff, and Jasper National Parks in Canada and NOT one single moose. We covered all the parks from one end to the other. In fact all we saw were some elk and a tiny bear. I lived in the Canadian Rockies many years ago and moose were all over the place but no more. The Park ranger told us that the moose and a lot of the wildlife has disappeared. We did visit a Buffalo ranch so we saw lots of Bison but they were not in the wild.

So I have told her we will see moose at Yellowstone. If we don't then my credibility goes to zero. By staying in the park, we should have a better chance at seeing wildlife.


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## DaveNV (Feb 6, 2010)

John Cummings said:


> So I have told her we will see moose at Yellowstone. If we don't then my credibility goes to zero. By staying in the park, we should have a better chance at seeing wildlife.



John, last time I was in Yellowstone (a trip in early June a few years ago) I saw bears along the roadway on the Upper Loop, not far from Tower Falls.  Closer to Canyon, there was a lone moose way across a field, standing in a stream.  If I didn't know what a moose in a stream looks like, I wouldn't have been able to identify it.

On the same trip, we also saw two moose outside of Jackson Hole, on a "scenic back road" from Wilson down to Jackson.  They were grazing in a stream right along side the road.  We took pictures from about 20 feet away without getting out of the car.  (Sorry, I don't remember the name of the road, but there were lots of people there, so apparently it is a known viewing area.)

Although animals are everywhere in the park, by and large, the best animal viewing in Yellowstone was at Gibbon Meadow.  We saw lots of the ubiquitous elk and bison, but we also saw a bobcat and a fox, and we stood for quite awhile and watched wolves hunting for burrowing critters.  It was pretty great.

No guarantees, of course, but the critters are definitely there.  You just have to keep your eyes open.

While you're in Jackson, be sure to spend a few hours at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.  It's an incredible place.  http://www.wildlifeart.org/

Dave


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## John Cummings (Feb 6, 2010)

Dave,

Thanks for the info on wildlife. You have lifted my hopes.


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## Laurie (Feb 6, 2010)

BMWguynw said:


> On the same trip, we also saw two moose outside of Jackson Hole, on a "scenic back road" from Wilson down to Jackson.  They were grazing in a stream right along side the road.  We took pictures from about 20 feet away without getting out of the car.  (Sorry, I don't remember the name of the road, but there were lots of people there, so apparently it is a known viewing area.)


We saw several bears, however no moose in Yellowstone - but more than once saw a mama moose and her baby in a stream along *Moose* Wilson Road, the road between Teton Village and the SW back entrance to Grand Teton NP, which may be exactly where you're talking about, Dave - I can't remember whether it was within Grand Teton park boundaries or not - lots of people, we did get out of our car for photos as many others were. Dusk or at least late in the day seemed like the best time.

We saw other many animals - of course elk and bison, antelope and coyotes and I think a fox - but sadly never any wolves or bobcats, though I was particularly hoping to see wolves. 

On the topic, an outstanding film on DVD is "Wolf Pack" about the historic Druid pack in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley - we bought this at the Wolf-Grizzly center there but you can probably get it from Netflix.  I've watched it 3 or 4 times now, it won an Emmy, is an amazing story and really well done.

Edited to add: here's a website offering some likely places to look for each kind of wildlife:
http://www.yellowstonepark.com/Things/TopThingDetails.aspx?ttid=2


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## DaveNV (Feb 7, 2010)

Laurie said:


> We saw several bears, however no moose in Yellowstone - but more than once saw a mama moose and her baby in a stream along *Moose* Wilson Road, the road between Teton Village and the SW back entrance to Grand Teton NP, which may be exactly where you're talking about, Dave - I can't remember whether it was within Grand Teton park boundaries or not - lots of people, we did get out of our car for photos as many others were. Dusk or at least late in the day seemed like the best time.



Laurie, I think that must be the place.  Sounds very much like what I saw.  It's been a few years, and I should have paid closer attention to things.

Dave


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## Werner (Feb 7, 2010)

John Cummings said:


> Dave,
> 
> Thanks for the info on wildlife. You have lifted my hopes.



We saw the same moose at the same stream along Moose - Wilson road last summer.  The Chamber of Commerce must pay him to stand there. 

We spend a full week last summer, mostly in Yellowstone, and a few days hiking and touring in Teton NP and Jackson.  Just doing one of the major loop roads in Yellowstone and stopping and taking short hikes and doing the boardwalks is a day trip.  You should also look into the timing of your trip for animal viewing.  We were there in late June - early July.  It was (accidentally) great timing for game viewing.  We saw this grizzly






at Bridge Bay (that's Lake Yellowstone in the background).  Later in the summer the grizzlies move into the high country where they are harder to see.  We also saw one at the top of Dunraven Pass on the way to the Tower Junction.  

Male bison are usually alone at this time of year






but the females are still in herds to protect the young calves.






We were stuck in a "bison jam" in Hayden Valley one morning.  Several hundred females and calves were crossing the road.  

The downside to early summer is mosquitoes.  If you do any hiking, even short hikes, especially near the Lake, you will need serious mosquito repellent.  But another upside beside animal viewing is that the rivers, streams and the spectacular Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls are all running at full force.






The Yellowstone River usually crests around the 4th of July.  Everything is lush and springy green. 

I think you are more likely to see moose in Teton National Park south to Jackson.  The main highway passes through a wetlands area in Teton NP and the Jackson Hole (the valley) is good moose country.  I believe the moose in Yellowstone are mostly in the backcountry.  You will likely see elk anywhere in early summer but they also move to the high country in late summer.  You might also tour the National Elk Refuge in Jackson.  

Have a great trip.

More pix here:
http://wernerg.smugmug.com/Travel/Yellowstone-National-Park-Park/9672823_VBYs2#653178249_WSEka


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## John Cummings (Feb 7, 2010)

Those are awesome pictures. I can't do any hiking so our sightseeing and picture taking is pretty well limited to what I can see from the road and lookout points. I can walk a few hundred yards if the terrain is pretty smooth and flat.


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## Werner (Feb 7, 2010)

John Cummings said:


> Those are awesome pictures. I can't do any hiking so our sightseeing and picture taking is pretty well limited to what I can see from the road and lookout points. I can walk a few hundred yards if the terrain is pretty smooth and flat.



The first two were taken from the car (no way was I getting out of the car with a bear that close), the wet bison was sitting in the rain conveniently located at a turn-out in Hayden Valley.  I didn't even get wet; shot from the window.  The bison calves were from outside of the car during the bison jam.  Only the waterfall was taken from a long steep boardwalk/stairway down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone but there are several other paved-trail accesses to various Upper and Lower Falls lookout sites.  Most of the geyser areas have short and long loop boardwalks.  Mammoth Springs has miles of boardwalks but you can access them from multiple places and do short loops.  There is still lots to see from places with easy access.  Yellowstone is still the jewell in the NPS's crown and they makes sure that there is good access for all the major sights.


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## John Cummings (Feb 7, 2010)

Werner said:


> The first two were taken from the car (no way was I getting out of the car with a bear that close), the wet bison was sitting in the rain conveniently located at a turn-out in Hayden Valley.  I didn't even get wet; shot from the window.  The bison calves were from outside of the car during the bison jam.  Only the waterfall was taken from a long steep boardwalk/stairway down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone but there are several other paved-trail accesses to various Upper and Lower Falls lookout sites.  Most of the geyser areas have short and long loop boardwalks.  Mammoth Springs has miles of boardwalks but you can access them from multiple places and do short loops.  There is still lots to see from places with easy access.  Yellowstone is still the jewell in the NPS's crown and they makes sure that there is good access for all the major sights.



I do have a 12X Optical zoom which makes getting closeups pretty easy. I have my eyes on the new Canon 20X with a wide angle lens. My daughter got one for Christmas and it is awesome.


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