Yellowstone’s Steamboat Geyser Is Gushing at a Record Pace

[Timeshare Von]

That's changed in the last year or so. We were there in early May last year and the place was pretty crowded. The timeshare we were at (WM) had to staff way up much earlier than in the past. For that year, I was able to pick up a few days in early May with only a few months notice. This year, it booked up from early May a year in advance.
The roads were open west and north but not the Lake or the roads on the east side. The crowds at Old Faithful were similar to what it used to be in the summer so now the summer must be insane. Lot's of people out looking at critters with lots of critter jams. We are loving our National Parks to death and not providing the staff needed to protect it.

Sue

Very true! I was there last May (20-24) and it was busy . . . but nothing like summer.

 

[BonnieLee1]

Thanks for the article. We'll be in Yellowstone in September. I hope it'll still be active then!

Dave

I have had a long term search for an RCI exchange for Yellowstone. No luck. Any suggestions?

 

[DaveNV]

I have had a long term search for an RCI exchange for Yellowstone. No luck. Any suggestions?

There are only a couple of timeshares near Yellowstone Park. They are extremely popular, and fill up fast. So-called "Mega Renters" often snatch up everything they can get, and rent them out for maximum money.

Suggestions?

Don't hold your breath waiting on an RCI exchange. If you have connections with Wyndham or WorldMark, Trading Places, VRI, or a resort that is affiliated, you might try an internal exchange to one of the West Yellowstone locations.

If you expect to be at Yellowstone for a week or so, you may want to try doing a direct exchange of whatever you own with someone who owns at a Yellowstone-adjacent resort. You can do that privately, through the Tug Marketplace.

You may want to contact one of those Mega Renters and ask what they charge. Or contact someone who rents out WorldMark, and ask if they'll rent you time at the West Yellowstone WorldMark location. You may find help over at wmowners.com, too.

You can pay for a motel in West Yellowstone, (but rates can be steep in prime season.)

You can book one of the further-out timeshares in Montana and Idaho, but drive-times to the Park will seriously eat into time you can spend enjoying the Park itself.

You can try booking something around Jackson, Wyoming, and driving up into Yellowstone from there. But again, drive-times will add up. Travel within the Park can be slow, especially if there is construction delays, traffic jams, or animals blocking the roadways. I've had all three on the same day.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Dave

 

[WinniWoman]

There are only a couple of timeshares near Yellowstone Park. They are extremely popular, and fill up fast. So-called "Mega Renters" often snatch up everything they can get, and rent them out for maximum money.

Suggestions?

Don't hold your breath waiting on an RCI exchange. If you have connections with Wyndham or WorldMark, Trading Places, VRI, or a resort that is affiliated, you might try an internal exchange to one of the West Yellowstone locations.

If you expect to be at Yellowstone for a week or so, you may want to try doing a direct exchange of whatever you own with someone who owns at a Yellowstone-adjacent resort. You can do that privately, through the Tug Marketplace.

You may want to contact one of those Mega Renters and ask what they charge. Or contact someone who rents out WorldMark, and ask if they'll rent you time at the West Yellowstone WorldMark location. You may find help over at wmowners.com, too.

You can pay for a motel in West Yellowstone, (but rates can be steep in prime season.)

You can book one of the further-out timeshares in Montana and Idaho, but drive-times to the Park will seriously eat into time you can spend enjoying the Park itself.

You can try booking something around Jackson, Wyoming, and driving up into Yellowstone from there. But again, drive-times will add up. Travel within the Park can be slow, especially if there is construction delays, traffic jams, or animals blocking the roadways. I've had all three on the same day.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Dave

Right. We rented from a Worldmark West Yellowstone
Owner when we went. Got her number on Redweek.

 

[DaveNV]

^^^ Probably the best option.

Dave

 

[CO skier]

I have had a long term search for an RCI exchange for Yellowstone. No luck. Any suggestions?

Did you include

The Timbers Condominiums At Island Park Village #0027

in your search? If you put in a search more than a year in advance for any 4 weeks during the summer, something at this resort should give you a match.

 

[Sandy VDH]

When I said May, I meant early May, like the 1st. I was actually there the last week of april/first week in may.

 

[Talent312]

This is a timely topic for us. We start a week at Island Park on 5/31.
We tentatively plan to split our time in Yellowstone into three parts:
(1) Southwest Geysers, (2) Northern Loop, and (3) Canyon & Lake.
Then take 2 days to visit the Tetons, spending 1N in Jackson Hole.

The rest of the time, we'd stick close to home and prep for week #2:
Glacier NP.

Any thoughts on this? Any suggestions on a hotel for Jackson Hole?
.

 

[DaveNV]

This is a timely topic for us. We start a week at Island Park on 5/31.
We tentatively plan to split our time in Yellowstone into three parts:
(1) Southwest Geysers, (2) Northern Loop, and (3) Canyon & Lake.
Then take 2 days to visit the Tetons, spending 1N in Jackson Hole.

The rest of the time, we'd stick close to home and prep for week #2:
Glacier NP.

Any thoughts on this? Any suggestions on a hotel for Jackson Hole?
.

Sounds good. Keep in mind it's about a 20-30 minute drive from Island Park to the West Yellowstone entrance. There are radar cops who love to give out tickets. Watch your speed. From the West Entrance, it's another ten miles to Madison Junction, and 17 miles from there to Old Faithful. That time of year you'll see tons of baby Bison, and there can be lengthy traffic jams of animals and/or cars blocking the road. So don't over-plan your activities for any given day. On your way into West Yellowstone, eat breakfast at Running Bear Pancake House. They have a great family atmosphere for breakfast, and will pack you a box lunch if you'll be in the Park at lunch time. http://www.runningbearph.com

In Jackson, do not, under any circumstances, stay at the Snow King Motel. It's a sh*thole. We pre-paid, got ripped off, and had a terrible night. On a previous trip we stayed at the Snow King Mountain Resort, and we thought the motel was connected. It's not. They play on the name. Don't be fooled. (The Snow King Mountain Resort was very nice. If I was going to Jackson again, I'd stay there.)

Have fun!
Dave

This picture is one we took the first week of June in Yellowstone a few years ago. How many baby bison do you see?

 

[Talent312]

... On a previous trip we stayed at the Snow King Mountain Resort...The Snow King Mountain Resort was very nice. If I was going to Jackson again, I'd stay there.

Dave:
I counted 12 baby bisons, but some shapes were vague.

On your advice (+ after reading TripAdvisor reviews), I booked 1N at Snow King Mountain Resort ($255 all in). It didn't have the rave reviews of some other resorts, but neither did it have their $300+ rates. It looked reasonably close to Town Square.

 

[Passepartout]

Here is the tentative 2019 summer schedule, with the following roads opening at 8 a.m. on these dates:

• April 19: West Entrance to Madison Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful, Norris to Canyon Village.
• May 3: East Entrance to Lake Village (Sylvan Pass), Canyon Village to Lake Village.
• May 10: South Entrance to West Thumb, Lake Village to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful (Craig Pass), Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
• May 24: Tower Fall to Canyon Village (Dunraven Pass), Beartooth Highway

So curb your enthusiasm for a while longer. Over snow travel has been curtailed since March 15th.

Jim

 

[DaveNV]

Dave:
I counted 12 baby bisons, but some shapes were vague.

On your advice (+ after reading TripAdvisor reviews), I booked 1N at Snow King Mountain Resort ($255 all in). It didn't the rave reviews of some other resorts, but neither did it have their $300+ rates. It looked reasonably close to Town Square.

I think you'll like it there. The room we had was upscale-rustic, with log bed furniture, and a real country feel. It was pretty small, but very comfortable. You're only there to sleep, so should do fine. It's a ski resort, so during off season, it serves as a good overnight stay for visitors to the area. The town square is an easy drive across town. The ski lift across the street was open for scenic lifts to the top of the mountain, which would be fun, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

12 baby bison is about what I saw, 11 or 12. Some shapes were kind of hard to tell. But the point of the picture is there are baby bison everywhere.

Dave

 

[Sandy VDH]

Here is the tentative 2019 summer schedule, with the following roads opening at 8 a.m. on these dates:

• April 19: West Entrance to Madison Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful, Norris to Canyon Village.
• May 3: East Entrance to Lake Village (Sylvan Pass), Canyon Village to Lake Village.
• May 10: South Entrance to West Thumb, Lake Village to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful (Craig Pass), Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
• May 24: Tower Fall to Canyon Village (Dunraven Pass), Beartooth Highway

So curb your enthusiasm for a while longer. Over snow travel has been curtailed since March 15th.

Jim

Keep checking the NP site for updates, as these are targets but not cast in stone dates. When we were there they opened the roads about a week early. It all depends on the snowfall over the winter and the spring weather. We actually linked up the morning they opened the road to Lake Village and Lake Yellowstone.