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Yellowstone

dago

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I am considering a trip to Yellowstone and maybe Glacier National park in the fall. I know that is short notice, but was wondering if anyone has any advise on where to stay and what to do. I was thinking of about 3 to 5 days there (Yellowstone). The only definite thing I want to see is Old Faithful, and maybe Grand Teton. Would later in Sep be a better time (less crowded)? I want to avoid the crowds, but also want decent weather(Not into Skiing or winter activities), as I will be driving out to there from Ohio. Same thing regarding Glacier
 
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September is the end of the season. There will be smaller crowds, but services start closing down. They don't turn off the geysers, and the animals don't go away though. :) The roads close for winter in early November. Timeshares are usually booked up very early, and are usually considered a difficult exchange. I own at Timbers Condominiums in Island Park, ID. It's 22 miles from West Yellowstone. They do rent units when available. Reservations at 208-558-7502.
 

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Yellowstone (the park) is great to see at any time of year. When the crowds are lower, you can slow down and truly appreciate the scenery. The animals in Yellowstone can be harder to find late in the season. There will surely be some around, but it'll be a coin toss for what you'll find. Geyser activity is awesome anytime, especially during cooler weather - the steamy condensation of the hot water is easier to see when the air is cold. Even if you're not a Geyser fan, a trip through the Norris Geyser Basin is worth the time to get there. Same with Mammoth Hot Springs at the north end of the park - worth it to see, and then spend time exploring the Visitor's Center there - see the old pictures, and get a better feel for how Yellowstone came to be what it is - America's First National Park. Old Faithful is always impressive, but after you see it go off a time or two, it kind of loses its "wow factor." It's still great, but is sort of like Niagara Falls: The view never really changes. :). The Old Faithful Inn is right next to the geyser, it's an awesome example of "Parkitecture", and it is simply amazing to see a four-storey high log building. The main fireplace has four sides, and is large enough to walk into. The angled-branch supports holding up every piece of ceiling were hand-picked to match in size and shape as closely as possible. It is a very worthwhile experience.

Grand Teton is a great drive south out of Yellowstone - the GT Park entrance is right outside the exit from Yellowstone, so they're essentially neighbors. The roads are good, and scenery is amazing, especially when there is snow on the peaks. Stop at every turnout to view the mountains, as the view always changes. If you make time enough, and enjoy western- and wildlife-themed art of all types, I highly recommend the Wildlife Art Museum just north of Jackson Hole. (Basically right next to Grand Tetons NP.) https://www.wildlifeart.org

Glacier NP has a shorter season than Yellowstone, and weather can be very changeable. If the snow hasn't come early, and the Going to The Sun Road is open over Logan Pass, it's awesome to see. If the Pass is closed (which can happen at anytime of the year) it takes more effort to see the whole area, because the park is split into East and West sides, and you have to drive around the outside perimeter to get to those two sides. It's very worthwhile, as is anything around that part of the country.

But it's all worth it, even if you find you'll want to schedule another trip at a warmer time of year. I've been to Yellowstone probably 20 times, once when I camped in an RV for three weeks just outside the park, and I'd go back again tomorrow. As long as you're willing to accept the possibility of weather not being ideal, I'd say go for it. It's very different than anything you have back home. :)

Have fun!

Dave
 

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We've enjoyed staying in the Worldmark in West Yellowstone.
I'm sure you did. It's a nice place and very convenient, but I understand it's a tough exchange to get. Today's post was the OP's first. My hunch is he's just checking out possibilities at this late date. A cross-country road trip in August from Ohio would add to the adventure.
 

dago

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You are correct I am checking out possibilities. Actually I am considering going in Aug. I just figured that in Aug, it is crowded and lodging is probably at a premium, tat's why I am also considering going in early to mid Sep. I am sure there is enough to do in 5 days. The lodging is my main concern. I may have to put it off till next year. I appreciate everyone's comments. Any advise on where to stay is appreciated.
 

BellaWyn

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DaveNW said:
But it's all worth it, even if you find you'll want to schedule another trip at a warmer time of year. I've been to Yellowstone probably 20 times
Love love love reading your travel stories! So many sweep me back to memories of similar adventures from a younger lifetime.

Everyone........ what Dave said....:thumbup:
 

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We stayed at Worldmark West Yellowstone- rental from private owner. Flew into Bozeman. Mid Sept. Weather was great! Less crowds. Drove through the park into the Tetons also. Spent an entire week there.
 

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We used Worldmark points the first time, and the second time, because of a major screwup, we rented from a private owner. It was expensive, but given the going rate for lodging in the area, renting a two bedroom from a private owner saved us a lot of money.
 

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We went to Yellowstone The 2nd week of Sept year before last and were shocked at how crowded it was... we had trouble finding parking at old faithful. I can't count the number of times we have been to yellowstone but it used to be any time after labor day was good to go because the crowds were GONE. This year we are going the middle of July....I hate to think how bad it will be. My DH likes to Fly fish the Madison and otherwise we will likely to find things to do outside the park....There is lots to do to keep us busy.

My favorite part of the park is the grand canyon of Yellowstone....especially Artist's point.
 

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West Yellowstone is just outside the park. There is a lot of lodging there including Worldmark. We'll be in Island Park the last week in August, adding a half hour to the park.
 

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We went to Yellowstone The 2nd week of Sept year before last and were shocked at how crowded it was... we had trouble finding parking at old faithful. I can't count the number of times we have been to yellowstone but it used to be any time after labor day was good to go because the crowds were GONE. This year we are going the middle of July....I hate to think how bad it will be.
Yup, same here, might have been 3rd wk of Sept. Previously we had been over July 4, and it didn't seem any less crowded in September - it must have been high season for Chinese tour companies, there were buses everywhere, including about 200 people at Artist's Point when we arrived; we had done the little rim walk ending there, you could hardly get a glimpse at the viewpoint, and the line to the rest room was a half mile long. I bet mid-July won't be any worse.

To the OP: As for weather in Sept in Yellowstone, we had a little winter precip in Sept and a couple of days of partial road closures, but nothing major. It was comfortable, and the dusting of snow made the mountaintops prettier. We had just been to Glacier the week before, and had a bit of snow, but the roads stayed mostly open.

All our stays were in timeshares. It's slightly possible to get a late booking (or rental) at Meadow Lake in Columbia Falls near Glacier, or Island Park in Idaho as stated. The closer timeshares such as Worldmark W. Yellowstone or Glacier Wilderness Resort will be more difficult, unless something last-minute due to cancellation pops up. For Glacier, there are also a few in Whitefish you might try for.
 
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WinniWoman

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I guess things have changed a lot. We were there in 2011 I think it was and not what I would consider crowded and I do really hate crowds.There were, however, several Asian bus tours I recall. And it was around the third week of Sept.

What was crowded is our trip last week to Estes Park, Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park was NOT crowded, but the town of Estes Park was horrible. Couldn't get parking either. It's a very nice town- clean and everything you would want in so far as shops and restaurants and so forth. Very touristy. But I couldn't enjoy it. Ended up avoiding it as much as possible. Even just driving through it was a hassle- they had someone directing traffic every day because of the backups.
 

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Yup, same here, might have been 3rd wk of Sept. Previously we had been over July 4, and it didn't seem any less crowded in September - it must have been high season for Chinese tour companies, there were buses everywhere, including about 200 people at Artist's Point when we arrived; we had done the little rim walk ending there, you could hardly get a glimpse at the viewpoint, and the line to the rest room was a half mile long. I bet mid-July won't be any worse.

To the OP: As for weather in Sept in Yellowstone, we had a little winter precip in Sept and a couple of days of partial road closures, but nothing major. It was comfortable, and the dusting of snow made the mountaintops prettier. We had just been to Glacier the week before, and had a bit of snow, but the roads stayed mostly open.

All our stays were in timeshares. It's slightly possible to get a late booking (or rental) at Meadow Lake in Columbia Falls near Glacier, or Island Park in Idaho as stated. The closer timeshares such as Worldmark W. Yellowstone or Glacier Wilderness Resort will be more difficult, unless something last-minute due to cancellation pops up. For Glacier, there are also a few in Whitefish you might try for.
Thanks for all the feedback, I have decided to stay a week near Livingston, MT the last week of Aug thru Labor Day, and then go up to Glacier for a couple days, then head back to Ohio
 

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Thanks for all the feedback, I have decided to stay a week near Livingston, MT the last week of Aug thru Labor Day, and then go up to Glacier for a couple days, then head back to Ohio

That will be a fine time, too. Just be aware that Glacier National Park may have snow at the top of Logan Pass, so the Going To The Sun road may be closed. At that elevation, snow can (and does) happen at any time of the year.

Dave
 

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I wanted to spend a day in Cody. Rather than drive back to Livingston do you think I could find some place to stay in Cody at the last moment?
 
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dago

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That will be a fine time, too. Just be aware that Glacier National Park may have snow at the top of Logan Pass, so the Going To The Sun road may be closed. At that elevation, snow can (and does) happen at any time of the year.

Dave
I did an Alaskan Cruise in 2000 - It was awesome. I went at the end of May. The daylight is long at that time of year. Denali was awesome. Enjoyed Fairbanks, but it was a little cool up there. Was close to the to the Artic Circle (about 100 miles), disappointed we didn't get there.
 

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I did an Alaskan Cruise in 2000 - It was awesome. I went at the end of May. The daylight is long at that time of year. Denali was awesome. Enjoyed Fairbanks, but it was a little cool up there. Was close to the to the Artic Circle (about 100 miles), disappointed we didn't get there.

We're doing the Inside Passage from Vancouver to Glacier Bay and back. Stopping in several cities, including Ketchikan, where I lived for two years as a kid. I'm looking forward to going back to my old neighborhood to see if I can recognize anything. It's only been <gasp!> 55 years since we left there. :D

Dave
 

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We're doing the Inside Passage from Vancouver to Glacier Bay and back. Stopping in several cities, including Ketchikan, where I lived for two years as a kid. I'm looking forward to going back to my old neighborhood to see if I can recognize anything. It's only been <gasp!> 55 years since we left there. :D

Dave
We flew into Fairbanks, took the train to Denali, it was clear day so we got a good look at Mt McKinley. Continued on to Anchorage (train ride was enjoyable), stayed overnite then took a bus to the ship and did the inside passage with stops at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan to Vancouver, so we only took the cruise one way.

Enjoy
 

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I wanted to spend a day in Cody. Rather than drive back to Livingston do you think I could find some place to stay in Cody at the last moment?

There are all kinds and levels of motels in Cody. You'll have to research what you like, and what suits your budget. A quick Google search indicates there are more than 50 in the area. The last time we were in Cody (2013) we stayed at the Skyline Motor Inn on the east end of town. It was ok, as motels go, if all you want is a place to sleep, but it was nothing special. I'd stay there again, but would just as easily stay somewhere else.

If your reason for visiting Cody is to see the Buffalo Bill Museum, prepare for a very long day. There is a LOT to see there. And if you're a firearms fan, the display can be overwhelming - there are so many interesting and unusual firearms, it's easy to lose all track of time. That may be why the museum admission fee is good for two days. https://centerofthewest.org

There are many, many restaurants as well. We found Peter's Cafe to be the best eclectic breakfast in town. It doesn't look like much, (see picture below), but *everybody* told us that was the place to eat breakfast. They were right. :thumbup:

Needless trivia: If you zoom in on my avatar, you'll see my three pets. The silver and black guy in the middle is named Cody, after this town. I really like Wyoming, and Cody is one of my favorite places to visit. I especially like how easy it is to reach the east entrance of Yellowstone from there.

Dave

cody restaurant.jpg
 
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Timeshare Von

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I'm sure you did. It's a nice place and very convenient, but I understand it's a tough exchange to get. Today's post was the OP's first. My hunch is he's just checking out possibilities at this late date. A cross-country road trip in August from Ohio would add to the adventure.

I highly recommend the cross country road trip. I'm doing my third from Wisconsin to Yellowstone in about a week.
 

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That will be a fine time, too. Just be aware that Glacier National Park may have snow at the top of Logan Pass, so the Going To The Sun road may be closed. At that elevation, snow can (and does) happen at any time of the year.

Dave
 

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I finally got a chance to respond. Summary: We drove from Cleveland, OH to Cody, WY with overnite stops in Des Moines, IA and Scottsbluff, NE. Spent 2 days in Cody (Actually a day and a half). Very enjoyable. Could have used another day, but we got everything in that we wanted to. We did have breakfast at Peter's Café. We enjoyed it. We stayed at the Green Gables Inn. Nothing great but acceptable. From Cody we continued on to Yellowstone via the East Entrance. I considered taking the Chief Joseph byway and coming in thru the Northeast entrance, but decided against it . We continued on to Mammoth via fishing bridge and Tower Junction. Stops along the way. Then went out the North entrance to head to our cabin in Pray, MT(about 25 miles south of Livingston). We were booked for here for 7 days. Kept commuting back and forth to the park. Spent some time in West Yellowstone and Idaho. Checked out the condos in Island Park and went to Mesa Falls.
Used up one day to drive to Red Lodge, MT and drive the Beartooth HWY to the NE entrance to the park. Amazing views. Weather a lot cooler at 10,000 ft. It was quite warm, in fact HOT the entire time we were there. (Aug 29 thru Sep 5). It never rained except for one little 5 min shower just as we were getting ready to picnic in Mammoth. I allowed for 3 hours to navigate Beartooth. Even with all the stopping we did for pictures and viewing and also having to wait for a cattle drive to cross the HWY we did it in a little over 3 HRS. The only thing we didn't get to do was get to Glacier NP. Because of the forest fires throughout the state of MT and especially since just before I was planning on getting there one of the chalets burned down and it was big mess at Lake McDonald area and Logan Pass. So I cut out that portion of the trip. So we came back from Yellowstone via North Dakota since (except for Kansas) that was the only state of the entire 50 that we hadn't been thru. Wont go into detail but we did find things to in ND, MN and IL prior to getting back to OH.

Bottom line is Yellowstone is awesome, and anyone that has a chance to go should do it. The only thing I may do differently or recommend is to get lodging at West Yellowstone, or Island Park, rather than where we stayed. The area (Paradise Valley) was nice, and we enjoyed it and for this trip it was appropriate because originally I had planned on going to Glacier and spending some time in Livingston and/or Bozeman. The fires kind of changed things. If you are going to spend most of your time in the park then West Yellowstone or Island Park may be a better option.
 

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I finally got a chance to respond.

It sounds like you had an amazing trip! Hope you enjoyed Cody - it's a cool town. The fires in Glacier definitely put a wrinkle into your plans. Luckily, you were able to fill the time with more Yellowstone. Such a great place to visit at any time of year.

I second the point of trying to stay in or near West Yellowstone. Makes it easy to get in and around the Park. Did you happen to eat at the Running Bear Pancake House in West? Great breakfast there, and they'll even pack you a box lunch if you're going hiking in the Park. Great place! http://www.runningbearph.com

I need to plan another trip to Yellowstone. Reading this thread again made me homesick for the place. :)

Dave
 

dago

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I finally got a chance to respond. Summary: We drove from Cleveland, OH to Cody, WY with overnite stops in Des Moines, IA and Scottsbluff, NE. Spent 2 days in Cody (Actually a day and a half). Very enjoyable. Could have used another day, but we got everything in that we wanted to. We did have breakfast at Peter's Café. We enjoyed it. We stayed at the Green Gables Inn. Nothing great but acceptable. From Cody we continued on to Yellowstone via the East Entrance. I considered taking the Chief Joseph byway and coming in thru the Northeast entrance, but decided against it . We continued on to Mammoth via fishing bridge and Tower Junction. Stops along the way. Then went out the North entrance to head to our cabin in Pray, MT(about 25 miles south of Livingston). We were booked for here for 7 days. Kept commuting back and forth to the park. Spent some time in West Yellowstone and Idaho. Checked out the condos in Island Park and went to Mesa Falls.
Used up one day to drive to Red Lodge, MT and drive the Beartooth HWY to the NE entrance to the park. Amazing views. Weather a lot cooler at 10,000 ft. It was quite warm, in fact HOT the entire time we were there. (Aug 29 thru Sep 5). It never rained except for one little 5 min shower just as we were getting ready to picnic in Mammoth. I allowed for 3 hours to navigate Beartooth. Even with all the stopping we did for pictures and viewing and also having to wait for a cattle drive to cross the HWY we did it in a little over 3 HRS. The only thing we didn't get to do was get to Glacier NP. Because of the forest fires throughout the state of MT and especially since just before I was planning on getting there one of the chalets burned down and it was big mess at Lake McDonald area and Logan Pass. So I cut out that portion of the trip. So we came back from Yellowstone via North Dakota since (except for Kansas) that was the only state of the entire 50 that we hadn't been thru. Wont go into detail but we did find things to in ND, MN and IL prior to getting back to OH.

Bottom line is Yellowstone is awesome, and anyone that has a chance to go should do it. The only thing I may do differently or recommend is to get lodging at West Yellowstone, or Island Park, rather than where we stayed. The area (Paradise Valley) was nice, and we enjoyed it and for this trip it was appropriate because originally I had planned on going to Glacier and spending some time in Livingston and/or Bozeman. The fires kind of changed things. If you are going to spend most of your time in the park then West Yellowstone or Island Park may be a better option.

It sounds like you had an amazing trip! Hope you enjoyed Cody - it's a cool town. The fires in Glacier definitely put a wrinkle into your plans. Luckily, you were able to fill the time with more Yellowstone. Such a great place to visit at any time of year.

I second the point of trying to stay in or near West Yellowstone. Makes it easy to get in and around the Park. Did you happen to eat at the Running Bear Pancake House in West? Great breakfast there, and they'll even pack you a box lunch if you're going hiking in the Park. Great place! http://www.runningbearph.com

I need to plan another trip to Yellowstone. Reading this thread again made me homesick for the place. :)

Dave
We really liked Cody. Agree it's a cool town. We didn't eat at the Running Bear Pancake House - We always ate breakfast at the cabin. It was on my list of things to check out, but didn't get around to it. I'm sure if we stayed in the area we would have. We did have dinner at Timberline Café, after spending the day in Idaho and a visit to Grizzly and Wolf Discovery so we could get to see bears. before my long drive back up US191. Decided not to go back thru the park because of the construction between Mammoth and Norris.
We generally do not like to visit the same place more than once, but for Yellowstone we would make an exception. We would definitely go back, but it's a LONG drive (we don't like to fly).
As an aside; I guess it's true about the fact that the West entrance is used the most. On a Sat at about 11:00 Am we were exiting the park via the West Entrance and we couldn't believe the long line of vehicles entering. Traffic even came to a complete stop. Didn't have that issue with the other 3 entrances we used (we didn't use the South Entrance because there is construction between the South Entrance and West thumb that I wanted to avoid)

If we ever do go back we will definitely visit Cody again and stay near West Yellowstone
 
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