Best time of year for Wyoming?

[breezylawn]

Hi, We would like to take a road trip next spring to Wyoming, Montana, etc. Can anyone tell us the best time of year to go? Also, the few timeshares available in Wyoming don't seem to be the greatest. Any suggestions to stay elsewhere and just visit Jackson Hole for the day? Thanks, Bill

 

[PStreet1]

The best time depends on what you plan to do. If you plan to hike, you need to go later rather than earlier because of the possibility of late spring snows; if you plan to explore Yellowstone, again, it depends on what you want to do. Jackson Hole is an easy drive from Yellowstone if you just want to walk around the town for a bit. You see the Tetons driving down from Yellowstone, and there are many places to pull over for pictures. But of course, if you want to hike, you'll need time to do it.

Lodging: we enjoyed Yellowstone cabins. They are cheap and clean and the beds were good. It's a bit like camping, which, to us, seemed appropriate for being in Yellowstone. You have a sink in your cabin and have to go a few paces for showers and toilets--definitely not far. I wouldn't want to spend the whole summer in one of the cabins, but for a few nights, they were fun.

 

[breezylawn]

Thank you for the tip on the cabins...I agree, it's sounds like fun for a few days...do you know that actual name for them so I can get some info? And we'll plan for a June trip. Bill

 

[riverdees05]

Where are the cabins? Are they part of the park?

 

[marinersfan]

First of all, if you want to see Yellowstone Park and/or Glacier Park you'll want to find out when they open for the season. For general travel time I would make it is as late in the spring as possible. It's possible for rain, snow, and sunshine in early to late spring especially in the higher elevations of Montana and Wyoming which covers most of the western part of both states. In other words you never know what your going to get that time of year. June should be fine, but be prepared.

As far as timeshares go, I guess it depends on your expectations. If you don't think the TS's in Jackson are the greatest you'll be very shocked with the accomodations in the Park. So, it really amounts to what you want to experience. If it's as much time in the park as possible with very little drive time then you'll want to find something in the Park. A great experience, but don't expect plush accomodations. If you want larger accomodations and don't mind the drive you'll want to use a TS.

A couple other TS's to consider besides in Jackson:

• Big Sky Resort in Montana
• Island Park Village in Idaho

Hope this helps.

 

[PStreet1]

Do a Google search for accomodations in Yellowstone. You'll find cabins at Mammoth and Yellowstone--and there may be others. In order to minimize driving over the same territory, we entered from the east at Cody early in the morning. Turned left and went to the lake, then backtracked that little way and went north to Mammoth. We were in plenty of time for the noon ranger talk and hike at the "bubbling mud spot"--the name escapes me right now. Then we proceeded to Mammoth with many stops along the way. We spent that night at Mammoth and continued our circle trip the next morning. We stopped at every major sight and took a number of ranger led walks--including the major one at Norris. We arrived at Old Faithful in time for the last ranger led walk of the day. We stayed in the cabins at Old Faithful that night. The next day we drove along the Tetons and stopped a number of places on our way to Jackson Hole--arrived in time for a late lunch.

When you do the Google search for Yellowstone, you'll find a plethora of information--timetables for ranger talks, lists of "top" attractions, according to various people, etc. For us, the most underrated attractions were the waterfalls: there are many and even in full summer, there is a lot of water.

We enjoyed a small red book purchased at the first stop at the lake which was a driving guide with mile markers--told us tons about the park and alerted us to places we would not otherwise have known to stop.