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Yellowstone/Teton help

jzsackst

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Fellow tuggers: I need some help for our upcoming Yellowstone/Teton vacation. We have never been this area and are fairly clueless about many things. I have read a few travel books and the old threads on TUG but any additional help would be appreciated.

We are flying into SLC 6/23 and will be checking into Island Park Village on 6/26. We will need a place to stay for 3 nts and activity suggestions for the Teton area. We are planning to do Yellowstone from IPV. We are considering a raft trip on the Snake river (we would even consider an overnight raft trip). I also thought about driving to the furthest Yellowstone area and spending the night of the 25th so we could enjoy all of IPV for our week. I read something about Roosevelt Inn?? and a horseback ride/chuckwagon cookout in this area. I am open to any and all suggestions. If you have any experience with an overnight raft trip I would appreciate the outfitters name. Thanks in advance!! We are travelling with 13yr old and mature/adventurous 9 yr old.
 

DaveNV

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jzsackst

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Thanks for all the wonderful information. The Roosevelt cabins are full right now but I was able to get a room at Mammoth. Not too far away for 1 night. What are the absolute not to miss things at Teton. Any suggestions. We are planning the overnight float/rafting but otherwise don't want to miss anything great at Teton. As for Yellowstone, I have all the books and read all the threads. I think we could be there a month and not get to see and do everything.
 

Steve

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Thanks for all the wonderful information. The Roosevelt cabins are full right now but I was able to get a room at Mammoth. Not too far away for 1 night. What are the absolute not to miss things at Teton. Any suggestions. We are planning the overnight float/rafting but otherwise don't want to miss anything great at Teton. As for Yellowstone, I have all the books and read all the threads. I think we could be there a month and not get to see and do everything.

The Teton mountain range is spectacular. In fact, in my opinion, it's much prettier than Yellowstone (although Yellowstone is great). Two things you don't want to miss:

1) Take the short drive to the top of Signal Mountain and walk from the parking lot up to the lookout area. Stunning 360 degree vista.

2) Hike the trail around the south end of Jenny Lake, then take the short side trail up to Hidden Falls. If you're tired after that, take the boat back across the lake.

The town of Jackson Hole is certainly worth spending a little time in as well... if you like shopping, dining, or western art. It's one of America's better mountain resort towns, and really shouldn't be missed.

Steve
 

DaveNV

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Thanks for all the wonderful information. The Roosevelt cabins are full right now but I was able to get a room at Mammoth. Not too far away for 1 night.

If Roosevelt Lodge still appeals to you, keep checking the Xanterra website, or maybe even call them to ask about availability. They get cancellations as time gets closer to check-in date.

Mammoth isn't too far away, and it's all good, (it IS Yellowstone, after all), but Roosevelt Lodge has a more "rustic" sense to it.

You'll have a fine time. Wolves, bears, and moose. Oh My! :cheer:

Dave
 

jzsackst

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Thanks again for all the suggestions. I need June to get here quick because I keep changing my mind with so many things to do and see. We have now decided to stay at the Coulter Bay tent/cabins for 3 nights and forgo the overnight rafting trip. This way we will get a little sense of camping in the Teton area and will still do a full day of floating/rafting. The overnight price was almost double the day trip and we can stay in the tent/cabins for $44 a night. Once we get to Island Park Village the kids will think they are in the lap of luxury. We are looking forward to this adventure and all your input made it so much easier to find information.
 

DaveNV

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We are looking forward to this adventure and all your input made it so much easier to find information.


You're gonna have a fantastic time. About ten years ago while traveling for a year in a motorhome, I spent three weeks at an RV park just north of West Yellowstone, and toured different parts of the park nearly every day. I still didn't see it all - I've been back three times since, and am planning to go again. There is SO much to see and do there, virtually everywhere we stopped there was something interesting to see. Enjoy every minute, and plan to make plans to come back again.

Some fun things to think about: If you happen to be there during a full moon, try to see Old Faithful erupt in the moonlight. It's awesome!

Take your kids swimming in the Firehole River. Icy water with a hot springs right in the middle of it.

Watch for the wolves playing and hunting on the fringes of Gibbon Meadow.

Look for the nesting Bald Eagles in the tops of the trees on the road from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction.

See how many different kinds of animals you can see: Bears, moose, elk, deer, and bison are fairly common (some more than others.) But we also saw a fox, a bobcat, prairie dogs, and what I think were black-footed ferrets. Watch out for those less common critters - they're there, too. And don't forget the birds!

Hike around the Norris Geyser Basin (or any of the other areas), and see some of the smaller geyers. The closer the better. The geothermal influence is everywhere, and it gives a real sense of what's happening underground. Yellowstone is in a caldera, after all.

Teach your kids ahead of time a bit about what they'll be seeing, so they'll know it's not just a crazy zoo and waterpark. ;) Give each a disposable camera and tell them to take a picture of their favorite thing. Frame those pictures back home as a reminder of the great time they had.

Have lunch in the restaurant at Grant Village, where there's a great view of Yellowstone Lake. They (used to?) serve an incredible smoked turkey sandwich on sourdough bread, with cheddar cheese and paper-thin slices of Granny Smith apples. They serve it warmed, with a mango chutney. What a treat!

Dave, who is suddenly thinking a return trip to Yellowstone needs to happen soon... ;)
 

hibbeln

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We were out at Yellowstone/Tetons 2 summers ago....our boys were 11 & 9 at the time.

We also stayed in the Coulter Bay Tent Cabins. They were just fine and a heck of a lot less expensive than the cabins that looked (we thought) pretty yucky and musty. You share a cabin wall (it's kind of back to back so you share one corner) with someone else. You can use the pool at one of the lodges while you're there. There are restroom facilities close by, but you need to go down to the general store area to shower, and there is a fee for that (I did it every morning, my boys bathed in the lake). There are fire pits which are fun in the evening. Lots of rules about having food in the tent cabins (they provide a bear box) because of bears in the area (we saw a grizzly with cubs less than a mile away).

The Tetons are really more scenic than anything else. I bet most people simply drive through on their way to/from Yellowstone and look. There is certainly hiking, but not a lot of "must see, must do" things there.

If you have a nice day, rent the little motor boats from the Coulter Bay marina and go out on the lake. A fun way to kill time.

We saw moose and a black bear (on the trail right in front of us!) and also a mother grizzly with 3 cubs in the Grand Tetons, which made it all worthwhile. Take the time to talk to any park ranger you see and ask where animals have been sighted lately and if they have any recommendations for you. They are a wealth of insider information.

In Yellowstone, our kids really liked all the geothermal features. We enjoyed the "fire river" area that was at the north end of the park. For that one you park right at the Montana/Wyoming border.

A chuckwagon dinner might not be up the alley of the 13 year old. Let them look and see if it looks too young for them. But horseback riding would be GREAT!

We did a whitewater rafting trip on the Yellowstone River in Gardiner and had fun. It wasn't crazy insane whitewater, but was just enough because we were in a raft with 1 guide, 3 adults, and 9 kids. So we weren't doing the best at paddling or steering!
 

jzsackst

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I can't imagine ever going on vacation again without all the help from Tuggers. I have printed off all the suggestions and we will try to do everything. My kids joke that they need a vacation to recover from vacation. I tell them we can lay around at home and do nothing anytime. We traditionally go to the beach on vacation for diving, snorkeling etc. I am hoping this will be an absolute fantastic adventure. Keep the suggestions coming. TIA!!!
 

jzsackst

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And Hibbeln -- thanks for the info in the tent/cabins. It's always nice to hear from someone that stayed there. We thought the same thing about the price. Many times cabins smell musty etc. and I read a review that said the tent/cabins gave you the good old fresh air. We love boating so renting a boat at Jackson lake will be a must do for us.
 
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