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Yellowstone, then Park City or Denver

PeelBoy

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I have booked a week in Jackson, WY for September to visit Yellowstone. Will stay in the Park for one night.

I would like to attach a week before or after the visit to Yellowstone. Originally, I planned to fly into Salt Lake City and stay at either Westgate or one of the two Marriott properties. To cut cost, I would need to use Air Canada points and Air Canada has more than a few direct flight into Denver. There are limited indirect flights into Salt Lake City. My questions are:

1. Park city or one of the ski towns near Denver. We enjoy National Parks, outlet shopping, restaurants and unique culture (that is why Salt Lake City is more appealing to me). Resort quality will be a key decision.

2. What is the difference between driving to Jackson from Park City and Denver? I am aware of the time difference. Which route will give me a long lasting memory? I do not like narrow windy roads though for long hours.

Thanks.
 

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This doesn't answer the questions you have but hope you realize that Jackson WY really isn't a good home base for visiting Yellowstone. You'll spend about 5 hours round trip just driving to/from the park, not counting the driving you'll do inside the park. It is a good home base for visiting Grand Teton NP which is well worth the visit. If your intent is to spend a week just visiting Yellowstone then you would be much better off finding a place inside the park or in West Yellowstone.
 

DaveNV

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You can actually do either one and see the same stuff. it all depends on the weather. September is not too early for snow in that country.

From Park City you can head a bit West and pick up I-15 North through SLC to Pocatello, Idaho. From there local highways will get you to Jackson. The scenery along this route isn't all that great, but it's fairly fast driving.

A more scenic route might be to get back off the freeway at Brigham City, Utah, and head up into the eastern hills toward Logan, Utah on Highway 89, and cut down toward Bear Lake. Continue on 89 to 26, and into Jackson that way. Slower driving but a much better view.

From Denver, I-70 West is the easiest route. It'll take you through some amazing mountain country, and down into central Utah. Near Green River, Utah, you can head north on Highway 191 through the mining town of Price, and on to connect to I-15 near Provo. You can follow the I-15 route above toward Jackson.

If you truly like National Parks, you may want to rethink that Denver time, and spend it in Moab, Utah instead. Both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are essentially across the street from each other. Not too far South from I-70, and well worth the visit.

Having said all that, if your goal is to focus on Yellowstone, I'd strongly recommend seeing if you can switch your time to a timeshare in West Yellowstone. Island Park Village is an easy 20 mile drive from West, (I stayed there last June for a week - awesome!), or there is a Worldmark right in West.

You'll have a better experience if you don't have to drive very far every day. Park speed limits are slower, and if there is traffic, (vehicle or animal), it can REALLY slow you down.

Have a great trip. It's all completely worth it!

Dave
 
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CO skier

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I have booked a week in Jackson, WY for September to visit Yellowstone.

I do not like narrow windy roads though for long hours.

There is a conflict here. The roads in Yellowstone are narrow 2-lane roads with a 55 kilometer-per-hour speed limit that wind through mountains where you will spend long hours, especially if you are driving every day from Jackson, WY.

My questions are:

1. Park city or one of the ski towns near Denver. We enjoy National Parks, outlet shopping, restaurants and unique culture (that is why Salt Lake City is more appealing to me). Resort quality will be a key decision.

2. What is the difference between driving to Jackson from Park City and Denver? I am aware of the time difference. Which route will give me a long lasting memory? I do not like narrow windy roads though for long hours.

The direct routes from Denver, CO to Jackson, WY are I-25 north to Cheyenne, WY then west on I-80 to Rawlins, WY and north from there, or take I-80 further west to Rock Springs and north from there. Either way it will be 8-9 hours of driving plus rest stops. About the only points of interest on the way will be wind farms, antelope sightings, and the transcontinental railroad. When you are not on the 2-lane highways, you will be shoulder-to-shoulder with tractor trailers on the interstate highways.

Taking I-70 west from Denver to Green River, UT then north to Salt Lake City and on to Jackson, WY is definitely more scenic and memorable, but this is a 15-hour drive plus stops along the way. It would be a nice way to split-up a week, though -- 2 days in Breckenridge, CO, 2 days in Glenwood Springs, CO (the hot springs in September would be Fantastic) or 2 days in Moab, UT for the National Parks, 2-3 days in Salt Lake City, then on to Jackson, WY or West Yellowstone, MT. Now THAT would be a vacation to remember.

I will echo the fact that Jackson, WY is not a good base for sightseeing in Yellowstone; it is just too far of a drive. Something in the West Yellowstone area would be much better, but the options at this late date are limited.

... not sure what you mean by "resort quality." The WorldMark in West Yellowstone is nice, but there are no Marriott, Westin, Starwood, or Hyatt resorts in West Yellowstone (or Jackson, WY), if that is what you are looking for. Where are you staying in Yellowstone National Park? The better accommodations are just rustic hotel rooms; others are essentially camping using a cabin instead of a tent.

If you do not enjoy driving A LOT, it will be best to fly in and out of Salt Lake City.
 

talkamotta

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The surrounding areas of Denver and Salt Lake are both beautiful. Park City is a 30 minute drive to downtown Salt Lake. Denver tends to be more spread out.

My vote is for Park City (yeah I live in SLC) only because you will be doing alot of driving if you decide to do the overnite stay in Yellowstone. I would try to see as much of the park on those two days and check out all the things you can do in Jackson and Grand Teton for the other days.

The last time I went to Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay NP, we drove. I put over 4,000 miles on my car for 2 weeks. We stayed in the same condo in Canmore for the entire time. That area has got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and yet I got tired of all the back tracking we did.
 
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We did a two week Yellowstone / Park City trip this August. We rented a house in Driggs, Id and drove to Jackson and then Grand Teton every day. We also stayed in a grotty hotel in grotty West Yellowstone for a night to save on the driving but in hindsight we would have stayed in Jackson if it wasn't fully booked. Driving to Yellowstone from Jackson isn't long at all, less than an hour to the South entrance and we never encountered the queues that we did at the West entrance.

Park City was a bit dull, there's nothing of interest there really. An outlet mall is nearby and a larger one in SLC. We stayed at Mountainside and it was fine but certainly not one of our favourite resorts.
 

PeelBoy

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Thanks everyone.

After careful thoughts, I have decided to settle on Park City for a week, and then Jackson for the second, and thereafter, inside Yellowstone for 3 days before driving back to Salt Lake City.

Hopefully, September is not too cold in this area.
 

Passepartout

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Depending on how late in September you're planning, it should be fine. No crowds- school will be in session. The animals will be moving down from the high country if there has been some early, high country snow. You will see lots of wildlife.

Sept/Oct are a great time to be in the interior West. It's possible to have to scrape a windshield in the morning, but that's just a reminder.

Jim
 

PStreet1

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Thanks everyone.

After careful thoughts, I have decided to settle on Park City for a week, and then Jackson for the second, and thereafter, inside Yellowstone for 3 days before driving back to Salt Lake City.

Hopefully, September is not too cold in this area.

I think you'll be very pleased with your choice to spend 3 days inside Yellowstone N. Park. Consider splitting your 3 nights between north and south lodging; it will save you a tremendous waste of time back-tracking. We entered from the West very early in the day, drove south slightly to the lake, and then meandered up to Mammoth to spend the night (This spring, we're staying in West Yellowstone, so we'll be backtracking). We stopped at every Ranger talk on the way, stopped for wild life, and got to Mammoth just as the cafeteria was closing. The next morning, we set out early and did the west side of the park on our way to stay at Old Fairhful. The next morning, we re-visited the lake. We did no backtracking (except for the lake) and got a good introduction. Obviously, we didn't do a lot of hiking (though our ranger at the mud volcano did take the group to a very new geothermal feature that had just opened up in the last month and on our way back, we all had to just sit and watch some buffalo who had settled around the path we needed to take; they weren't inclined to leave, so we had to go back the long way.) With an extra night in the park, you'll be able to take it easier, but splitting your nights will still make it easier.

I really recommend looking at the ranger talk schedule and stopping for all of them; they will add a tremendous amount to your experience http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/rangerprog.htm
 

eal

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A couple of years ago we spent the first two weeks of October at Lake Condos at Big Sky (45 min from Yellowstone) and then the last two weeks of October in Park City. It was a great holiday and the weather was perfect. Edited to say "perfect for Canadians" lol.
 

Laurie

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After careful thoughts, I have decided to settle on Park City for a week, and then Jackson for the second, and thereafter, inside Yellowstone for 3 days before driving back to Salt Lake City.
I think you made some good choices. The only thing I would change might be designating a couple of your days in Jackson to get to Yellowstone and do the things closest to the south entrance; Yellowstone could take a week to just see all the basins and every one is worth it. We've been there in July - next trip will be mid-late September, for some changes in scenery, traffic, and animal sightings hopefully.

Park City was a bit dull, there's nothing of interest there really. An outlet mall is nearby and a larger one in SLC. We stayed at Mountainside and it was fine but certainly not one of our favourite resorts.
We also paired our Yellowstone & Jackson stays with a Park City week, logical because SLC was the best airport. It worked out great and we found lots of interest in the area. The town was fun for a day, but the surrounding area was the big draw for us: best hikes were at Deer Valley - take the cable car to the top and walk down to the middle stop - and also at Sundance which was an easy day trip.

Edited to add: we took a spontaneous detour driving up from Park City to Yellowstone, to see Craters of the Moon National Monument. We thought it was worth the extra drive time!
 
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Deb from NC

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We were in Yellowstone for a week last September (mid-month) . The weather couldn't have been more perfect! Days were sunny and in the 70's.
We rented a cabin in W. Yellowstone with another couple and had one of
the best vacations we've ever had. Enjoy!
 
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We also paired our Yellowstone & Jackson stays with a Park City week, logical because SLC was the best airport. It worked out great and we found lots of interest in the area. The town was fun for a day, but the surrounding area was the big draw for us: best hikes were at Deer Valley - take the cable car to the top and walk down to the middle stop - and also at Sundance which was an easy day trip.

Unfortunately with two young children hiking wasn't really on the agenda so we enjoyed the alpine slide and other attractions although the cost soon mounts up. We found Main Street to be a huge disappointment, nothing more than a few shops selling the same touristy tat and a handful of restaurants. The highlight of our stay was the day trip to Mirror Lake and the time we spent in SLC. For us, Park City is not worth the cost and travel time to visit unlike Yellowstone which I would return at the drop of a hat.
 

talkamotta

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Just some things you might want to check out while in Park City.

The town is nice to walk up and down Main Street. I don't know if you drink beer but there are 2 breweries: Wasatch and Squatters. Wasatch has a great dark beer Polygamy Porter and their Seasonal beers are good.

You can drive into Salt Lake city. The downtown area has a good outdoor mall City Creek which is right next to the Salt Lake LDS Temple. The grounds are always pretty and on most Thursday Nights you can hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir practice. The Family Search Library is interesting if you like geneology and the LDS Conference Center is worth the visit. You can park in the mall parking terrace and see all these things within a few blocks. If you don't find anything to eat in City Creek you can jump on Trax and ride over to the Gateway (which is another outdoor mall).

Hiking in the Canyons is very wonderful. I would take one day, maybe the Saturday or Sunday and drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The colors should be changing. On the weekends in September Snowbird has Octoberfest. You can even take the tram up to the top.

If you want to take longer drive you can take the Mirror lake scenic byway.

Have fun.
 

Deb from NC

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We really enjoyed going to Sundance (resort) when we were in Park City. It's a beautiful drive there, then we took the ski lift to the top, had a picnic lunch, and hiked down. Beautiful scenery!
 

gnipgnop

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I can not believe "Pompay Family" thinks Park City is dull. We were there at the Westgate for a week and it was one of the best and busiest vacations we've had in 2013. There is so much to see and do. We loved it there!
 
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I can not believe "Pompay Family" thinks Park City is dull. We were there at the Westgate for a week and it was one of the best and busiest vacations we've had in 2013. There is so much to see and do. We loved it there!

Each to their own, it's just that we've been to far more interesting places.
 
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