Yellowstone/Grand Teton summer trip

[thenick_ttu]

I’m planning a road trip up to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this summer with the family (kids are about 10 yo). Pulling a travel trailer the whole way. We’re starting at the North entrance of Yellowstone, working our way south and seeing Grand Tetons on the way out. I’ve done a decent amount of research on the best sites & experiences but I’m curious if anyone has any first hand experience, tips & tricks, or do’s and don’ts.

 

[44Bobcats55]

Hope you have your site reserved. We are doing Mt Rushmore in June with a 45’ fifth wheel. We booked 10 days 1 year in advance.

 

[shiv]

Went a couple years ago, I’ll jump in later and drop some info

 

[LVRebel]

I’m planning a road trip up to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this summer with the family (kids are about 10 yo). Pulling a travel trailer the whole way. We’re starting at the North entrance of Yellowstone, working our way south and seeing Grand Tetons on the way out. I’ve done a decent amount of research on the best sites & experiences but I’m curious if anyone has any first hand experience, tips & tricks, or do’s and don’ts.

Same as Croot_overlord. I took the family about 5 years ago, but will chime in a little more later. It was a great trip!

 

[Dawg97]

Going to be a great trip. Did this a few years ago with my fam. Amazing. Don't underestimate Tetons. We've been to many national parks and Grand Tetons is prettiest place we've ever been. Below is a couple of things that maybe aren't as obvious/popular as others:

Tetons: Our favorite hike ever was Cascade Canyon. Take the ferry over and go from there.
Get the buffalo sausage at signal mountain lodge restaurant. Amazing.

Yellowstone: Lamar Valley is great for wildlife.
Firehole Lake Drive has a bunch of cool geysers, etc.
Hell roaring suspension bridge

Definitely invest in some very good optics before you go if you like to see the wildlife.
At Yellowstone, be sure to ask the rangers which time is best to hike the Grand Prismatic overlook because we couldn't see anything for the fog/steam.

If you decide to approach the bison or elk, then be sure someone is videoing so that we can watch you get gored.

 

[shiv]

Going to be a great trip. Did this a few years ago with my fam. Amazing. Don't underestimate Tetons. We've been to many national parks and Grand Tetons is prettiest place we've ever been. Below is a couple of things that maybe aren't as obvious/popular as others:

Tetons: Our favorite hike ever was Cascade Canyon. Take the ferry over and go from there.
Get the buffalo sausage at signal mountain lodge restaurant. Amazing.

Yellowstone: Lamar Valley is great for wildlife.
Firehole Lake Drive has a bunch of cool geysers, etc.
Hell roaring suspension bridge

Definitely invest in some very good optics before you go if you like to see the wildlife.
At Yellowstone, be sure to ask the rangers which time is best to hike the Grand Prismatic overlook because we couldn't see anything for the fog/steam.

If you decide to approach the bison or elk, then be sure someone is videoing so that we can watch you get gored.

Last paragraph is all you need to know. Send your wife over to pet one if she’s been nagging

 

[thenick_ttu]

Hope you have your site reserved. We are doing Mt Rushmore in June with a 45’ fifth wheel. We booked 10 days 1 year in advance.

I have 4 days reserved at the Mammoth Campground at the north entrance of Yellowstone, and I'm hoping I can reserve 2 days at Colter Bay Campground in Grand Teton in the morning. Reservations are available at 9:00 tomorrow. I reserved the Mammoth spot a few days ago. I was on the website before 9:00 and clicking that reserve button over and over. All the spots were gone by 9:01. I was lucky (or prepared depending on how you look at it).

 

[hmt5000]

If you like guns the Cody firearms Museum is top 3 collections in the world. Really rare stuff and basically everything ever made.

Lots of good stuff in that museum for plains indians and wild west as well.

If you aren't sure about path over the tetons in Wyo I really like Shell canyon and Powder River pass between Tensleep and Buffalo. Windriver canyon is nice but there is nothing after it. The first 2 is decent prairie stuff going east. Devils Tower is a couple hours east of Buffalo I believe.

The base was gone when I went.

 

[OPD77]

I've been blessed enough to have visited 14 different times...I see something different each time. I'm not sure how many days to spend there but Norris Basin Campground is a good campground that's centrally located where you can section off areas of the park (nw, ne, se, sw) to spend a full day, or more visiting that particular area. Norris Campground has a nice river flowing right thru it that is good for fishing and wildlife walk right thru camp.

I recommend visiting the Petrified Tree in the Roosevelt/Tower Region, it was almost lost in a fire several years ago....some of the petrified trees in the park are 55 million years old.

The Upper and Lower Falls can provide some beautiful views as well and should be roaring this Summer since they've had a nice amount of snow this year.

I could go on all day about things to do, just make sure you see Old Faithful and maybe Grand Geyser. The area toward Mammoth (North end of the park) is where I've seen the most black bears in my visits there and you may see a Grizzly at any number of places....just check with the Rangers on any recent sightings.

Oh yeah, bring some warm clothes just in case because temps can get into the mid 20s for lows even in the Summer....we were even snowed on in July one year. Sunscreen and hats can be your friend and drink plenty of water in that drier climate at an avg. of 7500' elevation.

Have fun and look forward to seeing some good pics !

 

[OPD77]

Here's a few pics from my last visit a couple of years ago.

 

[OPD77]

 

[OPD77]

Grizzly

 

[SmokeHouse423]

View attachment 74657
Grizzly
View attachment 74658
View attachment 74659
View attachment 74660

Great pics

 

[OPD77]

View attachment 74662




Sorry about all of the photos...got carried away when I started looking through them.

 

[OPD77]

Great pics

Thank You Sir !

 

[OPD77]

I have 4 days reserved at the Mammoth Campground at the north entrance of Yellowstone, and I'm hoping I can reserve 2 days at Colter Bay Campground in Grand Teton in the morning. Reservations are available at 9:00 tomorrow. I reserved the Mammoth spot a few days ago. I was on the website before 9:00 and clicking that reserve button over and over. All the spots were gone by 9:01. I was lucky (or prepared depending on how you look at it).

Here's a buddy for you when you get to Mammoth....he was at the base of the hot springs....about 6'6 long.

 

[shiv]

The biggest thing I can recommend is that there is a cell phone app

‎GuideAlong | GPS Audio Tours

‎Upgrade your road trip adventures with our location-based audio tours. It’s just like having a tour guide in your car™. HOW IT WORKS We’ll guide you to the all the best things to see and do, and suggest side-trips and local tips, so you don’t miss a thing. Listen to fun and informative...

apps.apple.com

 

[quickfeet]

TLDR Grand Tetons means Big Breasts in French

HISTORY

The HISTORY Channel - Geschichte erleben! The HISTORY Channel ist der deutschsprachige Pay-TV-Sender für spannende Dokumentationen und macht die Faszination von Menschen und Ereignissen täglich greifbar!

www.history.com

 

[LVRebel]

A bunch of good stuff already mentioned ITT earlier, but a few comments from my trip with elementary school aged kids.

Pretty much all of the towns in yellowstone have a good ice cream shop. Each new town that we went to, we tried out the ice cream, and it was a lot of fun for the kids.

If you're into fishing, then fishing yellowstone lake is pretty cool. Our family went out on a 4 hour fishing charter trying to catch lake trout and cutthroat trout. Just trolling, so if the kids are patient, it can be fun. We caught probably 4-5 good sized trout on our charter.



Lamar valley is always cool, as you'll get to see tons of game. Bison likely on the road, or right near it, antelope, etc. This was a picture I got of one shedding.


The yellowstone falls (grand canyon of yellowstone) was awesome. It's a lot of steps up and down to get to the different observation points, but if you're up for it, it's amazing.



Old faithful is cool for a little while, but after a couple hours, it got a little old for the kids. Also, it is typically super busy. The mammoth hot springs up north was a lot less crowded. Not as cool of eruptions as old faithful, but it's a nice walk around some of the springs.

 

[LVRebel]

TLDR Grand Tetons means Big Breasts in French

HISTORY

The HISTORY Channel - Geschichte erleben! The HISTORY Channel ist der deutschsprachige Pay-TV-Sender für spannende Dokumentationen und macht die Faszination von Menschen und Ereignissen täglich greifbar!

www.history.com

Yeah history!

 

[TTUcamper]

If you like guns the Cody firearms Museum is top 3 collections in the world. Really rare stuff and basically everything ever made.

Lots of good stuff in that museum for plains indians and wild west as well.

If you aren't sure about path over the tetons in Wyo I really like Shell canyon and Powder River pass between Tensleep and Buffalo. Windriver canyon is nice but there is nothing after it. The first 2 is decent prairie stuff going east. Devils Tower is a couple hours east of Buffalo I believe.

The base was gone when I went.

I climbed to the top of that thing during the solar eclipse. Was badass

I'll have to come back and offer some suggestions. Been to that area at least 10 or so times.

 

[thenick_ttu]

I have 4 days reserved at the Mammoth Campground at the north entrance of Yellowstone, and I'm hoping I can reserve 2 days at Colter Bay Campground in Grand Teton in the morning. Reservations are available at 9:00 tomorrow. I reserved the Mammoth spot a few days ago. I was on the website before 9:00 and clicking that reserve button over and over. All the spots were gone by 9:01. I was lucky (or prepared depending on how you look at it).

Happy to report that I was able to reserve 2 days at Colter Bay in Grand Teton. Once again, all the spots were gone by 9:01 but I was able to get what I needed. The family is very excited for this trip.

 

[Rusty Student]

Happy to report that I was able to reserve 2 days at Colter Bay in Grand Teton. Once again, all the spots were gone by 9:01 but I was able to get what I needed. The family is very excited for this trip.

How was your trip?

 

[thenick_ttu]

How was your trip?

It was awesome, perfect really. We had no problems, mishaps or inconveniences. The travel was easy and going through the mountains was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Yellowstone was way less crowded than I was anticipating. I think the flooding and closures in June scared a lot of people off and they canceled their late July trips (which is when we went). It was really a perfect vacation/trip.

 

[STMF2X]

I’m planning a road trip up to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this summer with the family (kids are about 10 yo). Pulling a travel trailer the whole way. We’re starting at the North entrance of Yellowstone, working our way south and seeing Grand Tetons on the way out. I’ve done a decent amount of research on the best sites & experiences but I’m curious if anyone has any first hand experience, tips & tricks, or do’s and don’ts.

Was just in both places for 10 days last July. I’ll comeback later with some pics. In short, try to see everything, the geysers reek of sulfur, but you get used to it quick. Crowds were huge, but surprisingly friendly and manageable, if you can get off the beaten path, saw so much wildlife even just 1-1/2 miles away from traffic. Buffaloes, well they will quickly go from awe inspiring to “GET THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD”. Jackson is a bit wired, it’s still kind of outdoorsy, but a ton of wealth who wouldn’t go anywhere a horse couldn’t take them. But great food, and beautiful scenery. My 2 nieces even got to do falconry there, I forget the name of the outfit though. Took a great little 3 mile hike to a spectacular waterfall, and continued on to a beautiful overlook, I got pics but can’t remember the name. My dad and I rented UTV’s one day and spent 10hours beating the shit out of them in the Idaho mountains.

 

[Rusty Student]

It was awesome, perfect really. We had no problems, mishaps or inconveniences. The travel was easy and going through the mountains was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Yellowstone was way less crowded than I was anticipating. I think the flooding and closures in June scared a lot of people off and they canceled their late July trips (which is when we went). It was really a perfect vacation/trip.

Any must do tips? I was invited on a trip this first week of June. Do you think it will be insanely busy?

 

[AgEngDawg]

Don't fuck around on John Dutton's land.

 

[LVRebel]

Any must do tips? I was invited on a trip this first week of June. Do you think it will be insanely busy?

It's hard to go wrong up there. And yes, pretty much any time in the summer will be super busy. Are you going up for the whole week? When we went 5-6 years ago, we did a fishing charter on Lake Yellowstone, which was a great time if you like fishing for big trout. Also hiked the grand canyon of yellowstone, did the Old Faithful area, went up to the planes area where all the bison and other animals are, and several other spots. They're all amazing, so it just depends on what you're wanting to see.

 

[AgEngDawg]

Off topic, but I have this great idea for the ending to the Yellowstone TV series.

In the final episode, there is an eruption of the supervolcano at the park.

That would be a better ending than Breaking Bad.

Just think of the drama.

 

[Rusty Student]

It's hard to go wrong up there. And yes, pretty much any time in the summer will be super busy. Are you going up for the whole week? When we went 5-6 years ago, we did a fishing charter on Lake Yellowstone, which was a great time if you like fishing for big trout. Also hiked the grand canyon of yellowstone, did the Old Faithful area, went up to the planes area where all the bison and other animals are, and several other spots. They're all amazing, so it just depends on what you're wanting to see.

Im tentatively thinking of going June 2-9. Would you recommend any sort of private tour to help get around the crowds? The fishing sounds fun. I plan on going to Grand Tetons too. Staying a few days in Jackson and West Yellowstone. Looking to mitigate lines as much as possible.

Can you define "super busy" so I have an idea of what to expect?

 

[LVRebel]

Im tentatively thinking of going June 2-9. Would you recommend any sort of private tour to help get around the crowds? The fishing sounds fun. I plan on going to Grand Tetons too. Staying a few days in Jackson and West Yellowstone. Looking to mitigate lines as much as possible.

Can you define "super busy" so I have an idea of what to expect?

Well, there are only so many places to stay in the Yellowstone area, and they book out pretty far in advance, so if you haven't already booked, you'll want to soon, otherwise it will be sold out (if not already). A lot of the hikes like the one at the grand canyon of yellowstone, have a lot of people on them, but you just navigate through them, so it's not that big of a deal.

You'll want to think about food, especially at the lodges. Some of the restaurants will book up early as well, so if you want to eat in the Yellowstone Lodge, you'll probably need to book that in advance.

The big thing is probably the driving. There will be a lot of cars on the roads, and in general, they're just small roads with low speeds. You just need to accept the fact that some of the driving will be slow, especially when there are animals close to the road because people stop, take pictures, etc, which makes everyone else stop too.

It's a slower pace out there. If you can accept that, and not put yourself in a position when you're rushed to get places, the crowds shouldn't be a major issue for you, as long as you've planned ahead.

 

[LVRebel]

Off topic, but I have this great idea for the ending to the Yellowstone TV series.

In the final episode, there is an eruption of the supervolcano at the park.

That would be a better ending than Breaking Bad.

Just think of the drama.

Haha...that would be the end of the whole western half of the US, but yeah, that would be a dramatic ending to the show

 

[22*43*51]

Going to be a great trip. Did this a few years ago with my fam. Amazing. Don't underestimate Tetons. We've been to many national parks and Grand Tetons is prettiest place we've ever been. Below is a couple of things that maybe aren't as obvious/popular as others:

Tetons: Our favorite hike ever was Cascade Canyon. Take the ferry over and go from there.
Get the buffalo sausage at signal mountain lodge restaurant. Amazing.

Yellowstone: Lamar Valley is great for wildlife.
Firehole Lake Drive has a bunch of cool geysers, etc.
Hell roaring suspension bridge

Definitely invest in some very good optics before you go if you like to see the wildlife.
At Yellowstone, be sure to ask the rangers which time is best to hike the Grand Prismatic overlook because we couldn't see anything for the fog/steam.

If you decide to approach the bison or elk, then be sure someone is videoing so that we can watch you get gored.

Made the same trip 2 years ago.

Agree that Tetons were more enjoyable than Yellowstone. Nowhere near as many people.

 

[LVRebel]

Made the same trip 2 years ago.

Agree that Tetons were more enjoyable than Yellowstone. Nowhere near as many people.

Personally, I thought the Tetons were kind of boring in comparison to Yellowstone. We only spent a day and a half there though, so maybe we just didn't go to the right places

 

[thenick_ttu]

Any must do tips? I was invited on a trip this first week of June. Do you think it will be insanely busy?

I don’t think June will be too crazy. July is the really crazy month. Early June could still be chilly with snow in some places, depending on how this winter goes.

I thought the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was by far the best thing. There is a north rim and south rim. You can drive both. There are parking areas along the way where you can get out and see the view, or go on a nice little hike. Views of the upper falls, lower falls, artist point and inspiration point were all awesome. You could probably make this a day in itself.

The old faithful area and Yellowstone Inn was cool. There are a ton of hot spots and small geysers around Old Faithful so lots of boardwalks and walking paths to see. Yellowstone Inn is the largest log cabin in the world (I believe). Was really cool.

The Grand Prismatic Spring was very cool from the ground. It is massive. But it was so much cooler from the overlook. Look for the Fairy Falls trailhead. Pretty good little hike up the mountain to see it from above. Well worth the trouble.

Otherwise we had alot of fun just driving around and enjoying the natural sights. If you follow the “figure 8 loop” you’ll see a ton of great stuff.

 

[thenick_ttu]

I stayed at the main campground in Yellowstone so didn’t have to deal with traffic getting in and out. That could add significant time to your trip.

I actually liked Tetons better than Yellowstone too. And Yellowstone wasn’t super busy when I was there but the sights of the Tetons was top notch. The longest line I was in the whole trip was at Teton to cross Jenny Lake and hike the mountain.

 

[Rusty Student]

I stayed at the main campground in Yellowstone so didn’t have to deal with traffic getting in and out. That could add significant time to your trip.

I actually liked Tetons better than Yellowstone too. And Yellowstone wasn’t super busy when I was there but the sights of the Tetons was top notch. The longest line I was in the whole trip was at Teton to cross Jenny Lake and hike the mountain.

Did you do any tours or explore on your own?

 

[thenick_ttu]

Did you do any tours or explore on your own?

No tours. I did it all on my own and I put a fair amount of time into planning everything. That may not be for everyone.

 

[CadetHawk]

Our family of 5 are going the last week in June. 2 nights in GT and 3 nights in YNP. I've been there a few times, but over 25 years ago. My 6 year old and I are very excited. My best friend and two oldest kids, 14 &10, are not.

 

[Belezabro]

Our family of 5 are going the last week in June. 2 nights in GT and 3 nights in YNP. I've been there a few times, but over 25 years ago. My 6 year old and I are very excited. My best friend and two oldest kids, 14 &10, are not.

I'm working on the end of July. Would you mind sharing what you are doing for lodging? I've looked at Airbnb, Vrbo, etc. but haven't settled on a place.