In the spring, we’re driving from Ohio to Seattle and back again. Stopping in Yellowstone on the way out, coming back thru Mt St Helens and Grand Teton on the way back (we’re taking a relative from Seattle to Boise). We only have 18 days to make the circuit
I can’t afford to stay IN Grand Teton, and the choices outside it are so numerous…Any suggestions? We don’t need spas or fitness rooms but I would like a view and my dad would like someplace not light polluted (I was all, Dad, I think that covers much of the state) . We are super excited to make this happen for him, he’s always wanted to see the western US.
We stayed at Absaroka in Gardiner at North Yellowstone just beyond the north gate at Yellowstone. It was a nice motel with parking included. We had a private tour with Yellowstone Association—the guide picked us up and returned us to our hotel. We chose to see lots of wildlife and he brought spotting scopes and set them up. He drove us to Lamar valley early in the morning and we saw tons of wildlife and about 1/3 of the buffalo in Yellowstone! It was very reasonable and there were 9 of us.
We had a 2nd day private tour as well. It included a gentle hike (you can specify the activity level your group prefers as well as what you want for the focus—geology, vegetation, baby animals & wildlife, etc).
At Tetons we stayed at cabins in the park decades ago, operated by national park service. It had 4 beds and we and the 2 kids shared a cabin or baybe two full beds. The cost was fairly reasonable.
We drove from Chicago to Yellowstone. If possible, a drive through Badlands National Park and/or The Black Hills (Custer State Park) = beautiful!!!
Have you considered AirBnB or the Vacation Home rental site (name escapes me)?
When we camped in Yellowstone, early June, our campground had just opened the week before. The week before we left on our trip, we saw pictures on Instagram of the campground employees digging out the picnic tables from several feet of snow in anticipation of the opening!
Wow. sounds like a trip of a lifetime. Congrats on doing it and what a wonderful opportunity. Here on the east coast, we only have a few national parks to choose from and many are nowhere near the scale of the ones out west. But we do have larger cities than out west so I guess we have man made parks. Hahaha.
Agree that you should bring layers and prepare to dress according to how the weather will change (as well as being able to drive through whatever you face).
If it were me, rather than visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton on the separate legs of the trip (coming and going), I’d visit both on one leg. They are essentially adjacent to each other and can be toured efficiently when approached as a single destination.
We strongly prefer staying in the Parks over the tackiness of West Yellowstone. In Yellowstone you can rent “tents”, which are basically private barracks with communal showers for a reasonable price. But I also recommend spending at least one night in one of the classic lodges, such as the Old Faithful Inn or the Jackson Lake Lodge.
A tour of the Park can be as rushed as 2 days but the longer, the better. Yellowstone is traveled by a “figure 8” loop that “could” be done in a day, but…
Generally, most people focus on Yellowstone and treat the Tetons as a “drive by”, which I think is sad. I’d recommend you spend a full day relaxing around Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake, including a boat tour.
I just looked at the Grand Teton National Park Website and almost all of the Park affiliated lodging do not open until May. The best bet might be to stay in Jackson.
We’ve never stayed in park lodging anyway - it’s usually more expensive than local hotels. We stayed in West Yellowstone in a chain hotel and it was fine and convenient.
But I do agree - activities at those parks will be restricted in the spring, so I’d do some research to see what’s open and available during your time frame. Here some info on tentative road opening dates for Spring in Yellowstone (some areas are accessible by snow coach before these dates):
2018 Spring Opening Dates
Conditions permitting, roads will open at 8:00 am on the following dates:
April 20: West Entrance to Madison, Mammoth to Old Faithful, Norris to Canyon.
May 4: East Entrance to Lake (Sylvan Pass), Canyon Junction to Lake.
May 11: South Entrance to West Thumb, Lake to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful (Craig Pass), Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
May 25: Tower Fall to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass)
May 25: Beartooth Highway
The park websites are very helpful and have great maps and info for planning activities.
From what I hear, springtime in Yellowstone is great, especially for animal viewing (we’re heading there in July). I’m hoping you mean May because there will be snow and road closures until at least mid-April. Even so, pack winter gear. If anyone likes to fish, the Firehole River in April is on my bucket list.
There really is not much civilization around the Tetons except for the city of Jackson. Springtime, after ski season but before the summer tourists arrive, should be cheap and very empty. We would pack food and spend the daylight hours in the park.
If you want the view over the convenience, there are some places but I don’t have any first-hand knowledge.
We drove a similar trip from the Midwest to Seattle. Beartooth highway (from Montana to the northeast entry of Yellowstone), was definitely a highlight. Gorgeous! Weather warning however: We traveled in June, and they JUST re-opened the pass due to heavy snow. We stayed IN Yellowstone, at one of their no-frill cabins. It was well worth the added expense to be able to stay late, and rise early for great scenery, minimal crowds, and active animal life. Montana and Western Washington have their own beauty, but seem to go on FOREVER, when driving. Enjoy!
We gave only stayed IN national parks when we visit. We prefer most of our time not getting to and from the park. The prices weren’t that different and saved gas and travel time.
Let me know if you need a place in Cody, Wyoming. We stayed right next to the Buffalo Bill Museum. Affordable and convenient.
We thought the Grand Teton NP was nicer and spent more time there. But definitely Victor Idaho to tour there. An easy half hour maybe from Jackson or Jackson Hole. Victor is a very nice little town.
We have reservations in Cody and the next night at YNP Snow Lodge. Our time there is regrettably limited and we wanted him to maximize it (he’s an early riser, so he can do his walk there).
We are leaving at the very end of May, in hopes of yielding snow but fewer crowds. We will adjust as necessary – I have frinds who work in YNP and they’ve warned us about keeping an eye on Beartooth being – and staying – open. Dependng on the weather, we very well may end up going from YNP through GT to Seattle, rather than a more northern route.
@greenbutton Random thoughts. Really I think if you had to go YNP through to GT then Boise, you have the nicest part. Old faithful is nice to see but YNP is very geothermal. GTNP is gorgeous. Do hit Hayden Valley though. And you might have rodeo options in Jackson Memorial Day weekend. You wouldn’t go Beartooth from Cody. Get your gas in Cody for sure. The BB Museum was well worth it.
If you go to Laurence Rockefeller, there is limited parking and very attentive rangers making it a little more exclusive. So get there early as long as that road is open.
That place in Victor, Teton Valley, I linked to is better in person and they have laundry which was helpful. Victor actually had grocery store. (They were hard to find in that area) Ideal location if you are headed towards Boise.
We stayed in the Best Western Premier in Cody before traveling to the east entrance of Yellowstone,maybe 50 min. T 60 minutes travel time. Way nicer than the usual Best Western and very reasonable.Be careful ,2 best westerns in Cody. This was end of May 2016, and it was snowing when we arrived at Yelowstone.
I would also recommend downloading the Yellowstone Gypse app. before you enter the park. It will narrate the route you take with historical info and guide you to places places of interest.
Cody is a fun town. We stayed there and enjoyed it with our kids decades ago. Glad you will be keeping an eye on road status and modify trip as needed. You will have a great time!