Yellowstone Travel Tips?

[oneupper]

I'm going to be traveling to Yellowstone w/family (adult kids) this June.
Definitely a bucket list item.

Trying to put together an itinerary starting and ending in Bozeman MT.

Might try to get in a couple of days in Jackson Hole if time permits.

Anyone been? Suggestions?

[westofyou]

Jackson Hole is a good starting point, I ingested it fully when there.. can't think of a thing that you shouldn't do.

Except be wary of large animals, enjoy... you will be there during the most busy time so be prepared for the dumbest animals to be the tourists you encounter

[texasdave]

And keep a keen eye on the old picnic basket.

[medford]

visit ol' faithful.

That's all I got. However my sister and her family went there a few years ago, my father went there in march on a snow mobile excursion, I think he went a handful of years ago during the summer as well.. Both had a ton of fun.

Enjoy, I'd love to make it there sometime in the future.

[wolfboy]

Visit any of the geothermal areas you can. Mud volcano is home to one of the best park signs you'll find:

[moewan]

If you start in Bozeman there is an excellent steakhouse right outside of town called the Oasis, highly recommend it. Just ask anyone around town and they can give you directions. Have fun Yellowstone is amazing.

[AtomicDumpling]

Originally Posted by oneupper

I'm going to be traveling to Yellowstone w/family (adult kids) this June.
Definitely a bucket list item.

Trying to put together an itinerary starting and ending in Bozeman MT.

Might try to get in a couple of days in Jackson Hole if time permits.

Anyone been? Suggestions?

I have been to Yellowstone many times. My brother lives there.

Yellowstone is my favorite place on Earth, and I have been many places.

I would recommend staying in Canyon Village because it is a good central base of operations that gives you good access to everything in the park. You should definitely walk the Canyon trail too. Second choice for lodging is Lake village.

The biggest mistake most tourists make is underestimating the size of the park. The park covers 3500 square miles! Most people spend the whole week driving around. They say 95% of visitors never venture more than 100 yards from the road. Well 99.999% of the park is more than 100 yards from a road, so you can only see a tiny fraction from your car.

It takes longer to get around than you think it will. Things are far apart and there is so much to see along the way. There are frequent "bear jams", traffic jams caused by drivers stopping in the middle of the road when they see animals.

I would suggest spending one day driving the north loop and stopping at all the pull-offs and maybe taking a hike.
Spend another day doing the same along the south loop, which includes the Old Faithful area.
Spend another day visiting Grand Teton National Park and the town of Jackson.

The rest of the days are best spent by driving to one location and taking a long hike and general exploration. Don't try to see everything in the park in one week. Pick one area and explore it well. Save the rest of the areas for future visits.

There are more than 300 waterfalls over 5 feet in height, many of which are hundreds of feet in height.
The geothermal features are plentiful and varied, including many geysers, hot springs, mud vents, steam vents, fumaroles, prismatic pools and others.
The wildlife is unlike anything you can see anywhere else in North America (including Alaska!) and you will see a LOT of wild animals, big and small.
The mountain and forest scenery is spectacular and so are the grassland valleys and the canyons and the glacial streams and rivers. I think the road to West Yellowstone is prettiest.

Remember that Yellowstone is not an amusement park. Yellowstone is dangerous. You can die or get seriously injured if you are not careful. All the animals are dangerous, not just the bears. I have personally seen people get attacked and injured by bison and elk. I don't know if you have kids, but teach them to be careful. In addition to animals you need to be careful of falling into boiling water or falling off cliffs. Most places do not have guardrails, and even if they do they are inadequate. Tourists get killed in Yellowstone every year, mostly by doing stupid things. Drivers in Yellowstone are terrible too. They are always looking at something other than the road and frequently have crashes or drive off a cliff. When driving at night go slow to avoid hitting animals, many of which are big enough to demolish your car.

Take a horseback ride. Hike up Mt. Washburn to see fields of wildflowers and glaciers. Hike the canyon rim trail. Hike the full paths through and around the geyser basins. Go out early in the morning when the geothermals are steaming and the animals are most active. Take water and snacks and bear spray and binoculars when hiking. Remember that Yellowstone is more than a mile above sea level and you will get winded quickly. Have a snowball fight in June in one of the mountain passes. Go someplace dark at night and look at the stars and listen to the wolves and coyotes. Get off the road!

It gets cold at night, even in mid-summer. Take coats!

Make your reservations early. It may already be too late for this year if you want to stay in the best places.

[TSJ55]

Atomic Dumpling pretty much covered it all, especially about being the minority and getting away from your vehicle.

If you're in West Yellowstone, stop and get a growler or two from the Wolfpack Brewery to drink back at camp. Intricate part of one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever spent. Never forget drinking, reading, and sitting in the back of my truck in that setting.

[Strikes Out Looking]

We went a couple of years ago -- we flew in and out of Jackson Hole and worked our way north through Grand Teton NP and then Yellowstone. We stayed at Jenny Lake at Grand Teton and at the Lake Lodge in Yellowstone and then one night in Jackson Hole.

We loved everything about this trip and we've been to a number of National Parks. First, Jackson Hole is a really happening little town- my wife and I want to go back without the kids. We ate at an outdoor thai restaurant and there was a happy hour going on in the street next door.

Grand Teton - we took the raft trip down the river. Saw about a zillion eagles and other critters and got a number of great views of the mountains and glaciers. We also ate a couple of times at the diner restaurant at the Lodge, it was very good food for a National Park.

Yellowstone -- While most go to see Old Faithful, make sure you take plenty of time to hike around there and see all of the other geysers. I also liked the more northern places, especially the area of the park in the northwest corner.

Make sure you have a camera and take binoculars -- and if you are driving and see people by the side of the road looking at something in the distance, stop ad see what is going on. We saw a number of animals that way.

[RedsfaninMT]

Well, I just gotta say, you all make me feel as fortunate as I am to live but 1.5 hours from the Park. Much of your advice is spot on. It's a great place to live.

[kearns and dunn]

Originally Posted by moewan

If you start in Bozeman there is an excellent steakhouse right outside of town called the Oasis, highly recommend it. Just ask anyone around town and they can give you directions. Have fun Yellowstone is amazing.

It's in a town called Manhattan. Personally I prefer the Land of Magic (about 5 miles away, not very far), but the Oasis isn't bad. Also a really good rib place nearby there (Willow Creek Cafe).

All of the advice about the park is pretty solid, I'll just add this. Every year we locals hear about tourists who get out to pet the bison/elk/any other animal, or even just try to get close to take pictures. Not to generalize, but it's usually the foreign Asian tourists. Don't be those people. They get hurt/die. YNP is an awesome place, but don't forget the danger, whether it's a boiling spot of water or a large animal. Speaking of, make a pit stop to the Boiling River. It's nice and relaxing, kids will like it.

With that said, if you have any questions on Bozeman or the surrounding areas, let me know, I mean...I have lived there my whole life.

[kearns and dunn]

Also, in Bozeman during that time is a thing called Music on Main. A live band will play downtown on the street for about 2-3 hours, and during that time, it's legal to drink outside on the street. It's a ton of fun and one of my favorite parts of Bozeman in the summer...you get to see lots of hippies and cowboys interact, which is always amusing. And if you have time, go float the Madison, it's a blast.

[Red Buckeye]

Just have a good time. I can't add much more than other's have already said, but, as obvious as this advice may be, do not get out your car to take close up pictures of wildlife. I went to Yellowstone with my family and my friend when I was 15 and my friend got out of the car to take pics of a bison that was 50 feet from our car. The bison started making a mean sounding snorting noise and my mom and dad were scared my friend was going to get speared.

So as silly as it sounds do not get too close to wildlife. At least not big animals like the bison and bears.

Have fun! You will probably see more wildlife in a day then you have your entire life!

Also Wyoming is a neat state. There are a ton of little villages with population's under 100.

Lamont, Wyoming. Population: 3

[Cahill]

Take a 9-ft. 6-wt. fly rod and a bunch of standard dries and nymphs in sizes 14-18. God, I wish I was going, too!

[Moosie52]

I've been to Yellowstone several times, thanks to having relatives in eastern Idaho. The very best part of Yellowstone is the animals. You are going to see elk, deer, eagles, buffalo, coyotes, maybe bears and wolves. There isn't another park that offers so much visible wildlife. If you are driving through the park, please plan on more than one day to see the highlights. The park is huge, and every part of the park is special.