Hi! My husband and I are planning a trip out west this summer. Let me put is this way -- we were planning on going in July until I realized that there would be a lot of people/families doing the same thing. Would mid-August and September be a good time to go people-wise and weather-wise?
Karen Davis
Joe Davis
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Maybe some snow, but unless it's an unusual year, that would probably be a good time to go, at least to Yellowstone & the Tetons. Most YNP facilities are open well into September, and CGs should mostly be open too. You might want to start the trip from the north (Glacier) first, then work your way south as the season progresses. Yellowstone's season is so short that you won't avoid crowds completely, but late August on is generally less full, people-wise, than July. I'd still advise reservations, though.
That late I agree with starting in Glacier and then south. Other than Yellowstone I would not make reservations. Between Yellowstone and the Teton's I like this CG. $10/night
If you take your tagged ATV I would recommend you check out Taylor Park near Crested Butte CO.
I think Aug-Sep is a little early to be worrying about real bad weather, Sept can be one of the best months IMO. Mild days and cool nights and less crowds. I have been to the Rockies several times in the Fall months for camping and hunting trips well into Oct. Yes we have run into some bad weather in Oct, but it is not like it is freezing up for good for the Winter. I think you will be very pleased with the weather and scenery in Sept, go for it.
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Sept. is my favorite time of year here, if it does snow it's gone the next day, warm but not hot and most days with little or no wind. Trees are changing color and kids are in school. We try to spend a week in Utah each Sept. or Oct.
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We live about an hour out ofWest GNP. If you want to drive the "Going to the Sun Road"...GNP's most popular attraction...you better do it by Labor Day!!! They will close the road shortly after Labor Day partly due to Snow in the high country, but they also use that time to make repairs to the road. I would start in GNP in late August and work your way south towards YNP and the Grand Tetons.
Drew, Lora & our boys
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Unless you have an aversion to crowds, go for it. As stated earlier, the window is so short for Yellowstone its always crowded. We went during July and Aug last year and it was not bad at all. I mean we had reservations, but seeing the sites and taking tours was no problem. Ok, I take it back, we waited 5 minutes for ice cream at Faithful.
I say go when you can take the most time and enjoy it.
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We made a similar trip to Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier last September. We had been there several times before, but always in June. Based on last year's experience we feel that June is a much better time than September to travel to these Parks. Here's why:
1. In June the Tetons and other mountain peaks will still be snow capped, making them a beautiful sight. In September, all but the last small patches of snow have melted, leaving gray stone peaks, IMO much less beautiful. Even at Glacier there was very little snow on the mountains.
2. The Spring snow melt results in gushing mountain streams and many small and large waterfalls coming off the mountain sides, with the sound of falling water echoing in the canyons. By September the mountain streams are at a low level due to lack of snow melt and nearly all of the smaller waterfalls have dried up.
3. Last September there were a lot of forest fires burning in the west. The smoke from these fires made the air very hazy and brownish-gray near the horizon, blurring or making invisible the more distant mountains. Forest fires are rare in the Spring, making for crystal clear air and much better distant visibilities.
4. We were surprised at how crowded it was at Yellowstone last September. When we had been there in June 2005 we found the big parking lot at Old Faithful nearly empty and were able to easily park out 24 ft MH at any of the pull outs around the Park.
There are a couple of downsides to visiting these Parks in June. If you want to hike to the higher elevations in the mountains, the upper portions of the trails may still be closed by snow. Also, the Going to the Sun road in Glacier may not be open until mid-June.
One thing we really enjoyed about being in the Tetons in September - it was great to hear the bull Elk bugling to their mates in the mountain valleys.
More wildlife are moving around in the Spring and Fall. All the self respecting animals are basking in the sun during the day in July. We hit light snow in September at Yellowstone one year but nothing serious.
Tallyo
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