My wife, three kids, and I are headed to Yellowstone Park this Friday. We have reservations at Madison, Grant, Bridge Bay, and Canyone campgrounds. We're planning on hitting some of the FCFS campgrounds later in the week.
I haven't been there since I was a kid. Any advice or helpful links for us?
TIA
* This post was
edited 07/21/08 04:12pm by JeepDaddy *
More information here that you can look at by Friday. Enjoy your visit. If you check the maps you will find there are actually three loop roads that make up Yellowstone. Each one can take a full day or more.
You might want to check on road condition reports in the Park, there have been some road closures or road work reported. At campgrounds, check on bear activity.
Try to find hiking tails that suit your family, that's were the "real" Yellowstone is - off the main roads. Check out guided tours or education groups, the park offers a bunch of options.
See the elk hanging out in Mamouth or wolves in Lamar valley - the Firehole is a cool place, one of a kind. If you want to see wildlife, plan on being up early or late, that's when the critters come out - they mostly all "brush up" from say 10 am to 7 pm. Bring good binoculars or spotting scope. Stay way clear of the bison (or any other big beast), some kid just got gored (an annual event), parents should be prosecuted - read the warnings!
And... expect the Park to be very crowded and tedious this time of year, they recently reported an all time high in park entries. Travel can be really slow, so just settle in and enjoy the scenery - and watch the speed limit, park cops are not forgiving.
One more thing: this year is a good fire year, I don't recall hearing about any Park burns. But, there are some fires in the region. As a rule: you should check on Park fires. This year was a wet, cool spring, that's helped a lot - and of course, made the biting flies a real pain.
Biting flies in the Park can be really, really bad - i.e. at Dunraven Pass. Take large quantities of very strong bug juice - Deet, etc. Spray the kids down liberally, Deer Flies, Horse Flies and a bunch of other blood sucking insects can put a damper on things.
We went through the last week of June. Traffic can get congested if anyone spots a bison, elk, moose, or rock they think is a bear, etc. We really enjoyed the central east and west-not as crowded. We camped at Canyon "L" loop. Probably no way to negotiate, but if you can, get a spot on the outside of the loop. The inside sites are pretty close together. Also, no one could get the boxed "Yellowstone Wood" (from Idaho) to burn that they sell at the campgrounds. All the falls hikes are great, make sure you do Uncle Tom's Trail. It's a great leg workout.
BradW wrote: Take one day and drive the Beartooth Hwy over to Red Lodge and back.
Yes, do not miss taking the Beartooth Highway! Over ten years ago, leaving Yellowstone, I took one of my most favorite photos from that highway. We rounded a corner and looked back to see the bear's tooth on the horizon, undulating hills of snow and grasses, and in the foreground a small herd of mountain goats munching away. It is a spectactular picture of a spectactular place and still hangs on a wall in our home. It transports me back to that day even now. You will not be disappointed.
Believe it or not, even with gas prices through the ceiling Yellowstone tourism is UP this year over last, and June was a record month with over 600,000 visitors.
We get a weekly paper from Dubois, WY which is about 90 miles outsite the Park, and that article was in last week's paper. It surprised the heck out of me since I figured gas would be killing their tourism.
IMHO - spend your time away from the most crowded areas (Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake) and concentrate on the less frequented drives and areas. When you will be going to a popular attraction, try to arrive early. Its a big place and even when crowded, there are plenty of areas that are still only moderately impacted. Dont' miss the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and both the upper & lower falls. Have a meal at the lodge at the Canyon Visitor's center and Don't hit any Elk or Moose! The paperwork is a bi*%#ch!
We had a fabulous time in Yellowstone early June this year. It snowed while we were there and Dunraven Pass was closed. We entered the park by coming in over the Chief Joseph Highway from Cody which is one of the most spectacular drives I'd ever taken. I'll echo the "get out and walk as much as you can". High points for us were the Upper and Lower Falls and the various mud pots and hot springs. Watch your kids at all times as there are wild animals all over the place especially the buffalo. They look slow and placid but we were fortunate enough to see a group running and they move fast! We found many places to park the TC and just get out and walk along the river and streams, most of which were in full flood at the time. Be sure and stop at the main visitor center and go through the exhibits and film on how the park was started. Very interesting.
We'll go back one day and spend a lot more time exploring but it will be in early spring or late fall to avoid the crowds.
Anne
2008 Host Rainier 9'6" dual slide on a 2005 Ford F-350 Diesel DRW
On the Road Again from Rural Maine Our travel blog with photos
Just got back from YP. Took the camper, glad we did, it was nice having your own bathroom as all the restrooms at all the major attractions always had lines. We liked Grant the best and then Madison, forget Bridge bay not much privacy there. Canyon campground had lots of biting bugs. Get to old Faithful early and hike the boardwalks. Have fun!
Hpyhilm
NW Washington
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