I Need Help Planning Our Next Trip

[Jtholz]

Hi Dave. We are just coming back from there. We stayed at Heart 6 Ranch when we were exploring Grand Teton. It is just outside the north entrance and you can head directly in to Yellowstone and enter from the south entrance of Yellowstone. We stayed at 3 Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone while exploring Yellowstone. I would definitely stay there again. Good luck on your lodging search.

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[AzScorpion]

Hi Dave. We are just coming back from there. We stayed at Heart 6 Ranch when we were exploring Grand Teton. It is just outside the north entrance and you can head directly in to Yellowstone and enter from the south entrance of Yellowstone. We stayed at 3 Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone while exploring Yellowstone. I would definitely stay there again. Good luck on your lodging search.

Hey Jim thanks!! I'll look into those places too. Sounds like you had a great trip, how long were you at each place? Would you have done anything different like stay longer (or shorter) at either? I'm trying to gauge how long to stay at Yellowstone (sounds like more time needed there) and at Tetons. Thx!!

 

[Jtholz]

We did 3 days at Grand Teton and 2 days at Yellowstone. You will need more than 2 days at Yellowstone. There are too many things to see in just 2 days. 3 would be about right. If you stay in West Yellowstone, check out Wild West Pizza and Saloon. Great pizza and very tasty beer.

 

[Jtholz]

Oh and use Gypsyguide.com for info. It was a big help in seeing everything.

 

[Jtholz]

By the way. The Ranger conquered the mountains there. haha

 

[halligan1201]

If you're going to cut something out, I wouldn't make it Glacier. I've been to all them multiple times and Glacier is the best IMHO. But just due to sheer size and area to cover, I would definitely allot more time for Yellowstone than other places. I loved the Black Hills but not sure more than 3-4 days would be worth it.

Although, I will admit, when my wife and I have gone out there we fly in with our camping gear and pretty much only stay a max of two nights at any given site. So we may be more transient than most would want.

I 2nd this. Glacier is the best. And I'd even go as far to recommend skipping Tetons and Yellowstone, doing Glacier and then crossing over and doing Jasper and Banff in Canada.

 

[AzScorpion]

I 2nd this. Glacier is the best. And I'd even go as far to recommend skipping Tetons and Yellowstone, doing Glacier and then crossing over and doing Jasper and Banff in Canada.

Thanks John and we might just do this minus going to Canada. We're both unvaxxed heathens as Jay @JACKSMYDOG puts it and can't get over the border. lol

 

[JHRODD]

The last time I was in Yellowstone I just stayed in a turnout along the Madison River. Came in from West Yellowstone with an interactive exhibit for the Old Faithful Visitors Center. It was 33 degrees F at 6:30 am on July 6th.

 

[Frenchy]

Cant say how close it is for any of these(probably not at all) but I would recommend making a stop at the Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado as well. Depending on your timing you may be able to do a day trip and head on to the next place(it is also connected to Medano Pass)

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

Thanks John and we might just do this minus going to Canada. We're both unvaxxed heathens as Jay @JACKSMYDOG puts it and can't get over the border. lol

That'd be "dirty" unvaxxed heathens.

 

[Danager]

About 5 years ago, we stayed at a KOA in West Yellowstone. We had an RV, but there were cabins available too. The downside is the commute to the west gate each day.
When I booked that trip, to stay inside the park, you had to have a hard sided RV/vehicle. Too many bear encounters.

I also found it challenging because the park is two loops. Set out in the morning, drive the west side of the North loop, then drive the same route back at the end of the day. There is a lot to see, but it is so spread out, and the crowds fill up the popular places quickly. I will be going back at some point. When I do, I will do the hotel or cabin thing and stay in 3-4 different places to help cut down on all the commuting - driving back past things I have already stopped at.

I also found reservations at attractions to be pointless. Traffic, traffic jambs, and venues running behind schedule is just the reality.

I would also give Yellowstone a few years before going for a visit (and live vicariously through others). With borders opening and post-pandemic travel in full swing - crazy crowds, overbooking, and gouging are all a thing. Have you seen all the idiots getting put in their place by bison this year? Yeah, dealing with those, wall-to-wall those.

Last, watch YouTube videos with titles like “off the beaten path at _____”. Of course at Yellowstone, be safe. But we found there were alternate paths through and around certain attractions. For example - we went to Old Faithful, walked around the boardwalk to a trail leading up a hill opposite the viewing platform. Climbed to the top, no crowd, and a very interesting vantage of the “event”. These are legit, safe, and not too difficult. But it is not a manicured walk, and it is far enough from the tour buss drop off to keep most people away.

 

[Grumpaw]

Dave, we've been at all three, and many more...
Grand Teton is a must see...probably the most scenic of the three. A cruise on the lake is a must do. We camped, but lodge is nice but probably $$$$$. Stay in Jackson....beautiful town, lots to see/do/buy/eat. See where Clint Eastwood had the big fight. At least 3 days.
Glacier is a must see...another scenic park, but can do in 3 days.
To us Yellowstone was a let down. Very scenic, but overwhelming crowds, traffic is like a big parking lot, unless early parking is hard to find at some of the attractions/waterfalls.
The only attraction with adequate parking is Old Faithful.....they built an entire complex around it.
Stopping to ask the Bison as someone suggested....every third vehicle stops in the middle of the road whenever they see one off in the fields. That backs up traffic to "parking lot " status.
And we went pre-covid in 2019, can't even imagine what it's like now.

 

[AzScorpion]

About 5 years ago, we stayed at a KOA in West Yellowstone. We had an RV, but there were cabins available too. The downside is the commute to the west gate each day.
When I booked that trip, to stay inside the park, you had to have a hard sided RV/vehicle. Too many bear encounters.

I also found it challenging because the park is two loops. Set out in the morning, drive the west side of the North loop, then drive the same route back at the end of the day. There is a lot to see, but it is so spread out, and the crowds fill up the popular places quickly. I will be going back at some point. When I do, I will do the hotel or cabin thing and stay in 3-4 different places to help cut down on all the commuting - driving back past things I have already stopped at.

I also found reservations at attractions to be pointless. Traffic, traffic jambs, and venues running behind schedule is just the reality.

I would also give Yellowstone a few years before going for a visit (and live vicariously through others). With borders opening and post-pandemic travel in full swing - crazy crowds, overbooking, and gouging are all a thing. Have you seen all the idiots getting put in their place by bison this year? Yeah, dealing with those, wall-to-wall those.

Last, watch YouTube videos with titles like “off the beaten path at _____”. Of course at Yellowstone, be safe. But we found there were alternate paths through and around certain attractions. For example - we went to Old Faithful, walked around the boardwalk to a trail leading up a hill opposite the viewing platform. Climbed to the top, no crowd, and a very interesting vantage of the “event”. These are legit, safe, and not too difficult. But it is not a manicured walk, and it is far enough from the tour buss drop off to keep most people away.

Thanks for all the Dan. Annies been showing all those videos of people getting "put in their place" by Bison all week. lol Sadly these kind of people are everywhere now. I'm expecting to see someone falling off the edge of the Grand Canyon on our local news any day now. Some will do some really dumb stuff for a picture or video.

This is one reason we don't care for Zion. It's way over crowded now and there's hardly any parking there. We've been to that area twice in the last 2 years and have yet to stop and go through the park, we've only driven through it. Which brings up my next point that it's a main route that takes everyone through there so you have that traffic too. The shuttles are packed along with the trails unless you get there at sunrise it's not fun, at least for us it's not.

 

[AzScorpion]

Dave, we've been at all three, and many more...
Grand Teton is a must see...probably the most scenic of the three. A cruise on the lake is a must do. We camped, but lodge is nice but probably $$$$$. Stay in Jackson....beautiful town, lots to see/do/buy/eat. See where Clint Eastwood had the big fight. At least 3 days.
Glacier is a must see...another scenic park, but can do in 3 days.
To us Yellowstone was a let down. Very scenic, but overwhelming crowds, traffic is like a big parking lot, unless early parking is hard to find at some of the attractions/waterfalls.
The only attraction with adequate parking is Old Faithful.....they built an entire complex around it.
Stopping to ask the Bison as someone suggested....every third vehicle stops in the middle of the road whenever they see one off in the fields. That backs up traffic to "parking lot " status.
And we went pre-covid in 2019, can't even imagine what it's like now.

Great info Steve Thx. I was hoping you'd see this as I know you've been around this great country many times RVing and would have some great info too. As much as we want to do Yellowstone I think we'll put it off for another year or two. Sounds like it's way to crowded now and it might even be worse next year with the flooding last month closing areas down.

New plan. Leave AZ and head up to Grand Teton for 3-4 days. The hit Glacier for 5 and make our way east to South Dakota making a few stops along the way. Not sure where or if there's much of anything worth seeing but I'll start looking into that. We didn't do Devils Tower this trip so we could stop there for a day or two. Bob @Bob902 I can't remember but how long were you just there and what would you recommend as far as how many days to stay in the area?

Thanks everyone as all these have been very helpful and if anyone has suggestions ( attractions, hiking trails restaurants, etc) as what to do in these areas keep them coming.

 

[Grumpaw]

Thanks for all the Dan. Annies been showing all those videos of people getting "put in their place" by Bison all week. lol Sadly these kind of people are everywhere now. I'm expecting to see someone falling off the edge of the Grand Canyon on our local news any day now. Some will do some really dumb stuff for a picture or video.

This is one reason we don't care for Zion. It's way over crowded now and there's hardly any parking there. We've been to that area twice in the last 2 years and have yet to stop and go through the park, we've only driven through it. Which brings up my next point that it's a main route that takes everyone through there so you have that traffic too. The shuttles are packed along with the trails unless you get there at sunrise it's not fun, at least for us it's not.

Don't ya just love it when the animals win !!! Love watching stupid's try to walk up to a bison for a "close up".
As for visitors falling from the rim of the Canyon...I thought that had become a spectator sport there...visitors travel to the bottom and take bets as to how many will fall, and where !!!
Some people should NOT be allowed out in public !!!

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