Vacation:Yellowatone nat'l Park

[Okie-Go]

Leave the morning of the fifth to stay at the ranch for a couple of days in East Texas to check on things then off to Wyoming and Montana. Drove through there several times but never had time to stop and look really. Reservation made for Jackson Hole one night then the next have reservations for a cabin in the park itself. Wifey decided would be nice to go there for her 50th so meeting up with her twin sister that lives in Missouri and another from Seattle to spend some time relaxing and sight-seeing. Have a lodge reserved for all of us in Bozeman for I think ten days after we leave the park. I guess I get to do some driving without getting paid but will ride a bit softer with the pickup.
Okie

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I just can't get enough of YS. I'm ready to go right now!

 

[Newt]

Yellowstone is a beautiful park. We went in 2010. Be aware, it is a BIG park. We stayed a week and put several hundred miles on the truck.

Newt

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Newt is correct.

As a child, my parents used to take me there every year and I finally was able to take my own family for the first time two years back.

I was there the year before and after the fires so I was amazed how much it had re grown. It was more beautiful than ever.

 

[JR]

I remember sitting on my grandparents porch in Boulder Wyoming and seeing the faint glow of the fires at night from Yellowstone on a clear night and the smoke plume during the day.

 

[richardcoxid]

Whatever time you think that you will need to see Y’stone NP you better double it!

Remember that Y’stone Park itself is about 50 miles E/W and 70 miles N/S (2.2 Mil Acres) and the Grand Loop (figure 8) road is about 140 miles around. With a 45mph speed limit (radar controlled) and all the thermal attractions and the altitude (Canyon Area is 7918 ft, Old Faithful is 7365 ft and Mammoth Area is ONLY? 6239 ft) it will take a full day for each loop, when walking take it easy, carry/drink lots of water as it can be very exhausting, then you will only see the highlights. If your luck is like mine I guarantee that Old Faithful will have gone off just minutes before you arrived and will have to wait about another hour and 10-15 minutes for it to go off again kill time by walking around the upper geyser basin. When you are at Old faithful be sure to go into the Old Faithful Inn and look up when inside. When in the visitor center or the Inn they will have a sign displaying approximately when the next eruption will occur (+ or – about 10/15 minutes)

We have lived about 110 miles from the West Y’stone entrance for 50 years and go there a couple of times each summer and I still haven’t seen everything yet.

 

[jelag]

If you are using a trailer or Motor home... there is a great forest service campground north of the west entrance... it has 30 or 40 spots with 12-15 of them with a 50 amp service.. maybe Fire Hole Campground... its run by volunteers... and you can't make reservations... its like 6-7 miles north... For us.. we could spend a week on the water, and dirty water storage but the power allowed us to use the Microwave and AC... usually if you show up between 10 and 11 you can find a spot and than walk the line where there's power... checking the tags you'll figure out who's out next....

We watched grizzles devourer a bison out of camera range but in our 60 power spotting scope range... we watched for 3 days while the bears, wolves, eagles worked on the carcass....

A couple from Turkey said it all..... his dad had been in Yellowstone as a young man and told his son who was born later... You have to go to Yellowstone once in your life with your wife... there in no place on earth were the people have protected the national wonders like America and Yellowstone... every other country has destroyed all those natural wonders...

I can't tell you how many times I've been there.. but my first time was in the back seat of dad's 54 Ford and he has a photo of me feeding the bears out the window... or actually the bears head in the window taking the food... of course we were crazy.. but they were little black bears...

 

[richardcoxid]

Jelag

The CG that you are referring to is Bakers Hole, 3 miles north of the town of West Y’stone, MT, East side of the highway. It is a Forrest Service CG and the host is a volunteer. No hookups and 10-15 sites with elect. The Senior Pass (0ld Golden Age Passport) is accepted (1/2 price camping except full price for elect hookups.

 

[Okie-Go]

All was ok at the ranch and got on the road this morning. Did have a bit of trouble with the atv. Bout time for a new one I guess! Staying in Salina, KS. for the night. Will make Cheyenne tomorrow then Jackson where we meet the kinfolk on Thursday. No camper or trailer on this trip. In the pick-up. Have reservations in Jackson and we have a place saved in the park for the time we are there. Thanks for the notes; can't wait to get there. Have a brand new zoom lens for the camera and can't wait to try it out.
Okie

 

[Okie-Go]

We did see a Bison and a couple of small bull elk. Saw a cow moose with a calf in the tetons. Did not see any bears in the park but in Montana we saw some at a sanctuary type place. Had a pretty good time. Logged just over 4200 miles. Feels good to be home, back on the road in a day or so.
Okie

 

[Big Red 94Ram]

We did see a Bison and a couple of small bull elk. Saw a cow moose with a calf in the tetons. Did not see any bears in the park but in Montana we saw some at a sanctuary type place. Had a pretty good time. Logged just over 4200 miles. Feels good to be home, back on the road in a day or so.
Okie

Are you thinking of Bear Country USA? I was there, as well as Yellewstone, 2 years ago.

 

[HSpiering]

I live in Pacific North West. Not much in Yellow Stone I can’t see down the road. But one thing that is a must is the Winchester Museum in Cody. Can’t see it all in one day. Great place

 

[Tractorat]

I live in Pacific North West. Not much in Yellow Stone I can’t see down the road.

So do I. But Ive been to Yellowstone more times than I can count. And Im looking forward to going again (to each his own)

I think you are referring to the Cody Arms Museum. And definitely ditto on that.

 

[AH64ID]

We first took the kids in 2011 and thought we would probably go every 5-7 years, well we found out very quickly we wanted to go back in 2012 and we did. 2013 didn't work out for us, but we are going again this summer. If we don't go every year I expect it will be every other year for a while. It's only 7 hours away and quite the place.

I live in Pacific North West. Not much in Yellow Stone I can’t see down the road.

So do I, live in Idaho grew up in Washington, and I have yet to find anywhere else in the PNW that is like Yellowstone. I keep going back, and will continue to do so.

But one thing that is a must is the Winchester Museum in Cody. Can’t see it all in one day. Great place

I have heard great things about that Museum and need to plan a trip out that way when the kids are a little older.

 

[HookMeUp]

We first took the kids in 2011 and thought we would probably go every 5-7 years, well we found out very quickly we wanted to go back in 2012 and we did. 2013 didn't work out for us, but we are going again this summer. If we don't go every year I expect it will be every other year for a while. It's only 7 hours away and quite the place.

This is familiar, we went in 2011 & 2012, missed last year and are going again this year. Yellowstone is by far our favorite national park!

 

[Okie-Go]

Where we saw the bears was a private place just outside of Bozeman.

 

[BarryG]

We are headed up their 8/2. 3rd time in 4 years. Taking wife, daughter, son in law and the 3 grand kids. Looking forward to it. Hoping to hit some more back country this time. Already told the wife we will have two vehicles and I may go MIA for a few days. Have a cousin who is guiding river fishing outside the park on the Idaho side may give him a shout. Otherwise put on the pack, strap on the fly rod and hit the trail for a few days. The grand kids are a bit older now they totally loved the geothermal stuff a few years ago when I took them as do I. They are seriously stoked to go again.

 

[Powder Extreme]

Where we saw the bears was a private place just outside of Bozeman.

It's right at the western base of the Bozeman pass on I-90. Approximately mile post 317. The bears there are used in a lot of movies, neat little place.