Planning for The Grand Teton/Yellowstone Trip

[Bill Stockard]

Reading this Grand Teton and Yellowstone Park discussion is giving me the "bug" to go again for the um-tenth time. We have been dozens of times from the middle of May to mid-October and even one time in mid-January (without our RV) and have enjoyed every trip.

Bill

 

[crispyboy]

The simplest, easiest roads are going to be the priority for this trip - why I mapped everything to stay on the interstate as much as possible.

Thanks all!

Russell5000,
Once you hit the Missouri river in South Dakota you need to get off the interstate and see some back country. The interstates can be too boring for me. Two lane roads in the west are much wider and easier than what we have back east. I love to travel the roads with the little dots along side that denote "scenic road".
Here is one small detour that takes in some great scenery.
From the Badlands National Park take S.R. 44 from the little town of Interior, SD to Rapid City, SD. It is a two lane highway with great visability and great scenery.

It's been a few years but I would highly recommend the Cody Museum in Cody, WY. Plan on staying there a day or two and take in the rodeo. I wouldn't get so worked up about the roads - people drive these all the time just make sure your equipment is up to spec.

I am jealous...........

 

[richardcoxid]

Russell

Did you get my PM?

 

[Mike Ellis]

I have made the trip several times, when I have gone in summertime there is so much traffic that you would never have any worries of being broken down with no help available. The things you are most likely to run into are bear jams, overheating vehicles pulled over on grades, folks with flats on the cheap little tires they put on small trailers, and having a heart attack trying to find a parking place at the main lodge when you want to go see Old Faithful.

Regarding emergency, people obsess about the bears but the biggest risk at Yellowstone is probably injury at the thermal basins. A number of people have been killed in terribly painful manner by falling (or foolishly jumping) into those beautiful innocent-looking blue holes with the wisps of steam coming off. The water is near boiling and the surface around them is a crust, if you have a child or a dog with you and you let them get away from you for a moment it can end in tragedy. On one of my trips I picked up a book "Death in Yellowstone" that has some vivid descriptions that stick with you for a long, long time.

When you enter the park they may give you an entertaining yellow flyer that has a cartoon of a guy being launched into the air by a buffalo: "WARNING Many visitors have been gored by buffalo..." When people see the wildlife close to the roads they will slam on the brakes and just stop right on the road, many times they will jump out of their cars in excitement and trot over to get a better picture, so if you are driving along and see some cars pulled over be careful because sometimes people will just jump right out in front of your truck. I've seen people get out and get right up close to the buffalo, had my camera ready but never saw anybody get launched yet....

This thread has some pictures from one of my trips, on this one it was just me and my oldest son.

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...r-Car?p=1763365&highlight=buffalo#post1763365

 

[Mike Ellis]

+1 on the recommendation for the Cody Museum, one of the best firearms collections in the world. You'll even get to see some of the shooting irons made famous in TV and movies. You can easily spend a full day in Cody. If you have time another interesting town is Thermopolis, with outstanding hot springs and a bath house where you can soak. There's a big dinosaur museum not too far as well, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

On the west side of Cody as you head toward Yellowstone you can stop at Old Trail Town and check out some interesting old log cabins and the gravesite of Jeremiah Johnston, aka "Liver Eatin' Johnson", the mountain man made famous in the Robert Redford movie from the 1970s. A bit further there is a big lake on the south side of the road (Buffalo Bill Reservoir) with an impressive dam and a visitor center that is worth seeing if you are interested in hydroelectric power and the sight of huge volumes of water crashing out in a splendid torrent. http://www.bbdvc.com/ On one trip we stopped there in the early morning hours before the visitor center was open, and there were a number of bighorn sheep on the rocky hillside only 100 yards or so from us. Have seen a couple of mountain goats in that area before that was the only time we saw bighorns.

Also, it isn't for everybody, but if you have kids and the time to drive down to Rexburg there is a tourist-trap type place called Bear World where the kids can get closer to bears, even bottle-feed bear cubs. http://www.yellowstonebearworld.com/ It is one of the things that my kids remember most fondly of the trips we have taken up there, they never talk much about the geysers or camping but they sure did enjoy the bears at bear world.

For my money, the most impressive sight up there is the Grand Tetons - just magnificent. The whole area around Yellowstone is just paradise on earth....

 

[Tractorat]

Mike Ellis is right on. I've been to Yellowstone so many times, I lost count years ago. I even said one time that I didn't need to go back again. But I always do. And I second Cody and the museum. It will knock your socks off. Make sure you stop by the hotel (is it called the Erma ? I forget). The old town there is almost worth the trip in itself.

 

[richardcoxid]

Russell

Most flatlanders don’t realize how tiring (plain old exhausting) it is to walk around the attractions when the elevation is 6,000- 7,000+ feet. You have the luxury of spending more time than most folks. It seems that most try to do more than they can comfortably do in a single day. Then they sleep in the next few days that they are there. So get up early, do your touring and be back at your CG by 3-5 PM and be setting in your lounge chair relaxing with a cool one when your neighbors drag themselves in around 7-9 PM. Remember in the Y’stone and GTNP areas it doesn’t get dark until 9:30 or 10 PM during the summer.

X2 on what the previous posters have said about the Bear jams, parking, traffic, Cody and Y’stone Bear World just south of Rexburg etc.

Mid summer parking can be a problem, to save time when we take guests the Parks I will let them out with instructions to follow the boardwalk in a CW direction while I find a parking spot, then I will follow the boardwalk in a CCW direction to meet up with them. Of course we have been there many times maybe it wouldn’t work very well for first time visitors.

You can easily spend a couple of days in Cody. The Irma Hotel was named after Buffalo Bill Cody’s daughter Irma. Unless it has been changed they have a guaranteed gun fight every evening, Stage Coach rides etc.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Thanks much, guys. I think the biggest challenge now will be trying to figure out just what to do, as it is clear there is far too much good to do than can be done.

Richard, we are at a whopping 500 feet above sea level here on the shore of the Great Lake, and so we will need to go slow and acclimate.

Almost two feet of snow over the last two days - quite a while yet to summer travel!!

 

[sluper]

Agree with all that was said about the Teton, YS area, Cody, Wy. etc... Made the trip on a motorcycle and still is the best one so far, take your time and enjoy yourself I wish I was going too so maybe again one day.

 

[nibroc]

"fishing bridge" has the only service station and rv campground w/facilities in yellowstone

 

[farmboy]

We travel with a full fresh water tank all the time with our 5er and our past tt. If you want to see the Corn Palace I would just drive by it and go on down the road. It is just a short distance off of I-90.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Mom & Dad had a visitor in camp last time they went to Yellowstone, Dad suggested that Mom!! ask him to leave :-laf

Nate

 

[AMink]

We took our kayaks and paddled around on Jackson Lake. Absolutely beautiful! Remember you'll need both Wyoming and Teton Aquatic Invasive Species stickers if you plan to do that. We stayed at a nice RV park that is between GTNP and YNP. Jumped back and forth.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Was looking at site while My Dad was gone and noticed this Post, watch out this Happens all to often!!!


https://gma.yahoo.com/american-biso...onal-park-200906815--abc-news-topstories.html

Nathan

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Yes, I saw that video on the site that I look at for weather. After seeing that, it is even all the more amazing that some people walk right up to these animals.

My favorite is found if you search for "Darwin Award." Seems a couple of guys and their female companions (wives or girlfriends, don't know) walked right up to an elephant while they were travelling in Africa. Seems that in the video you can very clearly hear a female voice telling the two men "You are getting way to close to that elephant; get back!!" The men replied, "Don't worry, we know what we're doing." The guys were taking "selfies" next to the elephant when it swatted them with its trunk, stomped both of them (probably like us stepping on a bug), and piled brush and kicked dirt on their lifeless bodies.

I think a male bison can run 2,000 lbs to 2,200 lbs - or roughly ten times my size. I think I'll stay back.

 

[BarryG]

Two years ago when we there we had three bison encounters. First was at camp just as pictured above except it was right outside our trailer bedded down as in 6 feet from the door. While awesome to see and watch for a awhile we were afraid to go out he eventually left after about an hour after we started making a fair amount of noise trying to disturb him to get him moving. Second we were headed up to Mammoth we were just north of Norris basin it was very early morning, cloudy and a bit rainy driving though the forested road on the one side and the river valley on the other. I was following the speed limit, came around a curve and suddenly a bison jumped of the small embankment on the right side of the road out of the trees into the road right in front of us. Due to the lighting conditions and the curve I did not even see him until he jumped on to the road had to swerve quickly into the other lane to miss him fortunately it was early morning and no traffic coming the other way. Third myself and two of the grandkids were walking along the Old Faithful trail system and we were on the back most part of the trail came around a turn and sitting 10 feet off the trail were two bison just bedded down. Grandkids at first were startled as was I then had a hard time ushering them along to get some distance between us and the bison as they wanted to sit there and watch them up close. Our previous trips while we had seen hundreds if not thousands of bison never had a close encounter of any kind except the ones standing in the roadway or the shoulders during one of the many bison traffic jams we encountered and YS is famous for..

 

[RUSSELL5000]

We are quite the newbies, and so we have tried to keep the path on this trip to the interstate.

We will be at a campground near Custer, SD and from there we will want to go to Devil’s Tower in WY.

Has anyone taken US 16 west out of Custer, SD and then WY 585 north to the intersection with I-90? This looks like a route which will pose no problem for a truck and travel trailer rig, but wondered if I am missing something.

I assume US 14 north from I-90 to Devil’s Tower poses no problem for a truck and travel trailer rig – looks straightforward.

Thanks!

 

[Tractorat]

Ive been to Yellowstone so many times now I didnt think Id ever go back again. But after following this thread, I've decided to get over there again this year. I wont be going until right about the 1st of sept. Never been there that time of year before. Can anyone tell me if the fishing season is still open the 1st 2 weeks of sept, or how busy the park might be ?

 

[wyosteve]

Russell, you'll be fine on those roads with truck and trailer. All paved 2 lane. Tractorat--I don't know about the fishing season, but the whole month of Sept. is about as busy as July and August. All those without kids seem to wait until Sept. to visit the park. It is a beautiful time to be there, but be prepared for the possibility of snow.

 

[Bill Stockard]

All those without kids seem to wait until Sept. to visit the park. It is a beautiful time to be there, but be prepared for the possibility of snow.

Yep, we don't have kids and it is the time we usually visit the park with fewer crowds and it's a beautiful time to go. We've visited the park in early October and have been caught in snow, but it doesn't last long. Many of the campgrounds and other facilities inside the park are closing after Labor Day or by the middle of September. We've also visited the park during the last week of May/first week of June just after the roads have been cleared and also a beautiful time with even fewer crowds than in the fall.

Bill