Final lodging question

We are traveling from Colorado on July 11th to the Grand Tetons and YNP. I haven%26#39;t booked our Grand Teton lodging yet, but we have two options booked for our YNP leg July 15th-July 19th. I have booked 4 nights at the Comfort Inn in West Yellowstone, but also have the option of staying two of the four nights at the Western Cabins at Lake Lodge.

I hope this makes sense. I%26#39;m just not sure whether to spend all four nights at the Comfort Inn, or split up the YNP leg so that we are staying in the park two of the four nights.

We are a family of four (two kids 16 and 13).

And should we book excursions ahead of time?

Thank you! Angela

Final lodging question

Good morning Angela,

Due to the distances involved, I would suggest going with the two nights in West, and two in Lake. That way you will have good bases for visiting both sides of the park, while limiting the anount of daily driving. Just realize that the kids will have to give up a few things for the two nights at Lake. In-park lodging is best decsribed as ';basic'; or ';rustic.'; It%26#39;s not about what you HAVE, it%26#39;s about where you ARE!

As for booking ';excursions'; I%26#39;m not really sure what you mean. Yellowstone is pretty much a do-it-yourself experience, but if you are considering any kinds of tours, rafting, horseback rididng, things like that, then it%26#39;s always a good idea to have things locked in ahead of time. I would think it would be almost mandatory in the summer.

Have a great trip!

Final lodging question

Staying in the park is better. You get to experience mornings and evenings without the day trippers and don%26#39;t have the hassle of driving in and out of the park. The lake is a beautiful place to stay.

Hi Angela,

We haven’t yet been to Yellowstone (will be there early summer!), so my comments aren’t based on experience. However, from what I’ve gleaned from TA and Xanterra, it’s important to book the Roosevelt Cookout quickly as it’s a well-liked activity. The folks at Xanterra told me it’s their most popular excursion.

Here’s a link for the Xanterra site. travelyellowstone.com/old-west-dinner-cookou…

A float trip on the Snake River (when you’re in GTNP) is another excursion that the TA regulars say is fabulous. We haven’t yet booked our float, but from what I’ve learned here, the two most popular outfits are Barker-Ewing and Solitude. Most of the posts indicate that the best times to see wildlife are the early morning or twilight float.

I searched for the link that had a discussion re. when to book the float trips, but couldn%26#39;t find it. From what I remember, people made reservations one to two months in advance.

Hope this helps.

Have fun in Yellowstone. I can’t wait!

To clarify, ';Western Cabins'; are motel like, but Pioneer and Frontier Cabins are, indeed, basic. But, they work, as you%26#39;ll be out all day and only need your room to ';crash';.

I, too, strongly recommend staying in the park, my choices are Canyon and Lake and Old Faithful, in that order, but the first two are sufficinet.

To enhance your trip:

For wildlife viewing and photography:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60999-c96653/Yellows…

Packing for your trip:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g28973-c100586/Wyomin…

Two very worthwhile museums to visit:

Cody, WY www.bbhc.org/home/index.cfm…

North of Jackson

http://www.wildlifeart.org/

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