Hiking Yellowstone

My wife and I are thinking of going to Yellowstone this year. We both enjoy hiking and thought we would see a much more personal view of the part on foot rather than by car. With that in mind we are thinking of hiking between hotels/inns.

So the first question is - is this a bad idea? We%26#39;re just now starting to think about this trip, so I haven%26#39;t gone to see all of the lodging that%26#39;s available but it looks like they could be a pretty good haul apart (I don%26#39;t see accomdations at Norris or Madison on the Yellowstone map). Second question - does anyone know of a valet service or something that will transport luggage between inns for our over night stays?

thanks for the info!

Fred

Hiking Yellowstone

You seem to realize the park distances. I like hiking, but in YNP I%26#39;d be more inclined to drive the park - in truth, you will see a lot, the roads are well planned, with many pull-outs - and select hikes that suit you. If you select my name, then select Inside Pages, you will find three Pages that should prove helpful. And will hear from others in moments, I bet...

How many days are you planning for the park; 3 at least, I hope. And, you had best get reservations ASAP. Some prefer in the park lodging for the experience and proximity; others suggest outside the park. If hikers and you enjoy the outdoors, you will spend little time in your room, YNP is that good!

Hiking Yellowstone

';Is this a bad idea?'; Not a bad idea so much as a very impractical one. Distances in Yellowstone are great, and while there are over 1,000 miles of hiking trails available, nothing is really set up to hike between the ';commercial'; areas. There are several good books and guides to help you navigate the trail systems within YNP. There are trails designed for the casual visitor who wants to get out and stretch their legs for an hour or so, and trails for serious back country multi-day trekkers. The overall best way to experience Yellowstone is to drive, pull over when you see something of interest, and plan day hikes, or longer if that%26#39;s what you are into, to experience some of the sights and sounds not available from the roads. Also, getting your luggage from one point to another would be quite difficult, as there are no such services in YNP that I%26#39;m aware of. The most common method for visiting YNP is to have one or more base lodgings,depending on the length of you stay, either inside or outside the park, and take day trips from there.

If you plan on having in-park lodging this year, you need to get something locked in very soon. Facilities are somewhat limited, very popular, and they do fill up quickly.

Here is a YNP link for ';Things to do'; - there are several links on this page for hiking - from short day hikes to longer backcountry trips: www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/things2do.htm Hopefully this will be helpful.

As Voyaging and Hawkeye have both already said, hiking between lodging points would definitely not be practical - both distances and elevation changes would make it more than difficult. Also, there aren%26#39;t any valet/luggage services between lodges.

You%26#39;re right - there aren%26#39;t any lodges at either Norris or Madison. The Xanterra website will show you what is available, but I would suggest calling them for reservations, as availability is updated more quickly that way.

Good luck with your planning and come back with any other questions that come up!

We spent about a week hiking The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone last September. I agree with the above posts as you don%26#39;t want to huke between lodges - just too far. We did some fabulous day hikes and still had time to see all the touristy spots in Yellowstone by car. Hiking the Grand Tetons is wonderful too. We did Cascade Canyon and String and Leigh lake hikes. In Yellowstone our favorite hikes were to Fairy Falls, South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mt Wash burn, and Mystic Falls. I purchased the book, Top Trails Yellowstone and Grand Tetons by Andrew Nystrom, and found it invaluable. We hiked an average of 8-12 miles a day, and still found time to drive to all areas of Yellowstone and pull over to watch wildlife in Hayden and Lamar valleys, as well as all the geysers. We stayed a few nights at Old Faithful Lodge and up in the Mammoth Springs area a few nights. We also stayed 3 nights in Jackson. Hiking the Grand Tetons is fabulous. You should look into that if you are in the area. Spectacular scenery. We loved Yellowstone and Tetons so much we are planning to return again this Sept. for another week of hiking. (We ate breakfast and lunch out of the cooker and had dinner in a restaurant each night. We often left around 5:30AM and returned to our lodging around 4-4:30. Hope this helps! Get the book!!!