Itinerary suggestions please

Hi - we (2 adults) are flying in and out of Salt Lake City late Sep/early October this year. We have 10 days/9 nights for our holiday and would like to include YS and GT National Parks.

It would be great to hear your suggestions for our itinerary. I have read a lot but seem to be having trouble putting something together.

Many thanks

Itinerary suggestions please

Good morning Suze,

WOW! That%26#39;s a big request. While I would not even begin to give you a day-by-day plan at this point, I can give you some of the highlights, and I%26#39;m sure that you will get plenty of suggestions from others. We can get more specific if you would give us some ideas about what you would LIKE or HOPE to see and do while you are here. For example, just basic sightseeing, photography, wildlife viewing, or more active things like hiking, river rafting, horseback riding. Better yet, all of the above!

To begin with, Yellowstone alone covers over 2 million acres, and contains over 350 miles of paved public roads, so a rental car is pretty much a requirement. There are several tours available that will pick you up at your hotel and give you a nice introduction to the area, and that%26#39;s probably a good idea for the first time visitor, especially coming from as far away as you are. However those tours are rather expensive, and most are only one or two day affairs. The rest of the time you would be on your own.

Driving up from SLC, you might want to stop in Jackson for the first night, then visit GTNP, then head on into YNP through the south gate. Another option would be to drive from SLC up to the town of West Yellowstone, and enter YNP through the west gate. Spend as much time as you like in YNP, then visit GTNP on your way back down to SLC. You also have the option of staying either inside or outside the parks themselves. This is a huge area with a lot of options!

With 10 days you will certainly have plenty of time to relax and enjoy these magnificent parks. My personal suggestion would be for you to plan on two nights in GTNP, and the rest of your time in YNP. You are coming at a wonderful time of the year, too. While it%26#39;s impossible to predict exactly what it will be, the weather should be clear and mild during the days, with cool to cold overnights. In Autumn, you might even see some snow, but any that falls should not last that long or cause any major problems.

Itinerary suggestions please

Hi Suze65,

Here%26#39;s a good web site, with a lot of scenic driving and tips about the area. Have a great time. There are a lot of beautiful and interesting places nearby.

http://www.byways.org/explore/states/WY/

This might help with the Yellowstone part. At least its supposed to. There%26#39;s links that may help you find other infomration as well. Yellowstone won%26#39;t be fully open as far as the lodges.

alandsuejohnson.com/yellowstone_planning_a_t…

There%26#39;s other nformation as well that you can find in the menus.

Please note that a number of the roads in the park close for the winter on October 13, and the road from Madison Junction to Norris Junction will close in August for reconstruction. You will have enough days to work around these problems as long as you are aware that they exist. Be prepared to spend a day waiting for the roads to reopen if a snowstorm comes through, as may happen at this time of year. Take a look at this page from the National Park Service.

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/hours.htm

There are links on this page for the road construction and facilities too.

You will be traveling to a mountainous region in the transition from fall to winter (yes, that early in the season). Bring warm clothes, carry emergency gear and supplies in case you get stuck somewhere and have to spend the night in your car. It isn%26#39;t likely, but be prepared.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

We would be doing sightseeing, wildlife viewing, photography and some small hikes.

Because of the time of year we are going it looks likely that some of the accomm in YNP will be closed so we would need to look for alternatives outside YNP. We don%26#39;t being based in different places if this means being more accessible to different areas of the park but perhaps staying in West Yellowstone as our main base for a few days is our best option. Not sure.

So, it looks like after we arrive in SLC we will drive to Jackson and stay a couple of nights and visit GTNP and then from here I guess drive to West Yellowstone.

Are there any other stops you would recommend either en route to YNP or on the way back to SLC. We usually prefer, if possible, not to go back the same way we came.

Thanks.

To enhance your wildlife viewing and photography experience:

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

For your trip and the time of year, it would seem like the obvious choice of lodging would be West Yellowstone as you have chosen as your other choices would be Gardiner and Cooke City. Gardiner is only about 50 miles from West Yellowstone, except this year it is about 125 because the road between Madison and Norris is closing in August to be rebuilt. Take a look at this map of Yellowstone to see how that affects your lodging decision.

nps.gov/archive/yell/interactivemap/index.htm

I might consider splitting the lodging between West Yellowstone and Cooke City (just outside the northeast entrance) so you don%26#39;t have to drive from West Yellowstone all the way around the south loop to get to Tower and the Lamar Valley (between Tower and the northeast entrance) where it is open country where you are more likely to see the animals.

If you want in-park lodging, the Snow Lodge at Old Faithful will be open until October 20th. You might find this to be more convenient for at least part of your stay. This will put you at the south end of the geothermal area that Old Faithful is known for.

A couple days at the Snow Lodge (or more) and a couple at Cooke City (or more) would be my choice.

Thanks RM-NM for your suggestions re lodging. That has helped.