Short trip to Yellowstone

On May 16 (Saturday) morning we will drive from Bozeman to Yellowstone. I reserved a room for the following two nights in West Yellowstone. We can experience the park on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before noon. A few years ago we spent some time in the park and we saw the lake, the falls, and some geysers, including the Old Faithful. This time we want to spend some time in the Mammoth area and hike. I am sure your suggestions will make this trip an excellent experience.

First: is there any chance that Beartooth Pass will open before May 22 (the date on NPS website)?

Second: what hikes do you suggest for this time of the year? We like moderate hikes - let%26#39;s say 3-4 hours - so we can plan for one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We would go for a more streneous hike if it%26#39;s really worth it.

Thanks a lot.

Short trip to Yellowstone

Last time we were there we stayed at Mammoth and one of the hikes we did was Beaver Ponds. I believe we picked up the trail over by the parking for the terraces and it ended behind the cabins and hotel. It%26#39;s a 5 mile loop and fairly easy, although the beginning was a little more challenging. Takes you through woods and valleys, beautiful vistas and views, past a pond or two. Only wildlife we saw was a deer, but the guidebooks say you may see elk or bear. Nice walk nonetheless and pretty secluded-I think we saw 2 or 3 other hikers.

I am useless as far as expected weather or road openings at that time!

Short trip to Yellowstone

The projected opening date for Beartooth Pass is historically Memorial Weekend which is early this year (May 23-25). Even if it opens that weekend then it can quickly close for a day if there is another snowstorm and the plows can keep up on it.

The following is the Montana Department of Transportation website that gives road conditions. They have a section just for Beartooth Pass. There is a real cool video taken of the plowing just below Vista Point. Also, the information states that there are 20 foot drifts in some areas and on the road to Upper Quad Creek there is 26 feet of snow. You can also check the pics in my profile to see what the road looked like on the top of the pass last year. I go up over the pass multiple times each year and last year was the most snow I%26#39;ve seen on the top in a long, long time.

http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/beartooth/

Deb

oops.....I meant to type ';Even if it opens that weekend it can quickly close for a day or two if there is another snowstorm and the plows can%26#39;t keep up on it.';

While YNP has hikes, and you did not mention wildlife watching, and you are apparently avid hikers, seems to me you might instead consider Grand Teton NP.

On the same page as your post, a bit further down, re: hikes:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60999-i481-k27641…

Thank you all for your advice. I just realized my original message was unclear: we don%26#39;t want to restrict hiking to the Mammoth area. Please let me know if there is a hike somewhere else in the park that we should not miss. Hiking books are great, but they offer too many options - I prefer to ask what hikes are the most popular.

Thanks again.

ojon