Stay in the Park or outside?

We%26#39;ve not loved the accomodations within the National Park System, neither the food nor the service, and although the lodges are beautiful the rooms are not.

We%26#39;re looking at Flagg Ranch Resort as a compromise, between the entrances to GT and Yellowstone but outside of both. Our concern is that in July we may have to wait in long lines to enter the parks, and with limited time we%26#39;re trying to avoid spending it in line.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sally

Stay in the Park or outside?

Hello Sally,

Not being a summer visitor to the parks, I really can%26#39;t comment on the wait times at the entrance gates. However I can suggest looking into the gateway towns of West Yellowstone, Gardiner, or the Silver Gate/ Cooke City area for lodging. West Yellowstone offers the most choices in accommodations, ammenities, and dinning, with Gardiner second, and the Silver Gate/ C.C. area third. Flagg ranch would be a good choice for your visit to Grand Teton National Park, but you might want to consider moving closer for visiting YNP.

Stay in the Park or outside?

I%26#39;ve driven back and forth from Grand Teton and Yellowstone during the summer numerous times. Never had issues with long lines. Only lines I%26#39;ve had were for animal sitings and construction (which can happen anywher in thee parks).

Can%26#39;t speak for Flagg Ranch. Kind of sits in its own remote location from the main hubs of both Grand Teton and Yellowstone. If staying at the accommodations in the parks has been unfavorable (I kind of agree, its all very pricey for what you get so we opt to tent camp), I%26#39;d consider finding lodging in West Yellowstone and/or Gardiner for Yellowstone. And stay in Jackson for Grand Teton. Will require some hopping around, but you%26#39;ll likely get nicer accomodations with better dining options.

I agree with previous poster, if staying outside YNP, you really want to be closer to YNP such as the locations listed. It%26#39;s a long haul in time to get to highlights of YNP from the south. You might well get frustrated that, after that drive, you are held up by Bison jams when you really want to see other areas of this vast park.

Frankly, if you could get in park lodging at what are called ';Western Cabins';, and willing to simply ';suffer the food'; for your YNP stay, you%26#39;d be well enough served. My preferences are Canyon, Lake and Old Faithful, in that order. Even if you must change lodging during the trip, I think you%26#39;ll be much better off than driving from the south. YNP is a very different park, I believe, than others you might have visited, and the total experience there will be an eye opener, from dawn to dusk.

Thanks so much - I just booked 4 nights in a ';frontier cabin'; at Canyon Lodge. Thanks for the suggestion.

I%26#39;m thinking we should stay somewhere like West Yellowstone the night before so we can get a nice early start into the Park.

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