We Need Help Fine Tuning This Trip

Thanks if you responded to my ';Yellowstone vacation planned for June 6-12';.

I revisited the nps.gov/yell/ site and found more helpful info than I thought was available AND the ';The Travels With the Johnsons'; site was PERFECT for out travel time. I spent a lot of time checking them out.

Because we%26#39;ve had to plan such a VERY early summer vacation we feel we can%26#39;t give it the adequate planning a trip like this deserves. SO WE NEED YOUR HELP - ANY TIPS BIG OR SMALL WILL BE APPRECIATED.

Here is a better picture of our vacation plan as it stands today.

We are flying from Austin to Denver on the 5th and driving north spending the night somewhere along the way and entering Yellowstone on its east side spending the next 6 nights in cabins in the park - 4 at Roosevelt and 2 at Mammoth - (I made the reservation in Feb.). Our second night @ Roosevelt there is supposed to be a full moon so I guess the stargazing won%26#39;t be so spectacular.

Does anyone know anything about ';Yellowstone Days'; on 6/6-7 in Gardiner or West Yellowstone%26#39;s ';Train Day'; 6/11? Which would be a better family fun time with 3 kids ages 10/10/9.

Are there any group campfires OR campfire rings available for us to use in the cabin areas? A good campfire seems appropriate for this trip to the park.

We will spend almost a week in Yellowstone and then head south through the Grand Tetons to Dubois where we will spend 2 nights (again in a cabin but where the kids will get to swim in an indoor pool). How about their Rodeo? I%26#39;m guessing we should atleast try to slip into Jackson perhaps on the drive down -JUST BECAUSE. Any suggestions here?

After the 2 nights in Dubois, we head to Estes Park for 3 nights (again in a camping cabins). I think there is a concert in Bond Park - The Fitch%26#39;s? While there we plan spend a day at Rocky Mountain NP. On the 17th back to Denver and return to Austin.

For us this is a huge trip and we especially want to get the most out of our trip to Yellowstone while the kids a still at the age where they want to spend a vacation with Mom and Dad. Any other tip concerning Dubois, Estes, RMNP, and even driving suggestions would be appreciated also.

Thanks in advance for any additional input. I am headed outside and see if I can catch part of the meteor shower that I heard is supposed to peak tomorrow.

We Need Help Fine Tuning This Trip

Thanks for the kind words on our website.

I don%26#39;t remember any fire circles at Rooselelt. There is a grill down by the picnic tables but that won%26#39;t help much.

Can%26#39;t help with the other stops but they sure sound like fun.

We Need Help Fine Tuning This Trip

Do try to bring binoculars for wildlife viewing! (Note the plural.) And ask folks with spotting scopes what they are looking at; they will oblige.

Do you have a route already in mind from Denver? There are three basic options from that direction...fast, most sceninc and in between. A lot depends on when you can hit the road in Denver. Realisticaly figuring two hours from deplaneing to driving away in a rental an afternoon arrival means not seeing much that day and making it to about Cheyenne, WY.

The fastest route from Denver is I-25 to Casper and US-20 to Shoshoni and Thermopolis then Wy-120 to Cody. depending on time out of Denver logical stops are Cheyenne, Wheatland, Douglas or Casper (the 1st and last are largest).

The middle route(s) depend so much on time you get out of Denver and planned time in-route that I hesitate to answer without more info. Time in-route will deduct from time at YNP so knowing your preference there helps a lot. But one possibility with a few things to see along the way would be to stop for night in Laramie. Then I-25 to Rawlins and north from there. Time permitting a side stop at Independence Rock (figure it adds 2 hrs). On up to Riverton (use the Wy-135 Sand Draw cutoff to save a few miles) and up through Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis and then to Cody. Less fast than via Casper but more things to see. Independence Rock is a good place for kids to work off built up car seat energy. It%26#39;s an easy walk to the top to see the pioneer carvings (if a little spooky coming back down).

Or, since returning via Dubois go to YNP via Casper and return via Rawlins and down to Estes Park via 130 through Saratoga and CO-125 to Granby and RMNP to Estes Park. Saratoga might be a good lunch stop, the best places being Hotel Wolf or the Silver Saddle at Saratoga Resrot %26amp; Spa.

If per chance RMNP is not open yet and Snowy Range Pass is you can take WY-130 from near Saratoge to Laramie and US-287 down to connect near Loveland to go to Estes Park. The Snowy Range Byway is almost as scenic as RMNP if not more so in some ways due ot the rocky cliff faces high above you.

Binoculars - ordered. Did some homework and after reading reviews ordered from telescopes.com - 3 pair. 1 Bushnell 8x42 Legend water/fogproof for my husband and I and 2 Bushnell 8x25 PermaFocus focus free compacts for the kids. We are on a budget and the total for the 3 was just under $190 (free shipping). I%26#39;m pretty sure these will be adequate for this family.

Thanks again.

If at all possible, sound like you might be able to slip in a stop at the town of Thermopolis as you are going from Denver to Yellowstone.

They have 2 great waterparks with naturally (geothermal) hot springs water supplying the pools....big slides, high dive, and very warm spring water. Me and my 10 year old spent 3+ hours there, and really loved it. My wife and big girl were done with adventure, as we stopped there on our way out of Yellowstone.

Small town, not much else to see there, but you won%26#39;t find a waterpark like this anywhere else in America. BTW, the whole town gets free hot water! Just like in Iceland.

Thanks for the travel tips from both sequim88 and smiles88. FYI I was able to change locations for our last 2 nights in the park to a cabin at Old Faithful area. I figure since we are exiting the park to the south and we%26#39;ve already been in the northeast corner of the park, this would be a good idea.

Laramie looks like a good place for us since we our flight in is mid-afternoon (not to mention a lost hour for time zones). We will probably be ready for a good night sleep and an EARLY start. I would much rather consider the drive part of the vacation -Independence Rock - yeah! What about Sacajawea%26#39;s grave? Is it worth a sidetrip also?

And with the kids, Thermopolis will be a big hit. We were considering driving up through Gardiner to Chico Hot Springs if we stayed at Mammoth. It sounds like Thermopolis will fit the plan. I%26#39;ll check into details.

The people at Xterra said the sun sets at 9:13 June 6th GOOD THING! We will have to be careful ;)

Thanks again - I LOVE TRIPADVISOR!!!

Sounds like a great trip. I think you may want to get further into Wyoming that first day if you can. If you stop in Laramie, then you have a long day of driving and little time to stop at Independence Rock, Thermopolis and Cody. Your kids will also enjoy doing the Junior Ranger program at each National Park.

Day 1 June 5 F - Fly into Denver, drive to Laramie or on to Rawlins.

Day 2 June 6 Sa - Drive to YS. This will be a long day of driving to get to Roosevelt. See Independence Rock and spend some time in Thermopolis. In Cody there are some wonderful museums, I don%26#39;t know if you will have time to see them. The Draper Natural History museum will give you an introduction to the wildlife in the greater Yellowstone region. Pick up any last minute picnic supplies here before entering the park. It is good to have a cooler for drinks and lunches!

Days 3-7 YS

Day 8 June 12 F - Tetons to Dubois. Visit Teton Nat Park, see the visitor centers and do a hike. Also a visit to the town square in Jackson.

Day 9 June 13 Sa - Dubois - Visit the Bighorn Sheep Center.

Day 10 June 14 Su - To Estes Park. On the way stop and see the small town of Lander. Just south of there is Sinks Canyon State Park, the kids will enjoy this. A river goes underground, then comes up further downstream!

Day 11 June 15 M - RMNP. The hike around Bear Lake is fun and there are other hikes in the area to other beautiful lakes. Trail Ridge Road should be open as well.

Day 12 June 16 Tu - RMNP

Day 13 June 17 W - Return home

Did my Teton/Yellowstone trip 2 years ago.....CazaAzul was an especially big help to me (Thank You very much Caza), as was TNSoccer....you may want to check my itinerary for my Aug 2007 trip, for hiking ideas.

I did not accomplish all that they recommended, but I sure did a lot.

Tetons have some great hikes (my fave was Cascade Canyon Trail - but this takes 5-6 hours), and the town has a magical feel to it. Snake River raft ride%26#39;s awesome - my youngest was 9 at the time.

Don%26#39;t miss the Buffaloe area in Yellowstone (Northern central/east)I believe.

If you hike at all, Fairy Falls hike in the SW Yellowstone area around Grand Prismatic Spring is great and rewarding (water falls at the end to cool off in), but the best trail by far is Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - South Rim - Uncle Tom%26#39;s Trail. Lot%26#39;s of impressive canyons and waterfalls.

If you hike a bit, get ';Top Trails'; book, which is very precise - I am sure glad I had it, it saved me lots of time.

Remember, you don%26#39;t want to backtrack, you are covering LOTS of BIG AREA, so you may need to slim down your itinerary each day to enjoy yourselves.

But I do think you need to get to Casper or somewhere else at least 75 miles beyond Laramie at least on the 1st day (Laramie leaves too much driving).

Your kids will LOVE Thermopolis....I went to the water park furthest down the road - I skipped the one on the the left as I was driving to our destination park at the end of the road. I don%26#39;t know if you will have time for Independence rock ( I have ever been there), but please make sure you leave time for Thermopolis.

There is a Subway sandwich shop nearby - not much else.

Cody - you may run out of town, but Buffalo Bill Cody%26#39;s museum was full of great western and Indian history - we all loved it - it takes at least 2 hours with kids - it has a gun section and an Indian section that were our favorites. There is a nice rodeo in Cody as well. Starts at 7 or 8 pm.

A great mild-moderately -priced place to stay in Jackson is the Elk Country Inn.

I was looking for a place to stay in Laramie on our drive from Austin to YNP for our big summer vacation and stumbled on your post. Your trip mirrors our so much it%26#39;s funny! We are leaving Austin on the morning of the 6th and driving to YNP. We live in the Leander/Cedar Park area and our kids don%26#39;t get out of school until the 5th! We%26#39;re staying in YNP for about 1 week. We%26#39;re camping at Bridge Bay for 2 days then we have a cabin in Canyon for 2 days then a cabin atOld Faithful lodge for 1 day and 1 day camping in Mammoth. We%26#39;ll head to the Teons foe 2 days camoing there and during that time we%26#39;ll go white water rating in Jackson down the snake river. After that we%26#39;re driving to the Estes Park or Boulder area for a day then on to Kansas City to see relatives! We considered going to Chico Hot Springs too! However, we won%26#39;t be able to squeeze it in this time!

I hope you have a great vacation!!!