My wife and I are heading out to Yellowstone/Grand Teton/Jackson in mid September, and are busy laying out our travel plans.
So far, the plan is to fly into Jackson, drive to Gardiner, MT, and stay there for four nights (with possibly an evening dinner and grocery drive up to Livingston). We are most interested in wildlife, and want to spend a lot of time in the Lamar and Hayden valleys.
We figured after the 4th night in Gardiner (on the 5th day), we%26#39;d drive south and see the Old Faithful area and the geyser basins, and then drive to Jackson in the evening and stay there for our last three nights.
I%26#39;ve read a lot of posts on this forum saying Gardiner is barely tolerable for two nights. Is four going to be way too long?? We want a good base of operations, and really don%26#39;t want to stay in the park (having a fridge/micro in the room is actually pretty important to us), and would like to keep splitting days between hotels to a minimum.
Would we be better of with four nights in West Yellowstone? It seems like that would make seeing the NE portions of the park pretty difficult. I appreciate any advice/suggestions. Thanks!
4 nights in Gardiner too much?
According to your profile, you are young and you say its just the two of you and so, if there are no accessibility or major budget issues, you might reconsider your need for a fridge/micro, and stay in the park as suggested in earlier posts. You can save money by getting the cooler that has been suggested. The cafeterias in the park are not too expensive.
Gardiner for four nights is more than a bit much, IMO.
If you need what you say, I%26#39;d split between Gardiner and W. Yellowstone, favoring the latter.
As noted earlier, if in the park, Canyon.
4 nights in Gardiner too much?
I meant to add, and if there are medical requirements for the micro and fridge, of course.
In my opinion it would depend on how much time you plan to invest in your base. IF your soul purpose is to spend the time in Yellowstone and the surrounding areas and the hotel is just a place to lay your head, then Gardiner is fine.
We went to Yellowstone in 2007 and made Gardiner our base. We drove from Wisconsin with our 3 kids (5, 2, and 1) and found it a perfect place for us. We were coming from Wisconsin so we prefered this area over West Yellowstone. We found the drive to anywhere in Yellowstone very accesible from this area and very doable for a day trip. We were 24 and 27 when we visited and almost preferred this to staying in Yellowstone.
We planned it as a last minute trip so we were unable to get the same hotel for all 4 nights of our stay. We didn%26#39;t want to change hotels while visiting the same area.
So, for a base it is fine. When I vacation the hotel and surrounding area is the least of my concerns as long as it is close to my intended destination. And Gardiner fits that. I would stick with your plans.
Have fun!
I should have said that we couldn%26#39;t get 4 nights IN Yellowstone. That was another reason we didn%26#39;t stay in. But after our visit, I don%26#39;t think we will ever stay in the park.
Ok..
I will start by saying that I have not stayed in Gardiner yet..we are staying here for 2 nights in August. I have made a base in West Yellowstone on a previous trip. We really liked it for the amenities you mention (i.e. fridge/micro). My husband suffers from chronic neck pain and likes the microwave in the room to heat neck wraps, etc, so for us, it%26#39;s important. We didn%26#39;t mind the drive when we visited 11 years ago, but we didn%26#39;t do real heavy duty wildlife viewing.
That being said, you mention the Hayden and Lamar Valleys. If you really want to spend a lot of time here, West Yellowstone is pretty far from both, actually, especially if you want early morning viewing.
We aren%26#39;t real heavy viewers; we are more of the drive-by types that stop when everyone else does and ask what%26#39;s everyone looking at. If you are more serious than we are (i.e. if you have bins, scopes, etc), then I%26#39;d definitely stay inside the park if possible to get the animals easier/faster.
What you could do is split your time between West Yellowstone and Gardiner (say 2 nights each). Gardiner doesn%26#39;t look bad as far as getting to the Lamar Valley, and you might be ok doing the Hayden Valley from West Yellowstone (but it%26#39;s still pretty far..). I think it really all depends on how early a start you want to get.
I hope this helps you somewhat. Staying inside or outside the park is really a very personal decision. I am more like Casey; I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d ever stay inside the park, for I like the conveniences too much...
Ok- we have stayed in both places. Which do I like best? West Yellowstone by far in terms of hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. For wildlife viewing I would say Gardiner is better but I would be very choosy about where I stayed. We will never stay in Gardiner again. For you then maybe split time with 2 days in each place. We moved around in both 2007 and 2008 with kids. If you stay somewhere for at least 2 nights then moving around doesn%26#39;t seem to be a big problem.
Hi STL2006, I would split the time in and around Yellowstone. This way you can see more of the adjoining area and still be in various parts of the park to enjoy the wildlife. We have stayed in Mammoth, Canyon and Old Faithful, with overnighters in Cody and Pinedale, and in this way you could drive a loop of sorts, and experience all the wonders of Yellowstone. I have been to Cooke City, real close to Lamar, but never stayed there. It might be worth trying to stay in the park for 1 or 2 nights if you really want to be close to the Wildlife.
Have a great time !!!
4 nights is too much in Gardiner. We spent 2 nights there and 3 nights at Old Faithful Lodge. We went last Sept and loved it so much we are returning again this Sept. We want more time in Hayden Valley so we booked the cabins at the Lake Hotel. This is a beautiful area. We spent an hour watching the eagles fly over the lake. We loved watching the buffalo herd swim across the river in Hayden Valley.
2 night in Gardiner will allow you to get to lamar Valley (go early!! 5:30AM), swim boiling river which is great, and hike around Mammoth.
I think the optimum is to spend a few nights near Old Faithful, then Gardiner, then Lake Hotel area ($121./night for cabins near Lake Hotel!). Your stay in the park really cuts down your travel time.
In the Tetons, if you like a nice hike do String and Leigh lake hike. It is spectacular. Another must do is to go see the episcopal church of the Transfiguration. I saw this as a child and needed to go back and still found it incredible. A small log cabin church with a picture window facing the mountains! The most beautiful church in the world!!
You have some good info here, both from folks who like to stay in the park, those who do not, those who like Gardiner and those who do not. I have never stayed in Gardiner, so I can not help you there. However, since you mentioned wanting to be close to Lamar and Hayden valleys, and a dinner/shopping trip up to Livingston, allow me to throw some more confusion into your planning.
From Gardiner over to Lamar valley is roughly an hour%26#39;s drive, depending on all the variables as described on this forum many times. However, no one has suggested staying in the Silver Gate/ Cooke City, Montana areas. That is where we base for our wildlife photography trips, and it works out great for us. Cooke City is about an hour and a half from Gardiner, just outside the northeastern gate. From ';downtown metropolitan'; Cooke City to the middle of Lamar Valley is about 20 minutes(+/-), and it%26#39;s less than an hour and a half down to Lamar.
You might also check into flying into Bozeman, Montana, driving down to the park through Livingston, and making your groceries/supplies stop on the way. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities right in Bozeman, including a Walmart Supercenter about 8 miles from the airport and right on the way.
West Yellowstone offers a lot more in the way of ammenities like TV, internet access, pools, more dinning options, etc. but it%26#39;s a long drive, 70+ miles, from West over to the northeasten side of the park every day. Cooke City offers a few choices for lodging and several for dinning,';eating';, we can%26#39;t really call it dinning in Cooke City! They do have indoor plumbing, telephones, and even satellite TV. You%26#39;ll find nothing fancy there, but you WILL be as close to Lamar as you can get without staying in the park.
Wherever you decide to stay, you will have a wonderful time!
I%26#39;ll agree that alll 4 nights in Gardiner would be wearing. It will be about a 45 mile drive (over an hour, closer to an hour and a half) drive to the middle of the Lamar valley and close to 60 miles to Hayden. Cooke City to the same place in Lamar is about 20 miles, much better and you might find lodging in Sliver Gate that would put you closer yet. If you really want to be at the Hayden Valley in the early morning, then I%26#39;d really consider lodging in the park either at Canyon or Lake. You%26#39;ll have to consider the trade off between easy access to the Hayden versus fridge and micro. Unless you need the fridge for a medicine, I%26#39;d leave that out of the equation. Nights are going to be cool there and you might leave food in a cooler in your car for the night.
