My wife and I have been to Yellowstone and grand Teton once before and it was last August. We were there during the later half of the month and the crowds in Yellowstone were not very bad at all. The couple that we were with is somewhat local to the area and said that it was some of the best experiences they had ever had because of the lack of crowds.

Everyone we've talked to has said that July is extremely busy and can border on miserable.

Rather than pulling the kids from school for a week, I am considering going during the very last week of July. I know that July 4 is typically the peak of visitor numbers, but I'm wondering if anyone has been there at the end of July and could tell me how bad it is.

Also just to add that we will be staying in the Island Park/Big Spring area and using the West Yellowstone entrance.

Extremely busy. July is the worst month. August the second worst. So you will not see a noticeable dropoff. If you have to go in July, get up early. I'm assuming you are coming from Texas. Take advantage of the time difference. It is bearable if you are driving around at sunrise in the park. Be driving by 5 am.

We've spent Christmas there two different times. I highly recommend it.

We've also been there at various times in the summer. If you're thinking of July or August spend a day or two seeing the touristy sites and then focus on the Lamar drainage in the NE part of the park. We stayed in Cook City. Of course we fly fish and that area provided plenty of opportunities. The Lamar and Slough Creek are good fishing n

Definitely want to do a winter trip when the kids get a little older. Our oldest will be 10 this fall.

Yellowstone in the winter looks amazing.

We went last year in late June and wouldn't say the crowding was miserable. We just outside the Northeast gate and got lucky with it snowing one day.

Uzi4u said:

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We went last year in late June and wouldn't say the crowding was miserable. We just outside the Northeast gate and got lucky with it snowing one day.

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we also went the last two weeks of June. Perfect. We got to see snow when w entered , crisp mornings , and lots of wildlife. Camped in a tent through the whole trip. We were well ahead of the crowds

I'm not sure what kind of activities you're planning. If it's with kids, maybe nothing too far from pavement.

But me and a couple of friends do a week in the Yellowstone backcountry every year, either hiking or paddling. We've found the last week in July through the first two weeks of August are usually optimal with regard to weather. It's after the worst of the afternoon thunderstorms and biting bugs but before too much threat of cold rains or an early snow. If you are able to get away from the popular tourist locations and walk at least a mile from the road, crowds won't bother you much.

If you stay in Island Park, check out the Playmill Theater. Every summer they put on live plays and make it a lot of fun for the audience, especially kids. They've been in West Yellowstone for decades but are moving to a new building in Island Park this summer. Don't wait too long to get tickets. They're already on sale for this summer. There's also a dinner theater there, Yellowstone Playhouse.

OP, be careful how late in July you go. The closer to the Sturgis rally you get, the more likely you are to get a lot of biker traffic in Yellowstone. I know it would seem like Sturgis is quite a distance from Yellowstone, but it's close enough to be a desired place to stop on the way. I know this from personal experience. They won't bother you or anything, but their bikes can be pretty obnoxious.

Belton Ag said:

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OP, be careful how late in July you go. The closer to the Sturgis rally you get, the more likely you are to get a lot of biker traffic in Yellowstone. I know it would seem like Sturgis is quite a distance from Yellowstone, but it's close enough to be a desired place to stop on the way. I know this from personal experience. They won't bother you or anything, but their bikes can be pretty obnoxious.

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South Park had an episode about this. Title of the Episode is, The F Word. Season 13.Episode12,

It's not THAT F word...its the other one.

Went to Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier a couple years ago during the first two weeks of June and never had any trouble with crowds. Weather was fantastic.

We have just cleared it with our schools' principals and they said to take the trip. We will be there during the 3rd week of August.

Already booked some AirBnbs, so we are in good shape.

I've been twice in back to back years '23 and '24 during the last week of August into the first week of September.
I found it to be one of the best times to visit up there.

I went in September back in '08, or sometime around then. Crowds weren't bad at that time. I guess because school was back in session...idk.
I mainly wanted to add about a place to stay...Budge's Slide Lake Cabins. 5 cabins on Slide Lake outside of Jackson hole. Very secluded, but close to Tetons' entrance and Jackson Hole, buffalo flats, that famous "barn", etc. 15-20 minutes ro Tetons entrance and jackson hole and a little longer to the south entrance to Yellowstone. It was a beautiful place for a "base camp". I actually wish we spent more time at the cabin than getting up early and getting back late doing the parks. You can actually fish the lake i believe and the river that runs out of it. Greax Vont (sp?) River.

Just my 2 cents. Enjoy and be patient with the other folks doing what you are doing. Beautiful place no doubt.

And to add...there never seems to be enough time to see it all.

<<You can actually fish the lake i believe and the river that runs out of it. Greax Vont (sp?) River.>>

Good try! Gros Ventre.

We went in late-middle July 2022 and it was a-holes to elbows.

We still had an absolutely wonderful time and the weather was beautiful but we basically did the lower loop in a slow caravan with RVs and all spectrum of driver types. The rest stops at the major attractions were crazy but most of the pullover spots were not too bad. This was the year it flooded really bad in Montana so the northern exits were closed that week.

We camped right outside the park the night before then drove in and exited the bottom through Grand Teton NP at the end of the day.

Here are some bison by the side of the road, of course causing a s-show of international proportions.

Island Park is a nice area - lots to do around there. We spend the summers in eastern Idaho.

Look, Yellowstone is always busy. But you will see tons of elk and bison. Depending on the weather - bears might be a bit scarce. It can be hot there in late July (not Texas hot, but 80s for sure). Pick the things you want to see in the park and go for it!

A couple of suggestions in and around Yellowstone that are close to Island Park:

• Cave Falls is in the SW corner of Yellowstone and a great area to go hiking and pretty close to Island Park. Cave Falls is on the Fall River - they are not very tall but they are enormously wide. There is a trailhead there that follows along the Fall River to where it intersects with the Bechler River. The trail turns north and runs parallel to the Bechler River. You can hike for miles and miles from here. Lots of falls along the Bechler River. Several great spots to stop for a picnic. Keep an eye out for huckleberries along the trail - particularly in the forest. We've not seen much wildlife here, which has always surprised me, but we have seen otters in the river where it's calm. Seen lots of people flyfishing those rivers.
• Mesa Falls is easily accessible from Island Park. The Upper Falls are really impressive. The platform system they have there gives you plenty of great views of the falls. These falls are massive and beautiful - we go every year. I don't think you will be disappointed. And the drive is great.
• You can do Cave Falls and Mesa Falls in the same day. They are in the same area.
• If you haven't spent any time in the Lamar Valley - go. Wide open spaces and beautiful. Lots of places to stop and hike.
• The Coffee Pots Rapids trail is a family friendly hike along the Henry's Fork River in Island Park. It's about 5 miles out and back and a really nice walk. There's a campground there but the trail was not very busy. The Henry's Fork is another spot to go flyfishing.
• Ousel Falls Trail in Big Sky, Montana, is another very family friendly hike. Again, a really beautiful water fall at the end of the trail and a nice swimming hole. So if you get a warm day - this could be fun for the kids. Big Sky is a ski town so there are shops and several restaurants to pick from. This was a nice day trip and not too crowded.
• Harriman State Park is right around Island Park. We've never been, they don't allow dogs and we take our Golden on all our hikes, but I hear it is beautiful.
• There are Sand Dunes in St Anthony south of Island Park. Not what you expect in the middle of Idaho!
• If you are into mountain biking check out Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole ski resorts. Both offer mountain biking on the summer - take a bike up the ski lift and ride down. They probably have the same in Big Sky. Grand Targhee has a bluegrass festival every summer. Jackson Hole has a Bikes and Brews event every summer - you buy a ticket and you can ride a ski lift up and down and you get a yeti with which to sample beers from breweries all around the area. It's always a great time. But it is crowded.
• Even if you don't mountain bike, go to Grand Targhee and ride the ski lift to the top. There is a trail that you can follow along the ridge where you get an incredible view of the Tetons from the Other Side.
• Driggs and Victor Idaho both have several good restaurants and the Grand Teton Brewery in Victor is a personal favorite. If you head to either town - let me know I can give you some recommendations.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info!

We stayed in Driggs last year. Both of those towns seemed good.
We chose Island Park due to being closer to West Yellowstone.
Mesa Falls was an awesome easy stop. Big Springs was neat too.

Driggs is our Home 2.0. Island Park puts you a solid hour closer to Yellowstone.

We went in mid May last year, which we found out, was peak time for bears. Plus the addition of being in a snowstorm in May was fun for the kids.