Ok, I am trying to plan a trip for next August/September and need some recommendations for itinerary if we flew into Jackson Hole and looped back for return flight. Stays, number of days, rental options and the works.

I've done this exact trip for 9 days with my family in 2022. If you want a travel advisor my contact info is in my bio. Accommodations are important in National Parks otherwise you will spend a great majority of your time driving vs seeing things. The Tetons are one of my personal favorite places and there is so much to do for families.

A few of us have written lengthy replies about the area. Search old threads if you haven't already. I'm in Paradise Valley (immediately north of Yellowstone in Montana) yearly and know that part of the region pretty well.

One thing you might consider (if it doesn't add too much cost) is making your trip a one-way between Jackson and Bozeman, rather than looping back. You will cover A LOT of ground on this trip, and not forcing yourself to end up back in Jackson could allow you to see more and drastically cut down on driving.

Other thing to immediately look into for Yellowstone is park lodging. I would be booking this now for next summer. It is expensive, but there is no substitute for staying in the park when you're exploring Yellowstone. For practicality and comfort, the most modern and well-located lodging is at Canyon. There are several other great options with more charm/character at Mammoth, Old Faithful, Roosevelt, etc. If you're unsure of your specific timing, book a couple of different weeks…park lodging can be cancelled up until fairly close to the reservation.

Staying in the park is great, but know there is no air conditioning at any hotel in Yellowstone. I stayed at canyon and old faithful snow lodge this past August. Canyon lodge hotel room cooled off decently quick in the evening, but the snow lodge room never got comfortably cool.

Find an Airbnb or VRBO in Idaho. Very close and cheaper.

Agreed. We stayed at Canyon Lodge and Yellowstone Inn. It's a vast park.

I'd highly recommended taking Yellowstone Wild out on a wildlife tour. It was pretty cool to hear the history and the biology of the park as we watched a pack of wolves finish off a bison carcass they took down the day before

I will add river float trip in Jackson Hole, prefer the evening trip. Or if more adventurous the rapids float trip.

I'd suggest targeting mid-September.
Unless you have some real reason to fly into Jackson, I'd also suggest Bozeman instead. I've found it has more flight choices and is cheaper.

Yea September is way better. August can still be pretty hot and the likelihood for wildfire smoke is higher. The stretch from mid-September to mid-October is probably the most enjoyable time to be up there.

Thanks for all the information! This is a big bucket list trip for us and we really want to get the most out of it. Our kids(all 3 in their 20's and also are fellow Ags) are expressing an interest in going or meeting us there and that really excites us too.

It's not in everyone's budget, but if you can, book a wildlife tour with Wild Yellowstone Tour and ask for Matt to be your guide. We've had a bunch of guides across a number of activities and national parks and Matt is the best guide we've ever had. We've spent hours watching wolves with him on two separate trips (talked about in the links below from the NP thread)

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/2828333/replies/65226903

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/2828333/replies/68223487

If you like art, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson is great.

Spend time in the Grand Tetons. Fantastic park, but you have to get out and hike it to see the true beauty of it.

Jackson Hole is great but not for more than a day or two tops. You'll run out of things to do. if you do stay a night, we love The Rustic Inn. Fantastic hotel and is walking distance to the square. For a nice dinner, eat at Snake River Grill. For breakfast, you have to go to Persephone. Probably my wife and I's favorite breakfast anywhere. Great bakery/coffee shop.

Yellowstone, staying in the park is a must, imo. Get out early and you'll be able to avoid most of the crowds to the big "attractions". We love Haden Valley and of course, Lamar Valley. The park is super diverse and it is large. So, we find it helpful to stay in different hotels depending upon what area of the park we are exploring those days. Also, to avoid the crowd, just hike a little further. Getting a mile off the road on foot, will take you to solitude and you'll be able to really enjoy what makes the park amazing.

This area is our favorite place in the world. Happy to talk offline more if you want to know more. Just shoot me a PM.

I've found that staying in Gardiner or West Yellowstone are good spots that are easier to book than staying in the park. But even those towns fill up quicker than you'd think.

I've enjoyed the drive from West Yellowstone to Kackson Hole going thru Idaho, I find that very pretty.

Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

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At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

Pro Sandy said:

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mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

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At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

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The tour is neat. Stay in the original part of the Inn. It's like a dorm flashback. Showers and ****ters are communal and in the hallway.

Anybody stay in the park in a travel trailer? I assume that reservations for RV spots would be pretty difficult to get as well...?

We've had reservations a couple times but had to cancel

Just be on Recreation.gov app the moment they become available

AgRyan04 said:

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We've had reservations a couple times but had to cancel

Just be on Recreation.gov app the moment they become available

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What's the advanced timing for when it becomes available? Ive never done that before.

Pro Sandy said:

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mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

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At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

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I love the hotel but the food at the dining room was terrible. At the time, it was a buffet and I'm not sure if it's still set up as that. There was a long line, the food was not good, and the kid sneezing in the meat trays certainly didn't help! It's a shame, too, because I had really looked forward to dining there. I wish I had just got some deli stuff, instead, and saved $120.

Kaiser von Wilhelm said:

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AgRyan04 said:

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We've had reservations a couple times but had to cancel

Just be on Recreation.gov app the moment they become available

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What's the advanced timing for when it becomes available? Ive never done that before.

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Double check the website....I'm sure it has changed....it seems like every park has different reservation lead times

BSD said:

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Pro Sandy said:

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mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

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At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

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I love the hotel but the food at the dining room was terrible. At the time, it was a buffet and I'm not sure if it's still set up as that. There was a long line, the food was not good, and the kid sneezing in the meat trays certainly didn't help! It's a shame, too, because I had really looked forward to dining there. I wish I had just got some deli stuff, instead, and saved $120.

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We had full dining service.

BSD said:

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Pro Sandy said:

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mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

---

At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

---

I love the hotel but the food at the dining room was terrible. At the time, it was a buffet and I'm not sure if it's still set up as that. There was a long line, the food was not good, and the kid sneezing in the meat trays certainly didn't help! It's a shame, too, because I had really looked forward to dining there. I wish I had just got some deli stuff, instead, and saved $120.

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I had full service and a very good shank of something.

I may or may not have been imbibing a tab and don't really know what it was a shank of. But it was good.

Mathguy64 said:

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Pro Sandy said:

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mefoghorn said:

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Try to stay at least a couple of nights in Old Faithful inn. Such an awesome building.

---

At least eat in the dining room and tour the building.

If you get a room, know it is a historic hotel and set your expectations accordingly.

---

The tour is neat. Stay in the original part of the Inn. It's like a dorm flashback. Showers and ****ters are communal and in the hallway.

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Pro Tip, there are a couple private baths on at least one side tucked away, so you can avoid a communal experience.

Try and stay at the old inn at least kind night, as others have said great experience there early and night when masses leave.

If you get a res at Inn look up doing the flag change tour ran by the bell desk. Bell staff change flags nightly and they take limited guests (4-5) on roof to help and if you are lucky you can see the geyser go from roof. It's unique, but takes some effort to get set up.

Enjoy!

I guess I'll just have to go back and give it another shot!

How are the parks in February? Was maybe thinking of combining this area with a ski trip. Or is it just better to go next summer?

We havent been in the winter but Yellowstone in the winter is on our list. A tremendous amount of the park becomes completely inaccessible except by cc skis, snow mobiles or snow coaches. I believe the north entrance is the only open entrance (through Gardiner).

I'm not sure how it works getting between Gardiner and Jackson?

goodbull92 said:

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Thanks for all the information! This is a big bucket list trip for us and we really want to get the most out of it. Our kids(all 3 in their 20's and also are fellow Ags) are expressing an interest in going or meeting us there and that really excites us too.

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Then go in September as suggested above. Much less crowded with most kids in school. The large animals will also be more active with cooler weather. And fly in and out of Bozeman IMO.

For the Yellowstone visit, as an alternative to staying in the park, consider staying in West Yellowstone, which is like 4 minutes from the west entrance. Go to the White Buffalo Club for a bison ribeye. You're welcome!

Just don't go "crippled" like I did. I had Achilles tendon surgery (95% tear) just a couple of days before getting on the plane. I was either in a wheelchair or on crutches depending on accessibility. I saw a lot, but it was tough at times. But totally worth it!

WorthAg95 said:

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How are the parks in February? Was maybe thinking of combining this area with a ski trip. Or is it just better to go next summer?

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If you only go to Yellowstone once, you should do it in the summer. If you're a repeat visitor, you really should see it in winter. Of the dozens of times I've gone into Yellowstone, the one time we went in February was the most memorable.

AgRyan04 said:

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We havent been in the winter but Yellowstone in the winter is on our list. A tremendous amount of the park becomes completely inaccessible except by cc skis, snow mobiles or snow coaches. I believe the north entrance is the only open entrance (through Gardiner).

I'm not sure how it works getting between Gardiner and Jackson?

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The road from Gardiner to the NE entrance remains plowed and accessible by car year-round, as that is the only access to Cooke City, which is hemmed in by Beartooth Pass on the other side. Otherwise they maintain a snowpack on the roads used for snowcoach/snowmobile tours.

We've never been to Yellowstone but it's always been a bucket list for wife and I to do a snowmobile tour in the park. What's the best time to go, tour company, places to stay etc.? Any recs would be appreciated.

Winter is a great experience. Most outfitters are out of West and that would be your most direct point of entry. For snow mobiles, most do it with an outfitter via group entry, there are limited single rider passes but they go quick once released and will require you to rent a specific class machine for emissions. Going solo self supported is more freedom but takes more effort and planning. Group is still a good option, but keep in mind it's single file and sometimes that impacts visibility.

There are also snow coach (tracked van) options. I'd say explore maybe doing a couple nights in snowlodge enter via coach and from there you can explore geyser basins and surrounding via rented snow shoes, then do a snow mobile tour to get that experience as well.

There is very little learning curve with the touring machines they rent. I'd go later in season for max snow pack. It will be cold, but very manageable, most machines will have integrated hand warmers on grips and wind screen.

If you are a cross country skier, there is an outfitter that bases out of Canyon area. Small group, you stay in seasonal yurts.

There is also skiing in Big Sky or Jackson depending on where you want to base.

Enjoy!

We did Yellowstone this last Feb. and combined with ski trip to big sky. Pretty amazing way to see the park (been there 10x times). Crowds are not there, wife went out to watch old faithful in evening and she was only one there!! Tons of Bison, watched fox trying to catch mice under snow for hrs, saw wolves 2x. No elk / deer as they have migrated out of park for most part.

Big Sky ... did not know resort we stayed at would bus you in from Bozeman Airport.

Big Sky ... .large, no very large resort that has a lot of blue -+ type of skiing and lots of high speed lifts

Bozeman - skiing at town hill was really good.

Bozeman -- stayed at an updated Motel in town, very nice. Can't think of name but do research as this is a gem.

Yellowstone trip itinerary:
1st night - Mammoth hot springs hotel, great meal, good place to be
2nd - 5th nights - Snow lodge at Old Faithful (really nice food)
last night - Mammoth hot springs again. Bus took us back to Bozeman Airport