Trying to plan an early summer trip to Yellowstone or Grabd Teton. Our family has never been so open to suggestions or any booking agency that could help. The family wont get too adventurous once we are there but don't want to miss out on any must sees while in that area .
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Grand Teton or Yellowstone?
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Last: 6 days ago by Snipes
Well they are both must see amazing National Parks in my opinion and pretty close to each other so I would highly suggest BOTH unless you plan to return to the area for another trip…especially if you are "just" sightseeing (not hiking/raftng/etc)
If this is your only trip up that way and you are determined to only see one…my personal preference is Yellowstone just due to the unique variety of things to see/experience…it will be crowded though likely in early summer.
If this is your only trip up that way and you are determined to only see one…my personal preference is Yellowstone just due to the unique variety of things to see/experience…it will be crowded though likely in early summer.
Short answer:
Grand Teton is a hiking park, I absolutely loved it. 2nd best park in America.
Yellowstone is a driving park, prepare to spend 75% of you day in the car looking at pine trees. I did not love it.
Both have some amazing sights. Generally speaking, the Tetons sights are much closer together than in Yellowstone. In Yellowstone we would sit in the car for an hour, watch something pretty cool for 30 minutes with 2000 of our closest friends, then all get back into our cars and drive 2 hours to the next site where we parked and walked 1/4 mile to see something else for 30 minutes. Repeat all day. The highlight of Yellowstone is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which is VERY impressive. It is a 2 hour drive from Geyser basin. At the GC, you park and walk a few hundred feet with 1500 of your best friends, take a pic and return to the car. And if someone wildlife near a road, forget about it. You will be parked for 2 hours trying to get past the buffalo or elk.
Teton differs because you are rarely in your car. Teton is all about 1-2 mile hikes, they are everywhere.
Recommendations...
Take the ferry across Jenny lake, hike around until you are sick of hiking, then take the ferry back. The ferry is a small boat, only seats about 20 people.
Go horseback riding at Swift Creek outfitters, they have a great route
Whitewater rafting on the Snake river
J Hole tram up to the top of the resort
Hang out in Jackson, try to time it to coincide with the farmer's market. Jackson is great
Grand Teton is a hiking park, I absolutely loved it. 2nd best park in America.
Yellowstone is a driving park, prepare to spend 75% of you day in the car looking at pine trees. I did not love it.
Both have some amazing sights. Generally speaking, the Tetons sights are much closer together than in Yellowstone. In Yellowstone we would sit in the car for an hour, watch something pretty cool for 30 minutes with 2000 of our closest friends, then all get back into our cars and drive 2 hours to the next site where we parked and walked 1/4 mile to see something else for 30 minutes. Repeat all day. The highlight of Yellowstone is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which is VERY impressive. It is a 2 hour drive from Geyser basin. At the GC, you park and walk a few hundred feet with 1500 of your best friends, take a pic and return to the car. And if someone wildlife near a road, forget about it. You will be parked for 2 hours trying to get past the buffalo or elk.
Teton differs because you are rarely in your car. Teton is all about 1-2 mile hikes, they are everywhere.
Recommendations...
Take the ferry across Jenny lake, hike around until you are sick of hiking, then take the ferry back. The ferry is a small boat, only seats about 20 people.
Go horseback riding at Swift Creek outfitters, they have a great route
Whitewater rafting on the Snake river
J Hole tram up to the top of the resort
Hang out in Jackson, try to time it to coincide with the farmer's market. Jackson is great
Why not both? , as the taco girls says. They are right together.
Resign yourself to the fact that you're not going to get to see more than a fraction of either park. Pick out the highlights and see those. I think it would take 3-4 weeks to see
As far as I know, Yellowstone is more of a place to drive around to the various sites, Tetons more of a place for hiking and backwoods camping.
Some of my photos from almost 13 years ago
https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2314784
Resign yourself to the fact that you're not going to get to see more than a fraction of either park. Pick out the highlights and see those. I think it would take 3-4 weeks to see
As far as I know, Yellowstone is more of a place to drive around to the various sites, Tetons more of a place for hiking and backwoods camping.
Some of my photos from almost 13 years ago
https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2314784
Good report.
Regarding
We went there the week before Memorial Day. Good news: relatively uncrowded. Bad news: Some areas were closed due to snow.
Closer we got to Memorial Day, the worse the crowds were getting. I assume summer is mostly as you describe it.
But a lot of the places were worth a wait.
Regarding
Quote:
Yellowstone we would sit in the car for an hour, watch something pretty cool for 30 minutes with 2000 of our closest friends, then all get back into our cars and drive 2 hours to the next site where we parked and walked 1/4 mile to see something else for 30 minutes. Repeat all day.
We went there the week before Memorial Day. Good news: relatively uncrowded. Bad news: Some areas were closed due to snow.
Closer we got to Memorial Day, the worse the crowds were getting. I assume summer is mostly as you describe it.
But a lot of the places were worth a wait.
Wouldn't mind doing both. Is it better to stay at an air bnb or hotels ?
My strong suggestion would have been to stay in the park for visiting Yellowstone, but if you're planning a trip 2-3 months out, you're probably about 9 months behind on securing any accommodation within the park unless you get lucky. As the other poster who did not like Yellowstone noted, crowds are an issue. The way to circumvent this is to stay in the park and do the more sightseeing-oriented things early or late in the day before or after the crowds.
As someone who is in that area every year and has been through Yellowstone dozens of times, my advice is to do a one-way trip between Bozeman and Jackson. The trip will be driving intensive regardless, but you'll get more value for your driving hours if you're not having to double back to your point of origin. If starting in Bozeman, I would do a few nights in Paradise Valley at Chico Hot Springs or some rental house, exploring the northern parts of Yellowstone from there. Then I would do a couple nights in West Yellowstone as a base for exploring the southern parts of the park. And finally a few nights near the Tetons.
As someone who is in that area every year and has been through Yellowstone dozens of times, my advice is to do a one-way trip between Bozeman and Jackson. The trip will be driving intensive regardless, but you'll get more value for your driving hours if you're not having to double back to your point of origin. If starting in Bozeman, I would do a few nights in Paradise Valley at Chico Hot Springs or some rental house, exploring the northern parts of Yellowstone from there. Then I would do a couple nights in West Yellowstone as a base for exploring the southern parts of the park. And finally a few nights near the Tetons.
We did this trip this past summer and it was awesome. We flew in and out of Bozeman. We stayed in Big Sky for 3 nights. My husband and son fly fished on the Madison one day and we spent a full day in Yellowstone- about an hour drive from Big Sky. Then we drove to Idaho (about 3 hours) and stayed in an awesome AirBnB there. We could see Grand Teton from our front porch. It's about 30 min drive into Jackson from there. We spent one day exploring Grand Teton NP and another day in Jackson. My son fished a ton. Highly recommend the Shaka Guide app for the parks. It was super helpful and a fun way to navigate. We went in mid-July and it was crowded, but we were able to see everything with no issues. We even watched Old Faithful from rocking chairs on the porch of the Old Faithful Inn.
By far our favorite family vacation to date!
By far our favorite family vacation to date!
Watching Old Faithful erupt early in the morning and late at night from the Inn was some of my favorite experiences
jackrabbit said:
Watching Old Faithful erupt early in the morning and late at night from the Inn was some of my favorite experiences
Watching OF erupt while sitting on the porch above the entrance to the OF Inn with a bourbon in your hand late at night as the sun sets behind you is really surreal.
We visited both Grand Teton and Yellowstone last year in early October, and if you have the time, I highly recommend spending a few days in each park.
I agree that Grand Teton feels more like a hiking park, while Yellowstone is more of a driving and sightseeing park. We really enjoyed both for different reasons. Yellowstone is about a 23 hour drive from Jackson, so keep that in mind if you're staying in Jackson or Teton Village. Grand Teton, on the other hand, is much closer and easier to access from there.
Since we were there in October, we were disappointed that the Jenny Lake boat shuttle was no longer running it looks beautiful and would have been great to experience. The Jackson Hole tram was also closed during the shoulder season, though I've heard the ride (and the waffles at the top!) are fantastic. Those are both open during summer season.
We chose to stay at a hotel in Jackson because we wanted time to enjoy the town and planned to dine out for most meals. Since we knew we wouldn't spend much time at the accommodations, a hotel made more sense for us than an Airbnb. That said, I completely understand how Airbnb rentals can work better for families or travelers on a budget.
I have 5-day itinerary with our must-see stops and highlights, plus restaurant recommendations happy to share if you want to send email or DM!
I agree that Grand Teton feels more like a hiking park, while Yellowstone is more of a driving and sightseeing park. We really enjoyed both for different reasons. Yellowstone is about a 23 hour drive from Jackson, so keep that in mind if you're staying in Jackson or Teton Village. Grand Teton, on the other hand, is much closer and easier to access from there.
Since we were there in October, we were disappointed that the Jenny Lake boat shuttle was no longer running it looks beautiful and would have been great to experience. The Jackson Hole tram was also closed during the shoulder season, though I've heard the ride (and the waffles at the top!) are fantastic. Those are both open during summer season.
We chose to stay at a hotel in Jackson because we wanted time to enjoy the town and planned to dine out for most meals. Since we knew we wouldn't spend much time at the accommodations, a hotel made more sense for us than an Airbnb. That said, I completely understand how Airbnb rentals can work better for families or travelers on a budget.
I have 5-day itinerary with our must-see stops and highlights, plus restaurant recommendations happy to share if you want to send email or DM!
Lauren K '07
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
So Yellowstone... We went in the dead of winter. Rode in on a giant 4x4 van. If you go in the warm months, expect a train of traffic on the way in. With no traffic and 11ft of base snow, there was no traffic at all. And it was 45 min of nothing but trees on the way in. Old Faithful we watched in driving snow. I thougt it was less than inspiring. Some of the acid ponds were a lot cooler. Like if you fall in... you are dead.
Grant Teton is really cool.... of course we did it in the dead of winter. Took a dog pack up on sleds in Teton... that was cool! Spring is totally different. I'm sure you can fly fish in the Snake River.
Skip the Million Dollar bar and resaurant. Snake River Grill was good.
Grant Teton is really cool.... of course we did it in the dead of winter. Took a dog pack up on sleds in Teton... that was cool! Spring is totally different. I'm sure you can fly fish in the Snake River.
Skip the Million Dollar bar and resaurant. Snake River Grill was good.
Lots of great advice already. Like other posters have said, it's going to be tight on availability.
If you decide you want some help, I've worked with American Excursionist before (in Alaska) and they're awesome. Definitely more luxury leaning and they require hotels to be booked to book their touring packages. Link below in case you are interested.
https://www.excursionist.com/
If you decide you want some help, I've worked with American Excursionist before (in Alaska) and they're awesome. Definitely more luxury leaning and they require hotels to be booked to book their touring packages. Link below in case you are interested.
https://www.excursionist.com/
Luxury & Adventure Family Travel Agent
Europe • Africa • S. America
www.voce-travel.com
Kyle.regitz@fora.travel
Europe • Africa • S. America
www.voce-travel.com
Kyle.regitz@fora.travel
If seeing animals is a priority, the best money I ever spent on a vacation was booking a private wildlife tour in Yellowstone (we used Yellowstone Wild).
Our Teton/Yellowstone visit was a side trip booked pretty last minute, but I was able to get lodging in Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs cabins and Old Faithful cabins. If your dates are flexible, there is likely some availability - the Xanterra booking site lets you look by month across all the properties.
Our Teton/Yellowstone visit was a side trip booked pretty last minute, but I was able to get lodging in Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs cabins and Old Faithful cabins. If your dates are flexible, there is likely some availability - the Xanterra booking site lets you look by month across all the properties.
3 nights for each area is good?
breezecustomtravel said:
I agree that Grand Teton feels more like a hiking park, while Yellowstone is more of a driving and sightseeing park. We really enjoyed both for different reasons. Yellowstone is about a 23 hour drive from Jackson, so keep that in mind if you're staying in Jackson or Teton Village. Grand Teton, on the other hand, is much closer and easier to access from there.
Just wanted to make sure people knew this is 2-3 hour drive. Not 23 hour
WorthAg95 said:
3 nights for each area is good?
Are you debating how to allocate 6 nights, or do you have the opportunity to spend more time and asking whether 3 nights each is enough?
Could do 7 nights, but no more than that.
Update: thinking 3 nights Jackson or Teton Village (would love advice here), 3 West Yellowstone and 1 night Big Sky. Last minute trip out of Bozeman.
Update: thinking 3 nights Jackson or Teton Village (would love advice here), 3 West Yellowstone and 1 night Big Sky. Last minute trip out of Bozeman.
Haha! Yes! 2-3 hour drive! Sorry about that typo.
Lauren K '07
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
I get that the driving and crowds turn people off of Yellowstone, and I totally get it. Saying that, it is still a must see and some of the sights are amazing. The wildlife watching is also incredible.
Sent you a DM. Would love to see your itinerary. Thanks!
If you have the time, the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois is a must see. It's about 75 miles from Jackson but it's a pretty drive and well worth it. I came across it by accident and was lucky enough to get a tour from the owner, Dan Stark.
https://nmmv.org/
https://nmmv.org/
That will probably suffice to hit the highlights in Yellowstone and have time to explore the Tetons.
You will hear people say Yellowstone is a sightseeing park, and I would grant that for first timers you would probably feel compelled to visit all the famous features you've seen countless photos of, and which get hordes of tourists. The geothermal features are awesome, and famous for a reason.
However, Yellowstone is a vast landscape, and there are thousands of acres within the park which receive minimal visitors. Having been there dozens of times, and having seen all the "sights" several times over, the most magical experience I have there, and what I return for every summer, is getting off the beaten path, hiking into a meadow stream, and casting at native cutthroats while bison ford the creek yards away. That's what the "real" Yellowstone feels like to me.
When exactly are you going? Happy to provide recommendations…I know the area well.
You will hear people say Yellowstone is a sightseeing park, and I would grant that for first timers you would probably feel compelled to visit all the famous features you've seen countless photos of, and which get hordes of tourists. The geothermal features are awesome, and famous for a reason.
However, Yellowstone is a vast landscape, and there are thousands of acres within the park which receive minimal visitors. Having been there dozens of times, and having seen all the "sights" several times over, the most magical experience I have there, and what I return for every summer, is getting off the beaten path, hiking into a meadow stream, and casting at native cutthroats while bison ford the creek yards away. That's what the "real" Yellowstone feels like to me.
When exactly are you going? Happy to provide recommendations…I know the area well.
We did 2 nights in tetons combined with 5 in YS
The 2 nights in teton was staying with our old neighbors in their camper in signal mountain campground, right on Jackson lake.
We did the ferry with a hike, but that was about all the time we had. Our kids did some SUP boarding there by the campsite at the boat launch. We ate dinner at Leeks pizzeria which was amazing food and views.
This portion of the trip was a very last minute add on after finding out our friends were going to be there when we were headed to YS, so we left 2 days early to join them. We def. want to go back since it was so quick.
For YS, we stayed in West YS, MT. Pretty quick in and out to the park if you got there by 8ish or so. Our max wait was maybe 15 min to get in.
We picked a quadrant for each day. The grand canyon and NE side one day, the SW side another, and NW another. Then another day just driving around the lake. The grand canyon seriously doesn't even look real. Like, this is an off the cuff, unedited iphone pic;
Very cool park, we went over Jul 4th, and I didn't think crowds were bad at all the individual attractions. We never had an issue with parking, and any walks we did it wasn't anything close to like shoulder to shoulder or anything. Always plenty of space while walking around. Aside from OF, which of course has several hundred people there all day.
Tetons both at sunrise and sunset while camping lakeside did not disappoint.
The 2 nights in teton was staying with our old neighbors in their camper in signal mountain campground, right on Jackson lake.
We did the ferry with a hike, but that was about all the time we had. Our kids did some SUP boarding there by the campsite at the boat launch. We ate dinner at Leeks pizzeria which was amazing food and views.
This portion of the trip was a very last minute add on after finding out our friends were going to be there when we were headed to YS, so we left 2 days early to join them. We def. want to go back since it was so quick.
For YS, we stayed in West YS, MT. Pretty quick in and out to the park if you got there by 8ish or so. Our max wait was maybe 15 min to get in.
We picked a quadrant for each day. The grand canyon and NE side one day, the SW side another, and NW another. Then another day just driving around the lake. The grand canyon seriously doesn't even look real. Like, this is an off the cuff, unedited iphone pic;
Very cool park, we went over Jul 4th, and I didn't think crowds were bad at all the individual attractions. We never had an issue with parking, and any walks we did it wasn't anything close to like shoulder to shoulder or anything. Always plenty of space while walking around. Aside from OF, which of course has several hundred people there all day.
Tetons both at sunrise and sunset while camping lakeside did not disappoint.
We are going first week in June. Just booked in/out of Bozeman. We are not planners haha
We got lucky and found a room for 2 nights at Canyon Lodge, so starting with 2 nights there, 3 in Jackson and then ending with 2 in West Yellowstone. Booked a rafting trip while we are in Jackson. Have a 12-year-old son.
We got lucky and found a room for 2 nights at Canyon Lodge, so starting with 2 nights there, 3 in Jackson and then ending with 2 in West Yellowstone. Booked a rafting trip while we are in Jackson. Have a 12-year-old son.
That is VERY lucky!! Some ideas for you…
Since you'll have time both in Canyon and West Yellowstone you could divide up your exploration of Yellowstone into east and west days.
For one of your Canyon days, I would strongly recommend driving up to Beartooth Pass. It's one of the prettiest drives in America. It should be open unless there is fresh snowfall. You could consider getting up early (on the road by sunrise) since this drive will take you through Lamar Valley, which is the most likely part of the park for wildlife sightings. Wildlife is most active at sunrise and sunset.
As for other major sights, the geyser basin (Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, etc) would be best saved for your West Yellowstone days. You will go through Mammoth when you drive to Canyon from Bozeman, so take the extra time then to explore the terraces. Obviously you'll want to see the Grand Canyon, but you'll be staying right there.
For the Tetons you have a day on the river, which will be great, and then the classic option for your other day could be the Jenny Lake ferry and the day hike up from the ferry landing.
Since you'll have time both in Canyon and West Yellowstone you could divide up your exploration of Yellowstone into east and west days.
For one of your Canyon days, I would strongly recommend driving up to Beartooth Pass. It's one of the prettiest drives in America. It should be open unless there is fresh snowfall. You could consider getting up early (on the road by sunrise) since this drive will take you through Lamar Valley, which is the most likely part of the park for wildlife sightings. Wildlife is most active at sunrise and sunset.
As for other major sights, the geyser basin (Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, etc) would be best saved for your West Yellowstone days. You will go through Mammoth when you drive to Canyon from Bozeman, so take the extra time then to explore the terraces. Obviously you'll want to see the Grand Canyon, but you'll be staying right there.
For the Tetons you have a day on the river, which will be great, and then the classic option for your other day could be the Jenny Lake ferry and the day hike up from the ferry landing.
That's definitely how we are going to split it up. Not how we originally planned but that room popping up for two nights upended everything. Looking forward to this!
Tot is spot on, it would be a big day, but Beartooth is often overlooked and well worth the effort.
Canyon as a base is great. If there is a full moon night viewing of canyon and falls is pretty great, as is a night hike up mt. Washburn if you are feeling adventurous. Grab some adult beverages and snacks and make an evening out of sundown in harden valley/the river/ or lake. It's a great area and after about 3p traffic and crowds really lean out.
It's hard to mess up!
Canyon as a base is great. If there is a full moon night viewing of canyon and falls is pretty great, as is a night hike up mt. Washburn if you are feeling adventurous. Grab some adult beverages and snacks and make an evening out of sundown in harden valley/the river/ or lake. It's a great area and after about 3p traffic and crowds really lean out.
It's hard to mess up!
I enjoy the drive from West Yellowstone to Jackson going thru Idaho.
What are the preferred campsites for Yellowstone or Tetons? I'm starting to plan for a summer 2027 trip. Will be in 20ft pop up and not a tent or giant 5th wheel.
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