Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain

[Texsox]

We are planning our summer 2012 trip and will be heading up the Continental Divide camping, backpacking, some hotels and cabins. I am searching for shorter few hour things to do while driving from point a to point b and any tips at the bigger national parks.

 

We have about 4 weeks for this trip. Thank you.

[cabiness42]

Little Bighorn in Montana is an interesting historical site.

Four Corners is neat if you're going that far south.

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, is a good one too.

Of course there's a lot to see/do in the Denver area if you don't mind making a city part of your trip.

[Balta1701]

God damn that sounds like heaven.

 

Add Glacier to your list. Get there while there are still glaciers.

 

I could probably come up with a couple dozen things for you to hit, in and out of the parks, since I've done most of them. Can you start off with a little more of an outline?

[Y2HH]

We are planning our summer 2012 trip and will be heading up the Continental Divide camping, backpacking, some hotels and cabins. I am searching for shorter few hour things to do while driving from point a to point b and any tips at the bigger national parks.

 

We have about 4 weeks for this trip. Thank you.

 

Yellow Stone and The Tetons are very close together, so you won't have much of a problem finding things to do between them/around them. If you go to this area in the peak summer times, it'll be absolutely packed, so depending on what your plans are, I'd start making some reservations now so you can get some of the nicer cabins, locations, etc. As for things to do in that area, because of how many people go there, it will easily take a few hours if you want to see Old Faithful. That said, there are a ton of smaller geysers around the area that nobody goes to look at (because they're not called Old Faithful) that you can have some private time at.

 

Rocky Mountain National Park? Is that what you planned on going too? While there is a LOT to do in that area, between there and Wyoming the drive is pretty boring/barren.

 

The town Estes is pretty touristy if that's the sort of thing you are into, but otherwise it's surrounded by hiking trails, campgrounds, etc. Some of the higher elevations can get cold, so always keep that in mind, even in mid summer there can be snow up there.

 

I just went to RMNP a little over a year ago, but it's been years since I've been in the Teton/Yellow area.

 

This summer I'm returning to the Bad Lands/Black Hills in SD.

[Y2HH]

God damn that sounds like heaven.

 

Add Glacier to your list. Get there while there are still glaciers.

 

I could probably come up with a couple dozen things for you to hit, in and out of the parks, since I've done most of them. Can you start off with a little more of an outline?

 

Glacier is pretty far from there. That's like 400+ miles north.

[Balta1701]

Yellow Stone and The Tetons are very close together, so you won't have much of a problem finding things to do between them/around them. If you go to this area in the peak summer times, it'll be absolutely packed, so depending on what your plans are, I'd start making some reservations now so you can get some of the nicer cabins, locations, etc. As for things to do in that area, because of how many people go there, it will easily take a few hours if you want to see Old Faithful. That said, there are a ton of smaller geysers around the area that nobody goes to look at (because they're not called Old Faithful) that you can have some private time at.

I would actually disagree with that...it only takes a couple hours to see Old Faithful if you intend to see it a couple times. It gets a crowd, but the parking lots don't fill up, and there's lots of stuff to do right around it. First, the Old Faithful lodge is a gorgeous place to stop and at least take a meal/hit the shops, take a gander at the wooden construction above you while you're doing so, it's incredible.

 

Then you've got the entire upper geyser basin around you to walk through, including Castle and Grand geysers, if you can catch them going they're a big treat also, but they're much more spaced out than Old Faithful.

 

You'll want a few hours in the basin, but you can catch old faithful 2-3 times in a couple hours and still have tons of other stuff to do, not just because of the crowds.

[Balta1701]

Glacier is pretty far from there. That's like 400+ miles north.

If I had a month and I was in that area, there's no way I'd miss Glacier. Easily worth the extra day of driving.

[StrangeSox]

Jealous

[Y2HH]

I would actually disagree with that...it only takes a couple hours to see Old Faithful if you intend to see it a couple times. It gets a crowd, but the parking lots don't fill up, and there's lots of stuff to do right around it. First, the Old Faithful lodge is a gorgeous place to stop and at least take a meal/hit the shops, take a gander at the wooden construction above you while you're doing so, it's incredible.

 

Then you've got the entire upper geyser basin around you to walk through, including Castle and Grand geysers, if you can catch them going they're a big treat also, but they're much more spaced out than Old Faithful.

 

You'll want a few hours in the basin, but you can catch old faithful 2-3 times in a couple hours and still have tons of other stuff to do, not just because of the crowds.

 

You disagree with what?

 

I said that seeing Old Faithful takes a few hours...you then say you disagree with that...and then said it takes a few hours.

 

I never told him to not go there, but he may not be the type of person that likes crowds.

 

I'm the type of person that doesn't want to see super touristy stuff I can look up on the internet, or in magazines, books, etc. because so many people have taken so many pictures of these spots over the years that there's little point in seeing it/paying to see it other than being able to tell people you saw it.

 

I love seeing things that most people will never lay their eyes on...and sure as hell can't just look up on Google for some pictures.

 

Want to see Old Faithful? So do a lot of people.

 

 

There it is.

 

There are far more interesting/beautiful things to see in those areas aside from things everyone in the known universe has already seen.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Y2HH

[Balta1701]

You disagree with what?

 

I said that seeing Old Faithful takes a few hours...you then say you disagree with that...and then said it takes a few hours.

 

I never told him to not go there, but he may not be the type of person that likes crowds.

You said that it takes a few hours because of the number of people. That's the kind of thing that would scare me off if I didn't know better. You get a crowd lined up right around Old Faithful that floods in and out right when that geyser goes off, but otherwise, there's a ton of other stuff to do and 2/3 of the crowd sticks right at old faithful.

[Balta1701]

Beehive is incredible, btw.

[Y2HH]

You said that it takes a few hours because of the number of people. That's the kind of thing that would scare me off if I didn't know better. You get a crowd lined up right around Old Faithful that floods in and out right when that geyser goes off, but otherwise, there's a ton of other stuff to do and 2/3 of the crowd sticks right at old faithful.

 

Well, you may have gotten lucky.

 

Last time I went there, there was so many people there that the lot was entirely full, and traffic was in waiting for about a mile down the road that enters. Took almost an hour to park.

[Y2HH]

Beehive is incredible, btw.

 

I don't know...those geysers don't do much for me...it's kind of blah scenery. It's cool to see the water shoot up but other than that, it's just a bunch of people and bland scenery surrounding.

[Balta1701]

If you go to grand prismatic spring (and you should), look for a hill across the street. Unless it's been blocked off, there's a trail that can get you to the top of that hill, and an awesome view across the way to that thing.

 

 

[Balta1701]

I'd also highly recommend driving the Beartooth pass if you're in that area. There are some incredible hikes in the Beartooths as well. The hike up to Grasshopper glacier can be described as "Highly recommended" if you have a vehicle that can make the first 1/2 of the drive and you can survive a hike at 11,000 feet.

[Y2HH]

I'd also highly recommend driving the Beartooth pass if you're in that area. There are some incredible hikes in the Beartooths as well. The hike up to Grasshopper glacier can be described as "Highly recommended" if you have a vehicle that can make the first 1/2 of the drive and you can survive a hike at 11,000 feet.

 

Just has to take his time -- anyone not from those areas that isn't acclimated to the elevation should take their time for a few days.

 

Practically anywhere you go in those areas, there is stuff to do/find.

[Balta1701]

Just has to take his time -- anyone not from those areas that isn't acclimated to the elevation should take their time for a few days.

 

Practically anywhere you go in those areas, there is stuff to do/find.

This one is completely accurate, I've got a couple dozen other things I've done that would be worth a stop.

 

The things I'd say "Don't miss" in the area are Glacier (driving going-to-the-sun road), the Beartooth pass, Grand Prismatic Spring from above, a hike along the Grand Canyon of the yellowstone, Norris Geyser basin, the Old Faithful inn, some hiking up near the peaks of the Tetons if you take the tram lift, and some backcountry hiking if you can pick a trail.

 

I'd have added Kayaking on yellowstone Lake onto this list had there not been an oil spill.

[Texsox]

I need to crawl through the thread again and answer all the questions but basically our idea is like the last couple of summers, leave the beach in mid July and start driving. We're stopping in San Antonio to visit her folks, then Palo Dura Canyon for the Texas! music spectacular. From there it was Yellowstone, and back. We tentatively dropped Glacier because of the additional drive. We have a longer trip planned for 2014 where that will fit in better.

 

So basically it is South Padre Island Texas to Yellowstone and back. We are still deciding where we should stop and what we should do. From talking with a friend who was there this past summer we dropped a day or two from Yellowstone and added Grand Teton. We are going to stay two nights in a cabin at Yellowstone, but have not decided on a location. Same with the camp grounds.