re: We are trying to decide between Yellowstone and North Cascades the 2nd week of July

Lodging this late in the game might be an issue with Yellowstone. Both places are somewhere everyone should see in their lifetime. If I had to pick I’d say Yellowstone.

If you do Cascades you could add Olympic and see two parks. On the other hand, the east side of the Cascades has been on my list of places to spend some time for a while.