Yellowstone

It's been several years since I've been, so my recs are likely dated, but I will say if you're thinking about it now, book very soon. It wouldn't surprise me if all the hotels in the park are already booked for the summer. Yellowstone is VERY popular and a lot of people book up to a year in advance. RV spots may be even more difficult.

There are a lot outside the park though, including a lot of VRBO's. People fly into either Salt Lake City or Jackson Hole. Jcakson is closer, but flights are pricier. I think SLC is about a 3-4 hour drive.

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Terribly crowded during the tourist season

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meh. We have driven up from Denver the last two 4th of Julys and haven't had any issue with finding camping spots in the parks(Yellowstone and Tetons) nor really any issue with crowds.

Five days will really be pushing it to see most stuff. You'll have to be humping it. The short list of what you should see is everything. Stop at every pull out, drive on every road, stop every chance there is to get out and see something, go on every hike you're capable of. I like the North, North East and East entrances the best and think you should definitely drive out and back in through each. The northeast can take you over Bear Tooth Pass which you should do. The east side can take you to Cody which is also a great drive.

My advice is stay in the park if you can and get up early. People are lazy, if you get 50 yards away from a parking lot most places will seem empty.

Idaho falls, Idaho, Jackson, Wyoming, and Bozeman, Montana are the 3 places to fly into. All are small airports and similar in price and distance to Yellowstone. None of them are close, all around 1.5 hours away. Its slow moving out there, so if you are spending 5 nights that's going to be 4 days in the park which is honestly plenty. But I wouldn't plan to do much on the day of your arrival and departure as everything is slow.

You need to book your hotels asap as the best stuff sells out fast. There won't be much available inside the park even now. Expect to pay $200-250 for a Motel 8 type of room anywhere within 50 miles of the park. Its just how it is.

The towns of West Yellowstone and Gardiner are both worth a couple of hours. Most of the towns out there are. Its a great place to just take your time, road trip, and enjoy nature.

As said, expect all the big stuff in the park to be packed especially mid day. The best thing to do is to wake up early with a breakfast to go, then take a nap by a creek or great view somewhere and chill mid day, then enjoy the evening again.

a good example is grand prismatic
forget the boardwalk and take the short hike up to the hill behind it

the view from above is mind bending

from there you can take a hike to fairy falls

another good example is the canyon south rim
take the south rim hike and you’ll see way more than at the viewing areas

also do not skimp time at Yellowstone lake, it’s amazing

Fly into Jackson. Stay a couple of nights in Jackson and hit the Teton National Park. Wildlife viewing here is fantastic and it is only 25 minutes from Jackson. Go on in to Yellowstone for a few days.

Yellowstone in the summer can be a grind. Lots of traffic, RVs, rubber necking, etc... makes for a long drive if you aren't on the roads very early. Staying in the park can be pricey if you don't book well in advance. Check into this pretty quick. If you stay outside just outside the park then you are dealing with the same drive in/out every day.

Don't know if there are any rent an RV places in Jackson but renting an SUV is super expensive.

Thanks for all the advice. It’s greatly appreciated.

I personally enjoy Grand Teton national park more than Yellowstone. That being said, going to Yellowstone at least once in your life is worth it. You want to stay in Yellowstone for the best experience. Cabins book up fast, not too sure about the camp sites.

There is a lot of driving in Yellowstone. Speed limits are slow and roads are crowded.

Bring a decent pair of binoculars. I forgot mine last summer and ended up buying an overpriced set in Jackson Hole.

Also, be prepared to walk a lot. That is the only way it is really worth it. At Ol' Faithful there is a trail that I think is about 2.5 miles one direction. So many people don't do this, but they really should. Not only do you get to see so much more, these areas are going to be less crowded.

I came here to post a similar question.

My brother and I are looking to take my 65 year old father this year, maybe in the April time frame, sounds like crowds shouldn't be bad at that point?

My dad is a big fisherman, so the purpose of the trip is fly fishing, but we really only plan to do that one day. Any recommendations on where to stay where we can get some cool scenery in but be close enough to catch a few trout?

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My dad is a big fisherman, so the purpose of the trip is fly fishing, but we really only plan to do that one day. Any recommendations on where to stay where we can get some cool scenery in but be close enough to catch a few trout?

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You don't want to fish there in April, unless you want to midge fish and I'm not even sure how possible that will be. Late april and May are mud season when the snow melts, the rivers get very high and dirty. Dry fly fishing is really June through October and if you want to guarantee it to be good really july as late snow can make them dirty through a good part of june.

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Given that, I'd highly recommend someone not stay in the same hotel their entire Yellowstone trip anyway. Its like a 2 hour drive from Mammouth to Ole Faithful. Its best to stay in 2 or even 3 different places or more to cut down your driving.

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correct

we stayed one night in mammoth, 2 nites at canyon lodge and one nite at grant village