quote:
I know I'll be in the minority here, but Yellowstone is essentially a drivable zoo. We only spent a day there and it was more than enough for us. Traffic was awful, crowds were bad, and it was very touristy. We left EARLY one morning and packed a cooler per the Travel Board (life saver). We hit all the spots on the Yellowstone loop. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed it, but we MUCH preferred Grand Teton.

I get what you're saying, but part of Yellowstone is defined by whether you hit the tourist parts or escape them.

There's a great stat that only 1% of visitors to Yellowstone get more than a mile away from a road in their visit. You can seek out more secluded experiences in Yellowstone where the tourists aren't overwhelming. Most people just don't.

Teton is incredible and beautiful. So is Yellowstone, Yellowstone just has a touristy part too that you have to work to get away from. If you avoid the tour bus spots, there are a lot of awesome things to see.

As an example, I'd never heard of Mt. Washburn before actually being in the park. The Mt. Washburn area was one of my best memories of Yellowstone for the views, hikes and buffalo herds.

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Posted by Lima Whiskey

Member since Apr 2013

19182 posts

Posted on 2/22/24 at 3:54 pm to tigers84

First week of October should be okay, it’s really the last week of the tourist season, but any later the snowfall could make hiking a lot of work. As the month progresses, roads will start to close in Yellowstone, and they’ll impose snow tire rules on cars in the park. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do it, at all, but stick to that first week. The crowds will be gone and Jackson won’t be a zoo.

Teton Village is a ski resort, so it will feel commercial. But that’s the valley for you. I would just go with what makes sense at your price point.

I think the tram is open through the first week. IIRC.

This post was edited on 2/22/24 at 3:59 pm

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