Yellowstone experiences

Get out and walk, it’s so big and expansive it’s easy to get stuck in the car, be sure to visit Hayden and Lamar valley

Good call on the timing. Should be much more enjoyable than June/July.

Pack some warm clothes. It's already getting pretty cold in the area, especially in the morning.

Don't try to cram everything into one day. Break up your itinerary into sections of the park. If you've never been before, know that it takes longer to drive around than you think. I believe Yellowstone is the roughly the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, so that should give you an idea...

I'd imagine that traffic jams caused by wildlife should be minimal compared to the busier summer season, but you can probably still bank on a couple.

Where are you staying?

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Wake up super early and drive through the park at first/last light. This is when you will see the most unique wildlife like foxes, wolves, bears, moose, etc.

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This. And if you want to do the big touristy sites, getting to the park early will make those a much more pleasant experience.

If you're waiting until 9 or 10am to get tires rolling, you're in for a long, aggravating day.

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Staying in Cody

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I'm not familiar with Cody, but based on its location, I'm gonna double-down on the advice to start the day early. You've got a good hour drive just to get to the entrance.

I've stayed in Cameron, MT to visit Yellowstone before, which is also about an hour's drive.

Seriously, get going early. Like wheels up by 5:30am...6:00am at the latest.

And prepare yourself for some major driving. Depending on certain sites you may want to see, you're talking 7-8 hours of driving in a single day.

Lamar Valley is worth seeing. I'd make that the theme of one day and drive from Cody to the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone. It's a 2-hour drive to that entrance as opposed to the East entrance, but you'll avoid the traffic jams.

If I were you, I wouldn't even bother trying to do Mammoth Springs or the Northwest area of the park in general.

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Staying in Cody

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Drive the Chief Joseph highway. The scenery is better than Yellowstone. That used to be my stomping grounds.

You can do a loop from Cody -> east entrance/buffalo bill (check out the dam while you're there) -> fishing bridge (cool hikes in this area like thunder point) -> hayden valley -> lamar valley -> northeast exit -> chief joe highway -> cody

Long day trip but guarantee it will be your best day.

Any excursions to the west side of the park and back to Cody are going to be a lot of hours in the car. I highly recommend staying in west yellowstone for a night if you venture to that side.

Friend,

Yellowstone is one of my least favorite parks. The smells coming from the ground are quite noxious and I’d recommend having an N-95 mask at the ready if you are spending time around the geysers, which I think smell worse than Bourbon Street.

Lamar Valley is spectacular in scope. Yellowstone Falls is impressive. Grand Prismatic is beautiful. Old Faithful and Monmouth are okay. The rest of the geothermal features I would skip. The off trail hiking is disappointing and the bears a real problem.

If you stay overnight, stay at Old Faithful Inn. Cooke City and Beartooth Highway near the northeast entrance are worth a visit. And the Grand T****s are only a couple hours south of Yellowstone.

I can give you a one day itinerary:

1. Spend most of your time in the T****s.
2. Drive north to Old Faithful and spend about an hour there.
3. Go north to Prismatic and walk the boardwalks and then to the area with an overlook. Maybe 1.5 hours.
4. Drive north to Yellowstone Falls. There are a few small trails there. Maybe an hour.
5. Drive east to the big field called Lamar Valley. Not a lot to see other than open fields, buffalo, and occasional bear or wolf.
6. Have late lunch at Cooke City and explore where Ernest Hemingway spent some time. There is an old museum/country store there.
7. Drive up to Beartooth Pass

All told that is 4.5 hours driving assuming no traffic or buffalo blocking your way. Again, I do not enjoy Yellowstone, so perhaps do not take my advice.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

I don't know why more people don't do Yellowstone in the winter. It is so much more enjoyable.

Thanks guys ! Good recommendations!

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Staying in Cody

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Assuming you are doing this due to price or family? You need to consider gas prices and your time. Cody to Mammoth Hot springs is 3 hours or the lamar valley is 2 hours. The west side of Yellowstone kinda sucks, most of the stuff is in the middle or the north.

I don't know what your plans are and this is doable, but its like someone saying they are staying in Baton Rouge but visiting NOLA for the weekend. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

I've done GTNP trips twice and gone to yellowstone for the day, basically doing 2 huge loops both days. But we are talking waking at 5am and getting home at 10pm days. You wouldn't want to do that 2-3 days in a row is my point.

can you enlighten the board? I'm curious but is there even access to most of the park? seems like mid September is the best time to visit after the crowds but before any freeze or substantial snow.