Grand Tetons & Yellowstone

I'll let Pam, our Yellowstone expert, advise you on drive times & itinerary.

Get a cooler and stock up with breakfast, snack and picnic stuff in Jackson.

The Creekside Market, on the way out of Jackson, does made to order sandwiches. Also, in Moose, Dornan's has a deli. You'll pass it on your way to Jenny Lake.

On day 5, when you're at Mammoth Hot Springs, you're only about 20 minutes from Gardiner where you'll find a market, restaurants and gas stations.

Inside the park, be sure to try the Huckleberry ice cream. There are several general stores around the park that stock basics like bread, milk,... along with snack bars and restaurants.

Enjoy your trip!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yellowstone-grand-tetons
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/jackson-hole-yellowstone
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yellowstone-traveling-from-bozeman-to-jackson

Some recent posts on the same topic; may find some useful info and not need to invent the wheel again.

It's a really great place to visit.

First, the week before Labor Day is usually a good time to go as for some reason visitation drops the last 2 weeks. Kids back in school and September travelers not yet in the area.

And yea to a cabin at Rosie coming available! My very favorite place to stay.

Here are my thoughts:

Day 1: Looks good. Pick up a cooler and some supplies in Jackson.
2: Looks good. Get to Jenny Lake trailhead early as the parking lot fills.
3: Looks good. West Thumb is a small geyser basin in a beautiful lakeside setting although not much geyser activity. There are some very pretty pools here. It will only be a 30-60 minute stop. DO stop at the Grant Village area for a comfort stop first as the only bathrooms at West Thumb are vault toilets in the parking lot and they are generally overused and a bit nasty. At Grant Village there are flush toilets and running water at both the General Store (good ice cream at the snack bar) and at the Visitor Center.
4: This looks good. Hayden is doable near sunrise from the Lake accommodations. In fact, you can take a drive up there early then come back for breakfast. The more times you can drive thru a wildlife rich are the more you increase your chances for seeing something. Do be cautious as Hayden Valley can fog in so use your head on driving conditions.
5: You have lots of choices today! I would certainly drive out into Lamar Valley today as well as doing the guided tour tomorrow. Yes to Mammoth and Tower Fall. Be sure to pop back in to the Petrified Tree area as there is often wildlife in the big meadow across from the tree (which is a sad disappointment on its own.). I've seen grizzly and black bear as well as moose back in there. IF you feel like a drive you can also drive out the NE entrance road to Cooke City/Silvergate, then drive across Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge to see spectacular Alpine scenery. You can also turn around partway across...I recommend going to the small ski area up there and turning around if you don't want to go down to Red Lodge. IF you do go to Red Lodge and it's lunch time, the Red BoxCar grill on the right before you get to town has really good burgers. The drive to Red Lodge over and back on Beartooth will take most of the day. The Google Drive time estimates for Beartooth are seriously underestimated. Count on 2.5-3 hours from Cooke City to Red Lodge.

6: This looks good. Go to OF first and check in before you do Midway. Crowds there are awful during the day but calm down around 5 or so when day visitors start to head to the gate for dinner. You can also do Roosevelt Arch before you leave the northern end of the park.
7: This looks good as well. Download the GeyserTimes app to track the eruption times for the predictable geysers in the Upper Basin.

8: You have choices today! You can go either out the West Entrance to West Yellowstone and up US191 to Bozeman or you can go to the North Entrance and go up US89. It is a shorter drive out to West Yellowstone and up US191. Both roads are very scenic although very different.

"Q -Do the daily distances seem reasonable for the above itinerary?"
Yes, they are fine.
"Q -Which day would you recommend visiting Mammoth Hot Springs and Roosevelt Arch? Day 5, Day 8, or another?"
Day 5 works as does Day 6. Day 8 also works depending on what you decide.

"Q - Any suggestions for affordable(and better yet, yummy) food inside Yellowstone Park? We will be in the park for days 4-8. Where can we purchase picnic foods and/or snacks inside the Park?"
All the General Stores inside the park have grocery items. I would probably head out to Gardiner on Day 5 or Day 6 to resupply at Gardiner Market OR if you do Beartooth and go to Red Lodge, go to the Red Lodge market (can't remember if it's got a different name than that, hahaha....I just know where either is!) Food is acceptable but not great. I mostly eat out of my cooler or the General stores grills.

I knew I was running out of room so saved this question, lol.

"Q- How much time realistically will it take to go from Old Faithful Inn to Bozeman on Day 8?"

It depends on which way you choose to go. Here is map of approximate drive times within Yellowstone. All of the regular visitors have done segments in less time so it's just a ball park. I've also had instances where it took more than the time listed.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/content/uploads/2025/05/Map_YNP-Xanterra-Detailed_CMYK-v2025-1-scaled.jpg

So....
Option 1: OF to West Yellowstone and up US191 to Bozeman
OF to West Entrance - 1h15m - 1h30m. (You would be going against the traffic but you would not want to pull off into any of the laybys on the left (south) side of the road because you will NEVER get back across incoming/eastbound traffic if you are before noon.)
West Yellowstone to Bozeman - 1h30m
Total: 2h45m minimum

Option 2: OF to Mammoth and up US89 to Bozeman
OF to the North entrance - 2h15m to 2h30m
North Entrance to Bozeman - 1h30m
Total: 3h 45m minimum

Of course this is just hands on the wheel drive times. You'd figure more time for stops for scenery, food, comfort, etc. Either of these routes is easily done in half a day.

Also, I recommend you screen shot or download a calendar of sunrise/sunset times from www.sunrisesunset.com Be sure to tick the box for Civil Twilight times. You'd not want to leave your lodging in the AM before you can see colors which is a bit after the actual Civil Twilight but before sunrise. I don't recommend driving in the dark in the whole area due to the many large animals on or near the road. The bison are impossible to see at night. Their fur sort of soaks up any available light and they don't show up. I will admit to driving in the dark if I don't have far to go but I am super cautious.

Let me know if you have questions!

Thanks everyone for all the useful information! You added more joy to the pre-trip excitement. This is our first really big National Park trip and we are learning the ins and outs of planning such a trip. It's a bit different than planning a trip to international towns and cities.

jeanm -It is good to know that there are options to purchase snacks and supplies in the park if we need them. Huckleberry ice cream sounds delicious. I've added it as a side note to try in our planner along with your deli suggestions in the Grand Teton area.

joe32F - Information on this forum has been very helpful.

Pam - Your love for Yellowstone shines! I get a sense of your enthusiasm and admiration for the park in your very detailed comments. All your safety comments and realistic drive times are appreciated and have been noted in our travel planner. The vital info about bathrooms in Grant Village made me smile as a teacher. So important! If there is not one, there needs to be an online source with the best bathrooms in the park and best ice cream. lol

We were very excited when a frontier cabin opened for Rosie. The wildlife is one of the many things that attracted us to Yellowstone and most reviews indicated that Roosevelt Lodge has a good location for spotting wildlife. Thanks again for all the reassurances we are on the right path with itinerary.

You are quite welcome. I will say that pre-Covid when there were many, many big tour buses filled with visitors from Asian countries the West Thumb vault toilets were really dreadful from overuse. They've increased to merely "nasty" because they just don't have the staff to keep up. There are still a few vault toilets that are set up for folks who are used to squatting instead of sitting or there are instructions on not to stand on the toilet seats.

One thing I forgot...IF it's hot in the afternoons when you are there, then on Day 5 I would take a run out thru Lamar Valley in the early AM like you will do in Hayden. Come back to the Lodge for breakfast or take something to eat in a pull out along the way. In the heat the big critters with heavy fur coats tend to hide out in the shade in the afternoons so wildlife spotting can be hit or miss. Your chances are better in the chill of the early AM.

Do bring jackets, maybe a warm beanie and glove liners for the early AM wildlife viewing. Along with sunhat with chin straps, sunscreen and sunglasses, hahaha!

Hello,
I am interested in this post because we will be visiting Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this July. Several people mentioned buying a cooler and stocking up with breakfast items, snacks, and made to order sandwiches. This might sound like a silly question, but what does a person do with the cooler at the end of the trip when they have a flight home? Is this a throw-a-way type cooler?
Thanks!

@kmkwoo - There are throwaway styrofoam coolers but I don't recommend them...they are generally squeaky and leaky, lol. Many leave coolers at their last hotel or if they have time run by a charity shop and drop them off. Sometimes people will meet folks coming in and just pass off the cooler to them.

Pam, thank you so much for your prompt response!

One thing not mentioned yet is Bear Spray. Maybe Pam can help with that. We met a couple on our first stop in Yellowstone that were leaving the park and sold us their unused can for $10. We then gave the unused can to a family when we were leaving the Tetons on our last day.

Fortunately, we had no close encounters with bears. Elk was another story.

Another vote for Creekside Market in Jackson. We picked up sandwiches every morning. Our soft-side cooler folds up nicely, and so we take it with us on our trips. Once at our destination we make a quick stop and pick up some "blue ice". Hotels are usually quite willing to put the blue ice in their freezers for the night.

I also brought a soft-side cooler on a trip to Yellowstone. It's been useful on car trips from home, too.
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/130022?page=llbean-softpack-adventure-cooler-25-liter&feat=coolers-SR0&csp=a&attrValue_0=53209&searchTerm=coolers&pos=1

When we were there it was easy to drive from Roosevelt to Gardiner, with stops along the way. We went to the Boiling River for a dip. We bought supplies at the market in Gardiner, including rotisserie chicken for dinner. There was also a spot to view bighorn sheep before reentering the park. You could do all this as part of day 5.

Unfortunately the Boiling River soaking place no longer exists as it was scoured out by the flood in June 2022 as was the old North Entrance Road. For the "new" road they paved over the very old dirt back road from Mammoth to Gardiner which takes you further away from the cliffs where the Bighorn Sheep were easily seen. I've stopped at some of the laybys on the new road and glassed the hillside where I always used to see sheep but have not been able to spot any since before the flood.

Yes to Jean's query about Bear Spray. I have mine and buy a new one every few years. They are readily available at stores and gift shops in Jackson, Grand Tetons and in Yellowstone. There are also rental places for bear spray where you they weigh each can to make sure it has not been discharged even a little bit as if you have an encounter you will need every single bit of spray in the canister. TBH, I am not sure I'd trust a can which had been thru a bunch a people. I know it seems silly to pay $50 for a can of spray you are 99.999 percent of the time never going to need but....it's like paying for insurance. I also have never had to draw mine BUT I always holster it every time I get out of the car, even if it's just to lean against the side and birdwatch.

I love our national parks and hope you catch the bug after this trip. Roosevelt Lodge is probably my favorite place to stay in the park, because of all the wildlife in the Lamar Valley. Go out early in the morning for the best sightings. We usually asked the staff where they had seen bear that morning and then headed out in our car. Just be prepared for the Lake cabins. They are small and bare bones, but it’s so much better to stay in the park. Also, if you want to eat in a hotel restaurant, be sure to make a reservation way ahead. Have fun!

Lodging feedback is helpful and good to know. We wanted to stay in the park because this may be our one and only visit to Yellowstone traveling from the East Coast. We are staying in the more affordable rooms in each lodging to meet our budget. We expect that they will be simple and rustic rooms and if it surpases that, bonus. BTW - I checked on rooms inside Lake Yellowstone Hotel (last week of January) and they had a discount on rooms inside the hotel. The discount is new. I was surprised to see it. It made us reconsider for a moment, but I think we will like having our car parked next the cabin.

We plan on having a hot meal or two at the lodges mostly for dinner. How were the waits for getting food/table at Roosevelt Lodge, Old Faithful Inn and/or Lake Yellowstone Hotel canteen? We may splurge for a nicer sit down meal at Old Faithful Inn. Recommended? I'm not sure if I want to have a reservation during prime evening hours viewing of geysers.

We will probably travel with a soft sided cooler. I have seen recommendations to check-in your hard sided cooler from home as your "suitcase" for travel. We were planning on just traveling with a carry-on, so this may be an option we consider (luggage is included on plane ticket).

Too bad the floods have damaged Boiling River. We are considering soaking in the Yellowstone Hot Springs in Gardiner as an option on our last day in Yellowstone. We plan on visiting Gardiner either day 5 or Day 8. I like the idea of exploring a small town to take a break from the park. My travel experience on safaris has helped me to gain insights on my travel preferences. I adore the outdoors, but find that I appreciate it more if I add a variety of activities and experiences. Gardiner sounds like it may fit the bill.

We plan on purchasing bear spray at the Jackson Airport because we have a couple scenic stops enroute to the hotel.

Speaking of Grand Tetons - Has anyone visited the Teton Raptor Center? Recommended? I've seen little feedback. We are thinking about driving the Moose-Wilson road just after sunrise. Afterwards, we would attend a program at Teton Raptor Center (ngo organization) and then go see one of Thomas Dambo's trolls in Wilson. I've seen a few of his trolls and they are just incredible.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

"How were the waits for getting food/table at Roosevelt Lodge, Old Faithful Inn and/or Lake Yellowstone Hotel canteen?"

This is totally going to depend on what time you get there. I'd say the longest waits would be at the OF Inn. This is where bus tours often stay so they may all show up at one time. You'd definitely want reservations. At Roosevelt Lodge, this can ebb and flow but there is a wonderful porch where you can have an adult beverage and wait until your table is ready. At Roosevelt, I'd recommend eating early if that fits with your travel style so you can make a run back out into Lamar Valley for wildlife during the crepuscular hours.

"We may splurge for a nicer sit down meal at Old Faithful Inn. Recommended? I'm not sure if I want to have a reservation during prime evening hours viewing of geysers."

To me, prime viewing hours for geysers depends solely on when the predictable ones are set to go. My favorites are Grand Geyser and Riverside Geyser. Grand goes about every 8 hours, Riverside about every 6 hours so those times will drift some but you can get a good idea by watching times for a couple of weeks before you travel on the app or website www.geysertimes.org The timings now and the intervals listed are not particularly accurate for what they might be in August. The data is somewhat skewed as people are not there in the basin catching every eruption so the accuracy is not as good. That will improve over the summer as geyser gazers are in the Upper Basin all day and part of the night, lol.

Late afternoon IS a prime viewing time for Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin. It's the time when the traffic has slowed down and there is parking available at either Midway or at the Fairy Falls Trailhead which is where you can walk out to the overlook for the aerial view of the spring.

Over the last few years the OF Inn has offered a buffet only although last year they did have a few a la carte items. It's been about $45 for the buffet so it's never interested me. With reservations there you'll get an email about 60 days out saying you can make a dinner reservation. If you think it will be a possibility, I'd go ahead and reserve then cancel if it's not going to work for you. By May when the Inn opens again the prices will be posted on the Xanterra website so you'll have that information before you book.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/restaurant/old-faithful-inn-dining-room/

BTW, there is a deck area on the 2nd floor of the Inn that makes for great geyser viewing. There is usually a bar kiosk open to one side of the doors to the deck so you can sit out there and have a nice libation. There is also a coffee cart although last time I tried it they were not open as early as I want caffeine, hahaha!

The Lake area has 2 dining options. There is the Lake Hotel Dining Room which is supposed to have the best food in the park as this is where the executive chef is located. You would need reservations. There is also the Wiley Canteen at the Lake Lodge (different building). The last time I poked my head in there they had electronic order kiosks at the entrance and then you grabbed a table and the food was delivered. In this area there is also a deli stand just off the Lake Hotel Lobby, a small grill at the Lake General Store and a larger grill a few miles away at the Fishing Bridge General Store. The lodging dining options and the General Store dining options are run by different companies so different menus.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/dining/