Yellowstone

You absolutely do not want to stay in one place for the entire time. The park is very big, and traffic jams are common (some caused by bison, some caused by cars).

You'll find the more upscale kinds of lodging at several locations in the park, but I can't tell you for sure. You can check all the options at https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/eatingsleeping.htm or https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/.

With 9-10 days, I'd recommend dividing your time between Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Lake Yellowstone, and Canyon Lodge, 2-3 nights at each location.

Enjoy!

Oh boy are you in luck! The RS forums are fortunate enough to have much respected member who goes to Yellowstone every year so is a terrific resource! While you're waiting for her to get to you - her name is Pam - here are a few previous threads where she's helped others with her favorite park:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yellowstone-lodging

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yellowstone-and-grand-teton-first-time-visit

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yellowstone-dates-for-2024

We haven't been fortunate enough to have been able to get to this one yet but I do know that you're not going to find any accommodations IN the park with kitchens or that allow cooking of any sort, although some of the rooms have coffeemakers. Mini-fridges are also not standard in all but you can get around that with a cooler. I'm sure Pam will have some suggestions for accommodations with the sort of amenities you're looking for but maybe in West Yellowstone or another location outside the park.

I go to Yellowstone yearly. You are not too late to make reservations for next Sept although the bookings opened up Sept5 2024 for all of Sept 2025.

Have you looked at flying open jaw - in to Bozeman and out of Jackson? How you plan your overnights will depend on what your arrival/departure airports are.

I do recommend you book at least 2 lodging areas for Yellowstone. I usually stay in the cabins but that's because I prefer to park at the door to my room so I can do cooler maintenance. There are cabins with ensuite baths so it's not at all like camping.

Here is one suggestion for a R/T flying in/out of Bozeman:

1 Arrive Bozeman. Where you overnight here depends on what time you arrive.
2 Overnight Gardiner(gateway town) or Mammoth or Canyon
3 Overnight same
4 Overnight Grand Tetons/Jackson
5 Overnight same
6 Overnight same
7 Overnight Old Faithful or West Yellowstone if you have to have a gateway town.
8 Overnight same
9 Overnight depends on what time your flight leaves tomorrow
10 Depart Bozeman

I can offer suggestions for in/out of Jackson or for an open jaw itinerary if you decide you need that.

Book your in-park lodging only thru the official concessioner, Xanterra, at www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com Do not book at a general website that "sounds" like it might be official. There are a couple of 3rd party reservation sites that imply they are official when they are not. They charge a 10% booking fee and have horrible cancellation policies. For 2025 with Xanterra you have free cancellation up to 30 days out and a $25 fee for cancellation from 30 days to 7 days out.

You are not allowed to cook in any of the park lodging. I always take an electric kettle to make coffee, tea, rehydrate oatmeal or soups. I always travel with a cooler and restock ice every 3 or 4 days from the general stores in the park. IF you decide you need to have full kitchen facilities you will need to stay in a gateway town. That increases your drive times in the park.

Once you have your lodging in place I'm also happy to give you a more detailed itinerary for daily activities.

Editing to add: Cross-posting with Kathy! Thank you so much for the kind words! Yes, West Yellowstone and Gardiner are the best gateway towns for a 1st timer to Yellowstone. The West Entrance is the busiest so you havethe potential for encountering gate traffic. Here is a link to the Yellowstone webcams. Scroll down and see the 2 links for the WEst gate cameras and look tomorrow to see how bad the traffic is at the time you think you'd be entering to get an idea.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

In 2018, we had a great 10-night trip. All of our rooms were true clean rooms, not cabins. I can't remember if we had refrigerators. The food was definitely not memorable except when we drove into Jackson one evening, but the sights were outstanding. Here is what we did:

Flew into Bozeman, arrived late afternoon, met our friends and picked up a car, and spent 1 night just north of the park in Gardner. The next morning we went to the Mammoth Area before moving on to our lodge in the canyon area.
3 nights at Canyon Lodge
3 nights at Old Faithful Snow Lodge
3 nights at Signal Mountain Lodge in the Grand Tetons (Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake lodge look wonderful, but we didn't want to spend that much)
Drove to Idaho Falls and flew home from there (it was the best airfare deal for us--our friends flew home from Jackson)

I hope you can find the accommodations you want. I especially loved the Old Faithful area and the Grand Tetons. There is a lot to do, and I'd like to return, especially to the Grand Tetons.

Thank you everyone, I appreciate your quick reply! This information has been helpful to get started and I will move forward to see what availability looks like in different locations and will be back with more questions.

jkrssn,
When we went in 2006 (wow, 18 years ago!), we flew into Jackson Hole, where we picked up our car. The town is worth walking around a bit. We stayed for 2 nights in the Tetons at the cabins there and ate in the lodge restaurant. I would definitely spend at least a full day around the lakes there. just to admire the mountains. The we went to Yellowstone. You would still have 7-9 days there.
Pam is a wonderful resource, so her post is one to follow.
Good luck!

Long ago when we traveled with our kids we found staying at Mammoth, Old Faithful and Canyon Village a good spacing to see the park. ( NO camping). Which order you do it depends on where you choose to enter and depart the park.

That was 20+ yrs ago, so can't speak to what current lodging options are. Back then no kitchen facilities nor even fridges in the rooms.

"Drove to Great Falls Idaho and flew home from there"

Barbara N probably means she flew home from Idaho Falls which is a 2 hour - ish drive from Jackson. Great Falls is Montana and a 6.5 hour drive from Jackson.

Pam - Thank you, it's great to have an experienced resource and I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge. Yes I'd be open to multi-city. I want to make sure that I'm following your suggestion correctly. In your suggested itinerary, are you saying Day 2 and 3 in Mammmoth/Canyon in Yellowstone and then leave to go to Grand Teton for 2-3 nights and then back to Yellowstone in other entrance? I also haven't looked into Grand Teton at all, so I have no idea what those accommodations look like. I want to make sure that I understand the flow and which airports to book so that I am at the right area closest to that airport.

I think 10 days is way to many days.
We did Yellowstone on a tour with Gate 1 and were there for three days.

Oh my, 10 days is not too long in my opinion! I generally spend a minimum of 10 days just in Yellowstone and often 14 days. I don't hike much as I travel solo and am very bear aware so only hike when I have companions or when I am in geyser basins. And honestly, for a 1st timer doing a package tour most people don't know what they didn't see...if that makes sense.

I DO take tours in Europe so I am not against tours in Europe or US, just will say that tour stops are minimal in seeing the highlights. With Rick Steves on one of my first tours that included Paris we spent 2 nights there. That is typical for his itineraries but in no way does one see Paris. You get a taste of what is there with a scouting trip. Ditto with ANY company's tours to Yellowstone! (Even Road Scholar which I have done!)

Yes, what I suggest if you are in/out of the same airport is doing a big loop. If in/out of Bozeman, put Grand Tetons in the middle. If you are in/out of Jackson, put Yellowstone in the middle. This way you don't have such a long drive back to your starting airport at the end. If you go with an open jaw itinerary - in to one city and out of another you can more or less do things in a straight line.

There are also side areas you can visit - Cody WY has a wonderful 5-museum complex called the Buffalo Bill Center of the West as well as the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center (internment camp for Americans of Japanese descent in WWII). Cody has a rodeo duringthe summer but it ends Aug 31 each year. Beartooth Highway out the NE entrance is jaw-droppingly gorgeous but is subject to weather - later in Sept can bring snow.. There is a Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone which takes in wildlife that has either gotten in trouble or has been injured. You can make a loop out of West Yellowstone to see the site of the devastating Hebgen Earthquake of August 1959 and/or Mesa Falls in Idaho. There is Chico Hot Springs and Yellowstone Hot Springs north of Gardiner/North Entrance if they appeal to you. Many enjoy Jackson for the town/food.

jkrassn,
Our Tetons/Yellowstone trip was a straight line trip, in a way: Grand Tetons, into Yellowstone from the south and working our way north, leaving by Hwy 89 on our way through Montana to Glacier Natl.Park. If we hadn't had plans for Montana, we would have gone by way of the northeast entrance to Cody. Someday.....! Open jaw is a good idea.

Thank you Pam for catching my error regarding the airport in Idaho. I edited my response.

AND more importantly, I strongly agree that 10 days is not too long, especially if you like to walk/hike. We tend to do easy to moderate hikes, and we found many that allowed us to explore the wide variety of thermal and geological features in the parks.

Again thank you to all of you! This information was really helpful in exploring different options.
Pam - After researching flights it looks like I can fly through both Jackson/Bozeman if that will be less driving. I would prefer to do 1 park at a time as opposed to jumping back and forth. Below is a new rough draft for lodging for your thoughts. I’d like to get the lodging order finalized so that I can book rooms.
-I’m also thinking that flying into Jackson Hole and staying there a night to get settled may give us more food options, and then do GT first. If that’s not correct feel free to let me know your recommendation.
- I’m also undecided if there is any benefit to add Lake Village by either replacing a night from Old Faithful or adding another night.
- In looking at the map I included entrances to start and end, however these were not the ones initially mentioned, so please tell me if I’m not doing this correctly
-Leave via Bozeman - Best area to stay before flight?

Arrive Jackson hole airport
Day 1 Stay in Jackson Hole
Day 2 Grand Teton
Day 3 Grand Teton
Day 4 South Entrance - Old Faithful
Day 5 Old Faithful
Day 6 Old Faithful
Day 7 Canyon Village
Day 8 Canyon Village North Entrance?
Day 9 Stay in Gardiner and visit hot springs mentioned in post, or stay to a closer town to Bozeman airport?
Include Lake Village? (Worth adding?)
Thank you!!!

Yep, that looks fine!

You’ll go thru the Lake Village/Fishing Bridge area while you are exploring. Many like to see the Historic Lake Hotel, designed by Robert Reamer who also designed the Old Faithful Inn and the Mammoth Hotel. (The Canyon Hotel he designed burned in the 1960’s).

You do not need to make reservations in Gardiner this far out. Maybe look after New Years and be sure to check the cancellation polities. Where you actually stay that last night will depend on your flight times from Bozeman. And yes, you could stay at Chico Hot Springs. Many love it, I’m not a hot springs person. I did see Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid in the restaurant/bar back in the day, lol.

Don’t forget to check one way car rental drop off fees. They vary wildly with some having better luck going in one direction over the other. They also change over time so do go back every now and then to see what is being offered.

This will be a fun trip!

We have eaten many breakfasts and dinners in Yellowstone, and it's all been good. I really like Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

Have a great time!

This has been helpful to sketch out my accommodations for YS/GT itinerary. I have a 9 day itinerary which includes a stay in Jackson on arrival and either Gardiner or Chico Hot Springs leaving the north entrance. I’ve never been to this part of the country and am thinking a few extra days to ensure I’ve taken in the sights may be worth it. Mt Rushmore and the Badlands look like a long drive. Is there any other recommended stops within 2 hrs, or slightly more of it takes me closer to a main airport?

Adding Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Custer State Park/Black Hills is a full day's drive from either Yellowstone or Black Hills. IF you have 2 weeks you could consider flying in to Denver and making a loop up thru Badlands/Mt Rushmore, over to Devil's Tower, then on to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and loop back to Denver OR depart Jackson or Denver. It's difficult to do a one way car rental from Rapid City. The car rental outlets there often will charge exorbitant fees for one-way drop offs as they are small agencies and have to send 2people to go retrieve their cars.

The things that are nearby are:

Beartooth HIghway (out the NE Entrance of Yellowstone, thru Cooke City over Beartooth to Red Lodge): You could include this as a day trip from Gardiner/Mammoth/Canyon OR you could depart the NE entrance, drive Beartooth to Red Lodge, then head up to I90 and back to Bozeman for the night before your departure.

Here's a map of sights along Beartooth:

http://www.redlodge.com/downloads/beartooth-highway.pdf

Cody WY - https://www.codyyellowstone.org
Center of the West is a 5-museum complex https://centerofthewest.org/
Heart Mountain Interpretive Center https://www.heartmountain.org/
A bit further east is Red Gulch dinosaur tracksite https://www.blm.gov/visit/red-gulch-dinosaur-tracksite
Pryor Mountain Mustangs - http://www.pryormustangs.org/ (If this is of interest I recommend a day tour from Cody. The roads in the mustang area are dirt and your car rental contract may not cover going off pavement)
Buffalo Bill Dam - https://bbdvc.com/
Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain - A possibly 10,000+ year old sacred/ceremonial/astronomical site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Wheel/Medicine_Mountain_National_Historic_Landmark
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Highway_296 (History lesson diversion, lol...in the Summer of 1877 the Nez Perce Tribe,located in North Idaho had a run in with the US Army and started to run from them. They trekked across the Idaho Mountains - roughly the route of US12 from Kooskia ID to Lolo MT, dropped south, had the Battle of Big Hole (www.nps.gov/biho ), continued to and thru Yellowstone, cut up north, east of Yellowstone and what is now Cody along the route of the current Chief Joseph Highway and headed north to their end battle at Battle of BearPaw almost at the Canada border)

Dubois WY - east of Grand Tetons
National Museum of Military Vehicles -https://nmmv.org/

SE of Billings MT/North of Sheridan WY - Battle of LIttle Bighorn www.nps.gov/libi

West Yellowstone
Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center- https://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org/ A rescue group for animals that have either gotten into trouble or are unable to live in the wild. Some of the first residents were a pair of cubs who's Mom attacked/killed 1 hiker and either attacked or participated in feeding on the body of another hiker in summer of 2011. Mom was euthanized but cubs were eventually placed here as they had learned poor behavior from Mom.
Museum of the Yellowstone - https://museumoftheyellowstone.org/about In the old Union Pacific depot in West Yellowstone
Quake Lake/site of the 1959 Hebgen earthquake
Mesa Falls - Upper and Lower Falls in Idaho south of West Yellowstone https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ctnf/recreation/outdoorlearning/recarea/?recid=80612&actid=120

Bozeman - Museum of the Rockies https://museumoftherockies.org/exhibitions/

This is what I can think of off hand. I may have some other thoughts...!

Wow, thank you! This is great information that I will research further. Much appreciated!

Just a quick note that I tried to enter Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway in early September a few years ago. Ice and snow closed the road, so I needed to backtrack to Red Lodge and circle back around to Cody WY to enter the park. As I understand it, this is not uncommon once September arrives. Fortunately, one can travel through most of Wyoming at very high speeds pretty safely, as no one lives there and you can see for miles in front of you.

Any thoughts on lodging in Grand Teton?

jkrassn,
We were very happy staying in a cabin at Colter Bay Village....simple but comfortable. No cooking facilities at that time (2006), but very comfortable. We ate at the nearby restaurant....simple but nice.

We stayed at Signal Mountain Lodge in the Grand Tetons and it was fine. Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake lodges look wonderful, but we didn't want to spend that much. We stayed in a cabin, but there are also motel and lodge style rooms.

I like Signal Mountain Lodge as well for the Tetons. I do splurge here and get the Upper Level Lakeside Retreat rooms which have a balcony facing the mountains. They also have a 2-burner stove top and a full-size refrigerator which is nice for re-freezing my ice block, lol!! For myself I like the ensuite cabin accommodations in Yellowstone which are relatively inexpensive so it balances out for me. SML has new owners and I have not stayed there since 2022 as I don't do the Tetons every year like I do Yellowstone.

https://www.signalmountainlodge.com/

If you go for Colter Bay, be sure to book thru the official lodging provider, Grand Teton Lodge Company. They cover Colter Bay, Jackson Lake Lodge and Jenny Lake Lodge (really expensive, lol). They also cover Headwaters but I don't recommend that location. No view, a bad fire nearby in 2016 (Berry Fire which torched 20,000 acres) and not convenient for either Grand Tetons or Yellowstone.

https://www.gtlc.com/lodges

Beartooth is very high elevation and is subject to temporary weather closures in September. On the Wyoming Trip Advisor forum we do have a thread every Fall for road closures including Beartooth plus you can get closure information on the www.nps.gov/yell website OR sign up for road alert text notification from the park (even though Beartooth is not IN Yellowstone). It has not closed so far this Fall. It opens Memorial Day weekend and did close for a day on June 18 due to snow in higher elevations.

I’m back and changing my plan to go in/out of Jackson instead of multi airports. It got too complicated with the 2 airports. I’ve booked Old Faithful/Canyon Village but should be able to shift the dates if I necessary. It looks like Jackson airport is around 2.5 hrs from Canyon Village. Should I change my itinerary below to work my way back closer to Jackson or break up the drive back with a stop in another town? Nothing is booked in Grand Teton and that can move, also wondering if it matters if I stay in GT or Jackson? Open to itinerary recommendations. Thank you!
Arrive Jackson hole airport
Day 1 Stay in Jackson Hole
Day 2 Grand Teton
Day 3 Grand Teton
Day 4 South Entrance - Old Faithful
Day 5 Old Faithful
Day 6 Old Faithful
Day 7 Canyon Village
Day 8 Canyon Village

It looks like Jackson airport is around 2.5 hrs from Canyon Village. Should I change my itinerary below to work my way back closer to Jackson or break up the drive back with a stop in another town?

2.5 hrs to cover 105 miles. Do you want another location to stay or does that seem like too much of a drive? Must confess I am puzzled at why you would want to 'break up the drive'?

Where I would spend the last night before flying out would be dependent on what time the flight is.

When in Sept are you planning? One time in mid June I was stuck at Old Faithful because of an overnight snow that closed a pass and had to wait several hours for crews to clear in before the road was opened.

2.5 hrs to the airport is not convenient particularly with a morning flight, so I’d like to understand if there is an interesting town to stop at on the way back to Jackson from the Canyon village area, or if I should shift the itinerary.

There is currently a temporary road closure due to weather in the park, and we have encountered them other years this week in September. Don't schedule so tightly that you would miss a flight if a pass is closed. Trip insurance would be good to have.

I would definitely spend the night before your flight back in the Jackson or Grand Tetons area. Canyon to JAC is all on 2-lane roads with no easy work around if there is an issue such as a road closure Annie mentioned. There are no towns between Yellowstone and Jackson. There is scenery and lodging along the way.

It is more than 2.5 hours from Canyon to Jackson. Here is a link of approximate drive times in Yellowstone. Regular visitors will have driven segments in less time than shown but this is good for getting your head wrapped around slower drive times.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/content/uploads/2017/04/Park-Map-with-mileage.pdf

It’s an hour + from the South entrance of Yellowstone to the airport. A little more on down to Jackson.

It’s best not to use google map times for drive times within Yellowstone or some of the mountain areas nearby (Beartooth Highway or Chief Joseph Scenic Byway).

Pam - It sounds like if I can keep open jaw arrive in Jackson, leave from Bozeman it’s the most direct path with least amount of extra driving, correct?
If we do change to RT from Jackson how would you change the order of this itinerary?
Arrive Jackson hole airport
Day 1 Stay in Jackson Hole - Raft on Snake River or do in YS?
Day 2 Grand Teton (stay in GT or Jackson?)
Day 3 Grand Teton
Day 4 South Entrance - Old Faithful
Day 5 Old Faithful
Day 6 Old Faithful
Day 7 Canyon Village
Day 8 Canyon Village

Other questions:
-It will be the end of Sept. Do you recommend rafting on the Snake River or YS River? Thinking 2-3 hrs max, wouldn’t mind some rapids but don’t want to be wet and freezing.
-Thoughts on staying in GT vs in Jackson to experience more of the town?

So many questions, I appreciate your insights and patience!
Thank you,
Judy

When looking at drive times in Yellowstone, just be aware that it will take two or three times longer than what Google Maps says. Although there are pullovers, a lot of people will stop in the road if they see an animal, and then you are stuck in a long line behind them. One time we sat in one place for over an hour because bison were in the road and they were not moving to let anyone by.

I'm curious about your comment: "Thoughts on staying in GT vs in Jackson to experience more of the town?" Are you thinking that Grand Teton is an actual town? Grand Teton is a National Park and includes various areas to explore and some different places to stay. Or do you mean experience more of the town of Jackson?

Also, be aware that the town is called Jackson in the Jackson Hole Valley.

Thank you for the driving tips to be aware of potential added time. Regarding GT - I am tossed between spending 1 night in Jackson (arrival day) and 2 nights in GT, or all 3 nights in Jackson. My understanding is that GT is somewhat easy to get in and out of, therefore I’m wondering if staying in the town of Jackson will give us more options for restaurants, lodging, and experiencing the town, vs any benefit of staying in GT?

I prefer to be right in a National Park to being in an upscale touristy town, although I did enjoy our afternoon and evening with a good dinner in Jackson. So it really depends on your personal preference whether you want to be right in the park or have easy access to a variety of restaurants.

If you are in/out of Jackson, here is one of many ways to break things up:

Day 1: Overnight Jackson. (Jackson is the town. Jackson Hole is the whole valley which includes the town of Jackson, Grand Teton National Park, and some smaller unincorporated towns)

Day 2/3: Overnight OF

Day 4: Overnight Mammoth (or Gardiner for a gateway town)

Days 5/6: Overnight Canyon Village

Day 7/8: Overnight Grand Tetons

I usually stay in the Grand Tetons because I don't need or want the busy-ness of Jackson. I do go into town to shop at Whole Foods and to get into the National Elk Refuge (no elk in the summer, they feed them in winter there). If you don't want to stay 3 places in Yellowstone, do 3 nights at Canyon so you can more easily get up to Lamar Valley for wildlife watching. It's a long haul from Old Faithful to the middle of Lamar Valley.

Here is a link to approximate drive times in Yellowstone. Anyone who is a regular visitor has done segments in less time, still to me the map is useful for getting your head around a longer drive time. You can also just double the miles to get an approx. drive time and add a smidge, lol.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/content/uploads/2017/04/Park-Map-with-mileage.pdf

And yes, open jaw takes you in a more direct line but to be perfectly honest, I drive and backtrack every single day in Yellowstone and you'd be shocked at how often when I drive back thru a segment there is wildlife there that wasn't there earlier. It never bothers me to go over the same territory UNLESS it is the road between Madison and Old Faithful during midday when it is clogged with traffic. THAT I avoid like the plague! I will drive back and forth there either early AM or early evening when the jams from the day visitors have let up.

Pam

Thank you!