Yellowstone and Grand Teton First time visit

Restaurant recommendation for Jackson: Bin 22. Honestly one of my favorite meals of all time. I regret that we tried it on our last night in Jackson - otherwise we would have gone there every day. I don't think they take reservations.

https://bin22jacksonhole.com/

Been over 20 years since I visited Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. It was early May and had to wait 3 days before the West entrance from Idaho opened up.

Do remember I was the only vehicle entering. Saw moose, foxes, and elk. Myself and 1 other person at the hot springs.

Stayed at the 49er Inn.

Enjoyed Moose Drool beer.

Great solo adventure.

Yes, I am familiar with the Kelly Inn. I go to Yellowstone every year for 2 weeks and usually add a few days in the Tetons.

It's been a while since I stayed at the Kelly since I generally stay in the park. It's one of the newer hotels and is pretty nice. I would stay there again if I were going early in the season and park lodging was not open. I always get one of the rooms on the 1st floor that has an exterior entrance so I can park right there and do cooler management.

In West Yellowstone you will not need dining reservations.

In Jackson you probably do if you are eating in the higher end restaurants. I post a lot on the Wyoming forum for Trip Advisor but am not an expert on Jackson. There are many who eat at the nicer restaurants so I'd recommend you post there and ask about reservations. (And yes, I think you will need them for Bin 22, lol)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28973-i480-Wyoming.html

I do recommend you plan to have a cooler for your time in the park. Before Covid we always recommended it on TA so you didn't have to leave something interesting to go find food. Since Covid staffing issues in the dining concessions have been difficult along with supply chain issues so it's an even better idea now. YOu will be early in the season so the staffing may be OK in both the Xanterra dining options (the lodging concessioner) and the General Stores grills (different concessioner).

How many nights will you be in West Yellowstone? If you need to stick with gateway lodging I'd recommend you split between West Yellowstone and Gardiner. This time of year the wildlife along the Northern Range from Mammoth to the NE entrance will be very good but it's such a long drive from West. Here is a link showing approximate drive times within Yellowstone. All the regulars have done segments of road in less time than listed but it helps get your head wrapped around drive times.

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

I'm happy to give you daily itinerary suggestions if you want.

Depending on how much time you have in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, I'd not take time away from them to spend time in Bozeman. I'd stay a night in Cody for the 5-museum complex if you have extra time. You could also drive out the NE entrance and drive Beartooth Highway from Cooke City to Red Lodge. That highway opens the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Was there something that drew you to Bozeman?

BTW, there is absolutely no issue with the West Entrance being open. It opens the 3rd Friday of April (21st this year) as does access from Mammoth. The 1st Friday of May the East Entrance opens, and the 2nd Friday of May the South Entrance opens. The last road segment in the park to open is the Dunraven Pass from Canyon to Tower Fall and it opens the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend every year.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm

Thank you everyone.

Pam- We will have 4 nights at the Kelly Inn in West Yellowstone. So 3 full days in Yellowstone. We will then drive to Jackson where we have 2 full days in the Tetons. Then we drive to Idaho Falls for 1 night before heading to Stanley for 3 nights at the Red Fish Inn. My husband really wanted to stay there. I guess it just "caught" his eye. Lol.

No draw to Bozeman really except that is where we will fly in/out. We are open to suggestions for other places. We arrive May 27th and head to West Yellowstone on the 29th.

We will definitely bring a cooler for snacks/lunch/drinks.

If you'd like, I can send you our full Itinerary. FYI, we've planned this all in the last 2 weeks! Yikes

Estimated Prophet - That looks great. That's going on the dinner list for one night!

Pam is an expert on Yellowstone!

The only thing I will add is that the extra cost of in-park lodging for Yellowstone is something I am very glad I did. For me, it was a worthwhile investment. Two years ago, I kept a daily watch on cancellations to get what I wanted (because Covid messed up my original reservations). Things popped up regularly since there is a good cancellation policy with Xanterra.

We visit Jackson regularly. A perennial favorite is Snake River Brewing. I don't believe they take reservations.

Ok, I see what you are doing. I've PM'd you my email if you'd like me to look at things for you.

Right off hand, if you are arriving to Bozeman on the 27th - what time? If you arrive early enough to drive 2.5 hours in the daylight, then I suggest you consider Bozeman to Red Lodge and overnight in Red Lodge. On the 28th drive Beartooth Highway to the NE entrance (It should open on May 26 ) drive thru Lamar Valley and overnight at Gardiner. I'd move your first West Yellowstone night to Gardiner if you can make changes without penalty then you'd have 2 nights there and 3 in West.

The snowplow operators for Beartooth Highway on the Montana side start doing drone footage of their clearing operations which start in early May. They will have an idea as to whether Beartooth will open as scheduled. Here is a link to the Youtube videos they posted last year starting May 6. The work they do is phenomenal. There is also more snow this year.

https://www.youtube.com/@MontanaDOT

IF you didn't want to drive Beartooth, I'd recommend you head to Gardiner from Bozeman either on the 27th or 28th. It's about a 1.5 hour drive from the airport. Do 2 overnights there however it works depending on your flight arrival time. This way you will be able to spend some time on the road from Mammoth out thru Lamar Valley for wildlife. This time of year is excellent for Black and Grizzly Bears in this area. Last year there were lots of bears right around the Tower Junction area - both toward Mammoth and south toward Tower Fall.

If you are interested, here is a link to my Trip Report on TA from last June, truncated due to the flooding and park closure. At the end is also a link to my FB picture album from this trip that is open.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28973-i480-k13995725-Trip_Report_YNP_GTNP_June_6_June_16_2022-Wyoming.html

I always go in June for the wildlife. I'll miss you all by a few days as I'll not be over there until June 8.

As Claudia mentioned , snow at that time of year is not all that unusual. Be sure to have some flexibility in your plans in case you have to wait for roads to be plowed.

One year in mid-June we had an overnight snow and had to wait several hours for the road to be cleared so we could leave from the Old Faithful area to head south to the Tetons.

We booked a one bedroom condo at Arrowhead Lodge in West Yellowstone and were extremely pleased. Immaculate condo that was well equipped; laundry facility in the building. Much less expensive than a hotel stay. We had take-out several nights from Firehole BBQ and it was excellent. They do have dine-in facilities; it gets crowded and they run out of items depending on the time of your visit.

In Jackson Hole, I second the recommendation for Bin 22. Very casual, great tapas. Our meal at Gather Restaurant was fabulous; probably the best experience of our three week trip. Reservations are highly recommended. I would avoid Gun Barrel Steak and Game. Sub par food especially for the price; average service; noisy and crowded. (think tourist trap)

And I second the suggestion to avoid the Gun Barrel Steak and Game House. Cute swizzle sticks though.

As was mentioned, late May to early June is still pretty early in the season for Yellowstone. Not only is lingering snow a possibility but we were surprised at how muddy the trails were.- lots of boggy places due to the Spring snow melt I guess. Point being that although the hikes are beautiful, with the promise of lots of wild flowers in the meadows, be sure to have waterproof boots if you plan to wander much off the beaten path. Some industrial strength insect repellent wouldn't go amiss either.

If the trails are open, and you plan to do some hiking, you can rent bear spray at one of the kiosks in West Yellowstone.