Yellowstone and Jackson

I would definitely spend nights in Yellowstone. The drives take longer than you think they might. I'd be willing to say your friends who did a day trip have not traveled any other way. Staying IN the park is awesome. You are there early AM and in the evening when day visitors have gone back to their hotels at the gateway cities.

IF you have the time, I recommend 4 nights in Yellowstone at 2 different locations. This gives you 3 full days to tour the sights. For myself I usually spend TWO weeks each year in just Yellowstone, lol.

1. Here is a link to a map of approximate drive times within Yellowstone. Drive time matters more than mileage. All the repeat visitors to Yellowstone will have driven segments in less time than shown but it's a good graphic to get your head around slower times on narrow roads with the possibility of wildlife jams.

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

It's an hour to 1.5 hours from Jackson to the South Entrance of Yellowstone depending on where you are leaving from.

To get the inaccurate drive times on google maps or other online mapping programs, change the time from "leave now" to some time in June.

2 - The cookout is from Roosevelt Lodge, about an hour north of Canyon. You can get back to Canyon before full darkness if you don't tarry after you get back from the cookout. This does go over a mountain pass so you will want to drive it in the daylight. Many people enjoy this experience a lot. It does get booked out so if there is a possibility you'll do it you should book. You would not want to stay further away from Roosevelt Lodge than Canyon or Mammoth.

3 - I'd go with the best price AND the best cancellation policies. I usually stay at Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Tetons so no personal experience with any of the 3 you listed.

Book your Yellowstone nights ONLY on the Xanterra website at www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com Do not book on a 3rd party website that "sounds" official. They charge a 10% booking fee and have terrible cancellation policies.

Once you decide how many nights in Yellowstone, I'm happy to help you figure out how to divide up your time in the park.

Personal preference but Jackson is one of those places I hope to never return to. It’s expensive and there are no mountain views. After one night there I would spend the rest of the time in park lodging, stay in both parks. Day tripping from Jackson to Yellowstone is nuts, it’s quite far.

How far is the drive from a hotel in Jackson to Canyon lodge??

Google Maps says approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes when I set the date to July.

Sorry, but google maps is incorrect in this instance. They are not accurate in these 2 National Parks nor in the mountains around Yellowstone (specifically the time it takes to drive Beartooth Highway from Cooke City to Red Lodge).

It's about 60 miles from in Jackson to the South Entrance Kiosk for Yellowstone. You can't go 60 mph for a lot of that highway as the speed limit drops to 45 after you go thru the Moran Entrance Gate for Grand Tetons. Along that road there are sometimes slowdowns for wildlife spotting although the big draw in that area, Bear 399, was unfortunately killed last summer. There may be bears that move in to that area and are more visible from the road which will cause slowdowns. Count on at least 1.5 hours from Jackson to the South Entrance gate. There is not much traffic here, possibly a 15 minute wait to get thru.

From the South entrance gate to Canyon is about 60 miles so you can either double the miles to get an approximate drive time - 2 hours - or use the graphic I linked above which says about 2h15m. You may want to figure in time to make a comfort stop - flush toilets at Grant Village Visitor Center or the Grant Village General Store or in the Lake or Fishing Bridge area.

Please listen to Pam. She knows Yellowstone better than any of us.
On another point, have you considered adding a day or two to Grand Tetons NP? It is beautiful. When we flew into Jackson, we rented our car and drove there for a couple of days before heading to Yellowstone.

My own personal feel is that a trip to Jackson is not the same as a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Nothing wrong with either - but they are different.

I would be more likely to opt for the trip that includes both national parks - depending on available lodging at this point. I personally would stay the first night wherever is convenient. Then, as Pam says, 2 nights each in 2 locations in Yellowstone. Also, people routinely cancel reservations, so keeping an eye on the website daily may pay off.

Then I personally would stay the remaining nights in the Grand Tetons (although you more easily can visit from Jackson). But that’s just me.

If you stay in Jackson, check out the BarT5 for a chuckwagon dinner. bart5.com

Then I personally would stay the remaining nights in the Grand Tetons (although you more easily can visit from Jackson).

We did a day trip to Teton Village via city bus. Pretty easy. Teton Village had many activities including horse rides and the lift to the top of the mountain with waffles. Jackson is pretty convenient for other activities in general (shooting range, river raft, cowboy coaster) and some good microbreweries, so I wouldn't discount it too much.