Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

Hello Fred,
In our younger days we drove our annual Yellowstone 'pilgrimage' Seattle to Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs straight through, a good 12 hour day including stops to stretch and for a bite to eat. We really enjoyed this quieter area of the park. In the fall the elk are down and wandering about in town, resting against a car or on a walkway and you'll hear them serenading in the evening.

We have stayed at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Lake Lodge Cabins, Old Faithful Inn and the rustic cabins at Signal Mountain Lodge in the Tetons. We preferred Lake Lodge to Old Faithful Inn and enjoyed the rustic cabin at Signal Mountain Lodge.

Our last visit to Yellowstone was in a September when it was 75 during the day and we woke to snow on the ground the following morning. Put a damper on our hiking plans.

Yellowstone is magical. Try to get Norris Basin at sunrise. If you look carefully you can almost find Yoda or Merlin or other magicians in the mist.

I can't speak to biking other than the roads can be very congested with people looking for critters and not attentive to where they are driving.

I'm sure Pam will be able to provide lots of helpful information.

Sounds like you're going to have a wonderful visit!

EDIT to add We had field mice in every room/place we stayed in Yellowstone. Was a bit disconcerting to hear them rustling about during the night. lol

Hi Fred,
We also stayed at the rustic cabins at Signal Lodge in Grand Tetons. We did day hikes and sightseeing from there. It's lovely but we brought our own food as the restaurants are very pricey. We had a microwave in the cabin but not a full kitchen. It worked out well.

Here are my thoughts:

“Should we add a second night between Seattle and our ultimate lodging in Yellowstone?”

It takes me 7 hours to drive from Coeur d’Alene to Gardiner/North Entrance and about 30 minutes more to drive CdA to West Yellowstone/West Entrance.

Here is a link to approximate drive times within Yellowstone. Anyone who has visited regularly will have done some segments in less time and sometimes will have encountered slower traffic and longer drive times.

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

From either the North or West gates it’s about 2h45m to the Lake hotel area.

Yes, you will need a night in between Seattle area and Lake Hotel. To ke it depends on how long it takes from wherever you are leaving from in “Seattle” to, say, CdA. You will want to be to your destination before dark if near the park as both approaches go thru fairly wildlife rich areas and animals can be on the move at dusk.

Base lodging: I recommend 2 locations in Yellowstone to cut down on drive times i generally split between Mammoth or Gardiner (gateway town) and Old Faithful. Mammoth is good for access to Lamar Valley which is wildlife-rich. It is located iff the Grand Loop Road on the NE Entrance Riad. If Mammoth doesn’t appeal to you, OF and Lake are good choices. I, personally do not care for the location of Grant. There is really not much near it except West Thumb Geyser Basis which is a stop that takes less than an hour. The food options are limited as well.

Bikes: Fine for Jackson and the bike trail out to Grand Tetons. A big NO for Yellowstone. There are no shoulders, no paved bike paths. There are some designated bike areas but they are few. You also have a lot of bison and I just would not want to confront them on a bike. I have been up close to them on a snowmobile and it was pretty intimidating. Tomorrow when I am on my laptop I will give you a link to the cycle paths in Yellowstone so you can show your wife.

I’m happy to give you specific itineraries for Yellowstone. It is better if I know where you are staying as that will drive what you see when. I can include hikes as well.

Number of nights: In my opinion, more is better. I generally spend 10-14 nights just in Yellowstone but I spend time birding, wildlife watching and geyser gazing. You won’t know what captures your interest until you’ve been.

Route: If you go both ways on I90 I would divide your Yellowstone nights with your Grand Tetons nights so you can loop down off I90. If you already have your Grand Teton nights set that’s OK, it’s just longer from the Tetons up to 90. As far as going I84/82, I’ve driven most of that route but not specifically from Yellowstone since I live in N. idaho. I think I90 is prettier.

You could consider leaving Yellowstone(or Grand Tetons) and heading for the Bitterroot Valley in Western MT either via Salmon ID or to Dillon MT and across via Wisdom MT to US 93. Take 93 North to Lolo MT and catch US 12 across Lolo Pass on the Lewis and Clark route down the mountains thru Idaho. Follow the Wild and Scenic designated Lochsa and Selway Rivers to the Clearwater River at Kooskia ID and continue along to Lewiston Idaho and the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers. From there, head north thru Pullman to Colfax (speed trap) and across the Scablands to Vantage where you’ll hop back on I90.

You may know this already but there are years when there is wildland fire smoke in August/Sept or until it snows. It’s not been bad the last few years and there have been no big fires in Yellowstone or Grand Tetons that really affected general tourists. It’s always a Fall possibility so good to get that out there.

For in park lodging for Yellowstone book only thru the official concessioner, Xanterra, at www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com

Ran out of room….I’ll just add there are a couple of travel agents with “sounds official” websites that are not. They charge a 10% booking fee and have terrible cancellation policies. They say in very small print they are not associated with the official providers but it’s easy to overlook the wording if you are not aware.

Seattle to YNP..

I have always had one stop. Either Missoula or Deer Lodge. That way you can get to anywhere in YNP the 2nd day with ease.

I would do YNP first and then the Tetons and you can return through southern Idaho. If you haven't been, Craters of the Moon is an interesting stop. How much water might be going over Shoshone Falls at Twin Falls at that time of year is a roll of the dice.

We were there late Sept, 2024 and there was enough water going over that I felt it was certainly worth the stop.

A huge NO for biking in Yellowstone. There are bears and hundreds of bison in the park. It is not unusual for herds of bison to force vehicles to stop on the roads. It is NOT safe to bike in Yellowstone.

Here is the link to the Biking page on the official National Park Service - Yellowstone website. For context, the pictures they show of happy bikers is taken in a campground, hahaha.

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

In the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful there is a short section of paved path that is OK for bikes. A number of the regular geyser gazers use bikes to get out to watch a particular thermal feature called Fan and Mortar Complex which is right at the end of the segment where bikes are allowed. They are often seasonal employees so their bikes are often pretty basic older models.

This shows the area that is the start of the paved path:
https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/tours/oldfaithful/oftourmap.htm

This shows the continuation of the paved path and where it ends at Morning Glory Pool. Bikes are also allowed on the dirt path to Daisy Geyser and on to Biscuit Basin which is shown on the map as well BUT Biscuit Basin has been closed since a giant Hydrothermal explosion in June 2024 and no reopening date has been published.
https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/tours/oldfaithful/ofmapnorth.htm

Joe, good to know you had water over Shoshone Falls. The water upstream is diverted to fill reservoirs and for agricultural purposes so after snow melt there is often just a trickle over the falls so many are disappointed from about July thru the Spring. Twin Falls does an excellent PR job, hahaha but to me the area all smells like cow poo from all the big commercial cattle feed lots.

Here is a link to the webcam at Shoshone Falls. It is nearly dry at this time of year.

https://shoshonefalls.tfid.org/view.htm?mode=l

I did a Seattle to Yellowstone loop road trip over 9 days (Saturday to Sunday) in September 2018.

If you're interested, I have a page in my online travel journal that describes the entire experience and links to many photos. Send me a PM if you'd like to read about it. Maybe it will give you some inspiration.

All

Thanks for some great info to digest.

Pam, I’ll study up a bit with everyone’s comments in mind and get back to you after I spend a bit more time on the Xanterra website and make reservations with everyone’s thoughts (so far) in mind.

Loop vs YNP-GT-YNP is a new thought that I hadn’t thought of earlier.

I also should talk with my wife about 5 vs. 4 nights, as well as the somewhat mixed messages about biking. Perhaps the message here is don’t bike YNP, but maybe it’s ok in the Old Faithful area on the bike trails, there? We have taken our e-bikes on unpaved trails that are in good shape; they’re not appropriate as “mountain bikes.”

I would look at stopping at Coeur d'Alene to ride some trails there. I haven't ridden them, but I've read about them in the past. If you can easily transport your bikes and keep them safe, I would definitely bring them. I'd love to ride my ebike on the trail in the Tetons.

My favorite hikes in Yellowstone are Bunsen Peak and Storm Point Trail.

We also liked the Bunson Peak trail. Others we've done, that we can remember, are Lost Lake, Trout Lake and Mt Washburn. Lost Lake is very pretty, not long. We encountered a park ranger on the Trout Lake Trail coming out as we were going in toward the lake. He closed the trail due to bear sighting. We had seen evidence of recent bear activity, fresh claw marks on the tree trunks so were extra alert. We had our bear spray and were singing to alert bears we were in the area. Park ranger kindly did not comment on our off key singing but just pointed us back to the beginning of the trailhead.

Bear spray should be at the top of your packing list :)

"Bear spray should be at the top of your packing list :)"

Definitely! It is readily obtainable (if you don't already have it) in CdA and points East. At ALL the gift shops and gas stations in and around the park you'll also find it and Costco in Bozeman generally has it too. It is generally a standard price...I've not seen gouging. I usually prefer Counterassault brand or UDAP if CA is not available. I haven't seen any test results (haven't looked) in the last few years on effectiveness...mostly they test how far the spray cloud will go and CA and UDAP have been the best. You can bet your bottom dollar that I want mine to go as far as possible, lol.

Since I am generally solo in the park I always have my Bear spray holster on my belt and have it either in the drink holder in the center console OR my TomBihn Small Travel Tray (hahahaha) and holster it whenever I get out of the car even if it's to stand right there and birdwatch. OR if it's a warm day and I'm going inside to eat or whatever put it in my cooler.

I'm happy to help with a daily itinerary after you figure out your route and overnights.

BTW, Even if the Xanterra booking site shows no vacancies there is quite a bit of movement in most of the lodging options. The one with the least movement that I have noted is Roosevelt (intersection of Grand Loop Rd and the NE Entrance at Tower Junction. They are a primo location for wildlife watching. IF you book something you are lukewarm about keep checking the website for vacancies. The most vacancies will come about 30 days out from travel as that is when a cancellation penalty starts - $25 for cancellation within 30 days, 1 night if within 7 days.

Thanks for your many suggestions. Looks like we will take the large loop, i.e., through Missoula or Coeur d’Alene eastbound and Craters of the Moon and I-84/I-82 on our return.

Joe, Lane, Annie and Diane, thanks for your specific ideas on hikes, bikes and sights.

And Pam, your suggestion of splitting time makes sense … 2 nights Mammoth Hot Springs followed by 3 nights in the Old Faithful area. That gives us 8 nights in the two NPs and the whole trip is close to 2 weeks. 2 days to get there and 3 or 4 to return.

So, 4 full days in Yellowstone. 1 “travel day” from the Old Faithful area to Jackson Lake in Grand Teton NP, with lakes, falls and wildlife along the way. Then 2 full days in Grand Teton NP. From there head back west via Jackson and Craters of the Moon, ID, eastern OR and up through Yakima.

This won’t be Pam’s two leisurely weeks in Yellowstone, nor RS’ Highlights of Europe, 6 countries in 21 days.

Looking forward to more suggestions. Pam, thanks for your kind offer. :-)

That sounds like a perfect plan for you guys!

And laughing...yes I enjoy my 2 leisurely weeks but also loved Rick's 21 day Best of Europe - 6 countries in 20 days tour, hahaha! There's room for everything!

Since you are leaving from home I'd also plan to bring a cooler as sometimes it's a pain to leave something interesting to fill your stomach AND some of the dining options start closing in September. I just have an old Coleman cooler not a fancy-dancy heavy one. I usually throw my car blanket and/or a beach towel over it to help it stay cool. I also freeze an ice block in a plastic container which stays longer than crushed ice. There is block ice available in the park and at the entrance gates.

Perfect plan modified, due to room availability at Mammoth. So, 2 nights Canyon Lodge, followed by 3 nights at Old Faithful Inn.

Elaborations on Planning and Suggestions

YELLOWSTONE

• 2 Nights Canyon Lodge.
  
• Day trip to Mammoth & Lambert Valley. Potential hiking: Buntsen Pk or Lost Lake (TY DianaSLA)
• Next day - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone; potential Mt. Washburn hike. Then through Hayden Valley and Yellowstone Lake on way to Old Faithful Inn
• 3 nights Old Faithful Inn
• Day One. Old Faithful Geyser area, incl. cyclying Old Faithful General Store to Morning Glory Pool and Lone Star Geyser Bike Trails; Walking Upper Geyser area. More (non-cycling) in the Midway or Lower Geyser areas? OR, a glorious NO CAR day?
• Day Two. Head up to Madison/Norris areas? Hiking? Or Other?

DRIVE DAY TO GRAND TETON NP

• Via West Thumb Geyser Basin, Lewis Lake, Moose Falls ... suggested walks, hikes, activities?

GRAND TETONS 2 full days

• Biking Moose Jct to Jenny Lake (and back, either sooner or later.) Ferry across Jenny Lake and hike to Hidden Falls/Inspiration Point vs. Driving from Moose Jct. to Taggart Lake and hiking around there. ... or other?
• Float trip on Snake River - Is that a full day? or 1/2 or 3/4 day? Recommended guides? Floating above Jackson Lake? or below it? Biking near Jackson Lake's Signal Mtn. Lodge ... or hiking in that area? ... or other?