Yellowstone trip with elderly parents

There are plenty of tour companies that will do one or two day tours of the Park, hitting just the highlights, with minimal walking. We stayed in Jackson, and did the Grand Tetons one day, and Yellowstone the next. Just do some googling, starting with the National Park Service website fro Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is pretty flat and would require some walking just to get to some of the more interest parts. The paths are paved, relatively smooth, and suitable for wheelchairs. I would try for at least three nights in the park at one of the lodges. Get on the web site and see when reservations open for the next year. Demand is high so be flexible on dates. The last we were there we spent three nights at the Lake lodge and 4 nights at the old Yellowstone lodge. Lots and lots of things to do.

You can certainly bring your in-laws to Yellowstone. I'm not sure what your idea of elderly is. Do they have any mobility issues?

Many areas of Yellowstone have boardwalks and viewing areas that do not require "hikes".

I'm sure Pam will see your post and respond. She has a wealth of knowledge on Yellowstone and is a YNP destination expert on another travel site. She doesn't know this, but she helped me plan our Yellowstone trip in 2020 just from reading her valuable posts.

A personal note from a couple of (other) senior citizens: the most aggravating thing for us is the traffic congestion in the park during the high season between Memorial Day and Labor day. We've found ,however, that an early start (read crack of dawn) or later in the evening (an hour or two before sunset) helps us beat the crowds and enjoy the park at our leisure. Those are also the times most likely to yield the best chances of seeing the animals out and about.
We've found that one of the few upsides of getting older is that our body clocks are on relatively weird settings such that rising before dawn is our new normal, and if paired with a midday power nap usually has us refreshed for a second round of activity in the late afternoon and early evening.
Might work for your parents too.

When would you plan to go? How much time do you have?

The elevation is between 6,000 and 8,000 ft with a couple of passes being a bit higher. Do either have any health issues that would preclude them from being at that altitude?

I do recommend you stay in the park unless you need amenities like AC or TV. The official concessioner is Xanterra at:

www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com

Don’t book lodging thru a 3rd party as they charge a 10% booking fee.

Even without hiking, I’d suggest at least 4 nights in Yellowstone divided between 2 lodging areas and 2 or 3 nights in Grand Tetons which is directly south.

I go to Yellowstone for about 2 weeks every year, sometimes more than one trip! I’m happy to help you plan an itinerary!

@jeanm!! Thank you for your kind words!

justin-amanda,
We are in the "elderly" classification (81 and 82) and Yellowstone will present no problem for your elderly parents. There are quite a few experiences to be enjoyed, even if one needs a wheelchair. Yellowstone is one of the most accessible national parks we have been to. We stayed in the lodge and were quite able to walk to the nearby sights. There are some great drives around the park also where we saw a lot of wildlife. Listen to any advice from Pam. She really knows the park!

For me Yellowstone is about wildlife and geysers, neither require much mobility just time. 3 days to see the geysers and another 5 to see the wildlife. Bring folding chairs, binoculars, and a scope (both you can rent). There is a phone number you can get when you enter the park with that day's expected geyser time-table of eruptions. Make a point to see any that start with a G. You will notice "geyser geeks" hanging out with walkie talkies, if one gets a call and runs follow him if you can, it means something special is going off. As for the wildlife, drive very slowly looking for dudes with anatine, they are tracking the alfa female wolfs. Mostly look for piles of Ravens, they are on something dead. There will lots of stuff to see if something has died. Bear, coyotes, wolfs. So much fun. I drove thru Lamare (spell?) Valley for three days just about to loose my mind and then: the best 20 minutes of my life. A black wolf pup calling down the valley to its mother, who called back and sent the yearly down to get the baby. They ran and rolled around like dogs do when they have not seen each other in a bit. They took off and ran over the creek and back to their mom. I like early September as everybody is fat for winter and their coats are beautiful. Spring, their coats are coming off and they look thin and tatty but there are births to watch, that is the big difference. Move your lodging around the park, as it is huge. Enjoy your trip! j

Note that early is the watchword in Yellowstone. It is a very crowded park. You may have to park out on the road and walk back to even get to the parking lot. Maybe up to 1/4 mile along the road. This for the popular geysers and pools walks. On the spot at dawn for the animals, then you can stop and sit at roadside pullouts and watch.
Boardwalks pretty crowded. You mention “elderly in laws”, and “long hikes”, but those are general terms and your mileage may vary, so to speak. I would say that anyone should be able to walk at least 1 mile to consider hikes, even the placid ones. So before going perhaps walk one mile and see how it goes. Otherwise stick to the driving and wildlife viewing.

Yes, a visit to Yellowstone with your in-laws is very doable without a lot of long hikes. On our visit, we saw some amazing wildlife in the Lamar Valley from our vehicle. At one point, there was a herd of 70+ bison trotting down the road beside us. That was amazing! As mentioned, many of the boardwalks are easy to traverse. We are early risers, and found that the park was less crowded the earlier we arrived. The time of year that you visit will also have an impact on the crowds. We chose to stay outside the park, because we wanted to do more self-catering, and desired more space than we could find at a lodge. The condo we booked at Arrowhead Properties was great; immaculately clean; well stocked; free laundry facility. We were able to cook meals and pack our lunches for a day in the park. Take-out from Firehole BBQ made for an easy and delicious dinner. https://www.arrowhead-properties.com/vacation-rentals-homes.asp?cat=15927 If you feel that you need bear spray, there is a kiosk in West Yellowstone where you can rent that.

I spent 6 nights at Yellowstone and 3 nights in the Tetons with my mother when she was 82, and she had a great time. Most of the major sites have boardwalks and are very accessible. I did a couple of short hikes without her, and she decided not to go horseback riding in the Tetons. Other than that, I don't think she missed out on anything. She saw Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, the canyon, plenty of bison, elk, a grizzly bear, and much more. The biggest issue she had was with the altitude. She got very queasy on the Beartooth Highway, and we had to turn around and get back to lower ground.

We stayed in the park -- 3 nights at Old Faithful Inn, 2 nights at Canyon, and 1 night at Mammoth. We had to make reservations about a year in advance, but I really liked being able to get an early start and beat the crowds.

"It is a very crowded park. You may have to park out on the road and walk back to even get to the parking lot."

The place this is most likely to happen is trying get into Midway Geyser Basin to see Grand Prismatic Spring. IF you are strategic and go late in the afternoon you can avoid some of these issues at Grand Prismatic. Going early morning defeats the purpose of seeing Grand Prismatic's colors as the cold overnight temps can produce fog and steam which obscure the pool.

To avoid traffic, you will do better staying in the park if you can. The condo link above is in West Yellowstone and the traffic at the West Entrance gate is pretty awful unless you are in before 730A or so. The gate traffic at the North entrance (Gardiner) is not bad. I often stay there if I can't get in to Roosevelt Lodge cabins and have not had to wait more than about 10 minutes even in the AM. If I am staying at Mammoth Hot springs I often go out to the Gardiner Market to resupply so am in/out all times of the day.

I would try to go in mid-September, when children are in school. Make sure the accommodations don't involve a lot of stairs. You might want to consider cabins where this would not be a problem. I think the one I stayed in had parking right in front of the cabin, but I don't remember where I stayed.

Yes, the cabins normally have parking right in front of the door or very close by which is why I like to stay in them. It is easier for me to do cooler management when I don't have to carry it far.

There are cabins with ensuite bathrooms as well as some cabins with a shared bath situation that you would not want for your parents. I do sometimes stay in a shared bath cabin at Roosevelt Lodge because the location is spectacular BUT I know that area really well, have my "bathroom set up", carry a female urinal so I don't have to go out at night AND have bear spray and know how to use it.

There are cabin accommodations at:

Old Faithful Lodge
Old Faithful Snow Lodge
Lake Hotel
Lake Lodge cabins
Canyon Village
Roosevelt (closes Labor Day and these are very hard to get, especially the ensuite cabins)
Mammoth Hot Springs

Thank you all so, so much for your advice and guidance. This is such an incredible resource, and I appreciate your time!