bordelons

We are flying into Salt Lake City on June 18 (we are 3 adults and 3 teenagers), renting a van and heading north.

Wed - Sat Yellowstone (either The Old Faithful Inn, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, or Roosevelt Lodge Cabins)- any suggestions on a preference in these accomodations

Sat. night stay in Red Lodge

Sun. night stay in Cody

Mon - Tues Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge or Colter Bay Village (any suggestions on a preference in these accomodations)

Wed - Fri A pack trip into the ack woods with an outfitter

Fri night Somewhere in Salt Lake for a flight home the next day


Or would staying in Grand Teton the first few nights be better (because of the initial drive from Salt Lake)?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Dutch

Just my opinion, but I would spend the first few nights in Jackson/Teton because of logistics. Since you will be spending a lot of time in the Yellowstone/Teton area you might find the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho an interesting place for a pack trip.

Finding good lodgings in the park for 6 can sometimes be a challenge as well as expensive. You might consider staying in West Yellowstone, Montana as a base for your Yellowstone adventures.

Since I'm from Utah I would also recommend spending a little more time wandering around Salt Lake. Have fun.

gc

Agree with Dutch. It's a long ride, so stay at Jackson Hole first.
Regarding accomodations, Colter Bay is rustic but excellent, Jackson Lake Lodge is very nice, and my understanding is that Jenny LL is the most elegant/expensive of the three.

For my money, I'd go with Colter Bay.

Syv

I agree - do Jackson / Grand Tetons first.

You may have already have trouble getting reservations for June. Better BOOK NOW anywhere you can.

Syv

See new posting about major road closures all season at Yellowstone.

(search road closures)

jaye

Bordelons-Great to know that you are heading that way and doing a very similar trip about 3 weeks ahead of us. We are flying into SLC and staying in Jackson, then into Grand Teton at Colter Bay cabins, then onto Lake Yellowstone for two nights, Red Lodge, MT one and then Old Faithfull cabins for two. This board has been very helpful as is the park's website. Just plotting the implications of Syv's news on the road closure. Please make a trip report when you get back. We are also travelling with a teen.

Connie

Syv,
Thanks for the heads up on the Caynon Junction to Chittenden Road closure. We will really have to plan around that. It's a shame too because it's one of the nicest drives in the park to me.

Syv

Ya, we're going for the 1st time (& maybe once in a lifetime) this July as well & were disappointed to hear about the road closures and traffic congestion slowdowns (even without roadwork).

Oh well... Still looking forward to a great vacation.

beach55

We did almost the exact same trip two years ago with our two daughters (10 and 8, at the time). Old Faithful Inn is fabulous -- but would recommend trying to get a room on the top floor. It's very noisy.

Jackson Lake Lodge is beautiful -- but have you considered staying outside of the park? We stayed at a Cowboy Village Ranch in Towgotee -- which was about 10-15 minutes outside of the Grand Teton Park. We liked that a lot and they were VERY nice.

Good luck!

bob_brown

I think it is fine. But have you checked prices at Jenny Lake Lodge?
Trifle pricey.
I can throw Signal Mountain Lodge into the mix. I was not overwhelmed with it, but my son (age 43) took a cabin virtually on the lake and loved it.

So it depends on what you want, what you expect, and what you select.

My only gripes are with Xanterra and the cruddy quality of some of the accommodations in Yellowstone.

Bill

I would split my time by staying 2 nights in Old Faithful area (Snow Lodge is very nice) and 1 night at Roosevelt or Mammoth hot srpings. That way you can cut down on driving but you better make your reservations asap

dixon

The Roosevelt accommodations are in the northeast section. I am not sure it is as good an idea as people are saying because the road south to Canyon is scheduled for construction this summer and may well be closed. I would check.
The current official site lists the road as closed for the section around Mount Washburn. Traffic can reach Tower Falls, but the section over Dunraven Pass is shown as being closed. (I know that section normally opens late because of snow, but this notice is different.)

Also, I hope you did not book the Roughrider Cabins without being aware of the facilities, or absence thereof.

The cabins have no bathroom; facilities are central. And you get two presto logs to put in the stove for heat.
Fun if you like camping, but with a roof over your head. (I can hear the teenagers moaning now about the shower!)

A scenic way to approach from the south is to go through Logan and follow the canyon over the pass to Bear Lake.
Then the route becomes US 89 north all the way to Jackson.

The most direct way to Yellowstone from SLC is to drive I 15 to Idaho Falls and then follow US 20 to Rexburg, St. Anthony, and West Yellowstone.

cd

Hey guys, old post. bordelons has gone and come back.

tocon

we did 14 days in YS and GTNs with 3 kids(14-9) in summer of 02'. You have selected one of the best places on earth and will have a wonderful trip.
we drove from SLC and it is a long drive...6+ hours. We took route from southern WY on way in and went by bear lake thru Canyons/Logan on way home. This is nicer visual drive...Although look out for info on road closures for construction.

If you can get into JH airport do it. We took the recommendation of a PArk employee and moved around Yellowstone for 8 nights, Lake cabins, to Canyon, to old faithful cabins. 5 nights at GTNs..

This worked out great as attractions are centered around the areas and minimized driving. If you stay at the Lake try the Hotels 1st vs cabins which are in need of an update. Go the lake hotel lobby area in evening for a cocktail or other hotel which has a great porch overlooking the lake and mtns. The hotels at Ofaithful look real nice but cabins we had were updated and very clean. Canyon lodges were very good as well....I liked this area best as its centrally located. Do hadyen valley, G. canyon, geyers and if you like hiking do the hike up Mt Washburn...awesome views...will take 4-5 hours up and down. Recommend horse riding, any ranger program, chuck wagon dinner program at Roosevelt. Buy easy day hike book, as we did a few in GTN and Yellowstone. We are not big hikers but you see areas not many do. Check out NPS site for both parks.
I would allocate more time YS vs GTN.
I would consider eliminating Cody and red lodge (driving) especially if you want to hike or do activites to really feel the park.
In Tetons we stayed at Colter bay.. 20 r 3 nights is fine. We had adjoining log cabins which were very nice and would stay at again. Recommend Boat across Jenny lake and easy hike from there. Snake river float trip and horse back. GTn offers many hikes in an incredible setting.

Yes staying in GTN first is easier on the intial drive. Fyi we purchased cooler and made packed lunches every day. Bring lots of backpacks, binoculars. Also made breakfast in rooms to avoid crowds and minimize time so we could hit the road...plus saves $$$.

I wish I was going again