Hello All - Mark here (again). Taking the wife and the kid to Yellowstone in June. We will be taking the Camper and jetting out to SD to crash with racer pal Rob Oliva and get the first half of travel (11 hours of the ~22 to Yellowstone) so we can optimize the 10 days or so we’ll have out West. Any input on activities while we are out there appreciated. This is family trip with an 11 year old, so please keep that in mind. Thanks for any help. M
Wish I could help more, since its in my backyard, but I tend to avoid the place. Make sure you don't miss Teton Park, which I believe is far more beautiful than Yellowstone. Also, there's a gravel road between the 2 parks that goes out to Grassy Lake, which is awesome. Good camping along that road and not too many people. Make sure you give me a yell when you drive over the pass and into Red Lodge. I'll be in my rental shop downtown. I can definitely give you some pointers on where to camp in my area.
Yellowstone isn’t on my list, but my recent visit to Joshua Tree makes me not very interested in the popular parks. It was like going to Disney with all the people. I just looked, Yellowstone had 4.5M visitors last year. Not trying to crap on your idea, but I might be looking for other options.
Joshua tree is a shit hole. Source: former so Cal resident who went there 35 years ago and then last year as an adult. Wish the news regarding Yellowstone wasnt the same but I suspect it is. Guess I'll have to keep taking my kid dry camping off road to experience this country.
For sure, the crowds in Yellowstone are horrendous, but if he goes in the earlier part of June, it will be better than July & August. Also, getting up early and making it to the attractions before the crowds show up helps a lot. Yes, you'll be stuck in traffic because everyone stops to see the animals, but Yellowstone is definitely something you should do if you have the chance.
If you're going via I-94, you can stop around my home town (Dickinson, ND) 30 miles west is Medora, ND and the Painted Canyon and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_Canyon They also have a Summer outdoor musical. It's a variety show with some of the history baked in to the show. https://medora.com/medoramusical/ If you go across South Dakota west, my Mom was married to this guy (After my Dad died) that owns this little shitty hotel and has walleye fishing trips he hosts/guides. http://www.allenshillside.com/ Gary's a bit older now, so his son Mike probably does most of the day to day now running the show..Nice enough guys. Then you get to Rapid City and you're not too far from Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. Never been to the Crazy Horse thing...cause they just want your money. Hope that helps.
Lamar Valley for wildlife Slough Creek for camping Upper and Lower Falls Lake Hotel Schedule a day for Old Faithful, extra crowded there, eat at the lodge Be prepared for snow If it's nice out, take a boat tour of the lake Expect plenty of idiots, just take your time
Been there twice since the pandemic and loved it both times. Stayed in the Grand Canyon lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs. Watched the super moon rise over the mountains one night while we at in the back of the truck and drank beers in the middle of nowhere. The whole place is amazing and if you just cruise around there are animals everywhere. The first time we saw 5 bears (3 different sightings). For me, the canyon area and the road headed north up to Mammoth from there was the coolest but north east from there to the exit of the park was also awesome. Southwest loop around Old faithful towards west Yellowstone seemed the most crowded.
We went in 2022. The flood actually kept the crowds down, but it did cut out Lamar valley and the Beartooth Hwy. Hike the Clear Lake / Artist Point loop trail at the Canyon. The trail will be crowded until you get away from the Canyon, but after that we had a beautiful trail mostly to ourselves. So cool walking past lovely ponds and through small geothermal features with no boardwalk or crowds. For the most crowded places, get up early or stay late if possible. That said, try not to drive after dark, as the animals are everywhere and make sure you go slow enough to stop quickly even at dusk. Skip the ground level view of Grand Prismatic Spring. If you must see it take the crowded trail to the overlook instead. If you like geysers get the Geyser Times app. Because of what I had learned on the app / blog as we walked past Beehive and I saw Beehive's Indicator going off. We waited less than 15 minutes and had a front row seat for Beehive going off. Man, that thing was impressive! Don't stand downwind of OF. All you will see is a steam cloud. "Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows!"
Been there twice, once in the winter of '76 and again in '96 with the boy scouts. Both times were spectacular. Old faithful in the winter was a sight as the steam would condense as it cooled off. Most of the ejaculate (I just wanted a reason to say that,,,) is hot water but the steam is mostly invisible until it magically condenses about 50 feet up in the air. Take the boat on Jenny lake and hike the trails between the sisters just watch out for moose and other wildlife. Lots of stories to tell from those two trips.
We did it a few years back. We left the RV in Dubois and drove to Yellowstone, Tetons and Jackson. Staying in the parks was too crowded
If your daughter is into geology/paleontology at all, Thermopolis WY and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center were really cool. My girls enjoyed the trip, their first to the high desert. It was an impromptu trip so I wasn’t able to get them actual dig time on an excavation, but they did get to tour a dig site and see the fossils still in the ground.
Follow the rule: Any close encounters with wildlife must be recorded Remember, you get bonus points if the wildlife is bigger than you
I've always wanted to visit. Haven't yet! Hope you all have a great time. Post some pictures here when you do.
We went in May of '21. There were crowds in some areas, mostly around Old Faithful, but that was to be expected. We stayed at a hotel in Dubois and just made the drive. We liked the Tetons more than Yellowstone but it was definitely cool to see the hot springs and drive through the park. We saw wildlife everyday we were there. If you fish in Yellowstone make sure you read all the fine print on what areas you can and can't fish. We thought we had, but the ranger kindly pointed out in the regulation booklet where it stated that part of the river was closed... and then handed my son (18) an $80 ticket. There is also a huge military museum in Dubois. We ran out of time to be able to go but it looked really nice.
