Planning on heading out to Yellowstone in September 2023. We are going for 21 days, the longest vacation we have ever taken. Plans are to see friends in WI and MN on the way out. We will also visit the Black Hills and come into the park on the north end. We plan on staying in the park at Yellowstone. Everything we have heard and read says that the premium to stay is worth missing the drive in every day and lower cost lodging outside the park. Reservations for next September open on Sept 1 so we are getting close to deciding where to stay. Right now I'm set on Old Faithful Lodge. Looking for thoughts on this property or others within the park.

We will head down to Jackson Hole for a couple days after Yellowstone. Hilton properties which are always my first choice are sold out already. Looking for suggestions on lodging and things to see while there.

Looking for tips and suggestions on places to stay and things not to miss.

I never stayed at any of the hotels inside the Park because I lived in the vicinity. The Old Faithful Lodge is a “grand” place in every sense of the word. I became friends with a man whose dad was a YNP Ranger who grew up around the Lodge and told great stories of playing in it as a boy. Food is pretty good there, at least I’ve eaten at most of them (not Mammoth). You might think about a couple days at the Lake Hotel (on Yellowstone Lake). I just think it’s neat. I’ve never been, but it makes me think of a great hotel in Cape Cod or Nantuckett. Great restaurant there too. I know GTNP better than Yellowstone and Jackson pretty well.

Brad - you’ll get a ton of recommendations. Here are a few quick thoughts. Up until this spring, we had lived in Montana for nearly 50 years and traveled this area a number of times.

1. The Beartooth Pass from Red Lodge, MT to the park is a must see. Incredible pass.
2. Grand Teton is a great sightseeing trip on the South side of the park.
3. Get the GyPSy Guide app for your phone and buy the Northern National Parks Loop. Currently on sale for $16.99. This app is location driven to give you directions, commentary and sights to see. I’ve used it and it really will help you enjoy the trips. Wonderful addition to your trip - you’ll thank me for this one.
4. Cody Wyoming is another cool place. The road from Cody to the Yellowstone is killer.

I’ll think of some more.
Mike

If you can fit Cody in your plans, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a well known museum (actually 5 museums).
https://centerofthewest.org/
https://centerofthewest.org/our-museums/

I have lived in Cody for the past 45 years.

PC

PC, I have a couple questions for you. Email sent.

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
If you can fit Cody in your plans, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a well known museum (actually 5 museums).
https://centerofthewest.org/
https://centerofthewest.org/our-museums/

I have lived in Cody for the past 45 years.

PC

Your enjoyment of the drive in is dictated by your ability to get up early in the morning. 6 or 7 and the traffic is not too bad. By 9 its gridlock.

I highly recommend taking the breakfast boat cruise on Jenny Lake in GTNP. Scenery from the lake that can't be seen from a car and a really good breakfast on an island. When reservations on the boat is full, it is full, no crowd to deal with. Well worth the entry price! There were 4 of us and we rented a cabin in GTNP and actually enjoyed that NP more than Yellowstone as it wasn't crowded. Short drive to YNP to view the thermals and get caught in the bear! traffic jams. Too crowded to suit me in YNP. YMMV

One of the most fantastic experiences of my life; early September, watching Old Faithful erupt at night under a full moon listening to elk bugle across the basin.

Keep in mind, it's been 20 years since my last trip to Yellowstone so things have probably changed. September is a great time of year to visit, most of the summer tourist crowds are gone. Do some checking in advance a lot of the park facilities close after Labor Day. Rooms at Old Faithful Lodge vary drastically. We were excited to stay there until we saw the room. It was an annex built onto the lodge in the 1950's and probably hadn't been remodeled since. We also stayed at one of the cabins in the park as well, Very basic, but worth it not to have to drive in and out of the park. Also nice to be removed from everything and have some peace and quiet. Plan on getting up early in the morning and heading out to Hayden Valley or the Madison River Valley for wildlife viewing. September, elk will be in the rut and bugling.

Cody is an absolute must to see the museum. it can be done in a day if rushed but 2 days would be more preferable to take it in. The Irma Hotel is very touristy and really not worth more time then stepping in the lobby and looking around. There's an ice cream parlor near the Irma that has locally made huckleberry ice cream. Cassie's was great, an old brothel turned into a steak house and bar with a big dance floor and live music.

Virginia City, Montana is definitely worth spending time in. The original territorial capital of Montana a lot of which has been turned into a state historical park.

If you find yourself in Shoshone, Wyoming, check out Yellowstone Drugstore. It's been there forever and still has the original counter and soda fountain.

Have fun, I'm jealous of your trip would love to go again.

There are great suggestions here. I second Mike suggestion regarding the GyPSy App. It really is great.

The Old Faithful Lodge is really grand. We had lunch there the last time we went. Very nice, if expensive.

I don't think you can go wrong. Enjoy your trip.

+1 on the Beartooth if its still open. Amazing scenery.

The lobby of the Old Faithful Lodge is neat but you can't climb many of the stairs shown in the pictures. They may have some updated rooms but ours was very disappointing and still very expensive. Having a lot of geysers out the front door was interesting. We enjoyed one of the tours on the old yellow buses. Ranger talks are usually interesting.

if a veteran get the free park pass,

If not, get the golden eagle pass. It will almost pay for itself going through Yellowstone and Tetons, there is a separate entrance fee for each

2nd Beartooth pass, it truly is an amazing drive

Check this out for scenic drives. Great map. You'll be on some of them just because its the only way to go from point to point. The Chief Joseph scenic byway is not to be missed.

Any one of these drives is absolutely breath taking. If you go through Roscoe, get a burger at the Grizzley Bar.

https://www.bigskyfishing.com/.../drives-southern.php

Did Yellowstone and the Tetons(stayed in Jackson Hole) 2020 in the middle of the pandemic mess.

We stayed at the Old Faithfull Inn because we didn't want to deal with entering the park daily. I was excited to stay there because of the history and lobby. Well, the lobby was closed and we had to enter the open wing of the place through a side door. I'm sure everything is back open now. I think it's a great place to stay. It doesn't have air conditioning though. We went the first week in Oct. so it wasn't a big issue.

My advice is if you can get up early do it to avoid the crowds. Since we were from the east coast and used to the time zone here we were in the car before sunup most days. I will say Yellowstone is unlike any other place I've been. Some of the hot springs are nothing short of amazing. Wildlife is everywhere. We were doing an early hike so no one was on the trail near us. I heard something in the brushes and turned around to see a buffalo walk out on the trail 10 feet from me.

Food was very limited when we went to Yellowstone because of the lockdown. We saved on food there and did some nice dining in Jackson Hole. If you want a nice meal Jackson Hole is the place to go. It's an expensive little town though.

There is the infamous old farmhouse people photograph in the Tetons with the mountains behind it. If you go for a sunrise/sunset picture and you should make sure you get there early.

In Yellowstone be prepared for some of the best wildlife you see and can photograph to come as your driving. We did the Hayden and Lamar Valley at sunrise to try and see wildlife. Did see a pack of wolves but there were so far away that even a 500mm lens didn't get them. The best shots of wildlife came unexpectedly. A huge herd of buffalo playing in a field as we were heading somewhere. We and many others were able to pull off the road and watch. So expect to spend time unexpectedly.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:

If not, get the golden eagle pass. It will almost pay for itself going through Yellowstone and Tetons, there is a separate entrance fee for each

We bought the Lifetime pass as soon as we were eligible 2 years ago. I use it all the time fishing in National forest fee access sites. Definitely worth the purchase price.

I would agree on staying in the park. It’s a vast area to cover, unless you reserve a different location every few days you will quickly tire of “the commute”. We even changed campgrounds to avoid this.

I would recommend seeing Badlands, Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, etc., on the way out. Yellowstone is much the same and it’s grandeur will over shadow the Blackhills I’m afraid.

If you can afford an extra half day or so swing into Little Big Horn, seeing it in person has an effect. A full day really isn’t too much if you’re even sorta into the history.

This. Don't miss it. We saw it when we stayed at the Blackwater Creek Ranch three years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
If you can fit Cody in your plans, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a well known museum (actually 5 museums).
https://centerofthewest.org/
https://centerofthewest.org/our-museums/

I have lived in Cody for the past 45 years.

PC

We did that trip last summer, though not as long. My suggestions:

Get the GyPSy guide as mcrimm suggested. It is a wonderful guide to the Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. I doubt we ever take a family vacation again without purchasing their guide for the area, if available. We consider "Hank" (our name for the narrator) a part of the family now.

Make time to drive the Needles Highway in Custer State Park while you're passing through the Black Hills.

Absolutely come into Yellowstone from the northeast and the Beartooth Highway. It's one of the most scenic drives in America and will be a highlight of the trip. Just make sure to fill up the tank in Red Lodge before you get into the mountains. There's gas in Cooke City, but it's expensive.

We generally stayed outside of Yellowstone, but we did spend one night in one of the Western Lodges in Canyon Village. It's one of the more affordable in-park options, and I have zero complaints about it.

For Grand Teton, we stayed in an Airbnb in Victor, ID and drove in over Teton Pass each day. It's a bit of a drive, but scenic and worth saving a few bucks, in my opinion. I wouldn't want to go any farther out, though.

If you want to do anything around Jenny Lake, get there early. It gets busy fast.

There are some wonderful hikes in Grand Teton, but if you don't want to hike you can probably do everything in a long day or two short ones.

Check out String Lake for some cold water swimming and beautiful views.

Brad, I guess I’ll add to my earlier post. Since you have the time, you might think about a night or two at Jenny Lake Lodge in GTNP. Take a short horseback ride with Mary Sue at the corrals there at Jenny Lake. Lots wouldn’t understand, but in some ways I like Grand Teton NP better than Yellowstone. Assuming you will spend some time there, have pizza one evening at Leeks Marina. Good pizza and a pretty location. If a moderate hike is something you’re interested in, let me know.

In Jackson, have breakfast at The Bunnery. Good food. Just south of Jackson is a bar/restaurant called The Bird, which is a favorite place to eat. They kind of specialize in German food and beer, but they also have regular bar fare as well. It’s all good.

Maybe most important. While you’re in the GYA, make a point of getting outside well after dark one night and look up. God’s gift.

Plan your lodging in advance. I remember attempting to stay at Jackson Hole. It was full. Long drive to the next stop. Ate at a Subway inside a gas station and was glad. That small town had no lodging available. Long dark drive to the next bigger town. Buffalo can't be seen at night and areas along the roadside with no livestock fencing.
Great trip