Forum members have given me such great road trip advice, I will dip into your well of knowledge again.
We will be driving from the Vancouver Wa area. Best time to beat the crowds, and hopefully not encounter super cold or snow?
Things not to be missed? Lodging?
You experience an knowledge has proven to be the best.
The New Mexico trip was beyond great,thanks to info provided on the forum.
All suggestions and info appreciated.
TIA.
Best,
Gary

Don't talk to Yogi and his buddies at Yellowstone! If you leave food in your car, make sure the dash cam is running. We love bear videos!

Have a great trip. Yellowstone is on my list.

After Sept 10th before Oct 1st on normal years. to beat the snow. Go to the museum in Cody..4 or 5 different venues in there. Go see the Irma restaurant...Cody had it built. Go north to Montana see the Custer battlefield Other things to do. Check out Livingston(Dan Bailey's fly shop Maybe even go to West Yellowstone and Red Lodge

Before you commit, refer to the Forest Service Large Incident Map for forest fire activity. It's been active lately.

Active Fire Mapping Program

Enter the West Gate, proceed to the East Gate and go on to Cody and it's great Museum. And by all means wander up to the Little Big Horn. If you so desire, while in the park, drop down and see Old Faithful. It's really the reason to go to Yellowstone.

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We're headed that way September 12 so I'll be checking your post often. Thanks

I do know reservations for lodging is a must and as early as possible.

Stay at the Yellowstone Lodge. You will need reservations in advance. Drive around the park and be amazed. Any time you see cars stopping along the road it is a "critter alert". Might be anything from a goose to a grizzly.

You might not see any bears or wolves in the park. There is much less chance (or "danger" as the frightful folks would put it) of that than you might think. If that should be the case, stop by the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone; well worth the somewhat steep admission.

As others have stated, early reservations are a must. Spend a few days driving and seeing all the overlooks, geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, etc. If you are up for it, get out from behind the windshield and do a little hiking. Get into the back country a little and see things 95% of the tourists miss. Take bear spray (they sell it in the part) and carry a big bore revolver as back up if you can. We were there in 2012 and saw 9 bears - 6 grizzly, 3 blacks.

Fall is a great time to visit,kids are back in school so the crowds drop off and the weather is much cooler.

Definitely use bear spray, it makes the bear scat tolerable for the rest of us!

Take note of all the streams that flow uphill in the park. The Mystery House is not the only place where the laws of physics do not apply.

By all means, see some of the surrounding areas. My favorite corner is the northeast, the Sunlight Basin, Bear Tooth Pass (you can do a nice day trip loop starting in Cook City or Cody that takes in both of those).

The Irma Hotel has the coolest bandanas for sale that feature the brands of the surrounding ranches - my favorite souvenir.

Get a 28 oz rib eye at the Grizzly Bar in Roscoe, MT.

Go through the Big Horns, especially Shell Canyon.

I like the air museum at Greybull.

In general, do not confine yourself to the park. Much of it is spectacular, but the surrounding country is dramatic and full of history.

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I love the Tetons! Not a big fan of Jackson Hole, but the Tetons are pretty cool. It's just south of Yellowstone. If you view them from the Driggs area in Idaho, you skip all the tourists.

Of course, if you're from Washington, they don't have much over the North Cascades.

I lived in Idaho Falls for five years, and we went to Yellowstone and the Tetons regularly. But I met people born and raised in IF who had never been to either.

A fun activity in Yellowstone is to stop on the side of the road, look with binoculars at nothing in particular, and point. Then count how many cars stop to see what you're looking at!

If you want to see wildlife that time of year get out at sunrise or 1/2 hour before and come in after full dark. Find a likely spot with some elk visible and pull over, roll windows down, wait and listen.
Good areas are Hayden Valley, the Mammoth side of that drainage into town and LaMar valley.

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Front sight and squeeze

Make the hike to the bottom of the "upper falls". That was nice for my trip. Stop and look around at odd places that are quite. We stopped at a pull off, walked 50-100 yards to a high point with a view and there were two huge mule deer bucks bedded down below within 60-70 yards. I have some photos tucked away somewhere, but that was a treat. It took them 5 minutes before we made sufficient noise for them to look up and then off to the bushes. I loved riding around the great basin on the west side and looking at all the different geysers. I also suggest some hiking away from the madding crowd and by all means, donate one full day for the Cody museum because the firearms display is a sight every gun owner should see once in their life. The trip thru Cook City and up over the pass east, then dropping down to Cody is some of the most beautiful parts of our great country.

Following with interest as my wife and I are headed west on September 1st. Plan is to visit Omaha & North Platte, NE where we lived years ago, then on to South Dakota then into Wyoming and Montana.

Along that section I'd recommend Wind Cave National Park (especially it's "Wild Cave" tour) if your relatively fit and not claustrophobic, and Custer State Park for Bison herd viewing.

Wild Cave Tour - Wind Cave National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Just checked the Wild Cave tour Schedule, and that time of year it is only at 1:00PM on weekends and ends 9/3, so probably won't make it.

Ditto what arjay says.
After school starts in the fall.
Little lady and I got ansty for a road trip and went in August several years ago.
The traffic, parking, and concession stands where beyond busy.
I also think there's a heck of a lot to see north of the parka as far as wildlife and beautiful scenery.
It's some gorgeous country, just a little too lively for this old duck.

My family did 3 days in Yellowstone back in the early 90's. I was fascinated by the hot springs and all the wildlife. On the way back home, we stopped in Cody for the Buffalo Bill Museum. I still wear the t-shirt I got there. That is a must see when you're in the area. Not just for the firearms wing, but for everything else too. I really enjoyed the Plains Indian wing.

If you go through York, NE on I 80, I recommend Chances R for a good meal.

Come in the west gate, then turn south to Old Faithful. Stay at the Inn there, it's a magnificent place. Then on to West Thumb and around Yellowstone Lake and north to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Great Falls. Head down the Lamar Valley (that's where you're most likely to see bears, wolves, maybe even bugling elk. Best place to leave the park is at the northeast gate through Cooke City. Maybe spend the night there. There's a nice little restaurant called The Log Cabin Cafe that serves good food. My daughter worked there for several years and I always enjoyed eating there. Now you can wander down to Cody through the Sunlight Basin. Take your time, it's a beautiful trip. Spend at least a couple days at Cody and take in the museum and cowboy activities. Next, I would cross the Big Horn Basin and cross the Big Horns through Shell Canyon on Highway 14. That will get you to I-90 at Sheridan and only about 60 miles from the Custer Battlefield. Spend the night at Sheridan, head to the Battlefield and plan on a day there. After that you can head back west along I-90 or east to the Black Hills. There is lots to see on a trip like that, it's beginning to cool a bit, and I hope you'll have a great time!

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You are going to have to go north somewhere. My suggestion would be to go to Alliance and make a stop at Carhenge. It duplicates the layout of Stonehenge, but with cars instead of stones.

"Plane loqui deprehendi."

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Plan is to head north and visit the National Wildlife Refuge at Valentine.

Well we did it, 6,483 miles of driving in some of the most spectacular country we have ever seen. Getting to S.Dakota started it off with the Badlands, then Mt. Rushmore, amazed at the oil and coal production in Wyoming & Montana. Little Big Horn is awesome, the drive from Livingston into Cooke City and onto Cody is breathtaking. Can't say enough about the museum in Cody. Made a side trip from Cody to Sheridan and return, WOW! Yellowstone is great, only to be outdone by the Tetons.
Spent time in N.Platte and Omaha where we moved from 28 years ago, boy have those 2 towns grown.
I wrote down all the places the folks on here recommended when making our travel plans and was able to visit almost all of them, for that I am very grateful.

I live in Wenatchee and Yellowstone is our second favorite trip (after Alaska). First, as several have said, go after Labor Day!

Go east (young man!) on Hwy 90, then North on Hwy 97 (or across Hwy 20 to 97) to Tonasket, then east to Spokane. Dig for fossils in Republic. Across 90 to Coeur d'Alene, thence Missoula, to Butte (boring drive for a while), south to West Yellowstone. RMEF Museum in Missoula is interesting. Try to stay at the Old Faithful Lodge. Anyway, get dinner reservations as soon as you get there! People watch in the lobby. Walk among the geysers (Beware of bison and elk!), From there it is a big Figure 8 around the park. Fly fish the Madison if that's your thing! Visit the BIG lodges at the Lake, etc. If you can't do both circles, be sure to do the North one! Exit through Sylvan Pass to Cody. If you have time, take the Chief Joseph trail and double back to Cody. If your first visit, it might take 2 days at the museum. Also, the Sheep Society Museum. I would head back to Yellowstone and exit south through Grand Teton. Drive FAST through Jackson Hole and meander south to Boise and then home.

Good advice. I remember the Log Cabin=was pretty good. While in West Yellowstone, see the Grizzly and Wolf Center and Bob Lilly's (if a fly fisherman). Pizza place across the street from Bob Lilly's was pretty good.

Must do's include: Walk around Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, etc. Hayden Valley at dawn for wolf sightings, maybe moose. Wife and I watched a grizzly hunt elk in Lamar Valley. Fire Hole River=watch for ospreys and eagles. There's an eagle nest right on the road, along the Madison, about a mile or so east of the West Entrance. Have lunch at the Lake Lodge at the Lake==kinda "foo foo" but a great atmosphere.

If You go to Yellowstone be sure to take the largest Hand Gun You have.If You have a CCW it is legal to have for self defense. When We went there on vacation two Bears came into Our Camp Ground and the Rangers chased Them off by banging pans together but it could have gone bad real fast.We also were visited by a Bison sometime during the night and judging by the size of the hoof prints by Our Trailer it was pretty big.But all in all Yellowstone is a place that Everyone should see at least once in Their life.

My gosh..don't shoot the bears You'd be in more trouble than if you shot an armed robber. Those buffler are kinda big. They are not necessarily the placid beasts they seem to be either. The park rangers pretty much know what bears can be chased away with pots and pans...and which ones can't

If a Ranger is present and you shoot a bear, you are likely (and rightfully) going to jail with a REALLY big fine.

Now if the bear is happily playing with the ranger by whacking him around a bit and doing a little chewing...the fine may be reduced somewhat. Personally I am not a fan of the larger bears but so far I have been able to not have a close encounter of any kind here in the lower 48. Honestly I see more grizz while hunting in Wyoming than I ever did in Alaska. Of course they do get shot at and hunted up there. Here they have no fear of humans for the most part. And I have never wanted to shoot a bear of any kind anyway.

While my last visit to Yellowstone was a long time ago (1953), I recall that the fishing in the Yellowstone River was pretty darn good. I caught this 24 1/2" cutthroat trout with a tree branch, some leader line and a Colorado spinner. It took me about 5 minutes of fishing, much to the consternation of a nearby angler with tons of store-bought gear who had been fishing for hours to no avail.

We enjoyed that trout for dinner that night!

John

P.S. I found fishing way too easy, so that was the last fishing I have ever done.

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You can stay in the Yellowstone Inn if you can get a room. We stayed in some cabins in the Shoshonee area NE of the park.

Old Faithful isn't any more but you GOTTA see it. It's awesome.
You see a lot of cool stuff from the wooden walkways in the geyser areas. Like crystal clear caves of acid hot water. We saw Buffalo and Grizzlies. Don't mess with the Lone Star Geyser. It's nothing but a tall rock.

The 'Dragon's Mouth' is interesting. It rumbles so loud that it was discovered by people on the river even though it's a good ways off.

The mud pots were interesting.

The overlook of Yellowstone Falls is a great place to be. Between the views and the mountains and gorge and the ravens, I had a good time there,

Plan to spend some time there. We spent three days and could have added another three.

On the northern part of the big circle road we got snowed on in June. HEAVY snow. It's higher up than most of the park.



Be sure to see the Tetons.

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