An unexpected and unplanned mission presents a last-minute opportunity to visit Yellowstone for a few days. I have acquired a good map, an excellent guidebook, and was lucky enough to snag a conveniently located campsite at Grants Village in the park. Of course the guidebook highlights many well and lesser known points of interest, but I'd welcome suggestions from those who've been there/done that. I'm especially interested in the geological phenomena, flora and fauna...
Yellowstone Park sightseeing suggestions?
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feralmerril
Absent Comrade
, I would see the tetons in jackson hole on the way up. (I worked there in 1961 for the NPS.) The two parks are seperated by just a few miles and the flag ranch. There really isnt that many miles of road and you will be able to see it all. When you leave a must see is the buffalo bill muesum at cody.
Old Faithful isn't.....
It's not faithful anymore, but if it's late it's worth waiting on. I got some phenomenal vids of it and you can hear me and the crowd oohing and ahhing.
Yellowstone gorge (Grand Canyon of Yellowstone) with a view of yellowstone falls. And you can see why the place is called 'Yellowstone'. Raven's are common up on the outlook.
I don't think we saw Tower Falls, but it's a popular site.
In the north mountains we got snowed on in june.
For man made, the Yellowstone Inn is a huge log structure and has like the worlds biggest iron clock, can't remember what exactly it's qualifications but it's famous.
All of the several geyser basins are extremely different and it looks like an alien world.
Dragon's Mouth spring and the The Paint Pots were good small attractions.
Don't get out if you see a grizzly, I got overexcited and took some camera shots and realized how stupid it was afterward.
The great thing is that all of this is in a great circle that goes around the park. You can see a LOT in a few days.
It's not faithful anymore, but if it's late it's worth waiting on. I got some phenomenal vids of it and you can hear me and the crowd oohing and ahhing.
Yellowstone gorge (Grand Canyon of Yellowstone) with a view of yellowstone falls. And you can see why the place is called 'Yellowstone'. Raven's are common up on the outlook.
I don't think we saw Tower Falls, but it's a popular site.
In the north mountains we got snowed on in june.
For man made, the Yellowstone Inn is a huge log structure and has like the worlds biggest iron clock, can't remember what exactly it's qualifications but it's famous.
All of the several geyser basins are extremely different and it looks like an alien world.
Dragon's Mouth spring and the The Paint Pots were good small attractions.
Don't get out if you see a grizzly, I got overexcited and took some camera shots and realized how stupid it was afterward.
The great thing is that all of this is in a great circle that goes around the park. You can see a LOT in a few days.
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Depending on how you're going in and out of the park, if you go Northeast through Cooke City, take the Beartooth highway over the top to Red Lodge, MT. Or if you're coming in from Billings, go to Red Lodge and over. Throw a snowball on top for me or snowboard the glacier!
J. R. WEEMS
Member
This will not be here long as the site hosting this photo will be shut down the end of the month, but this is one I took last Summer on a 11,030 mile camping trip last summer. 
Others may be found here, if there is an interest.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37278746@N07/sets/72157630830903052/
Others may be found here, if there is an interest.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37278746@N07/sets/72157630830903052/
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I'll at least drive thru Grand Teton on the return trip. Route is Tucson to Calgary, delivering a friend and his Harley to his launch point, then deadhead back to Tucson, solo, meandering, on the return. Won't have time for Cody, but hope to take in Glacier on the return, as well.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
We live at cedar city utah. I am guessing that you are takeing highway 89? The last I heard 89 was closed from a landslide between page arizonna and kanob utah. You have to go around on alternate 89 over lees ferry and come out ferdonna utah to kanob. skirting along the north rim of grand canyon. No farther and a scenic ride. I would check on the computer. Maybe its open. Maybe you can stop at freedom idah/wyoming border and see the USFA firearms. Its a small operation not far from afton wyoming. Thats a nice western town on the way. Jackson is a fancy, exspendsive busy tourist trap. I have some fond memories there though.
If you have kids or enjoy splashing around in water you owe it to yourself to visit the firehole river, they used to have a swimming hole downstream from all the geysers, etc. where the riverwater is warmed by all the ouflow from them. Back when I was a kid there was a cliff you used to be able to dive off that was just downstream from the falls, it was amazing...the best time I had at Yellowstone was diving and swimming in the firehole river.
I went there with my high school buddys who were giving me a send off when I joined the army, we were all around 18 and weren't much impressed with anything except all the girls, since it was summertime. I had gone with my parents and seen all there was to see back then, I remember Morning Glory Pool being especially beautiful and got a kick out of the many colored mud pots, we used to walk out on planks between the stuff, it was pretty rustic...nowdays they probably have everything enclosed in plastic for fear some moron will fall in, we used to climb and walk right up into the arches monuments down in Utah, people started defacing everything so that came to a stop...Enjoy Yellowstone, I hear its particularly beautiful in the late seasons, less people too.
I went there with my high school buddys who were giving me a send off when I joined the army, we were all around 18 and weren't much impressed with anything except all the girls, since it was summertime. I had gone with my parents and seen all there was to see back then, I remember Morning Glory Pool being especially beautiful and got a kick out of the many colored mud pots, we used to walk out on planks between the stuff, it was pretty rustic...nowdays they probably have everything enclosed in plastic for fear some moron will fall in, we used to climb and walk right up into the arches monuments down in Utah, people started defacing everything so that came to a stop...Enjoy Yellowstone, I hear its particularly beautiful in the late seasons, less people too.
Spend some time in the Lamar Valley. The buffalo herds there are big and they tend to attract a lot of wolves and some griz too. Best part of the park that I know of to maybe see some spectacular wildlife.
The landslide and closure is on AZ 89, northeast of Bitter Springs, somewhere around Antelope Pass thru Echo Cliffs (far north of Cameron, at the east entrance to Grand Canyon NP). My customer, Cameron Trading Post, is suffering from misinformation about this road closure. 89A, to Fredonia, AZ, and Kanab, UT is open. This will be our favored route, avoiding Nevada, which doesn't respect our AZ CCW permits, so won't get our business..
jaykellogg
Absent Comrade
Lots of good advice. I will add at the southern end of the Tetons there is a Gros Ventre Slide area. IMHO it is well worth 2-4 hours of your time. It is very close to the Tetons.
Gros Ventre landslide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stay well way from grizzly bears and buffalo. More people are hurt by buffalo than any other animal in the park.
Gros Ventre landslide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stay well way from grizzly bears and buffalo. More people are hurt by buffalo than any other animal in the park.
kraigwy
US Veteran
Take a side trip to Cody. Visit the Buffalo Bill Firearms Museum. That itself is well worth the trip.
keith44spl
Member
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If'n ya get over to Cody as Kraig advised....
Get yerself a slab of prime-rib at the Irma Hotel...One of my favorite hang outs while in Cody.
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If'n ya get over to Cody as Kraig advised....
Get yerself a slab of prime-rib at the Irma Hotel...One of my favorite hang outs while in Cody.
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Double Ditto, Beartooth pass is spectacular. Rumor has it they serve cold beer in Red Lodge.
BearBio
Member
First, I would skip Glacier NP and hit Cody. Figure 2 days for the Buffalo Bill Museum (tickets are good for 2 days). Across the street from it is/was the Bighorn Foundation Museum. A few miles east is Thermopolis which has 1) the Safari Bar, which was at the Holiday Inn==great food and many, many stuffed heads; (2) the hot springs (great fishing in the Bighorn River outside the resort and (3) a fantastic dinosaur fossil site. You can go south through the Wind River Canyon/Gorge..
Glacier is primarily a back-packers park. If Going-to-the-Sun Highway is closed (it often is), it's a full days drive from west entrance to east entrance.
Here's a few pics we took in Yellowstone:
A grizzly:
Another grizzly. This one came down the hill at an elk herd and started criss-crossing the meadow looking for hidden elk calves. First time I've heard a cow elk bugle!
If you want to be branded as a tourist, stop to take pictures of the buffalo. Oh, don't leave your car alarm on--the buffalo like to rub up against the cars.
The best spot to see Old Faithful is from the outdoor viewing area off the second floor of the Inn (which is the LARGEST log building in the world). When you enter the lobby, search the rafters. When the Inn was refurbished, a workman felt that every child should see a bear when they visited Yellowstone, so there is a teddy bear suspended from the rafters.
You MUST make reservations for dinner at the Inn. Otherwise, you'll be eating at 10 PM or so! Make them as soon as you get there! Tradition had it that for the first few years, formal wear (yes, tuxedos) was required for inside seating! The food is well worth it, also. The General Store nearby has a good burger and I hear the breakfasts are great!
The Firehole is well worth the side-drive. It and the Madison are great places to fly-fish. Licenses are available throughout the Park areas. If you fly fish, you MUST go into West Yellowstone and visit Bud Lilly's Fly Shop. Beware of the buffalo --they are STUPID and MEAN!.
Lamarr Valley is the best place to see wolves, especially at dawn.
The Beartooth Pass area is the route Chiedf Joseph took when he kicked the, er, "stuffing" outta the Cavalry!
Glacier is primarily a back-packers park. If Going-to-the-Sun Highway is closed (it often is), it's a full days drive from west entrance to east entrance.
Here's a few pics we took in Yellowstone:
A grizzly:
Another grizzly. This one came down the hill at an elk herd and started criss-crossing the meadow looking for hidden elk calves. First time I've heard a cow elk bugle!
If you want to be branded as a tourist, stop to take pictures of the buffalo. Oh, don't leave your car alarm on--the buffalo like to rub up against the cars.
The best spot to see Old Faithful is from the outdoor viewing area off the second floor of the Inn (which is the LARGEST log building in the world). When you enter the lobby, search the rafters. When the Inn was refurbished, a workman felt that every child should see a bear when they visited Yellowstone, so there is a teddy bear suspended from the rafters.
You MUST make reservations for dinner at the Inn. Otherwise, you'll be eating at 10 PM or so! Make them as soon as you get there! Tradition had it that for the first few years, formal wear (yes, tuxedos) was required for inside seating! The food is well worth it, also. The General Store nearby has a good burger and I hear the breakfasts are great!
The Firehole is well worth the side-drive. It and the Madison are great places to fly-fish. Licenses are available throughout the Park areas. If you fly fish, you MUST go into West Yellowstone and visit Bud Lilly's Fly Shop. Beware of the buffalo --they are STUPID and MEAN!.
Lamarr Valley is the best place to see wolves, especially at dawn.
The Beartooth Pass area is the route Chiedf Joseph took when he kicked the, er, "stuffing" outta the Cavalry!
ALL of the above.
The Tetons
The Tetons
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Take a trip to the Freedom Arms factory about an hour or so south of Jackson , Wy. Yep, they make those great SA firearms in that non-descript building. Great people in there, very friendly and helpful.
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I don't think anybody has yet mentioned the Sunlight Basin, also known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, the area the locals refer to as "the good stuff". It is the road (296) that cuts over from WY120 north of Cody to US212 between the Beartooth Pass and Cooke City. Not that you would want to miss the Beartooth Pass, but the scenery here is in some ways better, and the road is a little more open, giving more opportunities to pass slow-moving vehicles like Harleys and Winnebagos, while still enjoying the scenery.
Some of the most spectacular views are the gorge where the Clark's Fork flows out of the Absarokas. It is worth going around to 120 and into Clark to view the gorge from the east side, or if you have half a day and a dirt bike, you can try the Harrison Jeep Road that switches back and forth up the side of the gorge to Top of the World up on 212.
Some of the most spectacular views are the gorge where the Clark's Fork flows out of the Absarokas. It is worth going around to 120 and into Clark to view the gorge from the east side, or if you have half a day and a dirt bike, you can try the Harrison Jeep Road that switches back and forth up the side of the gorge to Top of the World up on 212.
Visit downtown Jackson
Jst1mr
Member
Oh, boy....Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Beartooth Pass, Bozeman, Flathead Lake, Hungry Horse Dam, and Glacier Park. I personally think Glacier puts Yellowstone to shame scenery-wise, but of course without all the geologic phenomina. Heck, you're that close, throw Banff and Jasper parks in there as well!
Then of course Yellowstone. We stayed at the Yellowstone Inn, nice hotel, right on Lake Yellowstone.
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feralmerril
Absent Comrade
That picture you have of downtown jackson, could have been snapped in 1961 when I worked there. I know elsewhere the town and country has changed big time, but that spot hasnt. Saw and got involved in the worst fight I ever seen on that spot! That bar had illegal gambling (so did the others) but a good warning system. Some nights it was wide open blackjack and at other times the tables all through town were hid. I remember the dealer in the cowboy had a innoculas harmless looking claw hammer he kept on his table to settle any disputes! That gray suv to the right has my own personnal parking spot I had for my 56 chev. We had straight in parking bach then. Another huge coincidence, a fellow guard I worked with 20 years later claimed the owner of the cowboy was his brother in law.
BearBio
Member
Yellowstone Inn was a little pricey but definitely a Great Gatsbyesque atmosphere.
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steveno
Member
the trip up the Gros Ventre road to the slide lakes is pretty good and a heck of a lot fewer tourists to deal with. if you want to cause a mess in Yellowstone just stop your car and point off into the distance. there doesn't have to be anything there at all but you sure will cause a traffic jam with people thinking that you seen something
tlay
US Veteran
There are some really beautiful lakes between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone you half to see. You can rent boats there.
All good suggestions. Yellerstone's roads are usually a mess. Lots of potholes and construction. I strongly recommend against being stuck on a motorcycle behind the water truck as it wets down the dirt (did I mention construction) to keep down the dust. Also too many people just stop their car/RV in the middle of the road to take critter pictures!
truckemup97
Member
That stretch of road collapsed about six hours after I passed over it. I was going to Page, north out of Flagstaff. I didn't see any place (I liked) to stop for the night before I got to Page, so I slept behind the car wash on the south side of town. Next morning I went out to the power plant to deliver and they weren't allowing any traffic south on 89. The folks at the power plant were surprised to see me.
JKC, it's been years and years since I was at Yellowstone for longer than a few minutes. I can't help you any more on your trip than to say, "Don't feed the bears." You probably already knew that. Enjoy your trip. If you are in Calgary during Stampede, you should check it out.
Get your butt out of bed early(4 am) and get to Hayden Valley south of Yellow Stone falls to listen to the wolves howling. And you might catch a glimpse of a couple or they might put on a show out in the open. Be sure to bring some warm clothes. We were there in early Sept and it was 19 degrees the morning we heard the wolves.
