Help with Yellowstone and Glacier vacation.

[mark1j]

1. This June we (wife and kids: 8 and 11) are flying into SLC and driving to Yellowstone. Staying in the park 4 nights and 2 nights in Cody. Then on to Tetons for 3 nights. Other than the popular places is there anything not to miss along the way. Maybe some lesser known places or activities to get away from the crowds. Staying at Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Canyon Village. Planning on the rodeo and Cody museum while in Cody. Need some help on Teton activities.

2. Next year we are flying into Bozeman or Spokane and driving to Glacier. Probably June or early summer. Same as above. Any recommendations for places to see or things to do. I like to plan a year in advance.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mwf008]

Lots of talk about Glacier soon going to some sort of a reservation system, so keep an eye out for that. Also, unless you just want to drive a few extra hours, Kalispell is where you want to fly into for a Glacier trip.

 

[Mt Al]

Lots of talk about Glacier soon going to some sort of a reservation system, so keep an eye out for that. Also, unless you just want to drive a few extra hours, Kalispell is where you want to fly into for a Glacier trip.

What mwf008 said: flying into Bozeman for the drive is fine if that's what you're looking for. If you go that route, I recommend the Helena/Choteau/East Glacier route and stay near the Bob Marshal Wilderness for a day or two.

I have a personal distaste for over-planned vacations and like to leave most days unplanned, just my preference. Perhaps that's what you could do in the Tetons? Just hang out? If not, a family horse back ride would be fun. I was your kid's ages when we did that a few summers at it was very memorable.

For this summer: you must drive up or down the Beartooth Highway, Cooke City to Red Lodge, going to or from Cody to Yellowstone. MUST I SAY!!! Plus take your time, pull off and soak in the views. Just incredible.

You might try river rafting/white water if the conditions are right, just make certain it's age appropriate.

The Cody Museum may take another day beyond what you've planned. It's awesome.

Guided fishing day on Yellowstone Lake might be fun, never done it but hear it's a great way to spend a day.

When I was a wee lad, Thermopolis Wyoming had a fun water park, at least that's what I recall.

You'll have fun no matter what.

 

[5MilesBack]

In June 2016 I took the family to Yellowstone and Glacier, we camped at both. It was still too early, but it was the only time that was going to work for all of us so that's when we went. We still woke up to ice on the outside of the tent in the mornings, and the Going to the Sun road in Glacier was still closed because they hadn't cleared all the snow yet........that was the third week of June. I've been to both places many times, but that's the earliest I've gone. Later on is probably even more crowded, and even June was crowded.

 

[Wapiti1]

You will run into issues with snow in Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier in June. Some good hikes will be snowed out still. Teton is a hiking park, IMO. It's all about alpine hikes, high altitude and rugged rocks. September in the Tetons is incredible, but that is the only time I've been in them.

Glacier may not have the Going to the Sun road open in June. Very few hikes will be open or you'll be treading on lots of rice like snow. July isn't uncommon for the road to open.

Fly into Great Falls, Kalispell, or Helena. Hit the National Bison Range if you do Helena. The drive from Spokane is nice and a round of golf in Coer D' Alene isn't a bad thing if you like that sort of thing. There isn't a good way to get to Glacier from Spokane, so you've been warned.

Glacier, IMO, is also a hiking park. Hike the Garden Wall. Siyeh Bend, and Grinnell Glacier. You see a fraction of it from the road. Yellowstone is much more a road tour, although there are some great hikes. If you are a fisherman, you can catch east slope, west slope cutthroat and bull trout in Glacier. All in one day if you fish one side in the morning and the other in the evening. Yellowstone has great fishing too, but you won't see the west slope cutts. If you fish the lake, kill and eat every lake trout you catch. They aren't supposed to be there.

If you go to Glacier from Great Falls, take the Duck Lake road and stop at the Leaning Tree Cafe. It's a little out of the way, but a great place for breakfast and lunch. Dinner at Two Sisters on the east side is worthwhile.

In Yellowstone, get up early, like half hour before light, and get moving. You'll see more critters and have far, far, far less traffic. Take a nap mid day and avoid the idiots. This applies to all parks. GET UP EARLY. Spend a couple of evenings glassing bears on Dunraven Pass. You'll see huge mulies, elk, and grizzlies. That is the Grand Loop from Junction over Mt Washburn to Canyon. Go fishing.

Mt Al stole my thunder on the Cooke City Hwy over the Beartooth Plateau. It is worth it. Just be OK with switchbacks and being very close to the downcliff side of the road.

Jeremy

 

[wesfromky]

While in the park, try to be up and on the road early and late - more wildlife and less people. Hit the popular stuff middle of the day or do short hikes. The northwest area is what I like the most - North American Serengeti, though a lot of wildlife will be up higher in the middle of summer.

In the tetons - the cascade canyon is nice day hike - you can even take a boat across the lake to shorten the distance, but I enjoyed getting up early and doing the hike before the first shuttle.

 

[Desk Jockey]

+1 on the get up early to avoid traffic comment above.
- west yellowstone has a cool little zoo. Best chance to see wolves and bears up close.
- teton is beautiful harder to get far into the back country. The lodges and lakes are cool.
- Maybe look into rafting there.
- Jackson hole is worth a stop

 

[camelcluch]

Hit Lamar valley at night. Bring good glass to view with and be prepared for crowds and slow driving

16 Absolute Best Things to Do in Yellowstone (+Map & Tips)

Discover the best places to see and top things to do in Yellowstone National Park, from iconic geysers to scenic drives and wildlife. Learn how to plan your time, where to stay, and what to expect with helpful tips and map.

fullsuitcase.com

 

[ericF]

Pay for the Gypsy guide on the App store. It is nice to have while driving around and will give you some history as well as suggestions for stopping or not stopping.

I haven't looked for them since my wife planned everything when we went, but I've heard there are Facebook groups or websites that track the bears and the wolves. Bison are everywhere along with the ungulates if you are out at the right time of day, but the highlights are the predators.

 

[Carpet Capital Shyster]

1. This June we (wife and kids: 8 and 11) are flying into SLC and driving to Yellowstone. Staying in the park 4 nights and 2 nights in Cody. Then on to Tetons for 3 nights. Other than the popular places is there anything not to miss along the way. Maybe some lesser known places or activities to get away from the crowds. Staying at Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Canyon Village. Planning on the rodeo and Cody museum while in Cody. Need some help on Teton activities.

2. Next year we are flying into Bozeman or Spokane and driving to Glacier. Probably June or early summer. Same as above. Any recommendations for places to see or things to do. I like to plan a year in advance.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I just took my wife, 4 year old son and 8 year old daughter to Grand Teton and Yellowstone back in late June and early July. We had the trip of a lifetime and my wife and kids want to move there now. Be prepared for cold weather in June as it snowed hard on us on the last day of June and first day of July in the park. We had warm jackets but my kids had to buy some sock hats. As a Southerner, it was surreal to turn on the news in Jackson and see that places to the west of us in Idaho were under a winter weather advisory in the summer.

I highly recommend driving the Beartooth Highway. It was simply incredible and the highlight of our trip, scenery wise. I recommend taking the route from Cody, via Dead Indian Pass (I think?) and then getting on the highway from there as the road from Cody is gorgeous too. My recommendation for the park is to not miss the Lamar valley. It is simply stunning and full of wildlife. I was fortunate to even see a wolf near the slough creek campground on a separate guy’s fishing trip I took out there last year.

Even though we spent about half the trip in Jackson, my family loved Cody and Red Lodge Montana, more. The rodeo was great in Cody and the town itself is just special. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay near Cody, I can’t say enough good things about Bill Cody Ranch which is on the road from the East Entrance of YNP to Cody. Wonderful staff, clean accommodations and a beautiful setting and all at a very reasonable price. The restaurant there was solid too. We stayed there four nights and my entire family was bummed out that we had non-refundable room reservations to go back to Jackson for the tail end of our trip and we would have probably canceled and extended at the ranch if possible. The horseback riding there was great and again, reasonably priced. One nice thing about Bill Cody, is you don’t have to be a guest of the ranch to ride horse so a lot of folks who were camping or staying in an RV came to the ranch and did trail rides every day. Another thing I did in Cody was book a float fishing trip with North Fork Anglers. It wasn’t cheap but it was well worth the cost. In terms of numbers and size, I caught more big fish in that single day than I’ve probably caught in my life. My arm ached at the end of the day. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Don’t get me wrong about Jackson. We loved the Tetons and probably enjoyed the scenery and saw more animals there, than in Yellowstone park. Jackson is just ritzy and not as much our speed, but it’s still fantastic. We did the rodeo in Jackson and enjoyed it as much the one in Cody. Honestly, during COVID, it was just nice to be at a sporting event and feel normal. Grizzly 399 was living up near pilgrim creek, just off the road to Yellowstone and we were able to see her and the Cubs. Maybe she will be there this summer; there website dedicated to following her so when your trip gets close, checking in on her location might be the best way to improve your odds of seeing a griz. Another recommendation for Jackson is to ride the ski tram up to the top of the mountain at Teton Village. I dunno if it was just a one off, but they let you take it to the top for free after a certain time in the late afternoon. We rode to the top and had beers and appetizers while enjoying incredible views.

 

[mlgc20]

Yellowstone is my favorite place on Earth. I go twice a year and will be there this year in July and September. Here are a few recommendations:

• Enjoy the drive from SLC to Yellowstone. Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border is beautiful.
• While in Yellowstone, everything takes twice as long as you think. Hold loosely to your plans for the day. You just won’t get anywhere in a hurry. But, it’s a great place to get stuck in traffic.
• Get out on the trails. There are some fantastic day hikes. You get a half mile from the road and the crowds largely disappear.
• The food options in the park suck. Really bad and really expensive. The satellite towns like Gardiner, Cooke City, and West Yellowstone have good options. I would hit a grocery store before going into the park and getting some basics.
• The fishing is fantastic. Too many options to list But, you can combine a day hike and unreal fishing.

 

[Whaledriver]

Tetons
- Grab some canoes at Colter Bay and explore some of the small islands on Jackson lake
- Drive up signal hill an hour before dark and watch the sunset
-Phelps lake is an easy hike and has good scenery

Yellowstone
-Hike into Slough Creek and catch some cuttys.
- Hells Roaring is a more moderate hike but great fishing too.
-Trout Lake is an easy little hike to fish for cuttys and watch the otters.
- Overall anything more than a mile from the road will less people.

Bring bear spray as you know. I bring the leaded variety too for backup.

 

[duckcarver]

Yellowstone
- I'd spend the last 2 hours of daylight in Lamar Valley more than once. Amazing wildlife viewing.

Tetons
- Morning balloon ride
- Depending on how late in June and activity level of your kids, if the snow has melted, ride the gondola at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Get waffles for the kids at Corbet's Cabin, soak in the mountain views, then take the Cirque Trail down to Bridger Restaurant and ride the chair lift back to the bottom. We did this when our kids were 10 and 12 and they loved it. Amazing views, wildflowers for miles, pika, and downhill hike.

 

[CHWine]

I have friends who own a motel/restaurant called Trail shop 22 miles east of the park near Wapiti. I think only open for dinner. There is some good guided river rafting around Cody.

 

[Fordguy]

Yellowstone is my favorite place on Earth. I go twice a year and will be there this year in July and September. Here are a few recommendations:

• Enjoy the drive from SLC to Yellowstone. Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border is beautiful.
• While in Yellowstone, everything takes twice as long as you think. Hold loosely to your plans for the day. You just won’t get anywhere in a hurry. But, it’s a great place to get stuck in traffic.
• Get out on the trails. There are some fantastic day hikes. You get a half mile from the road and the crowds largely disappear.
• The food options in the park suck. Really bad and really expensive. The satellite towns like Gardiner, Cooke City, and West Yellowstone have good options. I would hit a grocery store before going into the park and getting some basics.
• The fishing is fantastic. Too many options to list But, you can combine a day hike and unreal fishing.

Not only is the fishing incredible, but you don't need a license to fish in Glacier (unless things have changed since 2019).

 

[Carpet Capital Shyster]

Not only is the fishing incredible, but you don't need a license to fish in Glacier (unless things have changed since 2019).

I have a guys backpacking/fishing trip to glacier this summer. Information is hard to come by and the info I can get, seems to downplay the fishing in and around Glacier NP. Is there a good resource I’m overlooking? I have found a few web write ups. We are camping and fishing along the Belly River and then Elizabeth lake.

 

[peterk123]

So much great advice here. I have done yellowstone and tetons six times so far, glacier once. June is tricky. We were very limited where we could go in Glacier because the main road was still buried under twelve feet of snow. We like to camp. Nights can get quite cool. Yellowstone that time of year could have lots of snow at the higher elevations but accessible. I cannot agree more about walking in a half mile or more. The people disappear. Getting into the backside of yellowstone canyon is something special. I think we were about six miles in from the lower falls. Just incredible and not a human to be seen. I forget the exact stats, but like 90% of the people never leave their cars! To the park's credit, it is that well layed out.

I don't know how adventurous you are with your family, but camping at any of these parks will be something your kids will never forget and it will probably set them on a course for life they will never regret. Camping in the parks is a game changer and, as far as I am concerned, the only way to do it. It is so much fun. We have never had plans, we just winged it. It is getting tougher and tougher to do though because of the abundance of humans. Last year, we had to suck it up and sleep in the truck in a parking lot within the tetons because we could not land a site. Four adults in an SUV is rough. But man, it makes for a great story. I slept like a log, and I had a steering wheel stuck up my ass.... and I am in my mid fifties

Be patient, just go with the flow and suck in the scenery. Hit the tourist traps like Old Faithful, because well you just have to.

 

[Fordguy]

I have a guys backpacking/fishing trip to glacier this summer. Information is hard to come by and the info I can get, seems to downplay the fishing in and around Glacier NP. Is there a good resource I’m overlooking? I have found a few web write ups. We are camping and fishing along the Belly River and then Elizabeth lake.

The fishing at Glacier is good enough that if you look around, experiment a little and walk some shorelines you'll probably find fish. My advice is to pack a small travel rod and some small marabou jigs (crappie jigs maybe 1/16 oz, in dark colors that mimick insect larva/hatches), Cut the tails off and hop them along the bottom. Many places the water is clear and deceptively deep. You could also take a fly rod, there were a lot of rising fish when I was there last. They practically beg you to keep any lake trout you catch in the park. They're invasive and outcompete the native species. Outside of the Natl. Park, the flathead river looked like it would be good, as did several small lakes, but with limited time my fishing was only in the park.
As for resources- talk to the park rangers when you get there. They're very helpful, and they can probably tell you which lakes have been productive.

 

[duckcarver]

I enthusiastically second the GyPSy Guide app - great addition for many of the National Parks with kids. Narrated driving tour that provides info on history, geology, nature, etc. and prompts for stops/hikes.

 

[Carpet Capital Shyster]

The fishing at Glacier is good enough that if you look around, experiment a little and walk some shorelines you'll probably find fish. My advice is to pack a small travel rod and some small marabou jigs (crappie jigs maybe 1/16 oz, in dark colors that mimick insect larva/hatches), Cut the tails off and hop them along the bottom. Many places the water is clear and deceptively deep. You could also take a fly rod, there were a lot of rising fish when I was there last. They practically beg you to keep any lake trout you catch in the park. They're invasive and outcompete the native species. Outside of the Natl. Park, the flathead river looked like it would be good, as did several small lakes, but with limited time my fishing was only in the park.
As for resources- talk to the park rangers when you get there. They're very helpful, and they can probably tell you which lakes have been productive.

Thanks for the info.