Yellowstone and Tetons in Summer (Overview) 2016

I have been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout the United States. I had been to 48 states by young adulthood, 49 states by my 30s and will be visiting my final state- Alaska- in 2020. I have been to Asia, Africa, S. America and New Zealand. But of all the places I've traveled, my absolute favorite place in the world is Yellowstone National Park. This. Place. Is. Magical. Because of my deep love for this place, I have been there 7 times, twice in the winter, once as a kid and once WITH my kid. And I will be going again this year with both kiddos in tow (can't wait!!). This series of posts will focus on the visit with my then 3 year old daughter, but this overview applies to anyone who wants to see this incredible, incredible place. This is a broad overview for those getting a lay of the land who need to build a framework for a family trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons. I will write more detailed posts about each area over the next few months.

In the spring you will see babies of every variety!

Marmot

It's important to note that Yellowstone National Park is HUGE. It is not a place to do in a whirlwind visit. It takes hours to drive from one end of the park to another. And that's without traffic jams due to humans or other animals. Additionally don't you WANT to stop and see the animals and the sights? Moreover, don't you WANT to hike a bit and get off the beaten (and do I mean beaten) paths and spend some time in nature?  You should spend as much time as you can in this place. There is a great app called Gypsy Guides that uses GPS (not cell service) to give commentary on interesting historical, geological and naturalist fun facts. Highly recommend getting this app.

That said, many families have 7-10 days to explore, so let me make it simple. If it is your first trip to Yellowstone and you want a good flavor of the animals, the thermal features, and the hiking, here is a basic recommendation that you can't go wrong with:

2-3 nights at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (N), 2-3 nights in the Old Faithful complex (SW) and 2-3 nights at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park (S of Yellowstone). As I go into more detail I'll throw in some easy variations that may make sense for your family or based on availability. But for those looking for a simple itinerary, there ya go. I'll then go into more detail on the 3 regions I suggest in subsequent posts.

Getting to the region:
I can attest that driving to Yellowstone is a fantastic road trip from the Midwest. There are great stops in S Dakota (Corn Palace, Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Devil's Tower just over the border in WY). The other easiest option would be to fly either into/out of Bozeman, MT or into/out of Jackson Hole, WY. Bozeman is much much cheaper (and direct) if you are coming from Chicago. That is what we usually do.

Trip Timing:
Like most lovers of our national park system, I have mixed feelings about how crowded certain national parks have become. During peak season (July and August) Yellowstone is so crowded. Too crowded. It absolutely detracts from the experience of the major sites. However, a sadly tiny minority of visitors ever leave the paved paths or wooded boardwalks so if you are a hiker, you can still easily find solitude in this vast natural space.

Expect snow in early June

But, given the crowds, it is worth timing your trip on the shoulder season to the best of your ability. Early June is a wonderful time- tons of baby animals to see, fewer people, weather is chilly but totally fine. Late August (once school is back in session) would be good as well and likely into early September (we will be trying September this year!). See my post on Winter in Yellowstone National Park for a truly magical experience.


It's best to plan ahead- bookings start May 1st for the subsequent year (for example book May 1st of 2020 for Summer 2021). But if you weren't able to do that, don't despair, you may still have luck with cancellations if you are flexible.

Food:
Our preferred style of travel is to make our own meals as much as possible. This is tough in Yellowstone. None of the hotel style lodging have kitchens available. So, unless you are camping most dinners will need to be at the hotels. Breakfast and lunch can be accomplished with coolers but you will want to buy most of your supplies before you enter the park. There are a few small stores, but don't expect much (or any) fresh fruits or non pre-made foods. I just this week came up with the bright to bring camp food and a camp stove- I bet there are picnic areas where you are allowed to use a camp stove. You'd need to investigate this for yourself but since I'm not sure why it took me years to come up with this idea, maybe you haven't either:) (Ps. the Jet Boil is an awesome easy introductory camp cooker if you are new to this.)

Sample Itinerary:
Day 1 Fly into Bozeman, MT, drive to the North Entrance and stay at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel for 2-3 nights. Consider eating at the fantastic MacKenzie River Pizza Company in Bozeman. Stock up at the grocery store in Bozeman. The drive to Mammoth is short and easy (1 hr 45 min). Mammoth Hot Springs Hotels has various room types including cabins. Some rooms have bathrooms, some are down the hall. There is no opportunity for cooking so make reservations at the hotel restaurant for dinner which is delicious!

An alternative lodging opportunity up North would be the Roosevelt Lodge. This would give you similar opportunities to explore around Mammoth as well as the Lamar Valley, an absolute must see on your trip.

For more detailed activity suggestions around Mammoth check out: Yellowstone- Around Mammoth Hot Springs.

Day 2 Around Mammoth

Coyote

Stop by the visitors center on the Mammoth Campus. There will be rangers to guide you the best hikes to meet your family's needs and the interpretive center is great for kids. There are multiple hikes that start right from the lodge including the don't miss walk around the hot springs.

Mammoth is also a good jumping off point to go to the Lamar Valley an absolute MUST SEE valley with tons of wildlife. There are hikes of all sizes ranging from 0.5 miles to 20 miles and even multiple night backpacking opportunities. I recommend you either get a hiking specific book for Yellowstone (I like the Falcon Guide for this) or if you are more of a seat of the pants traveller just ask the ranger the day before to help you pick for the following day.

The Lamar (and also Hayden) Valley are the best places for wildlife viewing. We were treated to this showing of a herd protecting their littlest member as they crossed the river. The adults circled the baby to make sure he didn't get lost in the current as they crossed.

Day 3 Drive to Old Faithful

Wolf

There is SO MUCH you COULD do on this drive from the northern to the southern end of the park. The key is to keep everyone fed and comfortable and to not attempt to squeeze in too much. For fist timers, my gentle suggestion would be that you set out early and get right over the the Canyon Village to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the associated waterfalls. If this is a second or third visit to the park, this could be skipped in favor of an additional hiking stop or a myriad of other sites, but the Canyon and Waterfalls are worth seeing once. You can then meander down past Norris and over to Old Faithful. This drive is likely NOT the time to stop at Grand Prismatic as by the time you get there it will be swamped with tourists, but choosing a couple other geyser driven stops would be reasonable. Then you'll get settled into your Old Faithful complex lodging and once the buses have left you can meander around the boardwalk at Old Faithful.

There are three lodging options at Old Faithful and unless you book immediately on May 1st, you may not have a choice about which one. But worry not. While my favorite is the Snow Lodge (best balance of amenities and price), the Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Lodge Cabins are both totally fine options. Many first timer's instinct is to stay at the iconic Old Faithful Inn, but I see no reason for this. You can visit and appreciate the architecture and you can and should eat dinner at the Old Faithful Inn dining room but there's no real reason you must sleep in that building. The Cabins are rustic. But they are fine. And you are steps away from the most amazing thermal activity on the planet. So keep your priorities straight and which bed you sleep in actually shouldn't be one of them.

For more detailed activity suggestions around Old Faithful check out: Yellowstone- Around Old Faithful.

Day 4:
Get up EARLY, beat the crowds, if the timing is good take the chance to see Old Faithful erupt before the masses arrive, but if the timing is not right head over the Grand Prismatic to beat the crowds on that incredible walk. You can use the rest of this day for exploring other thermal features, doing a hike to get away from the crowds, or driving over to West Thumb and Yellowstone Lake to explore that area of the park.

Bear seen from Jackson Lake Lodge

Day 5:
Get up EARLY, beat the crowds and do whatever you didn't do yesterday- Old Faithful or Grand Prismatic. If you are doing the short version of this trip (2 nights at each place), it's time to drive on to Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons. You could stop at West Thumb or Lake Yellowstone on the way or just head straight down. Don't feel any obligation to stop at Grant Village unless you need to buy something.

There are a handful of lodging options in the Tetons and all would be fine, but there is something really special about Jackson Lake Lodge. The lobby is a wonderful place to hang out and play games, the large deck is a fantastic place to eat and observe, there's a outdoor pool for the kids, there are short hiking trails right around the lodge. It matters not at all if you stay in a lodge room or one of the cabins (I have a gentle preference for the cabins with views of the mountains:)).

The Tetons are way less crowded then Yellowstone still with great opportunities for animal viewing (though fewer bison) plus the mountains to enjoy. The Tetons should not be missed even though it will feel like it's cutting your Yellowstone trip short

Day 6:
A good day to sleep in because the Tetons are less crowded. There are wonderful hikes all throughout the Tetons. There are also bike paths near the southern end, a newer addition, so I haven't explored those yet. Also, keep in mind that little kids are endlessly entertained by rocks. Throwing them, picking them up, so find a beautiful lake and just enjoy!!

One thing to consider is paddling. There are some wonderful calm bodies of water perfect for kayaking including with littles. Like this:

For more detailed activity suggestions around the Tetons check out the dedicated posts: Grand Teton National Park and Grand Teton National Park- RV.

Day 7: 
If you did the shortest version of this trip then it's time to fly home- either flying out of Jackson Hole just south of Grand Teton National Park or making your way back up to Mammoth to fly out of Bozeman. You should take this chance to drive through the Hayden Valley if you haven't yet for last chance wildlife spotting.

Mere steps from our cabin at
Jackson Lake Lodge

If you have more than 6 nights, I'd first suggest you add a 3rd night in the Tetons. You could rent bikes for the newish biking trails, you could raft down the Snake River. If you have additional nights, I'd add a third to the Old Faithful Region OR go stay at the wonderful Lake Yellowstone Hotel. If you LOVE wildlife spotting you may want to add an additional night up north (Mammoth or Roosevelt) to spend more time in the Lamar and Hayden Valleys. You won't go wrong no matter what you choose.

Also, the order of the stops doesn't matter much. You could just as easily start in the Tetons, head to Old Faithful, then to Mammoth. You may not have a choice based on lodging availability. While it is a large region and you don't want to drive back and forth excessively, the drives themselves are stunning so as long as you stay at least a couple nights at each stop, you'll be fine even with littles. 

For additional Yellowstone information from a trip we took with our RV see Yellowstone National Park -RV.