Yellowstone!!!

[chasineyes]

Ok, time to start talking about summer plans!!!! The family and I are headed out to Yellowstone the first week in June. Anyone have any tips or sights to see? We are staying at the "Canyon" campground for 4 nights and then deciding what/where to go. We thought about dropping down to the Tetons and staying for 3 nights or ???? We have 10 days to use so let the ideas roll!!!

[leech~~]

Ok, time to start talking about summer plans!!!! The family and I are headed out to Yellowstone the first week in June. Anyone have any tips or sights to see? We are staying at the "Canyon" campground for 4 nights and then deciding what/where to go. We thought about dropping down to the Tetons and staying for 3 nights or ???? We have 10 days to use so let the ideas roll!!!

I have been out there about 6 times. It's a great place to visit. Check out Jackson Hole down in the Tetons is very cool town for the kids and family as there are tons of shops and things to see. Also, there is a fish hatchery where they rear Cutthroat Trout which is kind of cool to see. The park roads are kind of layed out like a big figure 8 if you look at a map and if you plan it right you can see it all. One place that's kind of neat to see right at sun down is the Lumar Vally (sp). Bring a spotting scope or binoc's to check out the Wolves and Grizz that travel the valley. West YellowStone is another neat town to bring the wife and kids with lots of shops and things to do. Of course you have to stop at Old Faithfull and all the hot pots and geysers. Not sure if you will have time but if you can sneak a fly rod along you can do some Trout fishing in the park and down by Jackson. Have Fun!

[fhj115]

You should have a great trip. Depending on the time of year you are going, it could be fairly crowed. At Canyon you of course will need to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Falls. There is also Tower Falls and Rooseveldt. A day trip to Old Faithfull and assorted geyser basins. Another day trip to Norris and Mammoth. Plan on at least 45min-1hour drive between each destination depending on weather and "animal jams".

At the Tetons camping is available at several areas. We stayed at Gros Ventre campground which seemed to be fairly centrally located for the activities we did. In the evening the buffalo would wander through the campground grazing. There is brand new visitor center at Moose in the Tetons which is very nice.

Check out the NPS websites for each park, they have a newspaper and maps you can download with the seasonal activies. If you have younger kids, there is a great Junior Ranger program for them to participate in. They can earn cool patches and at the same time have fun doing it.

Just remember plenty of film or memory cards for the camera!!

Have a great trip!!

Brian

[chasineyes]

Thanks everyone. We are heading out June 2nd for a week. We're hoping because our kids are out of school early that the crowds might be a little less than prime summer. Did the Gros Venture have a lot of tree coverage or was it mostly open meadow?

Thanks!@!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SneakAttack]

Went there around the same time in 2004, stayed 5 days, firt 3 days were 75-80* and sunny, final 2 days were 30* and with about 6" of snow so prepare for everything. Should not be to crowded at the time and hit all the spots mentioned above.

If i remember right, Yellowstone and some of the other bigger lakes were closed to fishing due to spawning/bear activity around this time but that was 6 years ago. Also alot of the famous rivers in the park had a pile of regs like fly only, stuff like that, still alot of water to fish and alot of fish to catch.

If you buy your groceries inside the park, prepare to pay an arm and a leg for it. Have fun

[fhj115]

The Gros Venture campground is heavily wooded. There is a river nearby the campground where we usually saw 2-3 moose everyday. The buffalo and pronghorns were also around in the open areas before you get to the campground. The campground is quite large and flat with a lot of very nice sites. There is also a ampitheater that the Rangers give talks in the evenings.

Also don't forget to check out the old barns and homesteads on Mormans Row.

Enjoy!!

[Jigging Joe]

How many days should one plan to stay in the Tetons??? Were planning on going to yellowstone the third week in July but thought we would go to the Tetons for a couple days 1st.

[pkv]

Hey JiggingJoe,

We were in Jackson Hole/Teton area last june, about the same time as well. The mountains there are beautiful, and I would say 3-4 days if you like hiking and fishing. I recommend Jenny Lake area for hiking - very kid friendly. Some hikers had spotted moose near the shores of the lake. We did some fishing off the Jackson Lake dam (on the way to Jenny Lake) and caught a lot of lake trouts and a few cutthroats. I recommend keep all your lake trouts to the limit and release all the cutthroats. Early June, the weather is still relatively cool 40s-70s so there aren't too many tourists in the area. You might get a hiking trail all to yourself. Have a great time!