Glacier / Yellowstone / Tetons : advice?

[swan]

We are doing a six-month trip this year, and in late august, we have 6 nights to distribute between Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Grand Teton national parks.

Our current plan is 2 nights at Glacier, and then 4 nights at Yellowstone, with plans to drive down to the Tetons/Jackson area during that time, before heading East to Rapid City, SD.

Should we abandon one of the nights at Yellowstone and camp at Teton? Any other ideas of how you'd spend your time in that area? We are not familiar, so it would all be new to us.

Thank you!

[Bill M.]

Its all good. East Glacier or West Glacier? Yellowstone is big. Campgrounds okay, but not exceptional. Grand Teton valley is beautiful. Nothing wrong with your original plan. The first time we did it different. We stayed at Colter bay and drove to Yellowstone. Any combination of the above would be fine. Depends upon how often you like to hitch up and maybe on how many miles you are willing to drive unhitched. And maybe depends on if you want to fish in Yellowstone. I do.

[tsunami]

More to see in Yellowstone. Drive through Tetons for the view and stay at Fishing Bridge campground as base camp to see as much of Yellowstone as possible. When driving through Teton's, get off the main road and hit the secondary roads that are closer to the base of the mountains. Enjoy...

[Bigskyrider8]

You need to add seven more days........to much to see in that time period.
My short answer is to drive through/past the Tetons, enjoy the view and head to West Yellowstone, that time of year I'd make an advance reservation NOW for the KOA in West, and then drive into the park. We also love to camp at Hebgen Lake, very near the park and beautiful. Glacier is our second favorite park, amazing country. Feel free to send us a personal note, if we can answer any questions.

Best!

[Thalweg]

No disrespect meant, but I've got to disagree with some of these assessments. I'd skip through Yellowstone and focus on the Tetons. Yellowstone has some great things to see, but there are just too many people. Oftentimes it feels like rush-hour in downtown Denver. The Tetons are some of the most majestic mountains in North America. It is crowded, but not as much as Yellowstone. I've always found the wildlife viewing better in the Tetons, especially if you're willing to do a little walking. I even saw a wolverine there once. Take a hike up Cascade Canyon, and you'll be hooked on the Tetons for the rest of your life.

Just my opinion

[pappy19]

Or go around to the SW part of Yellowstone at Bechler Ranger Station out from Ashton, Idaho. See a part of the Park hardly no one sees and has the very best fishing and interesting trails in the park.

[bganso]

If you're taking a six month trip, I'd try to rearrange the schedule to spend more time in the three parks mentioned. They're all majestic and it's difficult to see everything and still enjoy some 'down time' and the surrounding views. Other things in the region include Buffalo Bill Cody Museum, the Town of Jackson, Wy, a Float Trip on the Southfork, etc, etc.

[HiHoAgRV]

If you have never been to Yellerstone, merge in with the other 1,000 folks, stand in line, buy the sticker and watch the gyser.

Then get the heck out of there and head for the Tetons. More wildlife, less people, more views, less stress. Look on a map for a forest service road and drive until you find water.

We are headed back this summer!

[Bigskyrider8]

I'm in the park every month of the year.
Here is the drill: Motorcycles, RV's etc in the summer file in to old faithful, view the geyser buy a post card and head on (complaining about how crowded it is). They all miss 99% of the park, If you get off the main road, take a hike/walk.....you'll experience the real Yellowstone, wildlife, beautiful amazing country and no tourists.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by swan

We are doing a six-month trip this year, and in late august, we have 6 nights to distribute between Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Grand Teton national parks.

Our current plan is 2 nights at Glacier, and then 4 nights at Yellowstone, with plans to drive down to the Tetons/Jackson area during that time, before heading East to Rapid City, SD.

Should we abandon one of the nights at Yellowstone and camp at Teton? Any other ideas of how you'd spend your time in that area? We are not familiar, so it would all be new to us.


Thank you!

A six month trip with only two nights in Glacier? I would suggest cutting at least one day off of Yellowstone to equalize time spent in the two parks and check on line for the vast array of activities in and around Glacier / Many Glacier, Logan Pass / Hidden Lake overlook ... Whitefish Lake, Big Mountain / mtn biking & zip lines, National Bison Range, Whitewater rafting, and the Flathead Valley. I may be biased as a Montana native, but I have spent many weeks in both GNP and YNP. If you like mountains / views as opposed to the plains, GNP and its surroundings are very attractive... breath taking actually!

Be advised, however, that you will not be allowed to pull your AS over Going to the Sun road. Rather you will need to skirt around the southern periphery and park either on the east or west side of GNP ... trust me that you would not want to- even if allowed. I was the ranger at the top of Logan Pass for several season and heard the "scary" comments (broken mirrors, flat tires, interaction with bicyclists) from those who tried...even with shorter allowable overall lengths.

What a great time of year to see Big Sky Country. I am sure that you would regret spending only two nights in Glacier; make reservations NOW !

[Hoboplayer]

I lived and worked inside Yellowstone park for 7 years without getting tired of the scenery or the critters. It is fantastic. be sure to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and spend time in Hayden valley. With luck you will get stuck in a Buffalo jam. You'l never forget it. If you have a hard trailer you should stay at Fishing Bridge campground. In August it should be nice and cool (8000 ft). Go to the Lake store and see the most breathtaking sunrise and if you happen to be there during a full moon be sure to be at the Lake store when the moon rises over the mountains and shimmers on the lake. On the West side of the loop take the "Firehole Canyon Road. It is beautiful and you can go swimming in the Firehole river. A really cool spot.

[Woosch]

I'm with Thalweg here. We've stayed at Fishing Bridge twice. First time was ok. The second we were not terribly happy. Might try one of the ones without hookups. We really like Coulter Bay in the Tetons. Spacious sites with full hookups. There is another place between the parks (the name escapes me) that we stayed at once which was pretty nice.

[TheOhioSean]

In Yellowstone, Bridge Bay is a nice campground, but no hookups. I van camped there in 2012, very nice. The amphitheater for nightly programs was actually within the campground. In addition to general sight-seeing, the Mount Washburn trail and the rim trail along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone were well worth the time and effort; the scenery well rewards anybody willing to leave their vehicle and stretch their legs a bit.

The place in between Grand Teton and Yellowstone is Flagg Ranch on the Rockefeller Parkway; the campground is named Headwaters, and they had some nice basic camping cabins in addition to the tent and RV spots. The bathhouses there were very convenient.

We also van camped at Coulter Bay in Grand Teton. There, the campground was far enough from the amphitheater we drove. The bathhouse at Coulter Bay has limited hours and is located outside the campground, near the general store, amphitheater, and visitor center. The highlight of this park, at least for me, is undoubtedly the Hidden Falls / Cascade Canyon trail.

I stayed in cabins at Glacier (still restoring my Airstream), so have little to offer about the campgrounds. It is an amazing landscape. If you've got the stamina for it, the Highline trail from Logan Pass to the Loop is too pretty for words, and with the shuttle bus system the 12ish miles are manageable as you don't have to make a return hike.

[Mcwey]

Holly Cow a 6 month trip and 6 days between three of the most beautiful places in the Western US??? I agree with Mefly 2 but would add at least a week in this area. One could easily spend 4 days in each! Try to find a few more days or you will wish
you had! If you can't you will still enjoy the area a great deal and will return some day!
Mcwey

[Len n Jeanne]

I think 6 nights between these 3 parks really isn't enough to do them justice. Since Yellowstone and the Tetons are much closer together, maybe save Glacier for another trip? Yellowstone NP is huge, and posted speed limits are low, meaning it can take a very long time to drive around the park. Most of the neat thermal features are on the west side. I would suggest revs. for Yellowstone as the park is so popular during the summer. Colter Bay CG in the Tetons apparently doesn't fill up, but early birds do get the campground worms so far as camping in or near national parks, in our experience.

[swan]

I appreciate the detailed info on the parks. Wasn't really looking for commentary on the overall planning of our trip. We have reasons for the limitation.

Thanks.

[bonginator]

I lived in Montana and spent time in all of these parks. I agree with the advice you are getting here on your planned split of 6 days between these parks being too short. They are all spectacular and very interesting places to see. If you hit Glacier, you will want to see the a East side of the park as it has more grand scenery but there is a fair amount of driving to get there as you need to then go south to get westward again as you can't drive the going to the sun road with a trailer. At a minimum, I would target 3 days in the Grand Tetons, 4 days in Yellowstone and 6 days in Glacier and maybe do 4 on the east side and 2 on the west side with a planned 1/2 day driving from east to west. Yellowstone is a large park and you will want to do day trips to visit all of the geologic wonders of the park and take in the scenery. Do get out and walk to the sites to take in what is to be seen. All of these parks are fantastic and very interesting. The mountains and lakes in Grand Teton and Glacier are unbelievably majestic. Good luck with your trip planning. I would plan on staying In Yellowstone and in a grand Teton rather than between the two as the drive into Yellowstone is a long one.

[Len n Jeanne]

I don't think this info will help swan, but for anyone else reading this thread... the west side of Glacier is closer to where we live, so most of our visits are to this area. One of our favourite activities is to drop the Bambi in the CG, then drive up to Bowman or Kintla Lake. The road is long and bumpy, but the scenery is gorgeous and the lakes are great for canoeing or kayaking.

[bonginator]

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

I don't think this info will help swan, but for anyone else reading this thread... the west side of Glacier is closer to where we live, so most of our visits are to this area. One of our favourite activities is to drop the Bambi in the CG, then drive up to Bowman or Kintla Lake. The road is long and bumpy, but the scenery is gorgeous and the lakes are great for canoeing or kayaking.

I second this recommendation. It is a dirt road and narrow at points so somewhat slow going but Bowman is beautiful. When we were there last summer we saw lots of folks bring kayaks up and row to the other side of the lake. There also are walking trails here along the side of the lake. Beautiful trip and goes right by Polson where you can stop for fresh baked goods and draft beer. Perfect day trip.

[wavelength]

Last summer we stayed in all 3 parks and enjoyed our stay. Three days is enough for Yellowstone. stay at Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone, MT its 2 miles from the west entrance and a very nice park. Fishing bridge RV park is not nice. its nothing more than a big parking lot. The Teton are magnificent, Coulter bay village is one of the nicest parks we stayed in on our trip. Flag Ranch is a dusty dump of a campground. You need 3 days at west glacier. We stayed in Hungry Horse, MT