Stories and photos by Dan Ciufo (unless otherwise indicated)
Do you find yourself gaping at stunning mountain vistas and embracing other-worldly natural experiences? Do you marvel at abundant wildlife in their natural habitat and enjoy strapping on a good pair of boots to head off on a fantastic day hike?
If any of these hit you in your sweet spot, look no further than a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks!
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
A summer trip to this giant-sized set of parks will be rewarded with warm days, crisp evenings and unrivaled views for literally hundreds of miles in Wyoming and Montana. Understand that to really explore this area thoroughly you may need more vacation days than you actually have—this is a vast wilderness with nearly limitless hiking and camping opportunities. Even so, a solid 10-day itinerary can net an excellent overview of the region. One logical way to approach any type of visit is geographically, finishing close to where you’ll fly out of if that is your mode of travel. Jackson Hole serves as a lovely, very manageable airport to access and provides a good hub for the southern portion of this visit as well as the perfect fly-out location.
I recommend approaching the visit like the Civil War, dividing the north and the south. As such, flying into Jackson Hole, then heading north through the Tetons for stays in West Yellowstone and/or Gardiner, Montana makes a lot of sense. That approach offers a nice overview of both parks and positions you to hub out of three or four locations, working south to fly out. West Yellowstone has abundant lodging, much of it non-chain establishments harking back to a time before the proliferation of commercial hotels. We enjoyed our stay in the White Buffalo Hotel, though it was one of many similarly value-priced hotels in the area. Be mindful that lodging can be pricey during peak season, namely summer. The same can be said for the local eats—good local restaurants with a few just upscale enough to make you wince a little. And plenty of buffalo dishes to sample!
YELLOWSTONE GOODIES
West Yellowstone offers a direct entry into the west entrance of the park, but be prepared for long car lines in the summer unless you get an early start. An easy and gorgeous drive on the Grand Loop Road will take you by more than ten different geysers all along the highway and all impossible to miss—just look for the steam shooting out of the ground! Each of these offers short to medium length hikes around the attractions.
The Grand Prismatic Geyser is among the premier sites, and may be best seen from above on the Fairy Falls Trail—the full hike is a beautiful 6.5 miler with various views of the geyser and pools. A beautiful and short drive down the road is the well-stocked complex for the main attraction at Yellowstone, Old Faithful, not to be confused with a lesser geyser, Young Hopeful. Old Faithful erupts approximately 20 times each day, so slightly less than once each hour. It is worth the wait and is impressive. Missing it would be like going to London and not seeing Big Ben but there is such overwhelming beauty and wildlife that Old Faithful may not end up being the highlight of your trip.
We must be charmed because during our time in Yellowstone we saw in the wild; three bears (from afar!), a couple wolves (also from afar!), thousands of buffalo, millions of elk, some big horn sheep, foxes, nearly tripped over a moose and saw a host of other little varmints. Admittedly, it’s rare to see bear and wolves in the wild so you may want to hedge your bets and spend a couple hours and play at the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone where you can see a collection of various bears, a couple packs of wolves and lots of info.
A MAMMOTH FIND!
Moving to the far north end of the park, you’ll find splurge-worthy accommodations at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, a vestige from 1936 with a collection of nice rooms and a complex of cute little “frontier cabins”. Be prepared to dish out some dinero for the privilege of staying here. The area is liberally festooned with elk–these guys are everywhere! There are a couple of eating options that are acceptable, though rather pedestrian. However, a short 15-minute trip north out of the park to Gardiner opens up a number of options. We had a couple excellent meals at The Wonderland Café right in the heart of downtown. Look for the small herds of Bighorn Sheep along the twisty turns just outside the park on the way to Gardiner!
BISON BY THE BUSHEL!
Heading back into the heart of Yellowstone, another “look kids, it’s Big Ben” experience is driving the Lamar Valley road. This is THE place to see buffalo in the wild. The route along Highway 212 vectors you towards the northeast entrance/exit of the park, but along the valley floor are a plethora of buffalo herds. Wildlife in the park is abundant along the roads and easy to spot—just look for the cars stopped along the pullouts. Plan a leisurely half day at least for this venture and you won’t be disappointed. This trip would be a good one to pack some lunch for since there is little in the way of eating options, drinking options… or bathroom options for that matter!
Heading south to the next overnight destination, don’t miss another absolute “must-see” side jaunt to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Highly recommended is the hike along the south rim of the canyon out to Artist Point. You’ll be treated to the Upper and Lower Yellowstone waterfalls, excellent overlooks of a spectacular canyon riven by the Yellowstone River. The yellow hue of the mountain faces here is how the park got its name. You can hike both the north rim and south rim and each will take you out a couple miles, then back. Along the way are scenic overlooks and importantly, there are bathrooms at the start and end of the trails at the parking lot. Speaking of bathrooms, be sure to bring a book—during the summer you can typically expect bladder challenging lines at any of the public restrooms.
SOUTH TO JACKSON!
Continuing south towards your egress at Jackson Hole, you’ll enter Grand Teton National Park. It’s stunning and is so impressive that many people have real trouble deciding whether they liked Yellowstone or Grand Teton better. Along our journey south we hiked a 2-3 hour loop at Lake Jenny which was fantastic-highly recommended! Be aware that unless you get there early you’ll be sharing the parking lot, trails, and bathrooms with a pretty robust crowd, but that does nothing to diminish the beauty you’ll encounter.
We opted to stay for a few nights at the ski lodge at Teton Village north of Jackson Hole, but at a significant discount because we inhabited the Hostel. Rustic and slightly austere are words that come to mind. They do offer non-communal rooms with private baths and if you compare to the other lodging in Teton Village you’ll begin to feel pretty good about it. It’s in a central location to most of the village amenities. An eatery we enjoyed in the Village was the Mangy Moose. Sounds funky, looks a little funky but the fare was good. We enjoyed the coffin and manikin legs dangling above our table! Even during the summer the village was buzzing with activity. A fun couple of hours of play can be had by taking the Bridger Gondola up to the Piste Mountain Bistro area. It’s a fun ride up and there’s a coffee shop, restaurant and snacks to add to the amazing view of the village below and north part of Jackson Valley.
We took a lovely alternative route up to the same spot on our final day—the kind of route that requires hiking boots and rest stops. The Wildflower trail is a beautiful couple hour hike from the village to the top of Piste Mountain. Along the way we nearly stumbled over a very large Bull Moose looking like Bullwinkle just resting in the brush along the trail. Be warned that you’ll be “upward bound” the entire hike!
PICTURE THIS!
The final leg of our “four corners” tour took us east to Kelly where we stayed a couple nights in a rustic 1930’s cabin with an unbelievable view of the Tetons, a captivating range. Sunsets over these mountains can be breathtaking. The Anne Kent cabin, though along a main road, is ideally situated to visit the iconic T.A. Moulton Barn. But another can’t-miss spot just a half-mile away is a complex of abandoned farms and barns, which offers a fascinating look at the history of the Mormon settlers along Mormon Row.
If you are a map person, you’ll realize that we stayed, played and ate in the four corners of the parks, working our way south. It is worthy of considering a trip of around 10 days in the parks, which allows for five days in each, plenty of hikes, moderate drives, and a beautiful overview of the vastness and variety of environs this remarkable part of America offers the traveler.
