There have been many tragedies for both humans and animals within both parks especially in recent years. Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. and a locals tips for additional activities to do, like renting bikes, booking fishing guides, and touring the parks via horse rides. Hayden Valley is home to so many waterfowl species like herons, ducks, Canadian geese, and pelicans. But since I relocated to California almost a decade ago, weve made a bunch of trips to the area that I used to call home. The point is, we think doing it one-way is the way to go, and there are multiple ways to do it. The trail from the Visitor Center takes you on a 4.9 mile loop with 350 feet of elevation gain around all the sights. If you havent gotten your fill of geothermal springs in for the day, you can always detour to Firehole Lake Drive on your way to a campsite or lodge. Mammoth Hot Springs makes us feel like kids again, in a constant state of curiosity and discovery. Staying there will help you avoid backtracking and set you up nicely for the morning drive to Grand Teton. From camping to staying in the parks lodges, that guide has a strategy for choosing the perfect home base (spoiler, its actually home bases) in Yellowstone National Park. One other option that we dont necessarily recommend would be to fly into Salt Lake City International Airport and drive to the parks from there, though that adds an additional five hours each way onto this already exhaustive adventure. Visitors are welcome to swim or recreate in some parts of the lake, though other areas are off limits. If you have extra time, we wouldnt necessarily recommend doing or driving more than the amount on this list. Washburn. Instead, we would recommend advance booking a stay or site at Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, or Colter Bay. However, its massive. Both are pretty short and flat. Especially with wildlife living on and around the same trail systems that hikers use, we urge you to please make sure to pack in what you pack out. Specifically, flight costs to fly in and out of separate airports, and one-way rental car costs if youre flying in and renting a car to do this road trip. Moose love soaking in shallow waters on their stilt-like legs, chomping on river and lake foliage. All good things have to come to an end, but this final day will really leave you feeling bitter-sweet. All campsites in Grand Teton are advance-book campsites, with the exception of 20 dispersed first-come, first-serve campsites on the Rockefeller Memorial Parkway between Yellowstone and Grand Teton. ), Snake River Overlook, Oxbow Bend, and Willow Flats Overlook. Additionally, heres a map of the route youre going to find below. While you can expect crowds in these parks most of the year, this road trip itinerary will give you the clearest path to seeing the grandest attractions, with: This Yellowstone and Grand Teton road trip is sure to check all the boxes and give you a taste of each park. Still, youll get to see more Yellowstone hot spots: West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone Lake, and Elephant Back Mountain. Where Mt. Arriving at these parks midday during peak summer months can mean a headache, waiting in lines for parking slots to open up. Its a bittersweet ending to this jam-packed trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. If you have the time and are looking for a longer road trip, that might be a great option for you! These are the remaining homesteads of the Mormon settlers that came to live at the base of the Tetons in the 1890s. Alternatively, you can plan an out-and-back trip from one airport (e.g. The Oregon Coast is one of the most gorgeous pieces of the Pacific Northwest, and thats saying something considering the Northwest is full of incredible natural beauty. We spotted five moose here on our last excursion to the park. Youd honestly probably need two weeks to see it all. If youre not from California, I hope that my blog would inspire you to live like a tourist in your own city :), 12 Bay Area Airbnbs for local staycation during Covid, Weekend Getaway: Last Glimpse Of Fall In Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Teton: A 6-day Guide And Itinerary, Seventy Five Miles - A San Francisco Based Travel Blog By Irene, Fountain Paint Pot (Lower Geyser Basin) - 0.5 mile round trip, Grand Prismatic Spring (Midway Geyser Basin) -0.8 mile round trip, Old Faithful Geyser -> Morning Glory Pool (Upper Geyser Basin) - 2.8 mile round trip, West Thumb Geyser Basin - 1 mile round trip. Well reiterate here and recommend that you stay at the same campsite or lodge for your entire stay in Grand Teton. Lastly, its always important to practice Leave No Trace principles. While we recommend picking multiple camp or lodge spots while traveling through Yellowstone, for Grand Teton it would probably be best to pick one site to stay in for the entirety of your trip. These areas of the park are arguably the most popular parts though, so book campsites or lodging as early as you can to avoid competition. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S, it is also home to Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon (world domination here we come! We recommend it to most or all hikers, as its shorter and has less elevation gain than some of the other hikes on this list. We have a whole guide on where to stay in Yellowstone to help you make the right choice. If you do plan to only fly into one of the airports, we would recommend Jackson Hole Airport. Instead, try to have a quality-over-quantity mindset and spread the activities on this list over a few more days. This is the largest geyser basin on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. What you can see by stopping here: over fifty terraced hot springs, Palette Springs Terraces, and Orange Spring Mound. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are two of the most impressive national parks in the US. This time, youll be treated to views of Yellowstone Lake from above. The Woodland trail, which heads counter-clockwise around Phelps Lake, is the most direct trail to the lake loop, and is also the most scenic. From Jackson airport there is no commute its the only commercial airport located within a national park. Grand Teton is a much smaller park than Yellowstone. Area-wise, we think you should plan to split your time between the Canyon area and either Old Faithful or the West Thumb. Make sure to bring a camera and journal! Grab a coffee and get on the road! Because driving from any city that is further out will require extra commute travel days, we think the best way to do this trip is flying into Bozeman and flying out of Jackson (or the reverse). If you stay there, you can take advantage of the ski resort with the tram and gondola running during summer months to restaurants and viewpoints on the mountain. If you live close by Salt Lake City, Denver, or Idaho, for example you can drive to the starting point in Bozeman. Anything less than that and you should choose one or the other. The hottest and most-changing spot in Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin is full of constantly shifting and evolving features. Rise early to see wolves, grizzlies, and bison in the, Take in the majesty of the misting upper and lower falls at, Walk the boardwalks around the rainbow hotspots known as, Bring binoculars and look for bison in the plains behind, View the Cathedral Group of Tetons up close via. This trail may be closed due to ongoing construction on Dunraven Pass. However, its quite competitive to find campsites or rooms in lodges, so take what you can get. Theres a decision to make here whether you think the extra cost of those two things is worth saving several hours (probably between 4-6 at a minimum, when its all said and done) of driving. We have some suggestions on how to spend your extra time below the main itinerary. Today, bookend one of the best hikes in Grand Teton National Park with a sunrise and sunset wildlife drive. Lamar is Yellowstones most expansive basin easily accessed by park roads, and wildlife especially herds of elk, bison, and wolves tend to thrive and roam freely here. Now that youre firmly in the south end of the park, it makes sense to stay in a new place to minimize driving. An opportunity to take a week off work came out during my transition to a new team so I gladly took it. It took us forever because of how many deep potholes there were, and we had a truck. Were big hikers, which means we were a little disappointed to find that there really arent too many good hikes on San Juan Island, which is the most visited island in the archipelago. Otherwise, flying in is the way to go. We recommend checking out these predictions the evening before venturing to Old Faithful. Bozeman and Jackson have bookending airports to these national parks. Washburn by mid-morning, seeing the Grand Canyon and falls of Yellowstone during the golden afternoon, and looking over herds of bison and the deepening vista of Hayden Valley at dusk. In addition, making noise or carrying a bear bell, especially while traveling through huckleberry patches, is a great way to alert nearby wildlife that you are passing through. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (aka Teton Village) located by the south end of the park also has quite a few lodges and hotels. The second reason we recommend visiting at sunset: imagine the magic that happens when rainbow-colored hot springs mirror a rainbow-colored sky. There are two trail loops here worth seeing. There are plenty of geysers above the shoreline that you can see via more boardwalks and trail systems (like Upper Geyser Basin), but we bet you didnt know there are geyser eruptions occurring every day under the water as well. The concept of this blog is simple: I travel, I take photos, and I share those photos and itineraries with you. Hayden Valley is another prime, open plain to plan on stopping at for wildlife sightings. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Youre going to need them to keep track of all the magnificence youll see on this week-long ride. Plan accordingly! You can see the upper and lower falls of the Yellowstone River (the muse of so many photographers and painters like Moran and Addams) by accessing a variety of overlooks. And in 2020, we set off on a four month US, Read More Best Weekend Getaways From Portland (Complete Guide)Continue, Wondering where to stay in Portland for a trip youre planning? The Moose Wilson road that leads to Phelps Lake was a disaster. If you must make this trip shorter, we recommend skipping Day 2 (Lamar Valley, Mt. Feel free to stop for a breakfast picnic on any of the pull outs along the way. This hike travels through some meadows with wildflowers, though the majority of the way youll be hiking through pine forests. Youre in the right place! You could also do it the opposite direction, starting in Jackson and ending in Gardiner. This itinerary for Day 3 gets you to Old Faithful first thing in the morning, leaving the rest of the day for more hot spring, waterfall, and wildlife spotting. It will take most of the morning to get to the North Entrance of Yellowstone located in Gardiner its about a 1.5 hour drive, but could be longer depending on traffic. Grand Teton is a sweet, smaller park just south of Yellowstone, unique for dramatic views of the Teton Mountain Range, strenuous hikes to high-elevation glacial lakes, and prolific wildlife. We think this is the best way to see both parks in just seven days. First things first, where should you start and end your trip to these two parks? This 7 day Yellowstone and Grand Teton itinerary is a mash up of our 4 day Yellowstone itinerary, and our 3 day Grand Teton itinerary. This is also another great site to bring binoculars and look for herds of bison in the distant plains beyond Mormon Row. There were a couple of contenders on which destination I wanted to go next but because I was still on National Park high post Arches, I chose Yellowstone and Grand Teton as my next destination. Heres what this itinerary looks like written out. To name more than a few, for its weather, coffee culture, Nirvana, and of course, the TV show Frasier. Grand Teton is known for its hikes, and Cascade Canyon is one of the best in the park. Alysha has spent her whole life here, minus four years in college, and Matts a relative newcomer with just under 10 years at the time of writing. We think Gardiner, MT is a good base for Lamar Valley, Mammoth, and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Contrary to popular belief, Yellowstone isnt the largest national park in the US. Jackson is a resort town and there are quite a few options spanning from basic sites and RV parks to luxury rentals and hotel stays. Your email address will not be published. Every time it erupts, it shoots boiling water 130 feet into the sky. Emerald green, milky-blue, rusty orangethese are just a few of the colors youll be able to see not only in the hot pots, but also in the heavens. Because Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park are two of the most visited in the US and there is limited parking, we recommend that guests that want the best accessibility to the parks arrive early in the morning (9:00am at the latest). You can find a full list of our recommended areas to stay at the top of this itinerary. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are both home to massive glacial lakes and prolific sources of water. With populous large mammal wildlife, geothermal activity unlike anywhere else in the world, and towering peaks full of sprawling rocky mountain ecosystems, it makes sense that they are also two of the most visited parksYellowstone named the second most-visited national park in 2020 and Grand Teton coming in fifth. Rockefeller Highway is a scenic highway that connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This is the busiest hiking trail in Yellowstone, so be prepared for crowds. Touring the parks on trail horses is another great option for skipping crowds. However, that will probably add a lot more driving time to this already jam-packed road trip. This otherworldly chalky-limestone landscape is a Yellowstone must-see and you can view all of the features easily by accessing two short boardwalks from the parking lot. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are both surrounded by vast amounts of open space. This trail is good for all skill levels but might take a bigger chunk of the day (three to five hours) to complete. Bunsen Peak is a moderately-long hike that we think would be perfect right after a morning spent driving to the park and viewing Mammoth Hot Springs. Let's be friends! The two closest major cities with travel hubs and amenities are Salt Lake City and Denver. To get to these two national parks, you have a couple of options. Youll miss some of the highlights, but its still doable. These parks are both consistently busy between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so if you want to experience them with less people, traffic, and commotion, its generally a good idea to travel before June or after September. String Lake is a moderately-short, easy hiking loop that we would recommend to any level of hiker. Were starting off the first day of this trip with a sizzling itinerary: youll pass through the impressive North Entrance arch, visit the flowing limestone pools and mounds of Mammoth Hot Springs, hike through meadows and pine forests to Bunsen Peak, and see Norris Geyser Basin by sunset. Visit our guide on the 9 Best Hikes in Grand Teton National Park to plan out another day hike or two if you have extra time to spare. Its as faithful as can be, and we wouldnt tell you to visit unless it was a transformative stop. There is such an incredible amount of things to do, see, and, Read More How To Plan an Unforgettable Northern California Road TripContinue, Orcas Island is our favorite of the San Juan Islands, and it makes a perfect weekend getaway from Seattle. If you choose to partake in the jump, make sure someone snaps a photo of you midair. Please respect wildlife and do not approach moose, elk, bears, wolves, or bison at all. We recommend the hike to Point Sublime, a 2.7 mile round-trip hike with 340 feet of elevation gain that takes you past Artist Point and several other majestic views of the canyon. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we dont stand behind 100%. They are also very active at dusk. This overlook presents you with an amazing view of Grand Prismatic Spring, a very large rainbow-colored spring which is also iconically Yellowstone. A general good rule is to take it easy and do some less strenuous hikes in the area before trying to ascend or summit anything. For the sake of seeing the most attractions in just a few days, youll probably want to stay in a couple of different parts of the park to minimize driving. Also worth mentioning here is that big mammal wildlife are not the only wildlife to prioritize in the parks! Huge groves of towering sitka spruce trees, a coastline of beaches that oscillate between wide and sandy and rocky and full of sea stacks, and plenty of great, Read More Exactly How to Plan an Amazing Oregon Coast Road TripContinue, We have been lucky to call Northern California home for over a decade at this point. Earlier is better here because this attraction really draws crowds. Again, make sure you bring binoculars and turn off your engine so you can hear bugles, howls, or waterfowl calls. Ever heard of Thomas Moran or Ansel Addams? West Yellowstone, located at the west entrance of the park, has a smaller airport that you could also check in to for flights. For a list of authorized fishing guides available for hire in Yellowstone, visit the Yellowstone NPS fishing site here. Finding accommodation in Jackson Hole is going to be your best bet. If youre wondering how to spot wildlife in Lamar Valley and beyond, here are some of our tips. Colter Bay Campground: A large 324-site camp near Jackson Lake, with spectacular views of Mt. You definitely need to visit Yellowstone! Bear spray is a necessity while in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Route: The fastest route takes you through Fort Collins, CO, and into Wyoming through the western towns of Laramie, Lander, and Dubois. Yellowstone has so many iconic features, its difficult to choose one. You can also drive to the Midway Geyser Basin trail to visit Grand Prismatic and walk on boardwalks around the feature if you want to examine the otherworldly textures and colors up close. We recommend coming here at sunset for a few reasons, the first being that there will generally be way less people here during sunset, so youll be able to enjoy all the features for as much time as you want. In the itinerary for Yellowstone and Grand Teton below, youll find a guide with the most efficient route for hitting the best of both parks in just seven days. Visitors can learn about Rockefellers conservation philanthropy, historical ranch history, and sensory exhibits on plants and wildlife. A classic Yellowstone adventure wouldnt be complete without a trip to see Old Faithful, arguably the most famous feature of the park. Washburn, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley) and Day 6 (Sunrise Wildlife Drive, String Lake, Mormon Row, and Sunset Wildlife Loop) of this itinerary. And though the water is bitter-cold and glacial in some parts, in others it is very warm and even boiling. If you miss the eruption you wanted to see, no biggie, another eruption will usually occur in 45 minutes. The trailhead takes you up past Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, and then on towards the Cathedral Group of Teton Mountains (the Grand Teton, Mt. If you arrive in Bozeman on an afternoon or evening flight, we recommend finding a place to stay in the evening and then starting your journey the next morning. There are also some vacation rentals around Moose, WY, if you want more space or are traveling with a larger group. Do you dare sink a toe in Yellowstone Lake? Elephant Back Mountain Trail is another hike to a stunning panoramic viewpoint of the park. Split between three days in Yellowstone and two days in Grand Teton. And the route to the peak is just as awe-inspiring as the panoramic views up top: carpeted meadows of wildflowers in July, sweet-smelling pine forests, and ample wildlife on view ranging from marmots to bears. This is one feature of the park that you might want to time out on a more exact schedule. There are tons, Read More 5 Amazing Hikes on Orcas Island: A Complete Hiking GuideContinue, At this point, Seattle is world-famous all sorts of things. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your Grand Teton and Yellowstone itinerary. In this guide, were going to take you through the best places to stay in Portland based on our own personal experience of visiting Portland more than five times in the past few years including living there for, Read More Where to Stay in Portland: A Complete GuideContinue, Your email address will not be published. Signal Mountain Lodge: A rustic, semi-luxury lodge close to Jackson Lake, offering rooms and bungalows, as well as dining and other activities. Thats what youll find below. Youll drive on Rockefeller Highway down to Grand Teton National Park to hike the mellow String Lake loop, view the historic Mormon Row settlement, and catch the sunset at Oxbow Bend. We have compiled some great guides for sunrise drives on this itinerary to get you in the park as early as possible they will not only let you avoid mass crowds and the heat of the day, but will present you with the best opportunities to see wildlife like wolves, moose, and bears. We write detailed travel guides to help you forge deeper connections when you travel, and well hopefully help you discover something new along the way. So large that you could dedicate the entire week you have on this road trip just to touring Yellowstone. Youll see the best of both parks from hikes, to wildlife drives, to scenic vistas but your days are going to be full. Make sure to check the roads report. When we travel, we always opt for experiences over just having a list of places to check off. We think that the best way to do it is to start at the northern end of Yellowstone (Gardiner, MT), and spend your time making your way south through Yellowstone, then into Teton, and end in Jackson. Wildlife are a lot less likely to spook, charge, or maul if they are aware of nearby hikers. On the second day of this itinerary for Yellowstone and Grand Teton, youll be on the lookout for packs of wolves at dawn, hiking to Mt. Stay around Old Faithful (there are three park lodges) or in the town of West Yellowstone, which is outside the western entrance and is the best town in terms of hotel selection and amenities around Yellowstones border. Because it is shallower than most lakes in Grand Teton National Park, this is the hike we would say we have spotted the most moose on while visiting both parks. Moran. Splitting your time between these two towns right outside the park will give you a nice set of home bases for exploring the sprawling park without too much driving. An America the Beautiful Annual Pass (which gets you into any national park and also covers parking fees at most national monuments or national forest trailheads) is $80, and a single day pass into any national park, per vehicle, is $30. Both are famous artists notable within the national park movement, and both were extremely drawn to documenting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Always make sure to check road conditions for closures or hazards (here). Get an early start to your day and drive to Lamar Valley before dawn. We wouldnt necessarily recommend going for one of those spots because of how much competition there is, and because they are out of the way. Some highlights if youd like to see.. Take shuttle from airport to Idaho Falls (6:00pm), Pick up rental car at Idaho Falls airport, Upper Falls of Yellowstone -0.25mile RT, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Artist Point -1mile RT, Lookout Point for Lower Falls of Yellowstone, The Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center, Visit Jenny Lake/Schwabacher Landing to see Sunset, Hello! The western skies are known for having intense sunsets, especially in summer. Youll find that dawn and dusk are the best times to spot wildlife in the parks as these are the parts of the day when wildlife, especially large mammal wildlife, are most active. The absolute minimum amount of time wed recommend for this trip is five days. All by breakfast time!
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