dont know
My husband and I are planning to take a trip to Yellowstone with our two kids (Girl-11 and Boy-14). We will be driving through either ND or SD to get there. Does anyone know of some other places we can stop?
Also, where are some nice places to stay around Yellowstone?
We are willing to camp in a tent or stay in a cabin, hotel....etc.
Answer
We go to Yellowstone every fall and typically stay in West Yellowstone, MT. I realize that it is not along your route, but there is a decent selection of hotels and most are within a mile of the West Entrance. Here are a couple of links to the hotels we like to stay at just in case. Both have pools and free breakfast.
http://www.graywolfinn.com/
http://yellowstoneparkhotel.com/
We've also stayed in Jackson, WY but you would have to drive through the Tetons to get to Yellowstone. A nice drive, but don't know if you'd want to do it everyday.
The other place you might check for accommodations is Xanterra. This is the conssionaire that runs the hotels and giftshops in the park if you are interested. They might have info about camping, but I'm not sure.
http://www.xanterra.com/
As far as things to do...
If you are going to be there in the summer, check out Dunraven Pass. It is one of the best place to see bears. If your are there in the fall after they close Dunraven Pass, check out Lamar or Hayden Valley for bears. We've only seen them in Lamar, but I've heard great stories about the bears in Hayden. Both of these places are good for seeing the wolves too. Baronette Peak (just inside the NE Entrance) is known for its billy goats and you can see them up on the cliffs. Near the NE Eantrance and Yellowstone Lake is where you are more likely to see a moose in the park, but you'll have much better luck in the Tetons at Moose Juction and even the camp ground the other contribtor mentioned. We've seen plenty there late in the evening. Deer, elk, bison and coyotes roam the park and you can spot them just about anywhere. Be aware of the heards of elk and bison that cross the park roads after dark and drive with caution. You are likely to see big horn sheep between Mammoth Hot Springs and the North Entrance as well as prong horn.
If you want to see and animal that you haven't seen yet, ask other visitors. They are more willing to tell you where to look than the park rangers in most cases. They are anxious to share there stories of when and where they've seen a particular animal. Don't forget to bring binoculars (a pair for everyone if you can) or a spotting scope for viewing animals.
Other things to do...
Plan to visit Old Faithful at sunset. It will be less crowded and just beautiful. You can stop in the giftshops at Old Faithful Village to find out when it will errupt next (about every 90 minutes.) There is a nice geyser walk that passes many of Yellowstone's geysers and thermal pools. Castle Geyser is cool!
You might also want to check out Norris Geyser basin or even the Upper and Lower Geyser basins. Also visit the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, very impressive. Just be sure to stay on the boardwalks.
Artist Point is a nice walk or you might want to visit the brink of the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, all of these are also cool at sunset.
Yellowstone Lake offers a variety of watersports/boating activities. Xanterra might be able to help you with planning these activities too.
If you like history, stop in the visitor's center at Mammoth. I believe there is a walking tour you can take to learn about some of the old building there and you can learn about when the army protected the park before the park rangers came on the scene.
Take a tour of the Old Faithful Inn. Very interesting and a good thing to do if it is rainy outside.
Other Tips...
Fill your tank before you enter the park (or plan to go out of the park to fill up), gas is less expensive in the towns. It is usually least expensive in Gardiner, just outside the North Entrance.
In my opnion, the best visitor's center is the Canyon Visitor's Center and it has nice restrooms.
Fill your cooler with drinks, snacks, lunch meat, etc in one of the bigger towns because food is expensive in the park and groceries are not very cheap in the towns surroundding the park. If you camp, follow all the rules for storing food where bears are present.
For current schedules of things going on in the park, read the newspaper they give you at the entrance to the park when you pay your admission fee. Your admission is good for 7 days and will also get you into the Tetons.
Be prepared to take tons of pictures.
Plan to dress in layers as the weather can change dramatically thoughout the day and from one elevation to the next. Make sure everyone has comfortable walking shoes.
And my favorite thing...the park webcams. If you click on the pictures, it will show you a snap shot of the park at the present time. Sometimes you will catch an elk or bison in the shot. And you can even watch Old Faithful errupt. Blow up the Old Faithful webcam and it will tell you the next predicted eruption at the top of the photo.
http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/webcams.htm
Have a great trip.
We go to Yellowstone every fall and typically stay in West Yellowstone, MT. I realize that it is not along your route, but there is a decent selection of hotels and most are within a mile of the West Entrance. Here are a couple of links to the hotels we like to stay at just in case. Both have pools and free breakfast.
http://www.graywolfinn.com/
http://yellowstoneparkhotel.com/
We've also stayed in Jackson, WY but you would have to drive through the Tetons to get to Yellowstone. A nice drive, but don't know if you'd want to do it everyday.
The other place you might check for accommodations is Xanterra. This is the conssionaire that runs the hotels and giftshops in the park if you are interested. They might have info about camping, but I'm not sure.
http://www.xanterra.com/
As far as things to do...
If you are going to be there in the summer, check out Dunraven Pass. It is one of the best place to see bears. If your are there in the fall after they close Dunraven Pass, check out Lamar or Hayden Valley for bears. We've only seen them in Lamar, but I've heard great stories about the bears in Hayden. Both of these places are good for seeing the wolves too. Baronette Peak (just inside the NE Entrance) is known for its billy goats and you can see them up on the cliffs. Near the NE Eantrance and Yellowstone Lake is where you are more likely to see a moose in the park, but you'll have much better luck in the Tetons at Moose Juction and even the camp ground the other contribtor mentioned. We've seen plenty there late in the evening. Deer, elk, bison and coyotes roam the park and you can spot them just about anywhere. Be aware of the heards of elk and bison that cross the park roads after dark and drive with caution. You are likely to see big horn sheep between Mammoth Hot Springs and the North Entrance as well as prong horn.
If you want to see and animal that you haven't seen yet, ask other visitors. They are more willing to tell you where to look than the park rangers in most cases. They are anxious to share there stories of when and where they've seen a particular animal. Don't forget to bring binoculars (a pair for everyone if you can) or a spotting scope for viewing animals.
Other things to do...
Plan to visit Old Faithful at sunset. It will be less crowded and just beautiful. You can stop in the giftshops at Old Faithful Village to find out when it will errupt next (about every 90 minutes.) There is a nice geyser walk that passes many of Yellowstone's geysers and thermal pools. Castle Geyser is cool!
You might also want to check out Norris Geyser basin or even the Upper and Lower Geyser basins. Also visit the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, very impressive. Just be sure to stay on the boardwalks.
Artist Point is a nice walk or you might want to visit the brink of the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, all of these are also cool at sunset.
Yellowstone Lake offers a variety of watersports/boating activities. Xanterra might be able to help you with planning these activities too.
If you like history, stop in the visitor's center at Mammoth. I believe there is a walking tour you can take to learn about some of the old building there and you can learn about when the army protected the park before the park rangers came on the scene.
Take a tour of the Old Faithful Inn. Very interesting and a good thing to do if it is rainy outside.
Other Tips...
Fill your tank before you enter the park (or plan to go out of the park to fill up), gas is less expensive in the towns. It is usually least expensive in Gardiner, just outside the North Entrance.
In my opnion, the best visitor's center is the Canyon Visitor's Center and it has nice restrooms.
Fill your cooler with drinks, snacks, lunch meat, etc in one of the bigger towns because food is expensive in the park and groceries are not very cheap in the towns surroundding the park. If you camp, follow all the rules for storing food where bears are present.
For current schedules of things going on in the park, read the newspaper they give you at the entrance to the park when you pay your admission fee. Your admission is good for 7 days and will also get you into the Tetons.
Be prepared to take tons of pictures.
Plan to dress in layers as the weather can change dramatically thoughout the day and from one elevation to the next. Make sure everyone has comfortable walking shoes.
And my favorite thing...the park webcams. If you click on the pictures, it will show you a snap shot of the park at the present time. Sometimes you will catch an elk or bison in the shot. And you can even watch Old Faithful errupt. Blow up the Old Faithful webcam and it will tell you the next predicted eruption at the top of the photo.
http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/webcams.htm
Have a great trip.
How to get my girlfriend to go camping?
Chris
My GF has NEVER been camping before and is on the fence about going. She's not all to into the rustic thing but, by her own admission her ideas of what camping is all come from word of mouth and stereotypes about rustic camping. How would I go about "easing into" camping? I would imagine just plopping down in the middle of Yellowstone may be a bit like ice cold water to the face.
I thought about going to one of those 'commercial camp grounds' (The ones where you rent a camp site etc) but they are basically tent cities, but if it's a stepping stone on the way to real camping I MAY be willing to give it a shot.
What are your suggestions?
Answer
You need to think about the reasons you love camping, and share these with her. If your favorite thing is the solitude and nature, a commercial camp ground may not be the best introduction to the things you love about camping.
You don't have to show her the entire camping experience all at once. You could have a cookout over a fire pit in your back yard, or set up a tent in your living room and have a romantic sleepover.
You could combine camping with some aspect of a vacation that she enjoys. If she loves the beach, you could camp near the seaside rather than the woods. The important thing is to make her part of the experience. Compromise! Don't just drag her along without giving her any input. You wouldn't enjoy it if she forced you to give up your weekend trying something she was into but you weren't sure you'd enjoy.
You need to think about the reasons you love camping, and share these with her. If your favorite thing is the solitude and nature, a commercial camp ground may not be the best introduction to the things you love about camping.
You don't have to show her the entire camping experience all at once. You could have a cookout over a fire pit in your back yard, or set up a tent in your living room and have a romantic sleepover.
You could combine camping with some aspect of a vacation that she enjoys. If she loves the beach, you could camp near the seaside rather than the woods. The important thing is to make her part of the experience. Compromise! Don't just drag her along without giving her any input. You wouldn't enjoy it if she forced you to give up your weekend trying something she was into but you weren't sure you'd enjoy.
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