Yellowstone park

Coveredinbees!!!!

Has anyone ever been to yellowstone park? I mentioned that I would like to go there one day and the wife has taken that to mean start planning a trip there now!!! She has done a bit of research and was planning on flying to rapid city going to Mount Rushmore and the black hills then on to yellowstone.

Anyone ever been?

Erikin_2

Coveredinbees!!!!

Great outdoor scenery. Been a couple of times to Yellowstone and I’m going to that part of the world again in June which shows how much I like the Rockies area.

A point to bear in mind is cost of flights and car hire. Rapid City is not a main airport and would involve extra flights and keep in mind it is much cheaper to hire a car from the place where you return it – i.e. do a circular tour.

If flying from the UK, and going to that part of the US, personally I would fly in and out of Denver and hire the car from there. Much depends on time / money but an example round trip could be: Denver – Cheyenne- Keystone – Sheridan – Yellowstone - Jackson Hole – Rawlins – Denver. (or a variation) Roughly about 1600 miles overall.

Just a few highlights……

Denver – nearby Rocky Mountain National park.

Cheyenne – buffalo herds, old railway stuff.

Keystone – Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Black Hills, Badlands (where Kevin Costner filmed – forget name – befriended a wolf and Indians.

Sheridan – on way visit Devils Tower – think it was featured in ET.

Yellowstone – Geyser etc etc. On the way could go via Beartooth Highway considered most scenic highway in US. If staying in Park you need to book well in advance as places sell out and are limited.

Jackson Hole – Grand Tetons – really beautiful mountains and a very scenic area.

Rawlins – old state prison well worth a visit where you can see electric chair which was used in days gone, and the old style double tier cells.

Back to Denver. Staying downtown is worth while.

If you think I can help in anyway with further info please come back.

Sheel

Yes , i've been and I liked it although I personally prefer Mount Rainier National Park and Yosemite.

We went on THIS fly drive which was excellent. A lot of driving involved , but the scenery was amazing.

Just found THIS fly drive which sounds good to me.

looby-loo_2

Brilliant place but accommodation in the park gets booked up quickly and is expensive at places around the edges eg Jackson Hole.

We don't book, just turn up and always find somewhere. If doing this aim to drive 50 miles or so away from the park for a cheaper deal.

I liked Yosemite too.

torbrex

I went to Yellowstone in November last year as part of a trip to Seattle and it was great, it was the start of the 'off' season and I virtually had the park to myself. It was cold (-14C) in the mornings but clear every day and I cant speak highly enough of the scenery.
As said above it is cheaper to stay outside the park, I stayed at West Yellowstone. You need to give yourself plenty of time to get round as there is a speed limit and you stop every 5 minutes to take a picture or see a sight and there is plenty to see from Mammoth Hot Spring in the north to Old Faithful at the south and all point between including my favourites Yellowstone Grand Canyon and the sulpher caldren area.
Plenty of wildlife as well from coyote, buffallo, elk, beaver, etc, I even had a squirrel nibble at my shoes while I was taking a photo.

Check out the national parks website for locations and details of road and weather conditions http://www.nps.gov/

sandieb

I've been to Wyoming a few times and Yellowstone too. Would agree about flying to Denver and hiring a car.

I would agree with Erikin's itinerary. I believe Devil's Tower was in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I wonder what time of year you will be going? If you are going in August then be aware there is a massive biker festival at Sturgis in the Black Hills South Dakota (Near Mount Rushmore) 6 - 10 August 2007 I think - worth seeing all the bikes and bikers! Also in August is the Crow Indian Nation Fair and Pow-Wow (I think 17 - 19 August). This is not far from the Little Bighorn Battlefield (formerly known as the location of Custer's Last Stand). The Crow Fair is worth seeing, IMHO - especially to see the dancing at the Pow Wow. Oh dear, now I've taken you off to Montana! But I guess you can go through Billings and Bozeman (both pleasant places to stay) and into Yellowstone by the Western Entrance.

If you leave by the east then you can visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center at Cody, Wyoming. I've also stayed in this town and taken an organised day trip into Yellowstone - excellent tour guide in mini-bus. Bumped into him last time I was there!

Also look out for Thermopolis and the Wind River Canyon.

Bit of a jumble of comments but all I can say is that the state motto for Wyoming is spot on - Like no other place on earth!

sandieb

Forgot to mention - went to an excellent Rodeo at Rapid City!

Erikin_2

Interesting to read the comments because visiting this part of the world is a particular liking - you choose this over another form of holiday. Some folks enjoy the beach (been there done that when kids younger), some like the cities (not really a favourite pastime except for odd ones), cruising, trains – so many holiday choices.

The best part of the Canadian / US Rockies chain which extents from Alaska down to New Mexico is that it is vast and offers so many variations. You can visit different parts year after year and have a new experience each time. Sometimes mixing favourite parts previously visited with new bits.

What really helps is the excellent infrastructure which helps the visitor to get the most out of the area. You can have a day lost in the wilderness but come evening you are not far from creature comforts.

And there are different ways of doing it – each one with it’s for and against points.

Organised coach tour. Good if you wish to sit back and let someone else take the strain but very little flexibility and you may have to suffer the close company of some individuals who you would rather have given a miss - and I take the point I may be that person to someone else. But it is a good way of getting the measure of an area and giving you the confidence to do your own thing.

Organised self fly /drive. Semi independent where a firm sorts the flight, car and hotels and all you have to do is follow the plan / route. Expertise goes into planning these trips so the holiday will have been tried and tested. Probably a good taster for the next step of doing it all by yourself.

Independent fly/ drive / hotels / route. My favourite way of doing it but I have done the odd organised coach trip in the past which does help in the understanding department. But today with the power of the internet it is very satisfying to plan and organise your own trip. You can visit the places you really want to see - coach trips and to some extent organised fly/drive trips do tend to have well worn paths and don’t go to some of the quirkier places.

Ah well - all I want now is more spare time and money!!

Coveredinbees!!!!

Thanks for all the replies I think flying to Denver seems a better idea than rapid city. What will the weather be like in September or April as that when we are thinking of going or will it be cold then. We went to Yosemite last year in April and a some passes were still shut with snow.

My wife also wants to know what the shopping is like in Denver:rolleyes:

torbrex

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

What will the weather be like in September or April as that when we are thinking of going or will it be cold then.
My wife also wants to know what the shopping is like in Denver:rolleyes:

The weather is usually warmer in Sept, I was there in May and there was still snow on some of the mountain passes, but you will find the travelling prices (flights) slightly higher as well.
Denver has some great 'downtown' shopping and also some good malls spread all over the area, you could always drop the wife in town and head for 'six flags' and spend the day riding roller coasters.:j

sandieb

Downtown Denver is, I think, one of my favourite cities - lovely shops and friendly people.

I've also been to see the baseball there - well worth doing for the experience (and this is from a woman who isn't into sport!).

Watch out for those Rocky Mountain Oysters!