Where to go?

[cynsmimor]

We are a family of 3 - us and a 6 y.o. DD. I won round trip plane tickets to anywhere in 49+Canada and we are wanting to do a big (2 week) trip out west. Our ideas was either something including either yellowstone or yosimite. Suggestions, ideas, anything would be appreciated....

[geochick]

San Diego (Sea World, Zoo, Wild Animal Park, great place for kid travel) and Anaheim (DLand). With that much time you could also do the Grand Canyon.

Or, stick to the CA coast and do San Diego, Anaheim, and them my favorite sleepy little CA town, Avila Beach. We love Avila Lighthouse Suites....right on the beach, breakfast included, tiny little beach town. 2 weeks would be perfect for this itinerary.

2 weeks is way too much time for Yellowstone, and it's kind of isolated. Yosemite is beautiful, but crazy busy.

[geochick]

Is "49+ Canada" including Alaska? Alaska and western Canada would be nice in July. You'd have enough time for a cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver to Alaska.

[crl]

I LOVE Yellowstone. It's definitely good for a whole week. If you like the wide open west, I think you could build a trip around Yellowstone and the vicinity. Do you all like to raft or mountain bike or kayak or fish? Lots of outdoors activities in the west.

Yosemite is nothing compared to Yellowstone. But it is closer to other things. You could do San Francisco and Yosemite or Tahoe and Yosemite. . . . .

Catherine

[arivecchi]

Vancouver & Whistler - stunningly beautiful and you can do city and mountains.

[cynsmimor]

I am leaning towards yellowstone and surrounding area. Maybe Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton..... Oh, museum of the Rockies (hubbies wish). We have kayaked, camped some (I don't do primitive), hiking, I guess we are kind of outdoorsy people. What time of year. I teach so June and July, are my off months. I would prefer June.

[geochick]

Make sure you spend some time around Jackson. We love it in that area. I'd go with July or early August. It's still cold there in June.

[crl]

Make sure you spend some time around Jackson. We love it in that area. I'd go with July or early August. It's still cold there in June.

I agree.

Catherine

[mackmama]

Go to jackson hole in the summer. So much to do- hiking, rafting, canoeing, alpine slide, etc. You can also then drive to yellowstone for an overnight. If interested I can give you restaurant recs.

ETA: go in july. june can be muddy, and aug brings in the RVs and lots more tourists.

[cynsmimor]

What about early July? Does 4th July affect the area? Here is what we are thinking:

Glacier NP 2 days
Travel day glacier to Bozeman
Museum of Rockies 1 day
Yellowstone 6 days
Grand Teton 2 days
Travel back to airport 1 day

Any suggestions for which airport? We will be flying out of ATL.

[mackmama]

Wow that would be a lot of driving, but a tour of the NPs is always a treat. I also think 6 days in Yellowstone might be too much. Personally I'd do 2-3 in Yellowstone and 4-5 in Jackson.

[geochick]

What about early July? Does 4th July affect the area? Here is what we are thinking:

Glacier NP 2 days
Travel day glacier to Bozeman
Museum of Rockies 1 day
Yellowstone 6 days
Grand Teton 2 days
Travel back to airport 1 day

Any suggestions for which airport? We will be flying out of ATL.

My sister went to Glacier for 2 days last summer. She said for all the driving, 2 days wasn't enough. I'd either add days in Glacier, or cut it out completely. That's quite a drive.

[StantonHyde]

With kids, I would concentrate on Yellowstone. I just did a week there and wrote a trip report on www.fodors.com Go to the travel forums, you can even search for my user name--stantonhyde. I love the fodors site, I plan tons of trips there.

There is a lot of driving out west, no matter what. It's big! I would say you would be ok after July 4 as far as snowstorms etc (we are talking big mountains here) The big issue for you is that you have to make reservations inside Yellowstone NOW!! I was amazed at how everything had booked up and I made reservations in October for the summer. On the flip side, we didn't mind going to a different place every night because we were driving around anyway. See my trip report for lodging recommendations. Do not stay in the historic Old Faithful Inn unless you want to take your kids down the hall to use the bathroom (yep, just sinks in the rooms!).

As for places around Yellowstone--Grand Tetons are a MUST see. I would give yourself 2 days there easily and then another 2 in Jackson. We ended up going to Cody for the day due to a rainstorm and we absolutely loved the Buffalo Bill museum there. It was so fascinating!! Check out raft trips carefully. There is an age limit--for a good reason! Barker Ewing is one of the best companies. And float trips are good for all ages but I didn't think my kids would do well sitting in a raft for 3 hours. (the water is too cold to dive in)

YOu might do well flying in and out of Bozeman. Feel free to PM me--I grew up near Yellowstone and worked there for a summer. We had a good trip last summer but it required lots of advance planning and prep, which I actually love. Have fun--your kids will remember it forever!

[cynsmimor]

Ok dialing it back some. We've decided to cut Glacier out and concentrate on Bozeman, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Day 1 fly into Bozeman
Day 2 Museum of Rockies, explore Bozeman
Day 3 maybe horseback riding near Bozeman???
Day 4 & 5 mammoth
Day 6 & 7 old faithful
Day 8&9 Grand Teton ???????
Day 10&11 Roosevelt
Day 12 Travel back to airport &Fly out

[StantonHyde]

It looks good. The only thing I would suggest is staying at Canyons instead of Roosevelt. More to do in that area. But it depends on what your family likes. You will want to check age minimums on horse back riding. Most are 7 or 8. The other thing you might want to do is to make reservations in Yellowstone but then look at subtracting a day in Yellowstone and adding a day in Jackson. IF you don't mind the "hold" charges on your credit card, then you can tweak your itinerary outside the park.

[TwinFoxes]

I would do someplace hard to get to, like Alaska or Western Canada, or Glacier NP. (I don't mean hard as in you'll have to take a mule, but hard as in expensive and not a lot of flight choices). If those aren't doable, I'd do AZ/NM/UT, hitting the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Santa Fe. DH and I did that as a two week trip our first year of marriage, and it was so fun and spectacular. He had never seen the west before, and was amazed by it. I was 6 when I first saw the Grand Canyon, and I still remember it. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, you have to go!!!

[mytwosons]

Do not stay in the historic Old Faithful Inn unless you want to take your kids down the hall to use the bathroom (yep, just sinks in the rooms!).

It's been a LONG time since I've been there, but I recall they had several types of rooms. Some just had a sink, some had a sink and toilet and some also had a claw foot tub. IIRC, it was based on what floor you were on. We stayed in a room with a full bathroom (tub), so they existed - at least then.

[StantonHyde]

The only time of year I would do the desert southwest (Grand Canyon, Zion, Moab etc) is in the spring (April to early June) and fall (October). It is HOT in the summer and really, really crowded. I love those places--it's a large reason I moved to Utah, so that I could be close to the desert. But not in summer. That's when I head to the mountains.

If I had to pick a trip, I suppose I would opt for the southwest because it is unlike anything else in the US, even in the world. People come from all over the world to see southern Utah etc. And there are plenty of parks that are good for kids--Moab and Zion. If I could only go to each place once, though, then I would do Yellowstone with younger kids--there is so much that is accessible within 1 mile of a road. The desert (ESPECIALLY the Grand Canyon) often involves longer hikes and I would save that for older kids.

[cynsmimor]

Ok, which would you choose - old faithful inn west wing or old faithful lodge cabin? We have decided that we want in room bathroom.

[StantonHyde]

We stayed at a snow lodge cabin at OF and it was great I would recommend staying in the cabins over hotels. We had a great one at Canyon too. Try not to stay at grant village if possible.

[cynsmimor]

Ok, I jumped on a room at Old FaithFul Snow Lodge (I was able to get 3 nights in a row). Now I was wondering if Gardiner is worth staying a few nights in to explore the north park or should we try to stay in the park?

[StantonHyde]

I liked staying in west ystone because hotels had pools and TV-- which are big for my kids. And gardener is really close to good sights I think that's a good idea!

[crl]

We were not thrilled with park lodging, although it has been nearly 15 years since I have been. I would stay outside the park when feasible.

Catherine

[mctlaw]

I'm late to this thread but just read it and I'm thrilled for you you are focusing on Yellowstone. I love Yellowstone and spent 2 summers working there in college! We are hoping to take DS there when he is a bit older but since we are about to add DS2 we may need to wait a bit longer now. And there is definitely plenty to do there for a week plus if your family is outdoorsy.

I know you have decided to pick Old Faithful but just wanted to warn you that due to the nature of the big attraction there, IME that area is the most crowded at the entire park. I was going to recommend Grant/Canyon/Lake. Since you will be staying at OF Lodge, just wanted to encourage you to make day trips to the less congested areas to escape the crowds! There is lots of good hiking all over the park as well as many lesser known features of the park in places besides those main tourist destinations.

Also, I love both Bozeman and Jackson Hole. You can't go wrong in spending time in either place!

[StantonHyde]

Maybe it was the economy this year but I was amazed at how uncrowded all of Ystone was especially OF. Grant is definitely uncrowded, but only 2 eating choices and we really did not like the lodging there. Canyon is awesome. I think the best idea if you want to do the whole park is to stay somewhere in the south (OF) and somewhere north--like Canyon. West Yellowstone is too far away from main sites to use it as a base to see the park but Gardner should be fine.

Yes, there will be people there and my kids are not non-whining hikers (m&ms or friends are needed and we hike a lot) so we were not able to get too far off the beaten path. But even OF geyser basin was pretty uncrowded! And we went the first week of August.

If you walk even a mile off pavement, you will be amazed at how thin the crowds get! I really wanted to hike around the Canyon rim, but there was an active grizzly there at the time so they closed the trails.

My kids loved every visitors center--I was quite impressed by how much they have improved in 20 years. (ok, loooong time since I worked there :love eyes:) And, of course, the junior ranger program! The rangers at Madison Junction and the center near Lake/Fishing Bridge were so interactive and fun.

[StantonHyde]

Here is my full trip report on our trip to Yellowstone for anybody who is looking at this post for future reference.

Day One: SLC (home) to West Yellowstone
We stopped off in Idaho Falls (sort of the half way point) to see the Museum of Eastern Idaho. They get some great traveling exhibits. We saw the Bodies exhibit. The 8 yo loved it, the 6 yo said no thanks. There were some nice permanent exhibits and a really great kids room. This was a really nice place to break up the drive. In West, we pretty much just hit the pool, they got to watch CABLE TV (whoo hoo), and we got some pizza. I love the 2 book stores in West--they are both awesome.

Day Two: West to OF
This was geyser hopping day. First, we visited the Madison River Ranger station to get the Junior Ranger books (an absolute MUST in ANY National Park or monument). We heard a great talk about wolves and walked along the Madison River. The kids loved watching the Uintah ground squirrels. We stopped at Fountain Paint Pots and Midway Geyser basin and took the Firehole River drive and the drive to Ojo Caliente spring. We got to OF and looked around the Inn. Then we went over to the new visitors center which is really, really cool. Got to see OF erupt--fun. Then we walked around to see the Lodge and then check in at the Snow Lodge. We had dinner at the Snow Lodge and it was ok. Nice kids menu.

Day Three: OF to Grant Village
We started the day by walking around the OF geyser basin. Tip for parents--you can rent bicycles and ride the bicycle route along the basin, then walk over the river to look at some geysers. I thought this would be a good idea--our kids were really tired of geysers and walking by this point Then we went to West Thumb and walked that basin. At Grant, we looked around the visitors center--lots of neat stuff on the 87 fires and a good movie too.

Day 4: unplanned side trip to Cody, stayed in Canyon
It was POURING rain. We stopped at Fishing Bridge visitors center which was neat. But there was no way we were hiking in that deluge just with rain jackets. So we decided to go to Cody. 2 hour drive--kind of long but very pretty. We hit the McDonalds there for lunch--play land is always good after that kind of a drive! The Buffalo Bill museums were AWESOME. We spent 3 hours there. Just so much to see. We all really liked it. We drove through the Hayden valley in the evening, which was great for wildlife watching. Make sure you bring binoculars (even better, a spotting scope) to Yellowstone!!!! The kids really liked all the bison.

Day 5: Canyon to Jackson
First stop Canyon visitor center to get the Junior Ranger badges. They have a really great display on the Caldera. I learned a lot. Then we went to ARtist Point. I had intended to hike some of the rim trails but everything was closed due to a recent fatal grizzly mauling. Fine with me--bears and kids, not a good mix!!! We did do a forced march around the mud pots where we saw a bull bison 15 feet from the trail. Yikes. Then we drove straight to Jackson. We were all tired by then and DONE after all the driving. The kids hit the pool in Jackson. My husband walked around town with them and the BEST thing ever was the stage coach ride--and they got to ride on top AND--they got to watch the horse PEE. Seriously. 900+ miles on the road the peeing horse will be their number one memory. That night we got awesome pizza from my fav, fav place--Mountain HIgh Pizza Pie.

Day 6: Jackson to home
We started with breakfast at my fav spot--the Bunnery. Then they HAD to have another carriage ride. At that point, I figured we would do Jackson on a long weekend trip, so I consented to go to the Ripleys Believe it or Not museum. The kids loved it. Me? PASS. Then we hit the road for the 5 hour trip home.

Lodging: In West Yellowstone, we stayed at the Clubhouse Inn. Very nice--one block off the main drag, close to visitors center, pool, fridge, microwave. For Yellowstone--I had called in October 2010 and still could not get 2 nights in the same place!!! At OF, we stayed in the Snow Lodge cabins. I had never stayed in any of the cabins in Yellowstone--always the hotels. Well, I like the cabins! They are roomier than the hotel. They are quieter and there was a deer outside our window in the morning. At Grant, we stayed in Lodge A--small room, only a shower/no bath (not good for my kids). At Canyon--we stayed in the Beaver Creek cabins--very nice, very new. Best place we stayed in Yellowstone. In Jackson, we stayed at the Painted Buffalo Inn. Good enough. Close to town so an easy walk. I think the Antler Inn might have been better--about the same price/locale but a block off the main drag. Things were a bit noisy for us.

Planning: I am OCD about planning. I spent a lot of time on the www.nps.gov site. I downloaded the park newsletter and the Junior Ranger books so I could really plan each day--e.g. Ranger presentations etc. I made up bingo cards for each day (e.g stuff to look for--raven, marmot, pine tree, etc) based on where we were in the park. The best game in Yellowstone is the License Plate game. We got every state but Hawaii, Vermont, and Maine!

On not hiking: This is hard for me. I am a pretty hard core backpacker and I grew up in Idaho spending lots of time in Yellowstone. But the 2 mile geyser basin hike was a lot for the kids. And the geysers really do stink. So I sucked it up and we really did the hop in and out of the car tour of Yellowstone. When they are older we can do more trails. I just want them to have fun and love the park as much as I do.

[cynsmimor]

Wow! You guys have provided so much help. I knew I could count on the moms board to give real help. Keep it coming.

Here is where we are. We've got the 3 days at Old Fathful Snowlodge, we plan to hike that area, maybe bike a day, and explore Grant. From there we are thinking about doing a few days at Grand Teton *maybe* doing a covered wagon trip, then head back to yellowstone to do Canyons for 3 nights to explore that area and Roosevelt/towers area. Also before we do OF we are going to museum of rockies for a day then thinking a couple of days in Mammoth area.

[cynsmimor]

Ok opinions needed...would you stay OF Snowlodge over 4th July or OF Lodge Frontier Cabin June 5-8? We do car camp as a family, hubby does serious camping, and we are not huge on crowds. Opinions????

[StantonHyde]

Do you really mean June or did you mean to put July 5-8? Because I wouldn't be camping in Yellowstone in June--too snowy. The only issue with campgrounds, IME, is the noise. It's hard to go to sleep. The other issue for me is that I will not camp in a Yellowstone campground without an RV (thus I never have done it). The bear issue just makes me too nervous. Now I will backpack and sleep in a teeny tent in the middle of bear country, but that is because I am OCD clean when it comes to backpacking--I can't control what food has permeated the soil in a campground!

We stayed in a cabin vs. the lodge. I really liked the cabins better.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Maybe it was the economy this year but I was amazed at how uncrowded all of Ystone was especially OF. Grant is definitely uncrowded, but only 2 eating choices and we really did not like the lodging there. Canyon is awesome. I think the best idea if you want to do the whole park is to stay somewhere in the south (OF) and somewhere north--like Canyon. West Yellowstone is too far away from main sites to use it as a base to see the park but Gardner should be fine.

Yes, there will be people there and my kids are not non-whining hikers (m&ms or friends are needed and we hike a lot) so we were not able to get too far off the beaten path. But even OF geyser basin was pretty uncrowded! And we went the first week of August.

If you walk even a mile off pavement, you will be amazed at how thin the crowds get! I really wanted to hike around the Canyon rim, but there was an active grizzly there at the time so they closed the trails.

My kids loved every visitors center--I was quite impressed by how much they have improved in 20 years. (ok, loooong time since I worked there :love eyes:) And, of course, the junior ranger program! The rangers at Madison Junction and the center near Lake/Fishing Bridge were so interactive and fun.

Hi. How old were your kids when you visited Yellowstone? In a separate thread I posted about looking for ideas for a vacation for DH, me, two boys 5 and 3, and my parents.
ETA: I found their ages in one of their posts. Would my kids be too young for this trip?

[crl]

Hi. How old were your kids when you visited Yellowstone? In a separate thread I posted about looking for ideas for a vacation for DH, me, two boys 5 and 3, and my parents.
ETA: I found their ages in one of their posts. Would my kids be too young for this trip?

I haven't taken kids to Yellowstone, but I wouldn't do it at those ages. There's a LOT of driving because of the distances between airports/hotels/park and the size of the park. That would be a deal breaker for me.

Also Yellowstone is kind of dangerous for people who don't follow rules well (which would be my kids!). Between wild animals, getting lost and the geothermal features (my biggest worry at Yellowstone), I wouldn't take kids under age 5 or so because I would be too worried to have a good time. But I am sure people go and have fun and nothing bad happens so that is probably just me being paranoid--and having super adventuresome kids.

Catherine

[StantonHyde]

The 3 yo would make me nervous because of the geysers. My kids would be on a leash :bouncy: But plenty of people go with kids that young. And the driving gets broken up because you stop constantly.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Thanks for the input. My kids are active and adventuresome, too. And you should see how fast the 3 yr old runs away from me at Target. Hmmm. Wouldn't want him running into a geyser!

[SnuggleBuggles]

We really liked Yosemite! Went when ds1 was 5yo.

[PAfirsttimemom]

We really liked Yosemite! Went when ds1 was 5yo.

I've been considering this, too. I read that it is in close proximity to San Francisco, and I have never been. Would there be enough to do and see in Yosemite with young kids and parents who would not be into hiking?

[mackmama]

I've been considering this, too. I read that it is in close proximity to San Francisco, and I have never been. Would there be enough to do and see in Yosemite with young kids and parents who would not be into hiking?

I don't think so. Yosemite is really about hiking, camping, etc.