Last minute Yellowstone trip

[Chitowngirl]

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[AnnieW625]

No clue which is better, but yes flying into Jackson for a family is cost prohibitive! It is 45 minutes to an hour from my in laws so much closer than Salt Lake, but we always end up driving 3 to 4 hours from Salt Lake and even with needing a rental car and gas it is still cheaper than paying for four to fly into Jackson and then borrowing one of the ILs cars.


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[123LuckyMom]

I would do your second option.

Thanks! I’m only worried about making sure we have enough time for the geysers. I’m going to try to plan this one, though, and then try to see if I can get rooms in the parks. If I can’t, though, at least I’ll have a back-up plan so I know we can do the trip.


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[ahisma]

Thanks! I’m only worried about making sure we have enough time for the geysers. I’m going to try to plan this one, though, and then try to see if I can get rooms in the parks. If I can’t, though, at least I’ll have a back-up plan so I know we can do the trip.


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If you are able to get a room at Old Faithful Inn, that's a great geyser option. One of our family's favorite memories is watching Old Faithful from the deck of Old Faithful Inn. Bring bug spray to the deck, though.

[123LuckyMom]

I did it! I’ve booked the flights and fully refundable rooms in Gardiner, Cooke City, Jackson, West Yellowstone, and Bozeman. I know now we can do this trip, and I have time to play with the hotels and work towards getting rooms in the park, though I’m still worried about not having A/C! The only thing I haven’t done yet is reserve a car. It’ll just be the four of us and four carry-on size bags. Do you think a regular sedan is okay, or will we want a minivan or SUV? I like having the minivan because it’s easy to change clothes in the car if necessary, but it would be nice to save the money. We won’t have any extra passengers. Do we need four wheel drive at all?


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[AnnieW625]

Way back in 2007 on our first trip to Wyoming it was the last few days of June and first week in July, and it was hotter than normal like low to mid 90s in the middle southern part of the state where my in-laws live, but in Yellowstone near Old Faithful the weather was fine, maybe 85-90, which was hot for the area, but it wasn’t unbearable, and it still got cold at night (my in-laws keep flannel sheets on their beds year round). We had AC in the car. TBH it was honestly no worse than our house in Los Angeles during the middle or late summer when it is still 80 at night and we have no AC. I am sure you will be okay. My FIL says there is still snow on the ground some years until mid June in places.

If you can book a minivan or small SUV great, but honestly you will be fine with a sedan. We have had a Hyundai Sonata, and a Nissan Altima and been okay. You won’t need 4WD.


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[StantonHyde]

No need for 4W Drive. Obviously, its nice to have space--e.g. minivan. But if you want to save money, go with the sedan. Yellowstone is at 8,000 feet elevation-its cold at night. Make sure you pack a fleece for everybody! (I worked at Old Faithful for a summer, we had no AC in the dorms. I slept under a down comforter the whole summer!)

[westwoodmom04]

We did a tour with a naturalist from Yellowstone Forever, who spent a full day with our family. It was not necessary, but for non-outdoorsy people like us, it was perfect. We spent one day in the park on our own, doing the geysers/western side of the park, and the next with the naturalist, who took us to the grand canyon, on two separate hikes -- each about an hour, one on one of the mountains, another near Yellowstone Lake. She also took us to see various wildlife, including the wolves. We spent five more days in the area -- maybe two exploring Grand Tetons on our own, the others spent white water rafting, horse back riding, bike riding, exploring the town of Jackson, etc. . .

We stayed only one night in Yellowstone, the rest was split between a hotel in Jackson and an airbnb in Teton Village. My kids loved the aerial adventure course in Teton Village.

I can't imagine air conditioning will be an issue, the high was only in the mid seventies when we were there in late July -- friends that went a month earlier had some snow.