Yellowstone area

[Jess71903]

DH and I are just throwing around ideas for a late spring/early summer vacation. We did the tropical thing this year, so we are looking for non-beachy things for next year. We went to Jackson Hole, WY last spring, but it was while Yellowstone was closed for road plowing. Anybody have any suggestions for places to stay and things to do that time of year in or around the park?

[Jazz]

Roads in YNP (aside from the few open in the winter) typically don't open until May (maybe late April). (See this page (http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/open_closedates.htm) for more info on opening dates.)

Have you been to Yellowstone before? I definitely recommend planning a trip there if you haven't -- we went to GTNP and YNP in mid-June this year, and it was fabulous. If you want to stay in the park, you need to reserve rooms now, though.

[Jess71903]

Thanks, Jazz. When we went to Jackson, we went on a snowmobile trip in Grand Teton to the hot springs, which was AWESOME! Yellowstone was closed then, so we didn't get to go and neither of us have ever been. I think the earliest we would go is the last week in May.

[Jazz]

I think you'd likely be in luck the last week in May. You might try asking on the fodors.com message boards about the timing. We stayed in the park, but there are options outside that are a lot more affordable (mostly in West Yellowstone).

Or, do either you or your husband happen to be bikers? There are a couple weeks in April where the roads are closed (to cars) for plowing, but open for biking. It's supposed to be amazing, because it's right around when the animals are having their babies.

[myshel]

We actually stayed in a cabin in Montana and then went into Yellowstone for a few days. The drive was pretty and only took an hour from our cabin. We went in late July which was a bit hot for my liking, so I think June would be perfect. If you haven't considered it, there are some great rafting trip options just outside of Yellowstone.

[Jess71903]

Thanks, girls! The cabin option sounds great, myshel! We love that kind of thing. Do you know what cabin or what company you went through? We also love rafting, so that would be a definite yes. We both stayed in a cabin and went rafting on our honeymoon in CO and had a blast!

We aren't bikers, Jazz, but that sounds like a great ride! If it's more affordable, we would probably stay outside the park. We are "most bang for your buck" kind of people. Keep the suggestions rolling! This is making me really want to go!

[APCullip22]

I went to college near Yellowstone (montana state) and my finace grew up there...any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. YNP is beautiful in late may, early june :)

[myshel]

Thanks, girls! The cabin option sounds great, myshel! We love that kind of thing. Do you know what cabin or what company you went through? We also love rafting, so that would be a definite yes. We both stayed in a cabin and went rafting on our honeymoon in CO and had a blast!

The cabin compay we used is a really, really nice. You can find them at Mountain Home (http://www.mountain-home.com). We stayed in the Livingston area. We stayed at Horse Camp Cabin, which was the cheapest one at the time. It was really secluded and nice. The company has other options that run a tad more.

The rafting company we used was called Montana Whitewater (http://www.montanawhitewater.com/). We chose the full day Yellowstone River trip because the rapids class was lower (it was my first time). They offer a more challenging trip on the Gallatin River too.

Because of where we stayed and our willingness to drive, we did Yellowstone three days, went into Bozeman one day to a museum, went hiking in the Crazy Mountains, and went canoeing once on a river that Lewis and Clark traveled. We did a lot on this trip and it wasn't super expensive.

Hope this helps!

[tinkerbelljenny]

YNP is beautiful in late may, early june

I agree that this is the best time to go.

[Jess71903]

Thank you so much!
I am checking out the cabin site right now Myshel. I am glad you listed the things you did too. That will give me a starting point for activities to look into.

[myshel]

I'm glad I could help. I know DH and I put a lot of effort into planning that trip, and it was so well worth it. I would also suggest that Frommer's Guide to Yellowstone. We used this quite a bit to pinpoint what we wanted to see in Yellowstone.

Let me know what you think about the cabin place. We searched online like crazy for cabin rental places, and Mountain Home was the best. They even sent us a Christmas card the Christmas after we stayed!