Please help me plan a multi generation trip to Yellowstone

[Anonymous]

What about the Grand Canyon instead?

--Direct flights to Las Vegas from many cities
--Get a big house in Flagstaff, 4 hour drive from Vegas
--Sedona is an hour south of Flagstaff, so you can go for a spa
--Grand Canyon is 2 hours from Flagstaff. You can do day trips there. We did it twice when did a weeklong visit
--Other parks and beautiful sights to see in the area

[Anonymous]

I am in Jackson Hole right now! Fly into SLC, then get a connecting flight into Jackson--that's what I did. I would suggest staying in Jackson Hole where there are some spa-type hotels and you can book things like whitewater rafting or horseback rides for those who are up for it and do some other lower-key things like the wildlife art museum or shopping on the town square with the little kids. The rodeo and teton county fair in the summer are also fun (there are typical carnival rides and kiddie performers and goofy things like pig-wrestling and of course the actual rodeo events). I also highly reccommend Jenny Lake as a day trip, since even the baby will think the ferry is cool and the rest of you can do some hiking while baby and grandparents hang near the visitors' center or ride the ferry again.

Do Yellowstone as a day trip. Unless you are all really outdoorsy and fit then multiple days of Yellowstone is not a good fit. There are a few things located around the lodge but the rest is really a lot of walking or driving around. Go for one day so you can all get your photo taken with Old Faithful, dine at the Lodge then head back to Jackson. DH can suck up specific plans for that one day and can bum around Jackson the rest of the time if he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the Grand Canyon instead?

--Direct flights to Las Vegas from many cities
--Get a big house in Flagstaff, 4 hour drive from Vegas
--Sedona is an hour south of Flagstaff, so you can go for a spa
--Grand Canyon is 2 hours from Flagstaff. You can do day trips there. We did it twice when did a weeklong visit
--Other parks and beautiful sights to see in the area

OP here. We have done the Grand Canyon with my parents previously. I love AZ. We actually went to AZ for spring break earlier this year as well. Had a lovely time.

My dad has Yellowstone on his bucket list. I would feel really bad if I didn't grant him his wish before his health got worse. My mom always makes it seem like she and/or my dad will go at any moment. I will suck it up for this trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am in Jackson Hole right now! Fly into SLC, then get a connecting flight into Jackson--that's what I did. I would suggest staying in Jackson Hole where there are some spa-type hotels and you can book things like whitewater rafting or horseback rides for those who are up for it and do some other lower-key things like the wildlife art museum or shopping on the town square with the little kids. The rodeo and teton county fair in the summer are also fun (there are typical carnival rides and kiddie performers and goofy things like pig-wrestling and of course the actual rodeo events). I also highly reccommend Jenny Lake as a day trip, since even the baby will think the ferry is cool and the rest of you can do some hiking while baby and grandparents hang near the visitors' center or ride the ferry again.

Do Yellowstone as a day trip. Unless you are all really outdoorsy and fit then multiple days of Yellowstone is not a good fit. There are a few things located around the lodge but the rest is really a lot of walking or driving around. Go for one day so you can all get your photo taken with Old Faithful, dine at the Lodge then head back to Jackson. DH can suck up specific plans for that one day and can bum around Jackson the rest of the time if he wants.

Jackson sounds like a good base. I think 1 day at Yellowstone will be plenty and my mom can get her picture.

[Anonymous]

Jackson Hole poster here. I asked my host and she suggested Snow King Resort. She says it has some spa stuff and also has a mini-golf course and a mini-coaster and some sort of slide thing and you can ride the ski lift up for a great view, so good place for the less mobile members of the family to hang out while the rest of the crew goes for hikes and rafting and that sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No direct flights to Yellowstone. Count on flight + couple of hours driving. I've flown in and out of Salt Lake City every time I've visited Yellowstone. Lodges/hotels within park are booked way in advance. Probably a year out. With that said the town of West Yellowstone has lots of hotels but is outside park. If you want to eat dinner in the classic Old Faithful Lodge make reservations way in advance. They only seat so many people at a given time. Lodge is worth a visit regardless. Use the NPS site for YNP. It has valuable info for planning your trip and has a section for day hikes of varying lengths/times. The park is huge and you will end up spending lots of time driving from one section to another depending on what you choose to see. The park will be crazy busy in the summertime.

OP here. Can you clarify when you say crazy busy? I've been in NYC during Rockefeller tree going up, Disney a handful of times and places like Zoo Lights and Christmastown where it takes 1-2 hours to get into the parking lot. Trying to decipher what you mean by crazy busy. I don't expect or need to the parks to be empty. I expect lots of tourists. It's not like the parking lot will be backed up with a long wait to park, right?

I can't find direct flights to Jackson, WY. I do see direct non=stop to Salt Lake City but that is a 6 hour drive to Yellowstone vs 2 hours from Jackson.

Not pp, but I was in Yellowstone a few years back in August, and I would describe the parking lot at Old Faithful as comparable to Tyson's corner on a busy Saturday. Not quite the Saturday before Christmas, but close. You will wait in line to get into the park. The more remote springs are not as crowded, but involvemore hiking and the big draws are big for a reason (they're the most spectacular). I'm glad I saw it once, but I've been to lots of National Parks, and Yellowstone is probably my least favorite. It's the Disneyworld of parks.

I'd highly recommend staying in Jackson and booking a tour for those who really want to see Yellowstone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No direct flights to Yellowstone. Count on flight + couple of hours driving. I've flown in and out of Salt Lake City every time I've visited Yellowstone. Lodges/hotels within park are booked way in advance. Probably a year out. With that said the town of West Yellowstone has lots of hotels but is outside park. If you want to eat dinner in the classic Old Faithful Lodge make reservations way in advance. They only seat so many people at a given time. Lodge is worth a visit regardless. Use the NPS site for YNP. It has valuable info for planning your trip and has a section for day hikes of varying lengths/times. The park is huge and you will end up spending lots of time driving from one section to another depending on what you choose to see. The park will be crazy busy in the summertime.

OP here. Can you clarify when you say crazy busy? I've been in NYC during Rockefeller tree going up, Disney a handful of times and places like Zoo Lights and Christmastown where it takes 1-2 hours to get into the parking lot. Trying to decipher what you mean by crazy busy. I don't expect or need to the parks to be empty. I expect lots of tourists. It's not like the parking lot will be backed up with a long wait to park, right?

I can't find direct flights to Jackson, WY. I do see direct non=stop to Salt Lake City but that is a 6 hour drive to Yellowstone vs 2 hours from Jackson.

Yellowstone has such a short season. It's only open a few months out of the year. There is limited access during the winter but most sites and entrances to the park are closed until the snow can be cleared. So, with that said, anyone who wants to visit is confined to those few summer months. Plus, anyone with kids in school visit during summer break.

Yes, you can often find yourself waiting in line to park and in some of the popular sites (Old Faithful, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, etc.) parking can be problematic at times.

[Anonymous]

Our family did a multigenerational trip to that area last summer. We rented a big house in Teton Springs Idaho which is near Jackson. It was a great choice. The older generation had lunch at the lodges in the Grand Tetons. The younger generation did whitewater rafting. Some nuclear families stayed after for a few days at Yellowstone. We loved it.