Going with the fam for a little more than a week. We'll roll up and hit Yellowstone but other than that are open. What should be added to the list?
Denver this summer
- Thread starter bigred
- Start date
If you're staying in Denver, be sure to have dinner at Steuben's. Great food and drinks and one of the rare restaurants where you can enjoy top-quality adult food and beverages and still bring the kids and not feel like an asshole. http://www.steubens.com/
Yellowstone will be a loaded, so at least try and time it during mid-week. I was going to mention making sure you hit up Helen's hamburgers in Gardiner, but they are closed. That place was legit.
Honestly I would stick to the southern part - Teton National vs. Yellowstone, but I understand the desire to hit the traditional spots. Not as crowed and some amazing places to stop and hike. Stop in Jackson/Wilson and stay here: http://www.firesidejacksonhole.com/ They even give you a basket with all the makings for Smores. Each "unit" has a fire pit too - great people and great spot. There are some great restaurants you can walk to down the road and don't have to mess with the madness in Jackson. Drive up a bit and hike into Jackson Lake. We literally saw a handful of people the entire day on the trails. Once you start getting north it gets way more crowed. I just hate people, so...................
https://goo.gl/photos/mx67W2f3caarWc4K8 Few pics of Teton in this folder.
Honestly I would stick to the southern part - Teton National vs. Yellowstone, but I understand the desire to hit the traditional spots. Not as crowed and some amazing places to stop and hike. Stop in Jackson/Wilson and stay here: http://www.firesidejacksonhole.com/ They even give you a basket with all the makings for Smores. Each "unit" has a fire pit too - great people and great spot. There are some great restaurants you can walk to down the road and don't have to mess with the madness in Jackson. Drive up a bit and hike into Jackson Lake. We literally saw a handful of people the entire day on the trails. Once you start getting north it gets way more crowed. I just hate people, so...................
https://goo.gl/photos/mx67W2f3caarWc4K8 Few pics of Teton in this folder.
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Saw a bumpersticker last week:
You came to Colorado & got high.
Now go home.
Can't deny our hospitality!
You came to Colorado & got high.
Now go home.
Can't deny our hospitality!
Awesome. Thank you. Also not a fan of people, tourists, etc. but feel like while I'm out there I need to check the Yellowstone box. Would really love to hit up some hikes, restaurants, and breweries that are off of the average tourists radar.
If you're not a fan of crowds and tourists, stay far away from GTNP and Yellowstone. It's a complete zoo. There aren't too many breweries in Jackson that are off the tourists' radar. The town is overrun.
Personally, I'd rather head SW of Denver to Buena Vista and Salida. Totally awesome towns on the Arkansas river. Great mountain biking, hiking, paddling, not crowded, great breweries and restaurants. Buena Vista has lots of nice AirBNB/VRBO rentals.
Personally, I'd rather head SW of Denver to Buena Vista and Salida. Totally awesome towns on the Arkansas river. Great mountain biking, hiking, paddling, not crowded, great breweries and restaurants. Buena Vista has lots of nice AirBNB/VRBO rentals.
Well like Chris said, Jackson will be crazy. Same for Yellowstone. The only time it's not been packed was in January when I went to snowmobile through the park. But for us Teton wasn't bad at all and that was in August. We did some hikes on the south end and we didn't see too many.
But Wilson (just outside of Jackson) was quite nice. Not a ton going on, but that lodge we stayed was awesome and just a walk down the road provided two really cool places. Both Calico (Italian) and Q Roadhouse (brewery) are within a 2-5 min walk down the main road and are great. We hit them both.
You can drive up to Teton Village too. A few little places there to check out. But Wilson is a great option without having to deal with Jackson.
I've been to Yellowstone about 4-5 times and it's certainly cool to check the box, but I lose my shit having to try and find a parking spot among all the RVs and old people with fanny packs. Not to mention it takes forever to get anywhere due to the fact that everyone pulls over to take pics the first site of any wildlife.
EDIT: The main reason for us to go through Yellowstone was to get to points north - Livingston, Whitefish, Banff, Going to the Sun Road, etc.
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Tightening this up.
We will be hitting Yellowstone and GTNP. They are big. What do we need to hit while in there and should I be coming in from the South or East?
Oh, and, is there any place cool about half way across Wyoming (between Den and Yellowstone)? Or should we just drive straight thru to spend more time there?
We will be hitting Yellowstone and GTNP. They are big. What do we need to hit while in there and should I be coming in from the South or East?
Oh, and, is there any place cool about half way across Wyoming (between Den and Yellowstone)? Or should we just drive straight thru to spend more time there?
I sure as shit hope you are taking a Yeti cooler. If not, you're in for a would of hate.
I'll reiterate what I've said before - coming from the south through Teton was a better choice for me. I've been to Yellowstone quite a few times and only once though GTNP, but I really liked Teton far better based on the number of people for one. It was just far easier to navigate and hit up some lakes north of Wilson/Jackson off 191. We hardly saw anyone at the smaller lakes and there were great hikes and extremely pretty. Prettier than Yellowstone in my opinion. There were just times in Yellowstone where we wanted to hit up an "attraction", but then I didn't want to deal with the parking area and people. Teton for me was nothing like that.
I like to ask the locals for their favorite spots. Not so much the "locals" in Jackson, but the smaller outlying areas like Wilson, etc. It's nice to have an idea of your start and stop point for the day, but leave the middle to explore a bit.
I'll reiterate what I've said before - coming from the south through Teton was a better choice for me. I've been to Yellowstone quite a few times and only once though GTNP, but I really liked Teton far better based on the number of people for one. It was just far easier to navigate and hit up some lakes north of Wilson/Jackson off 191. We hardly saw anyone at the smaller lakes and there were great hikes and extremely pretty. Prettier than Yellowstone in my opinion. There were just times in Yellowstone where we wanted to hit up an "attraction", but then I didn't want to deal with the parking area and people. Teton for me was nothing like that.
I like to ask the locals for their favorite spots. Not so much the "locals" in Jackson, but the smaller outlying areas like Wilson, etc. It's nice to have an idea of your start and stop point for the day, but leave the middle to explore a bit.
From last year's July trip to Yellowstone:
Most fun places of the Yellowstone are kind of on the giant figure 8 formed by US 89, 191, Grand Loop Rd, and Norris Canyon Rd.
Mammoth Hot Springs are on the Northern end of US 89 within the park.
Most geysers are along US 89 and 191 South up to the lake (Western side of the giant 8).
The gorge of Yellowstone river is along the Grand Loop Rd (Eastern side of the giant 8).
I'd stay away from the Ol'Faithful - there are far more places to visit without the giant crowd.
There's a gorgeous swimming hole on Firehole River (close to 191, South of 191-89 junction) - don't miss it.
If you plan on spending more than a day at Yellowstone, do whatever you can to stay within the park - the line at the Western entrance was the ugliest view I ever had of any NP. Like a toll plaza on I-95 in NJ. Don't stay at the KOA West of YNP - it's a zoo; there are private campgrounds and cabins along 191 on Montana side, along a river.
Tetons... Also a zoo in Summer - more people visit Jackson in two months in Summer than in the entire ski season. Like 10x more.
I rented a [rather luxury] cabin at a Jackson Hole KOA (which is something like 20 miles South of Jackson, on Snake River). The cabin was something ridiculous like $220 a night - that gives you an idea what the area is in Summer - but it was worth it. The KOA partners with an outfit for river rafting and kayaking.
Food is awesome in Jackson (the place called Local was the best in March).
If you're in Jackson Hole, check out the store called "Wool and Whiskey" - besides overpriced clothing, they sell whiskey, and start right when they open at 8 am. Take the tram to the top of the world - don't know if a little waffle house is going to be open or not, or a chair to Couloir - the restaurant is very good, but of course pricey.
Moose Wilson Rd. winds along the foothills of Tetons from Jackson Hole to Moose, and continues North as Teton Park Rd. Most of its length it's a dirt road - very nice to take a bike along. There's a whole bunch of dirt parking lots at the trailheads going up the mountain range.
You can always have some fun on Jackson Lake at the Northern end of Teton Park Rd, just South of Yellowstone.
If I remember anything else, I'll blurb more.
Most fun places of the Yellowstone are kind of on the giant figure 8 formed by US 89, 191, Grand Loop Rd, and Norris Canyon Rd.
Mammoth Hot Springs are on the Northern end of US 89 within the park.
Most geysers are along US 89 and 191 South up to the lake (Western side of the giant 8).
The gorge of Yellowstone river is along the Grand Loop Rd (Eastern side of the giant 8).
I'd stay away from the Ol'Faithful - there are far more places to visit without the giant crowd.
There's a gorgeous swimming hole on Firehole River (close to 191, South of 191-89 junction) - don't miss it.
If you plan on spending more than a day at Yellowstone, do whatever you can to stay within the park - the line at the Western entrance was the ugliest view I ever had of any NP. Like a toll plaza on I-95 in NJ. Don't stay at the KOA West of YNP - it's a zoo; there are private campgrounds and cabins along 191 on Montana side, along a river.
Tetons... Also a zoo in Summer - more people visit Jackson in two months in Summer than in the entire ski season. Like 10x more.
I rented a [rather luxury] cabin at a Jackson Hole KOA (which is something like 20 miles South of Jackson, on Snake River). The cabin was something ridiculous like $220 a night - that gives you an idea what the area is in Summer - but it was worth it. The KOA partners with an outfit for river rafting and kayaking.
Food is awesome in Jackson (the place called Local was the best in March).
If you're in Jackson Hole, check out the store called "Wool and Whiskey" - besides overpriced clothing, they sell whiskey, and start right when they open at 8 am. Take the tram to the top of the world - don't know if a little waffle house is going to be open or not, or a chair to Couloir - the restaurant is very good, but of course pricey.
Moose Wilson Rd. winds along the foothills of Tetons from Jackson Hole to Moose, and continues North as Teton Park Rd. Most of its length it's a dirt road - very nice to take a bike along. There's a whole bunch of dirt parking lots at the trailheads going up the mountain range.
You can always have some fun on Jackson Lake at the Northern end of Teton Park Rd, just South of Yellowstone.
If I remember anything else, I'll blurb more.
Whatever you do, if you travel with kids, remember that there will nobody to kill that gorilla:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-yellowstone-death-20160609-snap-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-yellowstone-death-20160609-snap-story.html
You are going to hate yourself after going through Yellowstone in the summer. I'm glad I live here - I can go take a dip in the Boiling River in February at -20 degrees and not see a single other person.
If you can, take the Beartooth Highway - the most scenic drive in America
according to some guy on tee vee
Seriously - you will want to kill yourself at all the clueless idiots that pack the place June through September.
If you can, take the Beartooth Highway - the most scenic drive in America
according to some guy on tee vee
Seriously - you will want to kill yourself at all the clueless idiots that pack the place June through September.
Yellowstone was fine last July. By a large stretch less crowded than Yosemite - at any time of the year.
We drove some of that back when I lived in Livingston, MT for most of a summer. Is damn pretty. But Going to the Sun Road has got it beat I think. I'd love to ride my bike up there sometime in the spring or fall.
PS: I heard some dumb ass fell into one of the hot springs the other day in Yellowstone. Haven't found his body of course. What a shitty way to go. Like a lobster.
Going to the Sun Road is definitely a great drive and Glacier is better than Yellowstone in many regards - but it's also a 7 hour drive from Yellowstone... And yes, usually we get one per year scalded or dead falling into one of those things, I wish it were more.
pm - "fine" is subjective I think. The other night my wife picked me up from the airport an hour and a half away from us. We took the interstate back home. I passed one car and saw no others.
It was a very good day.
Of course. But for how many vehicles were in the line at the Western entrance, I was very pleasantly surprised that it wasn't Summer-Yosemite-crowded. Yellowstone is immensely large, and far enough from any major city.
Realistically, if you travel with kids of school age, you don't have that much of a choice.
My biggest regret now is not to yanking kids from school for a week at a time to travel off-season.
Thanks for all of the info. Fucking fantastic trip. We'll go back for sure, at least to GTNP and Jackson. I don't know that I'd fly into Denver and drive across all of Wyoming again though.
Be sure to place a child on a bison's back for photos, that's why they are there. The bears like to have their bellies rubbed.