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We are planning on flying into Denver in late June (SLC is so expensive) from Nashville arriving on a Friday night. I figure we will spend Saturday in Denver but head north on Sunday when things may be closed in Denver.
We want to end up in Yellowstone. Certainly either coming or going the Tetons would be great. We are flying out 8 days later out of Denver on the following Saturday.
What we like to do is random. Drive, stop, eat, and no schedule. Because of this I fear hotels may be an issue in June especially around the park.
#1 Does anyone have suggested towns to stop at along the way while driving just to sight see? I plan on spending the night from Denver to Yellowstone so we can break up the trip so we are flexible on towns to spend the night.
#2 Do you have a good alternate route back that is different?
#3 Do you feel we may have problems finding a room with no advance reservations? I know on the park itself it would be impossible but what about surrounding towns like Cody that are a little ways away from the park?
I know people will say you need 3-4 days in the park but we don't want that much time. I only want two days at most in the actual Yellowstone Park. The rest of the time on the road seeing other things or even back in Denver a day early to see things we missed before heading out.
I would head north through Laramie, Rawlins & Lander towards the Tetons. Do not skimp on time in Jackson and the Tetons...it is incredible! From there head north to Yellowstone, then head north from West Yellowstone to Bozeman (past Big Sky) and then east on I-90 through Billings to I-25 on your way back to Denver. I wouldn't get too excited about anything south of Sheridan on the drive south...Casper is a dump and Cheyenne is OK, but by then you'd be better off heading another hour south and stopping in Fort Collins.
There are a lot of rooms in West Yellowstone and you'll probably find something last minute.
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agree with spending time in Tetons, consider a night and Jenny Lake Lodge, also a float trip in Snake (I prefer the Park (SLOW, but scenic) to white water / Hoback Jct.
Don't miss this, BEST highway in USA !!! (If it is open in June... Usually open my May 31) NE Yellowstone is great also, and lightly traveled. Beartooth Highway
I also like rte, 14a over the Bighorns / Burgess Jct.
I would stay in Sheridan one way and Thermopolis, or Dubois, or Saratoga on the other route. I prefer to take the route through Encampment (GREAT museum) if you have time. DO NOT STAY in Rawlins, Rock Springs, or Casper. Plan route accordingly. I often drive most of 'non-scenic' WY at night and use the daylight hours to enjoy the scenic areas. You can NAP and get 2 extra days vacation. (I drove Round Trip Den to Yellowstone daily (nightly) for 7 yrs (college truckdriving job), no big deal, except during 10 months of WY winter. It made a long night on several occasions.
I25-I80 up to rawlins, then north on 789 over to 287 through lander, which is a neat little town, then continuing on 287 up to yellowstone from the south, which will take you by the Tetons.
You could also take 25 up to casper, then west on 20 up through Thermopolis and north on 120 up to Cody...both of these are cool towns to explore. From Cody it's a relatively short trip to Jellystone from the east.
As far as places to stay, you might have luck with West Yellowstone if you find yourself out that far. Lodging in the park will be pretty slim (and probably is already), but if you're in to camping, that's always an option.
I would head north through Laramie, Rawlins & Lander towards the Tetons. Do not skimp on time in Jackson and the Tetons...it is incredible! From there head north to Yellowstone, then head north from West Yellowstone to Bozeman (past Big Sky) and then east on I-90 through Billings to I-25 on your way back to Denver. I wouldn't get too excited about anything south of Sheridan on the drive south...Casper is a dump and Cheyenne is OK, but by then you'd be better off heading another hour south and stopping in Fort Collins.
There are a lot of rooms in West Yellowstone and you'll probably find something last minute.
It sounds like West Yellowstone has more hotel options possibly. It is good to know there is a decent variety hopefully some decent places.
We love the small towns you can get out and walk around in and window shop and eat in the little shops along the walk. I assume some of these towns are oriented for this?
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Red Lodge, MT (Don't miss it)
Jackson, WY (Bit over the top, but on your rte)
Story, WY has some great steak houses, and it is tough to beat the BEEF in WY.
Remember.... you can camp FREE in most WY city parks (not Jackson...). Powell, WY has really nice camping spots in city park.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend a 'Lodge' in the park. There are some VERY special spots built in NP and they should be enjoyed by your family. You can usually get rooms with 'shared' bath for quite affordable. June is NOT highest season, so possibly have some openings. there are some adorable cabins in YNP. Often the lodges are placed in idea viewing locations (Jenny Lake) and you can REALLY enjoy sunset and sunrise for a MEMORABLE location.
Story, WY has some great steak houses, and it is tough to beat the BEEF in WY.
Remember.... you can camp FREE in most WY city parks (not Jackson...). Powell, WY has really nice camping spots in city park.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend a 'Lodge' in the park. There are some VERY special spots built in NP and they should be enjoyed by your family. You can usually get rooms with 'shared' bath for quite affordable. June is NOT highest season, so possibly have some openings. there are some adorable cabins in YNP. Often the lodges are placed in idea viewing locations (Jenny Lake) and you can REALLY enjoy sunset and sunrise for a MEMORABLE location.
Glad to know about the steak house town! My son and I are big steak enthusiasts and looking forward to some good beef from that part of the country.
... Story, WY has some great steak houses, and it is tough to beat the BEEF in WY....
Quote:
Originally Posted by 62mike
Glad to know about the steak house town! My son and I are big steak enthusiasts and looking forward to some good beef from that part of the country.
I'd bet it's been awhile since SB had steak in Story. They used to have a couple good ones, but I don't think there's anything right now. If there is, I can't recommend it based on my last trip there (worst steak I've EVER tried to eat). The other one used to be very good (even proposed to my wife there), but it's currently closed and looking for someone to lease it.
But Buffalo is only 20 miles south of there and has an excellent steakhouse called "The Winchester." There's also a cool historic hotel downtown called the Occidental that's been refurbished and would be a memorable spot to spend the night. Also look for the small public museum downtown that may be free or nearly so. Not big -- a place to spend an hour or so. Buffalo is a historic little town -- home of the Johnson County Range War and only a few miles from the infamous Hole-In-The-Wall where the likes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out.
I second WyoNewk's Buffalo suggestions, every one of them. One of my favorite WY towns! If you're interested in Indian War history (/US cavalry history), don't miss the old fort -and battlefield sites between Sheridan and Buffalo.
We drove from YNP to Denver when we went out there a while back. We stayed in W. Yellowstone, and if you are going in June, you will need to make reservations now as it will be very busy. For a short trip (we had three days), W. Yellowstone is a great place for day trips into the park. Our first day we did the north loop, the south loop on the second day, and on the third day we just did stuff in W. Yellowstone. We should have just taken the day and drove through Grand Teton NP, but as it was, we only saw part of it while driving to Denver. Many diehard Yellowstone type will say two days isn't enough, and some will claim it isn't even worth the trip if you only have two days. Trust me, even if you just have one day in Yellowstone, it is worth it. We saw all the popular spots, got some great pictures, and have good memories of the trip out there. We drove in around 9AM and exited the park around 5PM. No camping, no real hiking, no ranger programs, but we saw numerous thermal features, visited cool lodges and gift shops, and saw plenty of wildlife.
We did the drive in one full day, and that is what I would do. Wyoming is very sparse, and as far as things to do in cities and towns, outside of seasonal fairs and celebrations, there just isn't a lot of people living in the state to provide for a lot of things to do. Most of WY stuff to do is outdoor based, camping, hiking, climbing, hunting, fishing, a few historic sites, etc.. Also, traveling even the interstate can give one a good view of the state and provide a scenic drive. When it comes to the drive from Denver to Yellowstone, I would suggest using I-25 heading north to Cheyenne, which is the biggest city in Wyoming. From Cheyenne, get on I-80 heading west.
Once you are on I-80, you have options. You can travel to Rawlins and exit the interstate and use US 287 and head northwest towards Grand Teton/Yellowstown NPs. You will hit Moran, WY and enter Grand Teton, then head north into Yellowstone. From there you can drive to your accommodations in either W. Yellowstone, or places inside the park. Our drive was US 287 from W. Yellowstone all the way to Rawlins. We stopped off at the visitor's center in Grand Teton before heading to Denver. We also stopped in Lander, WY for lunch. It is a very scenic drive, though there just isn't all that much around.
Another route would be to stay on I-80 to Rock Springs, WY. Exit and head north on US 191 to Jackson, WY, which I hear is very popular. This might be a good place to stay and is just south of Grand Teton NP. The next day you could take WY 390 into Grand Teton NP, do whatever you want there, and continue north into Yellowstone.
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