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we do day trips to yellowstone all the time from Auburn (star valley) Cody's drive in not much to see till fishing bridge but it doable. We took the snow coach in from Flagg Ranch last winter and stayed at the Snow Lodge at Old Faithfull , we were not traveling every day but one could have. It was kind of nice to just be there.
Maybe I'll split the difference, and just plan to stay a few nights in Cody, the rest in Yellowstone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jody_wy
5 days you can see all of Yellowstone that you can get too on the road(gyser basins can get old after awhile) and get some hiking in also. Only way to see more is horse back and that takes some planning.
Horse back is something we might like to do, at least on one of the days. Looks like I need to dive into the Yellowstone threads to read up on all the to-dos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jody_wy
yes on the route down Snake River canyon on US 89-26
Anything to do/see in Alpine? I know it's a playground for the rich, but since we're going that way anyway...
Also, should I reroute and take 191 to Pinedale, instead of taking 26? Is Pinedale a place we might be interested in checking out, based on our criteria above? I imagine the drive on 26 is more beautiful, but this is a fact finding trip after all.
Maybe I'll split the difference, and just plan to stay a few nights in Cody, the rest in Yellowstone.
Horse back is something we might like to do, at least on one of the days. Looks like I need to dive into the Yellowstone threads to read up on all the to-dos.
Anything to do/see in Alpine? I know it's a playground for the rich, but since we're going that way anyway...
Also, should I reroute and take 191 to Pinedale, instead of taking 26? Is Pinedale a place we might be interested in checking out, based on our criteria above? I imagine the drive on 26 is more beautiful, but this is a fact finding trip after all.
Alpine to swan valley is a pretty drive, if you were going to Pocatello I'd go down to Freedom Wyoming up over Tin Cup to Soda Springs a very pretty drive big moutain valleys with very few people.
Pinedale is in a high desert valley it green along the irrigated meadows of the green and new fork river and then the green of trees up on the moutains. There neat country asround Pinedale, some lakes, mostly big ranches along the rivers and creeks and gas fields on the masea
Alpine is a bedroom comunity for Jackson, it is kind of the bad boy of the 12 Star Valley towns. Wrong time of year to hike out side of Afton to to the intermitting spring , this is the time of year it is intermitting intermitting spring pictures by Jodywy - Photobucket my pics
Hello,
I'm not sure which forum to post this in, since it covers 3 states, so if the mods have an idea for linking this in the other forums (MT and ID), I would be grateful.
How You Can Help
What I'm looking for is feedback about lodging, places to eat, places to see (Yellowstone? :P), etc.
Places I'm interested in for relocation include:
Lander, WY
Cody, WY
Sheridan, WY
Hamilton, MT
Bonner's Ferry, ID
Sandpoint/Clark Fork/Sagle, ID
Priest Lake ID has my attention, but it seems to be very isolated due to the mountains.
Come on over to the Idaho forum and ask about North Idaho. We'd love to give you specific suggestions and advice that may not interest (or be appropriate for) the WY forum. It's okay to post similar questions in different forums, as far as I understand, as long as the posts are not identical.
Since you need to be near a major airport, Spokane, WA is an easy drive from Sandpoint/Sagle.
Come on over to the Idaho forum and ask about North Idaho. We'd love to give you specific suggestions and advice that may not interest (or be appropriate for) the WY forum. It's okay to post similar questions in different forums, as far as I understand, as long as the posts are not identical.
Since you need to be near a major airport, Spokane, WA is an easy drive from Sandpoint/Sagle.
Thank you Fantast. [Mod cut]
In any event, I appreciate the information I've gotten back on here so far.
Last edited by ElkHunter; 08-26-2012 at 03:33 PM..
Reason: I'm the mod for Wyoming, you should have contacted me.
Having lived in the Big Horn Basin, between Yellowstone and the Big Horn Mountains, most of my life, I have spent a lot of time in the park. I now live in Cody and can say that day trips out of Cody are very doable. If you take several days (3 or 4 or even 5) you can definitely see all you want in day trips unless you spend a lot of time out hiking. Most of the "attractions" in the park don't take a lot of time to actually get to or see. You may have to wait an hour or so for Old Faithful to blow if your timing is off and you just miss it. Seems that that has happened to me more times than not! But there is the lodge, gift shop, etc. to peruse while you are waiting, or you can just take a nice walk around the mineral terraces. Traffic out of Old Faithful can get a little congested if you leave right after an eruption. You never really know how traffic will be in the park, it just depends on the day. Although the average number of people in the summer is pretty steady, the pace is what can differ. If there is a lot of wildlife out then plan on any trip, even going a short distance, taking lots of time. People tend to go very slow or stop for all wildlife it seems. What is aggravating is when people stop in the middle of the road and don't find a spot to pull over! The rangers are pretty good about keeping people moving, though, if they are in the area at the time. Locals also tend to "holler" at the "tourists" if they are doing something like that! One concern you might have is checking ahead on road construction through the park. Typically, there is more in the spring, so you may be okay later in the summer. However, it just depends on what projects need to be done before the bad weather hits. I suppose Cody is like any other "tourist" town...hotel prices are high during the summer. You will find that whether you stay in Cody, West Yellowstone, Jackson, etc., any of the towns that pretty much border the park. But with the price of gas and your desire to make daily road trips it is probably best to stay in one of those towns rather than further away. Cody has a lot of hotels/motels and the prices vary. If you are okay with a clean, old-fashioned family motel you can get a better rate. If you need to be in a hotel with more amenities then you will definitely pay the price for that. I would be more than happy to look into prices for you. Sometimes locals are given a break if they are looking for family, friends, etc. Just let me know dates and I can research that! While in Cody you will most definitely want to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. I would plan on a day there, as there are several museums. It probably won't take a full day, but if you plan for it you don't have to rush. If you finish early you can always take a drive as there are several short distance drives that are close, or you may choose to stay in town to take in the several shops along the main street, Sheridan Avenue, go mini-golfing, etc. I have found Cody to be a very friendly place, both toward locals and tourists. Tourism is of course the main industry here so merchants want to be good to people so that they will come back or refer others to Cody. Another thing you might consider is a river rafting trip. There are a couple of rafting outfits in town and I think the rates are quite reasonable. It is a fun family outing. As for looking down the road to places to eventually live, I think Cody is one place that would fit the bill for you. It is big enough that there are your basic amenities, yet small enough to be a small, closeknit community that is safe and friendly. It is only an hour & a half drive to Billings, where you can find almost anything you would need as well as offers lots of things to do. Cody does have a Junior Hockey team, young men who come from all over to play (ages 16-20). Although I work for a neighboring school district I know that the Cody district is great. My grandson is in 1st grade there this year and my daughter is very happy with his school. There are also a LOT of activities offered through the rec center and others for children as well as adults. My daughter seems to always be running somewhere with one of her kids, especially during the summer. As for the airport, Cody does have a nice little one. Sometimes you can find airfare as cheap out of Cody as out of Billings, but more often it pays to drive to Billings to catch a flight somewhere if you want to save some money. We live right by the airport and there are several little private planes in & out of there, as well as a number of small commercial airliners. Please let me know if I can help you in any way! That's what I'm here for!
Georgia
Any advice on that side of the trip? Remembering, of course, that I have no desire to see vast prairies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiainwyo
Having lived in the Big Horn Basin, between Yellowstone and the Big Horn Mountains, most of my life, I have spent a lot of time in the park. I now live in Cody and can say that day trips out of Cody are very doable. If you take several days (3 or 4 or even 5) you can definitely see all you want in day trips unless you spend a lot of time out hiking. Most of the "attractions" in the park don't take a lot of time to actually get to or see. You may have to wait an hour or so for Old Faithful to blow if your timing is off and you just miss it. Seems that that has happened to me more times than not! But there is the lodge, gift shop, etc. to peruse while you are waiting, or you can just take a nice walk around the mineral terraces. Traffic out of Old Faithful can get a little congested if you leave right after an eruption. You never really know how traffic will be in the park, it just depends on the day. Although the average number of people in the summer is pretty steady, the pace is what can differ. If there is a lot of wildlife out then plan on any trip, even going a short distance, taking lots of time. People tend to go very slow or stop for all wildlife it seems. What is aggravating is when people stop in the middle of the road and don't find a spot to pull over! The rangers are pretty good about keeping people moving, though, if they are in the area at the time. Locals also tend to "holler" at the "tourists" if they are doing something like that! One concern you might have is checking ahead on road construction through the park. Typically, there is more in the spring, so you may be okay later in the summer. However, it just depends on what projects need to be done before the bad weather hits. I suppose Cody is like any other "tourist" town...hotel prices are high during the summer. You will find that whether you stay in Cody, West Yellowstone, Jackson, etc., any of the towns that pretty much border the park. But with the price of gas and your desire to make daily road trips it is probably best to stay in one of those towns rather than further away.
...
While in Cody you will most definitely want to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. I would plan on a day there, as there are several museums. It probably won't take a full day, but if you plan for it you don't have to rush. If you finish early you can always take a drive as there are several short distance drives that are close, or you may choose to stay in town to take in the several shops along the main street, Sheridan Avenue, go mini-golfing, etc. I have found Cody to be a very friendly place, both toward locals and tourists. Tourism is of course the main industry here so merchants want to be good to people so that they will come back or refer others to Cody.
Well, at this point I'm torn between trying to make day trips from Cody in the first leg of our trip, or staying in a lodge like the Togwotee Mountain Lodge on the way back through from Jackson. I want to get to know the towns as we come through, so I may just stay in Cody for a few days to visit the Buffalo Bill things: the park, reservoir, museum, etc. It sounds like it's a good place to stay for a couple or 3 days to soak in what we can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiainwyo
Cody has a lot of hotels/motels and the prices vary. If you are okay with a clean, old-fashioned family motel you can get a better rate. If you need to be in a hotel with more amenities then you will definitely pay the price for that. I would be more than happy to look into prices for you. Sometimes locals are given a break if they are looking for family, friends, etc. Just let me know dates and I can research that!
Wow Georgia, that's very nice of you! Once I get a better handle on things, I will definitely get back to you on that! We are not terribly picky people, and as long as it's clean and quiet, we'll be perfectly happy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiainwyo
Another thing you might consider is a river rafting trip. There are a couple of rafting outfits in town and I think the rates are quite reasonable. It is a fun family outing.
Will this work with a 3 year old? I haven't been rafting since I was a teenager, but I suppose it all depends on how "rapid" they are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiainwyo
As for looking down the road to places to eventually live, I think Cody is one place that would fit the bill for you. It is big enough that there are your basic amenities, yet small enough to be a small, closeknit community that is safe and friendly. It is only an hour & a half drive to Billings, where you can find almost anything you would need as well as offers lots of things to do. Cody does have a Junior Hockey team, young men who come from all over to play (ages 16-20). Although I work for a neighboring school district I know that the Cody district is great. My grandson is in 1st grade there this year and my daughter is very happy with his school. There are also a LOT of activities offered through the rec center and others for children as well as adults. My daughter seems to always be running somewhere with one of her kids, especially during the summer. As for the airport, Cody does have a nice little one. Sometimes you can find airfare as cheap out of Cody as out of Billings, but more often it pays to drive to Billings to catch a flight somewhere if you want to save some money. We live right by the airport and there are several little private planes in & out of there, as well as a number of small commercial airliners.
Well, our children are homeschooled so the schools aren't really an issue. However that is a good indicator of community activities, having a solid school system. Thanks for the information about the flying situation. It sounds like it's a doable way to get out as long as the weather cooperates.
How would you rate the weather compared to other areas of the state? Specifically, just how windy is it, how snowed in do you get? How is the water situation out there?
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiainwyo
Please let me know if I can help you in any way! That's what I'm here for!
Georgia
Thanks so much for your information. This is going to be an amazing adventure, and it's people like you on here that are making this easy to plan!
How much time do you have for the trip? To put on that many miles and have that many stops (19 on your map), it better be pretty long. Are you thinking that some of these stops will be half=day or less? If so, you won't gain a lot of information. Yeah you'll briefly see it but you can use google maps / google earth and you tube to briefly see places. Up to you of course but you might be better to pick your top 6-10 spots for fun or move consideration and just do those in real travel and do the rest in virtual travel mode. Or just drive by the others without spending much time in them. If you plan multiple days in some spots, the trip will need to be long. Probably should give yourself some uncommitted flex days to stay places you really like longer or to deal with vehicle or passenger happiness issues. How good travelers are the kids and what is the longest trip they have taken so far? If this planned trip in several times longer than anything they done and they are not perfect experienced travelers, you might have a real challenge or a potential game changing problem. Any way you could do a few tourist sites with everybody and then more of the rest of the place investigation on your own? Probably can get more of that done quicker and better, going solo. What if you did E to O by yourself in another vehicle (rented in the Yellowstone area and returned there)? Would your wife be comfortable caring for the kids by herself in the Yellowstone - Grand Teton area while you did a quick dash of however many days thru Montana and Idaho then you meet back up for the return trip? Just a possibility if you wish to consider that.
If you hit the Black Hills, between Cheyenne and Sheridan, it won't add that many miles onto your trip, but it can add a lot of time to your trip.
If you go North of Cheyenne, to Orrin Junction and then head East to Lusk, then North to New Castle, then East to Custer, you are now at the Southern end of the Black Hills sights to see. You are not going to get away with just seeing Mount Rushmore, but Crazy Horse is righ up the road. You could see the two of them in one day, but it would be a very full day. There are motels and ammenities in Keystone (only about 3 miles from Mount Rushmore), but Keystone is famous for i's little local shops of crafts and hand made items. Then there is Cosmo's, Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, all between Keystone and Rapid City. All worth seeing and you can see those and get into Rapid City on the second day. In Rapid City you can pick up I-90 and head West. From Rapid City to Sheridan, it's approximately 249 miles, give or take a half mile. Of course, you really can't drive from Rapid City to Sheridan without swinging off the road a bit and seeing Devil's Tower. A couple hours or so there is about all you need there.
So, from Cheyenne, if you go through the Black Hills to see those sights, you are going to add 2 days to your travels.
It's funny. Borglum (sp) carved out Mount Rushmore and said that he would only do it if it was always free to folks that wanted to see it. So, seeings how the Forest Service and the State of South Dakota couldn't charge you, they narrowed the road so that there is no shoulder, they built a couple of huge parking lots, put in a toll booth to each parking lot, and then put on a couple extra staff members to patrol the road to make sure nobody actually stops on the side to take a picture. hahahaha But it's still not bad. Well worth the stop and the walk through the museum and giftshop.
How much time do you have for the trip? To put on that many miles and have that many stops (19 on your map), it better be pretty long. Are you thinking that some of these stops will be half=day or less? If so, you won't gain a lot of information. Yeah you'll briefly see it but you can use google maps / google earth and you tube to briefly see places. Up to you of course but you might be better to pick your top 6-10 spots for fun or move consideration and just do those in real travel and do the rest in virtual travel mode. Or just drive by the others without spending much time in them. If you plan multiple days in some spots, the trip will need to be long. Probably should give yourself some uncommitted flex days to stay places you really like longer or to deal with vehicle or passenger happiness issues.
These are valid points. The points on the Google Maps link are actually more for road selection than actual destinations. The actual locations that we're interested in experiencing are:
Mount Rushmore
Sheridan
Cody area (2 - 3 days)
Glacier National Park
Bonner's Ferry
Sandpoint area (2 - 3 days)
Clark Fork
Yellowstone / Tetons (1 - 2 days)
Lander
There will be some long driving days, for sure, but I'm hoping the stops we make will help alleviate that somewhat. I suspect with the addition of Mount Rushmore and the swing through eastern Idaho that the trip will take 2.5 - 3 weeks all tolled. I will make sure we budget appropriately for emergencies, longer stays, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NW Crow
How good travelers are the kids and what is the longest trip they have taken so far? If this planned trip in several times longer than anything they done and they are not perfect experienced travelers, you might have a real challenge or a potential game changing problem.
That's another valid point. In fact, this would be the longest trip any of us has ever taken. The kids are fine on long drives, as long as they have movies and games to play. But that's not the same as being away from home for weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NW Crow
Any way you could do a few tourist sites with everybody and then more of the rest of the place investigation on your own? Probably can get more of that done quicker and better, going solo. What if you did E to O by yourself in another vehicle (rented in the Yellowstone area and returned there)? Would your wife be comfortable caring for the kids by herself in the Yellowstone - Grand Teton area while you did a quick dash of however many days thru Montana and Idaho then you meet back up for the return trip? Just a possibility if you wish to consider that.
I don't think splitting up will work, because she is a required vote in deciding if/where we move in the area. Therefore she'll need to see and experience the same things I do. Having said that, we might need to consider flying the kids back with a relative after we do Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone. Northern Idaho and Glacier Park won't interest them as much at their young age.
Thank you for bringing some perspective to this adventure. It is definitely something I need to consider. It might even be a situation where we isolate the trip into two different trips: a drive up from DFW to Wyoming for a Yellowstone / Mount Rushmore trip, and a separate vacation with just us to visit northern Idaho and Glacier National Park.
Sounds like I have a new wrinkle to present to the committee this evening.
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Of course, you really can't drive from Rapid City to Sheridan without swinging off the road a bit and seeing Devil's Tower. A couple hours or so there is about all you need there.
