How to plan a family vacation at yellowstone in August THIS year? (Cody: how much, hotels) - City-Data Forum

DavidMD2 · 05-31-2010, 08:56 PM

I know it is kind of late in terms of planning. I found it out when I started booking hotels online...

This is a family of 5: Parents plus kids of 19, 9, and 3. We plan to visit Yellowstone during 8/1/10-8/10/10.

Any advice on hotel/inn/lodging and activities would be truly appreciates.

We live in Maryland and we plan to drive to Yellowstone. We hope to see Mount Rushmore during our trip to Yellowstone.

Thank YOU!

DavidMD2 · 06-01-2010, 07:34 AM

Thanks for any help!

georgiainwyo · 06-01-2010, 09:14 AM

You can drive right past Mt. Rushmore on your way to Yellowstone. Head west out of the Black Hills, across the Big Horns and into Yellowstone through Cody and the East Gate. Have you tried finding hotels in Cody? That may be your best bet on finding something and basing your stay there. It is about an hour from the park, and you could easily make day trips to different parts of the park from there. You can also visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center while in Cody if you want a break from driving. Rooms in the park, in Jackson, or probably in West Yellowstone have most likely been spoken for for many months. If there isn't anything in Cody try Powell, which is only another 25 miles from Cody. It's a small farming community, so they don't get much of the tourist traffic there. Others may have some other suggestions, but being I'm from the Big Horn Basin I'm most familiar with the East side of Yellowstone. Just plan on slow traffic throughout the park so don't plan on going many places you want to spend much time at while there each day. Sounds like you have plenty of days to see it all, though. First and foremost, HAVE A BALL!

DavidMD2 · 06-01-2010, 10:51 AM

Thanks sooooooo much for your input! It is really encouraging for me. We talked about the possibility of going Europe because of the late planning but I do hope to spend the money in this country first. I will look for hotels as you suggested....This is going to be my first across-America (not really across

) trip after coming to this country (now my country) 15 years ago. I owe so much to the country and want to see its beauty!

"Have a ball": what do you exactly mean? Sorry about my poor English.

Do you have any suggestions about other places to visit during the trip and around Yellowstone NP?

Thanks a million!

georgiainwyo · 06-01-2010, 12:36 PM

I looked up rooms in Cody for you and there are quite a few still available. The prices range from $100-$200 a night, depending on what you want. I didn't know if you needed 2 rooms, having the 3 children, or just one room that can accommodate all 5 of you. I would be able to tell you what I think of all the hotels, as I'm pretty familiar with most of them. The dates I put in were August 1-August 10.

"Have a Ball" is an American saying that means "Have a wonderful time" or "Have lots of fun". I didn't realize that you weren't from the U.S. when I said that! Where did you move here from and where in the U.S. are you living?

I am willing to help you out more if you need help finding hotel rooms. Just let me know!
Georgia

DavidMD2 · 06-01-2010, 03:11 PM

George, which website did you use for looking at hotels at Cody? Regarding Mount Rushmore, how much time do you think I should spend there? On the trip to Yellowstone from Maryland, what other places do you happen to know worth a visit?

Best.

georgiainwyo · 06-01-2010, 03:57 PM

I looked up the rooms on a couple of sites, both Priceline and Travelocity. It seemed that Travelocity had more listed. I think you could check out any of the travel websites and find most of the hotels in Cody. There were only a couple that are full during that time in August.

Your Mt. Rushmore question depends on what you want to do there. If you just want to see Mr. Rushmore you would only need a few hours. However, there are a lot of other nice places to see in the area. You could Google "Rapid City, South Dakota area attractions" or "Mt. Rushmore area attractions" to find out more.

As for your stops along the way from Maryland to Wyoming, it would depend on what route you are driving. Is there anything in particular across the country that you would like to see or places you would like to visit? What kinds of things does your family like to do? What are their interests? That might help me and others who might reply give you ideas of places to see!
Georgia

peppermint · 06-01-2010, 04:10 PM

I don't think that it's too late to be planning a trip! You have lots of time! Have you looked at Price Line? You might be able to find good prices there.

My husband and I stayed at the Yellowstone Village Inn in Gardiner, MT at the north entrance of the park. We really liked it. We visited in May, and there were very few people in the area. We also stayed in the Buckrail Lodge in Jackson, WY when we were visiting the Grand Tetons. It was wonderful!

I think you should try to visit the Grand Tetons while you are in the area. It is just a little south of Yellowstone.

Devil's Tower National Park in Devils Tower, WY is worth a short detour. It's not far off your trek. Look it up on Google to see if your family might enjoy that.

My husband and I drove from PA to Glacier National Park several years ago and loved our time in Minnesota. It's a beautiful state with lots of parks, lakes and scenery. I don't know of any stops specifically, but you may want to explore possible pit stops during your drive.

Driving through MN will also take you through Chicago. You could stop there for any number of days, as there is so much to do there. Be aware if you do go through Chicago, add time to the trip. It took us 3+ hours to get through the city! Annoying!

As a further note, make sure you have extra cash for tolls. We spent quite a bit on tolls, and we didn't think to factor that into our trip.

Hope you have a wonderful time!!

DavidMD2 · 06-01-2010, 05:04 PM

Thank you both so much for kindly answering my questions. I feel a lot more comfortable and sure now about this trip. We will definitely go to Yellowstone in August.

Our trip from Maryland to Yellowstone will depend on the close attractions on the trip. Mount Rushmore will be one. Have not decided on others.

My daughter heard from other people that camping is available in Yellowstone. Do you think at this time is it still available for reservation (necessary to reserve?)? Is it a good option for a family with kids? Could it be dangerous? At Yellowstone, is it convenient to take showers for campers? Do you recommend hotel or camping?

Best.

WyoNewk · 06-01-2010, 08:31 PM

Not to chase you from this site, but if you're considering camping, take a look at rv.net. You'll find hundreds of posts about traveling and camping in Yellowstone, the Black Hills (Mt Rushmore), Grand Tetons and more. I think camping is a great way to take a family vacation. You might want to toss in a hotel room now and then if you'd be tent camping, just for a private shower and potty, but it's hard to beat a quiet campsite in the mountains.

Sorry, I've always had an RV when camping in Yellowstone. I don't remember what they have for showers. Google it and you'll find your answers.