Trip in 4 States WYOMING QUESTION (Evanston, Jackson: spring break, hotels, live in)

[Happy in Wyoming]

You can visit Yellowstone. The road from Gardner, Montana to Cooke City through Mammoth Hot Springs is open all year. Fly to Bozeman, Montana and rent a car.. Forget everything else. Yellowstone is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. You have never seen anything like Mammoth Hot Springs. You'll never see anyplace comparable.

Fly from Bozeman to Salt lake when you go back. It's my favorite big city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs

https://www.yellowstonepark.com/road...tional-airport


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3hNu4i-lw

[VAQUERO 45]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

30 years living in WY and MT, I've seen wild bears twice.

Yeah I have heard that from others (about bears) . I live in sw Fla 34117 (east side) and theres a ton of black bears around here (between Naples and edge of Fla everglades ) .

[nm9stheham]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

Generally, Yellowstone won't really open until mid-April. Some roads will open before then, others later than that, but as has already been stated, Yellowstone won't be open mid-to-late March, not EVER.

However, Jackson Hole/Grand Teton National Park will likely have its main roads open. I don't think they ever close, except temporarily due to snow storms. The town of Jackson is the most popular town in the GTNP/Yellowstone area. AFAIK, Jackson Hole Ski Resort (Teton Village) will be open through March, and between Jackson, Teton Village and a few of the resorts north of Jackson, you'll have a good selection of excellent hotels and fine eateries and bars. You won't see bears, but it's likely you'll see elk and moose... I think. (I live in eastern Wyoming and don't often visit western Wyoming in the winter. When I did, years ago, it was normally for skiing, but that's been 2-3 decades ago.)

I believe you'll be able to drive from the town of Jackson up to Jackson Lake Lodge without problems, and, weather permitting, you'll see some of the prettiest mountain vistas in the U.S. on that trip. I think that's also where you'd be most likely to see elk and moose. It's not a long drive, maybe an hour each way.

Others on here more familiar with that area in the winter could tell you more about it, if you think you might want to visit that area.

- Yes, the roads from Idaho Fall to Jackson and then east over Togwotee Pass to central Wyoming are kept open, unless there is is a lot of a snowfall on a particular day. You can see the road conditions on many routes in WY on the site below; the road 10 miles east of Togwotee Pass is show as Wind River Lake. There is 2 meters of snow on the ground now, but the road is clear. WYDOT Travel Information Service (Laramie)

So I consider the option to drive to Jackson and then east and then north to Bozeman as a possible trip. However, you need to leave at least 1 extra day in your schedule to account for possible snow and delays.
Jackson is a very expensive town to stay in.

- The roads from Idaho Falls to Island Park ID, and West Yellowstone MT, and to Big Sky, MT, and up to the Bozeman area are also kept open unless there is a lot of snow on a particular day. That is a much shorter trip than through Jackson and east into Wyoming to Billing and to Bozeman. Again, you need to leave at least 1 extra day in your schedule for snow delays. If you take this route, then you can go to Mammoth Hot Springs as suggested and see buffalo. You can visit other places in MT; Butte is an old mining town that I find to be interesting.

- I can suggest a 3rd trip up into this area. From Pocatello, go up to Ketchum ID and Sun Valley, and then over the mountains to Stanley ID. This area has scenery as beautiful as Jackson or Yellowstone. Idaho Route 75 is kept open all year unless there is heavy snow on a particular day, or avalanches block the road. The routes east and west from Stanley are currently open. That would allow you to go to Missoula MT or to Boise ID for your return trip to CA.

- It would be wise to rent a small all-wheel-drive vehicle for this trip. When you get to Salt Lake City and after you rent your car, stop at a store and buy water and blankets and some simple food, in case you get stuck and have to wait for help. You need to be prepared for cold weather with a heavy coat and other warm clothes. You will be driving in areas much more rural and remote than in Europe and will need to be prepared. Your cell phone will not work in many places. If you have been in the remote areas of CA, then you probably have a good idea.

- I think this trip is worthwhile for you to take. Just be prepared for some snow and cold weather and look ahead at the weather reports for several days and plan for the weather. My main concern for you is to drive on snow; if you are not an experienced driver, then this trip may not be a good idea. It will be much more slippery than just rain on the road and snow and slush can steer the car for you. And stopping takes a much longer distance. So please drive slowly and be careful until you get used to it. The roads may be clear but the side streets in some towns, and around motels and restaurants, may not be clear of snow and ice.

Winter trips are quite fun IMHO. My family and I have taken winter trips to Stanley ID in 2107 and the temperatures were -40C every night in January. We went to Togwotee Pass and the Big Horn Mountains and Mammoth Hot Springs winter of 2018, towing a trailer all the way. And we went to northern Maine just 2 weeks ago, where the lakes were frozen over a meter thick. We set up a schedule with an extra 1 or 2 days, so we can change our plans if the weather gets bad.

[nm9stheham]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

Hate to break it to you, but you're not going to see any bears this time of year. Moose, Elk, Bald Eagle, Stoats, Coyote are all maybe. 30 years living in WY and MT, I've seen wild bears twice.

Yes the bears are hibernating now. But seeing them depends on where you live; a family I know in western WY had a grizzly bear show up on their back porch just a few months ago LOL

[NW Crow]

I'd scrap this itinerary. It is winter and you don't have experience driving on snow. I'd substitute a focus on Utah. Zion, Glen Canyon, Arches. Park City maybe. SLC only if it really interests you. Grand Tetons perhaps. Or Grand Canyon. You don't have a lot of time to go further north. You'd be spending most of time driving between places in the original plan.


At minimum I'd eliminate time in Pocatello / Idaho Falls and Bozeman unless you are considering possibly living in either place in future.


The timing is bad for Yellowstone. Do it later in life and / or watch free YouTube videos.


If you've never been in southern Arizona in spring that could be enjoyable.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

Hate to break it to you, but you're not going to see any bears this time of year. Moose, Elk, Bald Eagle, Stoats, Coyote are all maybe. 30 years living in WY and MT, I've seen wild bears twice.

Yeah, if they really want to see bears (I assume brown) they should go to Alaska in the summer where 95% of all browns in the US live. Go to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and watch the bears catch the salmon in their mouths!

[Charlotteq]

Thank you very much (each and every one of you). It took me so long to reply because of the workload this time of year lol.

I am excited but afraid of the snow, I am afraid I will be stuck in the snow, in the middle of nowhere, with no cellphone reception. Yes, I don't know how to drive in snowy roads. On the other hand, it's already day-saving time, longer daylight makes me a little bit relieved that at least I can do the driving and the trip from sunrise till sunset, plenty of time.

Frankly speaking, I haven't booked anything, I will think about it 100 times before doing anything.

Oh yeah, I went to Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and most of Ca during my time here in the states (most parts of Ca literally).

In Ca I've seen LA where I live lol, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Humboldt County, Yosemite, Sequoia, Mojave, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Palm Springs etc...

Therefore, nothing in Ca is tempting to me anymore...

Anyhow, thank you guys.

[Wyoprairie]

Bonjour Charlotte

Unfortunately your travel dates are difficult for visiting Yellowstone Park. They are in the middle of the off-season or bench
season. The winter season wraps up by early to mid March and the snow travel (snowmobiles, snowcoaches) is stopped as
the Park Service begins the slow process of plowing the roads for automobile traffic to begin in mid April through mid May.

So for those dates, you can only get to Mammoth Hot Springs, which is accessed from Bozeman via Livingston, Montana
and Gardiner, Montana. Normally you could still stay at the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel, but this year it is being updated,
and so is not open. (During winter season, you could take snowcoach to Old Faithful, and stay at Snow Lodge, which is a
great experience) At Mammoth you would probably see the resident Elk herd, Bison that have come down from higher
elevation for winter, and perhaps Bighorn Sheep. The Minerva or Travertine terraces shown above are also at Mammoth.

Perhaps you could stay in Bozeman and then also drive down to West Yellowstone (which passes by Big Sky-it's just a
ski area) There is a bear hang out (Grizzly Center or something) in West Yellowstone that might be open. I don't know
how much would be open in West Yell because of the off season-it is busy during the winter season. So you might look
at: yellowstoneparklodges, west Yellowstone, grizzly discovery center, and gardiner, montana for information & ideas.
You can also go up to Bozeman via Rexburg and West Yellowstone, and then past Big Sky.

Don't have an opinion about Pocatello vs. Idaho Falls. I stay in "pokey" about once a month. It has a university and Fort
Hall, and is surrounded by mountains. Idaho Falls is larger, with a couple museums in town and the park that surrounds
the waterway. If you drive between them and stop in Blackfoot, there is the Idaho Potato Museum (for real) where they
give "taters to out of staters" (and French people, too).

[nm9stheham]

Here are some sites for the road cameras for WY, ID, and MT. You can get some idea of what the major highways look like for snow or being clear.

https://www.wyoroad.info/Highway/web...ebcameras.html
https://lb.511.idaho.gov/idlb/camera...textOnly=false
https://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/weather/rwis.shtml

It may take you some time to figure out what cameras are located on your proposed route, but it will give you a good idea of the conditions.

[nm9stheham]

To see what you may encounter at this time of year:

Here are the cameras at Teton Pass going to Jackson, which is at 2570 meters elevation. The road is clear right now. Wyoming Department of Transportation Travel Information Service - WYO 22 Teton Pass

But here is a location at a lower elevation area called Hoback Junction, south of Jackson, that shows what you will often find at this time of year when driving on any side roads or streets, or in many parking lots. There is packed snow and ice, so that will be slick. WYDOT Travel Information Service (Cheyenne)

The amount of snow will be much less, or none at all, at lower elevation routes. Here is the interstate south of Pocatello, and also the main highway from Jackson near to Dubois WY. You can see how little snow there is at lower elevations and in the drier areas.
https://lb.511.idaho.gov/idlb/camera...textOnly=false
WYDOT Travel Information Service (Laramie)

Dubois WY is at 2100-2200 meters elevation, and is 400 meters higher in elevation than the Hoback Junction area showed above, but Dubois is in a drier area.

Hope this helps!