I'm planning a family vacation in July. We're going to stay in a cabin near Jackson. I'm looking for some 'off the beaten path' places to visit. I want to get away from tourist traps and find some areas that are more local. Any other ideas about the area would be appreciated. We're going with another family and we do have kids so we're looking for kid friendly things, hiking, horseback riding etc.

Even if you know of a cool place to get a burger and a beer or a scenic road trip. It seems like you go on vacation and when you get home everyone says 'you should've gone here, or should've seen this or that'. I'm just trying to stay ahead of the curve.

I apologize for the OT thread but I figured this is the place that will get the most hits. And for what it's worth, we'll be scouting for huning areas and wildlife.

If you want to see wildlife be out early, early, and late, late. Go for morning drives or late evenging drives, make sure you have binos.

A neat and interesting place for a short drive is up to Lower Slide Lake, it isn't to far off the beaten path. Just a short drive up the Gros Ventre river. You can see how the land slide formed the lake. Fishing can be good to.

quote:

Originally posted by kudu56:
If you want to see wildlife be out early, early, and late, late. Go for morning drives or late evenging drives, make sure you have binos.

A neat and interesting place for a short drive is up to Lower Slide Lake, it isn't to far off the beaten path. Just a short drive up the Gros Ventre river. You can see how the land slide formed the lake. Fishing can be good to.

Thanks kudu, yes, we're definately looking for fishing spots. We'll try and check that spot out.

I haven't been to the yellowstone area since I was about 10 years old and I remember it being some awesome country. (That's 30 years ago, in case you're wondering)

There is a ton to do and see. The best burgers in town (Jackson) are at Billy's Burgers next to the Cowboy Bar on the Town Square.

Make sure you reserve time for a float trip down the Snake River. The scenic trips go through Grand Teton National Park and afford great views of the Tetons and wildlife. The whitewater is a hoot and travels down the Snake River Canyon.

An early morning drive between Jackson and Moran is almost sure to produce buffalo sightings. The inside loop between Jackson Lake Lodge and Moose is beautiful and you'll usually see elk.

We drove from Jackson to Cody over the weekend and saw two grizzly bears, tons of elk, bison and several bands of bighorn sheep.

If your here over the fourth of July, be sure to take in the free concert put on by the Grand Teton Symphony Orchestra. It is awesome and very patriotic. It concludes with the 1812 overture and the firing of howitzers. A great firework show will conclude the day but be prepared for a huge traffic jam after the fireworks.

For a couple of things a little bit off the beaten path, take a drive over Teton Pass, up to Island Park and then to West Yellowstone. You might also want to drive to the end of Granit Creek and take a dip is a hot springs feed pool. That will give you a chance to look over some of the Hoback Country which produces some very good mule deer.

If I was going to go for a horse back ride, I'd probably choose Flagg Ranch, just prior to the Yellowstone entrance.

This is a long post, but i'll just copy and paste a thing i wrote up for a friend of mine going out there... I worked out there the summers of 01 and 02 as an undergrad, and have not been back since then.

Yellowstone National Park


Hikes:
My favorite hikes usually involve mountain climbs. They give you the best views, a little bit of a challenge, but its worth it at the top.

Mount Washburn -- This is a fairly easy hike, I think its 3 miles each way, about 1500’ elevation gain. Nice big wide easy trail with lots of places to rest if needed. The kids should be able to handle this no problem. Elevation is 10,243’ at the top, and it has a lookout tower on top so you can get inside and look out big windows. On clear days you can see the Tetons, about 90 miles to the south. Bighorn sheep can sometimes be spotted on the trail, this is the only time is saw them in the mountains was on this hike. Really nice views once you’re at the top.

Avalanche Peak – This is a man hike. It’s tough. It’s steep. IIRC its 2 miles each way, and 3000’ elevation gain. It is the prettiest view in the park once you’re at the top, in my opinion. If there hasn’t been a ton of snow, and you need a man excursion, you have to do this. Northeastern part of the park. Trailhead is right off the road, easy trail to follow.

Old Faithful – You gotta see the geyser while you’re there. Goes off about every 90 minutes I think. you can sit/stand with every other tourist there on the boardwalks, or you can hike to a overlook behind the geyser basin. I think its called old faithful overlook, but it’s not difficult to find. With the giant Old Faithful Inn to your back, and the geyser in front of you, look beyond the geyser to the hill in the background, that’s where you’ll go. The boardwalk will lead you to a trail, and it’s a pretty easy hike up, and you get a nice view of a large part of the geyser basin away from the crowds.

The geyser basin is also neat to walk around. There is over a mile of boardwalk around several small geysers and hot pools. Morning glory pool is there, along with several other geysers, some of them quite large.. but you have to get lucky to catch one of them going off. Worth an hour or two to walk around the boardwalk to see.

Tower Falls – very short hike in the northern part of the park, to see the falls. Very tall waterfall, pretty cool to see.

Elephant Back – this is also a pretty tough hike, but pretty short. It’s a little on the uphill side going, but the view is worth it. I took my parents up there, so its doable with the kiddies. I think its 2 miles each way, and starts near Lake Village somewhere. This one’s pretty good, pretty good chance for a bear sighting.

Wildlife Sighting:
Bison -- Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley are the best places to see them, though you will see them in lots of places, especially on the road, they are everywhere.
Elk – I hear the herds have been reduced due to the wolves (damn hippies) but hopefully they are still pretty numerous. Lots around the northern entrance to the park around Mammoth Hot springs. You should see them almost everywhere when driving around. Hayden Valley, Lamar Valley, elk should be everywhere, just keep your eyes open while driving.
Bears – I don’t remember any specific areas where I saw a lot of bears. I saw them all over. I saw tons of bears out there during my summers, a couple a week at least. But I also pay close attention when driving, and spotted a lot of them from the road before anyone else, so we were the first ones to stop and look before the crowds gathered. There use to be a sow and 2 cubs that lived near tower falls, but I’m sure ‘Rosie’ is long gone by now. But I’m sure there are still bears there. The grizzly population is the highest in the region in decades so hopefully you can spot a griz. Black bears are everywhere, keep your eyes peeled and you should see one. And if you see a huge traffic jam, bet there’s a bear at the end of it. Also look for bears near “fishing bridge”. It is so named for the bear population in the area catching fish in the river.
Wolves – when I was there Lamar Valley was the best place to spot them. Look for the crowds, or ask the rangers where the sightings have been.

Things to see:
The old faithful inn you gotta go inside and check out. It’s the giant log hotel, you cant’ miss it. There is an ice cream shop on the ground floor for the kids, and the place is pretty massive and it’s pretty cool to see the design.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including “Artists Point” a very good look at the lower falls. A classic YNP picture. You can also see upper falls.

Mammoth hot springs. North entrance of the park. Big calcium deposits from geysers I think created the large mounds of rock. Lots of elk around also.

Drive thru the beartooth mountains if you have time. This is out the northeast entrance/exit of the park, out from Hayden Valley. Pretty drive. Towards Cooke City / Silver Gate

I use to see bighorn sheep on the drive out the east gate towards Cody, WY just out of the exit of the park, right near the roads.

There is a horseback dinner thing leaving from Tower. They take you out on a wagon train and cook a meal for you over a campfire out in the backcountry. I never did this but wanted to, might be a good group activity one evening. I suggest calling ahead and making reservations if going with a big group.

Lodging:
There should be campsites/RV hookups at most of the main lodging places. I would recommend staying at Canyon, Old Faithful, or Lake Village. They are more centrally located and you can get around easier. I worked at Grant, and it’s nice, but it’s the farthest south location, and I prefer to be more centrally located. I worked at Canyon Village in ’02 and really liked it there.

General Notes:
Drive slow and look. A lot of people drive too fast and miss things. Most of the bears I spotted while driving and looking. Granted I’m use to looking for game, but if you can get use to spot anything moving or unusual, you can see tons of stuff from the road. If people are behind you, just use a pullout and let them go ahead, you’re on vacation, some people forget that.

Be careful driving. People lose their minds and think its ok to stop in the middle of the road in the middle of a blind turn when they see an animal. So watch out for morons.

Don’t feed the bears.

Bison aren’t cute and cuddly, and they only appear slow and docile. Do not pet them.

Do not forget binoculars, they come in very handy.

The firehole river is warm. The kids can play in it. Its named the Firehole due to all the geysers and hot geothermals pouring hot water into it, its also good flyfishing. Yellowstone Lake is cold, but you can rent boats, paddleboats, take fishing trips, etc…

Good websites to reference:

http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/hike.htm

http://www.yellowstone.net/hiking.htm

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

Hi Rub Line-

This doesn't sound too far off of a similar post I made last year when trying to plan a trip.

Here is the link in case you might find an idea or two mentioned before (there are some pics of WY too):

http://forums.accuratereloadin...041000031#9041000031

The Gros Vente River country is nice, there is a small restaurant with buffalo burgers along the way and a half-mile wide landslide visible from the road along the river itself.

In the other direction is Alpine, nice hotels for lunch and Pallisades Reservoir on the Snake River. A little south of Alpine is a buffalo ranch. Bondurant has a small resort with cabins, the fellow who runs the place (or did last year) has a hatful of good stories to tell.

Then there are the Tetons, as many times as I've been by there I never got close to them. Oh well, next time...

Did the same thing last year with SBT and wife Pam's directions. You'll have a great time!

I agree that you should get up early and stay out late.

The float down the Snake inside Teton Park is lazy travel, quite dry, most comfortable but very worthwhile.

check out turpin meadow ranch. fishing, hiking, horseback riding. good food too.

If you can get over to Cody, do not miss a visit to the Buffalo Bill museum. The firearms collection alone is worth the admission.

It's too bad you can't move your vacation to mid-Sept. or so when the temps are nicer, the crowds are leaner and the wildlife, especially elk, is moving about more. The bull elk have their full headgear and are courting their harems, mostly in the larger meadows close to the roads and even in the town square and on the church lawn in Mammoth.

And outside Gardiner, if it is still open there's a dirt road that traverses some hilly country and then follows the river where lots of antelope play in the meadows. Mule deer are often around, as well. There are two ways to get on the road: one goes up the hill right behind the hotel in Mammoth, and the other is directly across from the Town Cafe in Gardiner just before you go through the park gate.

Until about three years ago, I spent at least a week each Sept. in the park taking wildlife pics for about 15-18 years running. The trip was always a highlight of the year for me. I would then go from there to the Moise Bison Range and then up to Glacier for a few days.

Here's a link to the Yellowstone Spendor slide show I did for the Trip Advisor web site.

And this is the link for the TA YNP Travel Forum where you can garner lots of good info.

Palisades area over the Idaho border is nice as is the hoback area.
If you are coming in late july then don't forget you fishing pole.
There is still a ton of snow in teh high country and everything is running a month behind.
I doubt the streams and rivers will be fishable until mid late july.