Mid May OK time to go?

Hi there everyone. My family %26amp; I will be travelling around South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana %26amp; Idaho in May. We will be spending 3 nights in Idaho Falls in mid May and are planning to visit Yellowstone National Park around 16th or 17th. I know no-one has a crystal ball when it comes to weather, but in general terms is this an OK time to visit?

What is the weather usually like at this time. I believe the roads to Old Faithful will be open by then? Are we likely to see much animal activity.

Also, we%26#39;ll be driving from Idaho Falls to Riverton, WY around May 18th via the Tetons. Once again, weather wise are the roads likely to be OK?

Sorry about all the questions!...any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS: How far away from Old Faithful do they get you to stand - do you still get good photos etc?

Mid May OK time to go?

Mid May is a great time for wildlife in the park. I%26#39;m not sure if there will be baby bison or elk yet. Check out www.yellowstone.net for trip reports from folks who visit the park in the weeks before you go to get an idea of where to look. No guarantee, of course, but your chances will be better.

The weather should be mostly mild at that time. You can expect afternoon rain and thunderstorms but usually short in duration. Snow is still a possibility and temps below freezing in morning and evening are likely. Pack some warm clothes and a hat and gloves just in case. I%26#39;m not familiar with the road south from the park but I%26#39;d guess it%26#39;ll be ok.

The boardwalk around Old Faithful is a fair distance from the geyser, but don%26#39;t leave the boardwalk as the ground can be treacherous - Thin crust over scalding water. The pictures you see in travel brochures where likely taken from the boardwalk. There are lots of other geysers and hot pools in the area of Old Faithful. The visitor center has prediction for eruptions of 5 or 6 geysers including Old Faithful. Here%26#39;s a web address for a map of the Old Faithful area with paths and boardwalks.

nps.gov/archive/…oftourmap.htm

Mid May OK time to go?

You can pretty much expect any kind of weather in May! It will be cold at night (an possibly during the day), so make sure you have clothing you can layer. Polarfleece and a windshell, plus gloves and a hat.

Photos from the boardwalk at Old Faithful are fine. You may also want to walk around the geyser basin and get shots from different angles. If you want to see the still webcam or the streaming webcam of Old Faithful... visit: www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

Have fun!

Hello and welcome,

Genreally speaking the weather in Yellowstone is mild (highs - 60%26#39;s/low%26#39;s - 40%26#39;s) so long pants are recommended with light jakets or fleece for the cooler days and evenings. It often a drier month and only occational pm thunderstorms. THere will still be snow in the higher elevations of the park like Canyon, Grant, Dunraven Pass which is liekly to still be closed. Al of the other roads in the park including those in Grand Teton will be open.

As far as driving from Idaho Falls to Riverton you will be heading over Togwotee Pass which is a beautiful drive and should be in good shape by the time you get there and it is all down hill to Riverton from there. It is always possible at 9658%26#39; in elevation to have a spring snow, but just check the forcast prior to leaving and you will be safe. This pass is kept open all year and is moderately travelled.

When at Old Faithful you are positioned in a semi-circle around the geyser about 200%26#39; back. At this distance you are very safe and still in great photo range (bring a wide angle lens), there are also benches to enjy the veiw from while you wait for the eruption. Another great place to enjoy an eruption is the balcony in front of the Old Faithful Inn. If you are there in the early morning or late evening the colors can be spectatular and you will ahve the place almost to yourselves.

Let me know if you have any quesions, this is all in my backyard and I have been through these areas hundreds of times over the years.

Enjoy your trip and safe travels,

- Kery

Also be sure you have a windshield scraper. One of my favorite park memories was lending my scraper to a fellow with Georgia license plates, dressed in Burmuda shorts and trying to scrape the ice from his windshield with a credit card one morning.

Unfortunately, Ranger programs don%26#39;t start until June. What you will miss in organized activities will be made up for by avoiding the crowds of the summer months.

The advice you%26#39;ve received about layering, plus hats and gloves is good. The only thing I would add is that spring snows (if you happen into one or two) are generally very, very wet. Having a shell or jacket that is water-resistant, instead of fleece, which seems to absorb the moisture like a sponge, is a must-have in my book.

You should be fine, but spring weather is variable and fast. Be sure to check local weather a couple of times a day. We%26#39;re famous for warm and sunny turning quickly into hail or snow storms and then back again, almost as quickly.

We were there last year the third week of May. It was cool in the morning and warmed up to 60%26#39;s in the day. Bring a jacket, long sleeve shirts and layer.

If by three nights in Idaho Falls you mean visiting family or friends, fine. Otherwise, use the nights for Yellowstone. You will be greatly dissappointed if you spend fewer than two full days in this very large, and diverse, park. Have a great trip.

Big thank you to everybody for their advice and info. As always everyone is most kind and helpful. I%26#39;m beginning to think we should allocate more time here. We%26#39;ve never been to this area so really don%26#39;t know what to expect.

Is it feasible to do a day trip to Yellowstone from Idaho Falls? We plan on entering at West Yellowstone, driving to Old Faithful and then doing the loop around to West Thumb, past Yellowstone Lake, back around to Norris, Madison and then out the way we came again. Phew! It sounds a lot just writing it down. Is this all able to be done in a day? We%26#39;ll probably have to leave quite early in the morning...

BHBaby -- it will take you over 3 hours to get from Idaho Falls to Old Faithful (and that%26#39;s assuming the weather is good -- a fair amount of this will be mountain driving). Although you could get to Old Faithful and back in a day -- you will regret that decision once you are at Yellowstone. Speed limits are low in the park and you will want to stop and watch wildlife and visit some of the other thermal features.

Please go to the National Park Services website on Yellowstone and look around http://www.nps.gov/yell/.

You indicate that you are going to drive to Riverton through the Tetons from Idaho Falls. You don%26#39;t want to drive from Idaho Falls to Yellowstone and then back through the Tetons to Riverton. That%26#39;s a lot of driving. I%26#39;m not sure what the attraction of Riverton is.

Is it that you have already made lodging arrangements in Idaho Falls and need to work around that?

MapQuest says:

Idaho Falls, ID to West Yellowstone, MT

Total Estimated Time: 1 hour 53 minutes

Total Estimated Distance: 111 miles

That is, of course, one way. So, according to MapQuest, you will be driving approximately four hours round trip. Then, you enter the park and its many miles of roads and too many to count scenic areas. And walks to the sights; and, and, and...

And you will be, as noted, within about 200%26#39; from Old Faithful. But contrary to what many people think, and in my view, that geyser is the least of what YNP offers.

Just a couple of things to add. We had heavy snows this year in Yellowstone. The roads will be clear but there will be snow in the opper mountains and back country still by mid-May (unless there is a very warm spring).

The baby bison will be out for sure; elk will just start calving. We saw our first elk calf last year on May 20th.

We also saw many bears last year in Mid-May in several places; near the Firehole River south of Fountain Flats, Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley and Dunraven/Tower (altho this last section of road may still be closed when you come).

Dress in layers that you can take off during the day and add at night. I always carry water-proof poncho, extra sweatshirt, gloves, hat, wool socks, and warm neckwear in June just in case of a storm or cold night.