Yellowstone, and then a week relaxing? Where?

Hello,

I am in the very first stages of planning a trip (2009) and would welcome any comments.

I have only been in the US once before (a few days Florida with work) and would really love to come back (I am from Germany but live in the UK). I read a few guidebooks and have a few ideas.

I would love to spend 2-3 weeksover there, part of it being a road trip and part of it maybe in a cabin (more relaxing). So, if I spent let%26#39;s say a week - 10 days around the Yellowstone area(3-4 days inside the park and a few others in places like Cody, take in the Buffalo Bill museum and some rodeos), where would I best spend the week after?

I have looked into staying on a ranch which sounds great but neither of our party can ride. So, how about renting a cabin near a lake or something? Does anybody have any suggestions where to start looking?

Another option would be to take a flight out to either Oregon or California (haven%26#39;t looked into that yet) and then drive down the Pacific Highway. I know this would be a lot of more driving, so that is why I am not quite sure yet.

In terms of timing, I was thinking about mid August to early September.

What do people think / recommend? Also, I have only just started saving for this trip, how much would I need to budget for 2 people for a week for food/drink and entrances (roughly)?

thanks for any comments,

G

Yellowstone, and then a week relaxing? Where?

sorry, should have said, there will be 2 of us (not a couple), so I am not looking for a romantic get away. and something not too expensive ...

Yellowstone, and then a week relaxing? Where?

Hi G.

You%26#39;ll have to make choices whether to go California or Wyoming/Montana/Colorado.

Give you an idea without going into detail on your itinerary:

From Denver:

Day 1: Arrive Denver

Day 2: Long drive to Hill City or Custer, Black Hills South Dakota.

Day 3: Black Hills SD. Visit to Badlands NP. Night ceremony at Mount Rushmore

Day 4: BH: Mount Rushmore again, Custer SP, Needles Hw, One of the caves (Jewel Cave or Windcave), Crazy Horse memorial etc.

Day 5: Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon drive, Devils Tower NM in Wyoming.

Day 6: Devils Tower-Cody

Day 7: Cody for BB center and the niterodeo.

Day 8: Cody-Cody. Make a great loop to Red Lodge, Beartooth hw (212) and Chief Joseph hw (296) back to Cody.

Day 9: Enter Yellowstone by its eastentrance. Stay Yellowstone.

Day 10: Yellowstone NP

Day 11: Yellowstone NP

Day 12: Yellowstone NP and to GTNP

Day 13: GTNP

Day 14/15 Drive to Salt Lake City (5 hours from Jackson) or drive back to Denver in 1.5 days.

Please make up your mind about staying 2 or 3 weeks

Options are countless. You might visit Glacier NP or the awesome parks in Utah like Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion. Or see Mesa Verde NP and Rocky Mountains NP in Colorado not to mention other fantastic places.

First decide how long and where you want to go.

Cheers

Tet

thanks for your suggestions. Did some more reading up and have decided to spend all the time in Wyoming / Montana. I want to see the Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone and then the Glacier NP. Also Cody for a few days and then a Cowboy Ghost town or two on the way up to Glacier NP. Have seen that there are many ranches / cabins / lodges where I could stay for a few days to relax. Will have to look at a more detailed plan and post it once done.

G

i highly recommend that you do jackson hole, grand teton np, yellowstone np, cody (rodeo), %26amp; then drive north into montana to glacier national park. it%26#39;s a nice drive, very pretty, but about 6-7 hours depending on how much you stop. stay in the national park lodges if you get the chance. we do this same trip every year (4 straight years) here are some of my favorites places to stay in each area.

jackson: sundance inn, inn on the creek, wagon wheel village.

grand teton national park: jenny lake lodge, jackson lake lodge

yellowstone national park: lake yellowstone hotel, old faithful lodge, mamouth hot springs hotel or the best western in gardiner, %26amp; just out the north entrance on your way to glacier is one of our favorite places, chico hot springs. it%26#39;s one of our all time favorite places. great hot springs %26amp; restaurant.

cody: cody cowboy village but any place here is fine. the best thing about cody is going to the rodeo %26amp; possibly visiting the buffalo bill museum.

glacier national park: our favorite place is many glacier hotel. great, great place to base out of to hike in gnp. lake mcdonald lodge is also another good place. glacier trailhead cabins outside the east entrance to gnp is a good option on the edge of gnp. on the west side of gnp are more options. i like tamerack lodge but there are some nice places over in whitefish which is another neat town. north forty cabins are very nice in this area.

good luck on your planning.