Yellowstone National Park is huge. This is something that locals can’t stress enough and still hopefuls call wanting the “walking tour.” When you’re visiting a place this massive (and your vacation is only so long) you need a plan. First, consider that the Park is shaped like a figure eight (8) and is referred to in loops: The Upper Loop (the top of the 8) and the Lower Loop (you guessed it…the bottom). Yellowstone is flanked in all compass directions by entrances and each entrance is home to a gateway community: Jackson Hole, WY to the south, Cody, Wyoming to the east, West Yellowstone, Montana to the west, and Gardiner, Montana to the north. Each entrance has something special and unique to offer, so before you hang your hat, determine your priorities, and plan accordingly.
Assuming that your Yellowstone priority is touring Yellowstone Park, you should turn your attention to West Yellowstone. This is not to say that the city of West Yellowstone outshines or bests the other towns in Yellowstone Country. It is simply to say that this is the smartest choice for a Yellowstone itinerary. West Yellowstone is ideally situated right where those two loops meet (figure eight, remember?). A line on a map and a road aptly named Boundary Street are the only things that separate this charming community from the country’s first national park. Staying in West you will travel 14 miles from Yellowstone’s west gate to Madison Junction where you will make your biggest touring choice of the day: left or right, Upper or Lower. No other entrance can offer you this potential for minimal backtracking and maximum time spent in the Park versus just driving home.
Location is only one argument for choosing West Yellowstone…but that’s a whole different entry altogether. The point is that there are many things to consider when planning your trip to Yellowstone, and choosing your headquarters should be the start. When you’re ready to put the other pieces in place, be sure and take advantage of local resources and knowledge. The West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce (all cities in Yellowstone Country have amazing Chambers) is a great place to find ranches, hotels, or campgrounds, activities, additional travel tips, and more, more, more.
Yellowstone Vacation Planning Tip.
You are correct and excellent advice!!
Yellowstone Vacation Planning Tip.
We always visit Chambres of commerce while travelling. On our next trip to West Yellowstone we maybe meet you!!-lol-
I grant there are many opinions. In all my many, many years and trips to Yellowstone, our last trip was the first time ever in my life that I visited West Yellowstone, MT (we didn%26#39;t stay there) and I can%26#39;t imagine we would ever go back, unless we couldn%26#39;t get accomodations in the park. We always plan ahead and always stay in the park.
In its defense, it is closer than Jackson or Cody to the park, if you can%26#39;t stay in the park. But park accomodations are more convenient than being out of the park. I know many families want to stay in places with pools, but all through the years, traveling with many different family configurations, ages of children, etc. we have never had anyone unhappy to stay in the park (even without TV or pool).
I%26#39;m not trying to be disagreeable, but AYellowstoneGirl makes it sound as if you would be foolish not to stay there. I have not found that to be the case. I have stayed at all of the locations within the park, and I would always choose any of them over staying in West Yellowstone (but I know many people will not have the opportunity to stay in the park).
I agree, Shell_Net, and was a little put off by the undue emphasis on W. Yellowstone, some mis-statements, and while it%26#39;s a personal view, I don%26#39;t consider it particularly a ';charming community';. It also requires as the OP says, a drive into the park to get to the junction; and that drive can be laborious in high season. Perhaps the OP works for the Chamber, perhaps not. West Y.has its merits, but I%26#39;ve never met a family and/or kids w/o something to do and to see, and enjoy, by lodging within YNP. The lodging choices within YNP might put some people off. For them, higher end lodging is available, but a bit hard to come by, outside the park. Otherwise, West Y. is really, understandably, a tourism driven community with, from what I have seen and experienced, poor to decent motels. The distance from W. Y. into the park can be more laborious than indicated by the OP. The decision point occurs in the park, not at W. Yellowstone. So, if you lodge in W. Yellowstone, contrary to the OP%26#39;s statement, you indeed do have to backtrack each night, and thus might miss some of the best evening wildlife viewing otherwise available to those lodged in the park.
Voyaging, thanks for the agreement. I dislike being negative, but I thought her post was misleading at best. I just hated to leave it as if it were the undisputed truth. I%26#39;m so, so happy your take was the same as mine -- I really debated whether to speak up or not.
It looks like plain advertising folks, re my ';Chambre of Commerce'; comment but in a not too bad way.
BTW we never stay inside Yell but in Cody, Red Lodge, Gardiner, West Yellowstone and Jackson. Not that keen on old lodges, we have many of them in Europa.
In GCNP we won%26#39;t stay in El Tovar but in Kachina.
Odd isn%26#39;t it? (:-)
Cheers
Tet
This is an interesting thread, albeit one started by a blatant promo of West Yellowstone.
Personally, I much prefer staying in whatever park I%26#39;m visiting if at all possible. To me, the benefits far outweigh any deficiencies, if any, one might encounter in park accomodations.
For example, in Yellowstone, we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Lake Hotel followed by a stroll along the shore of Yellowstone Lake in the glow of the late summer sunset. A forest fire was burning across the lake, which became more brilliant as the darkness set in. The next morning, we took our early coffee outside to enjoy in the crisp air beside the still blue lake. Then we set off and, with no traffic at all, reached Artist Point well before the crowds arrived. We had it completely to ourselves in the height of summer.
I don%26#39;t think one experiences a park the same way if there%26#39;s driving in and out each day. Certainly one doesn%26#39;t experience the same feeling of tranquility, which is one of the chief reasons for visiting remote places like Yellowstone.
I know that budgets often dictate lodging choices. But, IMHO, for not a lot more money, a visit to Yellowstone is enhanced by staying in the park.
I also felt this like an advertising post. Which is prohibited in this forum. We spent 6 days at yellowstone. All nights were spent in the park. We did visit West Yellowstone twice. We were staying at Canyon a very central location in the park and my husband had booked a fishing extersion with an outfitter in West Yellowstone. The outfitter told us to leave Canyon village no later than 6:30 am to get to West Yellowstone by 8:00 am to meet before the fly fishing trip. (1 1/2 hour trip first thing in the morning from Central Yellowstone). It was good to stock back up on supplies, but I found the supermarkets more expensive than the one in Jackson WY. There was a nice laundry mat we used and we also enjoyed the Wolf Discovery Center. But, it is a small town, with lots of things going on around it and I was happy to return to our cabins in the PARK after our visit to West Yellowstone! If you want to visit yellowstone stay in Yellowstone if at all possible. I actually booked most of our lodging in March for a June trip, I was persistant at calling to look for cancellations, so don%26#39;t give up on staying in the park.
We usually stay in the park when we are visiting and I much prefer it. But twice now we have started our trip from outside the park. Our experience last May had us starting at West entrance driving the Madison Canyon with a herd of Buffalo (just can%26#39;t call them Bison). It was unique, but I was glad I didn%26#39;t have to do that every morning just to begin our visit to the park.
That being said, I do have to agree that as far as ease of access West Yellowstone is better than Gardiner or Jackson, or Cody or Red Lodge. It is closer to the heart of things. But not as close as Canyon or Lake or Old Faithful. (And Tet, next time try the Snow Lodge, brand new and beautiful)
Thanks Kbec. As you know I always recommend to stay in the park (all parks). It has many advantages and Tex is also right about having a cup of coffee on the porch in the morning. Can%26#39;t beat that. But as you know we are blessed with longer vacations and are not pressed for time so we enjoy to have our breakfast in a local coffeehouse, sit at the counter and have chats with local people. We have learned a lot about their towns and many times we have been to places we would not have seen without local advice. In Gardiner we stayed at a lodge right at Yellowstone river with a balcony overlooking the river. Fantastic. In Red Lodge, the hotel also was right at a river with wildlife roaming the area. In Yosemite we stayed on an hour drive to the park in some cute little towns far from the tourist hassle, but in Death Valley we always stay in the park. But I fully agree with the other posters, stay inside the NP, especially on a first visit and if your time is limited.
N-D are home again and all is well. We hope to see them in Gerogery and their parents in Perth next year. Been invited to stay with their parents in Perth for a couple of days. Isn%26#39;t that great? (Fyi Gerogery and Perth are 2000 miles from each other...)
Tet
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