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Who has been to Yellowstone?

lmccandless

lmccandless

The Force is strong with this one.
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Mar 9, 2009
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DH booked us for a week in Yellowstone this summer for a family vacation. Despite being a city girl (a week with no wi-fi...say what?!), I am pretty excited to see the amazing things there. I am working on putting our itinerary together and hiring a guide. Any suggestions or tips?
 
Oh, I've been! But it was when I was about 9 years old, so I'm probably not much help. :giggle I do remember it as being one of our more fun/interesting/exciting family trips though! :D
 
I'm of no help here but wanted to say that it sounds absolutely exciting! (Not sure about no internet but I guess everyone needs time away). Have fun!
 
I've never been, but a week away right now sounds wonderful..wifi or not. I bet you guys will have an amazing time!!
 
So jealous!!! :) I went there in 1999 with my parents (I don't have any useful suggestions, sorry), but I've been wanting to go back with DH for a while now! Not gonna happen this year, though...
 
We went in 2006 or was it 2008?? Anyways it was fun and it was so beautiful :) We stayed in West Yellowstone. It was a beautiful drive into YS :)
Here are some suggestions:
1. Camera make sure you have lots of space for lots of pictures :)
2. We bought all our snacks before we got there. Its much more (WAY MORE) expensive there. Even in the grocery store. Even the KFC was alot higher in price.
3. We saw more animals from the NW side to the NE side of Yellowstone. We saw Buffalos, Elks, Deers, Sheep, Moose, and even a Bear.
4. The big attraction..the Fountain...give that a day. That was cool to see :)
5. If your camping I would say Bug Spray. There fly are the size of a bee...lol.
6. When we went in later part of July it snowed a little while we were there. I was cold. So I would say a Jacket/Sweaters.

and the last thing....
7. Do not go up in front of the animals to take pictures..lol. Very Dangerous..lol. ;)
 
*raises hand*

LOVE Yellowstone. LOVE it.

I agree with Cheryl on all counts.

And It's likely to busier than you may imagine. I think we always think oooh Yellowstone..this beautiful pristine example of nature. And it IS a beautiful pristine example of nature. But there are also LOTS of people who go there in summer to soak it all up. So plan to be prepared not for solitude in nature necessarily.

We had the best time when we let ourselves go a little loosey goosey with our plans...and being flexible with weather. We knew we wanted to hike a little bit so we planned a day for that. There are lots of options for this..you'll want to take a peek to see what will work best for you guys and the girls. There are tons of places to hike and there is a range of "difficulty".

Old Faithful is definitely neat and the springs. But my favorite part honestly is the poking around lazily driving through the park soaking up all the animal sightings. We visited the lake and waterfalls and the canyon too. If you guys like fishing you can even fish there.

Things we didn't get to do that I would LOVE to do next time: Rafting the river and definitely definitely definitely horseback riding. I feel like this is something the girls would really like?

Ooh! And you could even plan for the Grand Tetons which is relatively nearby. And GORGEOUS.

Definitely pack snacks if you can. Definitely don't forget bug spray.
 
Oh and definitely just enjoy the slow and the unplug. YS is so so worth it.
 
Oh! And look for the estimated times of eruption for the Geysers. Then you can plan your timeline around that. :)
 
Agree with what everyone has said! We're going this summer too...when are you going to be there? It's such a fun place and I'm hoping to see lots of animals...the kids will love it!
 
Oh Yes...i almost forgot about the Waterfalls :) LOVE IT!!! There are even spots that you can go walking/hiking...it so worth it. Yeah and there are alot of people.
The Tetons - there was a campground there. we stopped and the kids got to play in the cold water..it was so clear.
Now I wanna go back to visit too. :)
 
skrpbkmom said:
Agree with what everyone has said! We're going this summer too...when are you going to be there? It's such a fun place and I'm hoping to see lots of animals...the kids will love it!
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Ohh - are you really?! We are going to be at the North Loop of Yellowstone where we rented a house from July 7 - 12 and then at a resort in Jackson Hole from the 12 -15.

When will you be there, Em?
 
Laura~ you're going to love Yellowstone and Jackson Hole! My family has loved seeing "The Grand" geyser erupt. . . I think we waited about 4 hours one time! hehehe!

In Jackson. . . definitely do a river rafting tour. . .lots of choices. I think we did Mad Mad River, or something. But, be sure and get tickets to see Bar J in Jackson. Awesome! They serve you a chuckwagon style dinner and great entertainment too!

Enjoy your vacation!
 
lmccandless said:
DH booked us for a week in Yellowstone this summer for a family vacation. Despite being a city girl (a week with no wi-fi...say what?!), I am pretty excited to see the amazing things there. I am working on putting our itinerary together and hiring a guide. Any suggestions or tips?
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SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!! :P We are going to be there in July for a week (we planned it over a year ago). We are taking about a 6 week cross country trip starting next month and Yellowstone will be one of our last stops. That would be so neat if we could meet in person! :bunny When do you think you all will be going Laura?

ETA: ok, just read your dates... :giggle I think those are the dates we will be there, I need to check with my hubby...
 
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Pretty sure you don't want to hear abt my parents' experience as they caught in a mudslide and had to crawl out of their car windows to safety! *lol* They are fine, and it is now a running joke when they go on their annual summer vacation to watch out for those pesky mudslides that come out of nowhere.
 
Brandi, let me know - that would be fun!

LeeAndra - omgosh. See, that's why I am a city girl. LOL
 
tanbanan said:
Laura~ you're going to love Yellowstone and Jackson Hole! My family has loved seeing "The Grand" geyser erupt. . . I think we waited about 4 hours one time! hehehe!

In Jackson. . . definitely do a river rafting tour. . .lots of choices. I think we did Mad Mad River, or something. But, be sure and get tickets to see Bar J in Jackson. Awesome! They serve you a chuckwagon style dinner and great entertainment too!

Enjoy your vacation!
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Thanks, Tana! I will look into both of those.
 
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