OT Yellowstone travel advice

[KeithS]

I have always gotten generous and accurate travel advice from this group. So I am going to ask again.

We are going on a family vacation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in early August. Three nights in the Canyon Cabins, and three nights in the Jackson Lake Lodge. Two families my 13 year old daughter 3-10 year olds and an 8 year old. Driving out from the Twin Cities via North Dakota and Montana and returning through Wyoming and then a couple of nights in the Black Hills. We have found with road trips with the kids that they can tolerate long drives on the way out but not so much on the way back. Here is the advice part, anyone have a suggetion on where to spend an overnight in Wyoming? Specific venues, we're not campers, my wife's idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn without cable. We are thinking something like Sheridan then a stop at Devils Tower on the way to the Black Hills. We are staying at the Rock Crest cabins in Custer for a few nights.

I have ridden in the Jackson Lake/Jenny Lake area before, a friend of mine in Bozeman is taking me on ride from Bozeman up the Hyalite Canyon, we are going to overnight in Bozeman on the way out. I think I have the Black Hills figured out for riding too. Am I taking my life in my hands if I try to (road) ride in Yellowstone? We went to Yellowstone a few years ago and I didn't ride, and didn't see anyone riding, except a group on touring bikes.

Any Wyoming suggestions appreciated.

Thanks - Keith

[David Kirk]

You are going to love the ride up Hyalite - 10 miles and 2000' feet with wonderful views at the top.

I don't think planning a ride in Yellowstone is a good idea - the roads are narrow with little to no shoulder and the traffic is almost always bad. There are lots of motorhomes and people who have never seen deer before taking photos with their phones while steering with their knees. The last thing they are looking out for is a cyclist.

When are you coming through?

dave

[thendenjeck]

is my favorite place in the world. I was there for 3 months last summer. There are definitely a ton of cyclists that come through, and ride on up to Yellowstone. I spent some time in Yellowstone, too, and there were plenty of cyclists. however, as you say, they were mostly touring cyclists, with full panniers front and rear. didn't see too many "road" cyclists, although there were a few. there are places in Yellowstone you could do it, but I would stay away from the main attractions, places like Tower Falls. Be interesting to try and ride through one of the sections where bison are all over the road :bike:

actually, now i'm remembering that I was behind some road cyclists on what had to be the most fun twisty turny descent, and cars were very polite about staying behind them.


Personally, I'd definitely like to ride through that whole area again, but my top suggestion would be to take the time and hike Cascade Canyon. totally unreal. in one 4 hour hike, I saw 4 moose, including the biggest one ever about 4 feet from my face, 3 elk, a wolf, a pine marten, and the most unbelievable panoramic vistas.

plus, I kind of agree with DK. spend some serious time in a national park, and you will simultaneously see the pinnacle (pun intended) of both natural beauty and human stupidity. e.g., sitting your toddler on top of a living bison for a photo op?

[Fuzzybird]

If your going to ride just get on the road by 0700 hrs. I had no problems when I was out at Signal Mountain Lodge and then the Roosevelt/Canyon Lodge areas. It was spectacular getting out early and see all the wildlife, had to turn around on my accent of Signal Mountain, mother black bear and cubs walking up the road!

[Kirk007]

If you ride in Yellowstone, do it really early and still be careful. Lots of RVers get on the road early. There are certain stretches with decent shoulders but other areas are sketchy and with traffic ... I'd stick with hiking. One road with less traffic particularly Rvers is through Lamar Valley. Head Northeast out of Roosevelt junction. But beware, this is where the wolf pack is most frequently cited and there will be a fair amount of traffic on the road in the early morning hours. It is one of the most beautiful and overlooked areas in the park thought, in my opinion. And if you continue on this route there is a truly spectacular ride up beartooth pass, but depending on other obligations its a pretty good distance I forget the mileage but an option is to drive to the NE entrance, park in Cooke City and ride east from there then turn around at the summit (there's a store where you can get water, refreshments etc).

[KeithS]

The last time we were out there was at the same time, second week of August, just in time for the bison rut. I have a picture (taken at a safe distance with my long lense) of two bull Bison in a head butting, dirt kicking frenzy over a couple of females. As I am taking the photo I pull back and there is another tourist probably twenty or thirty feet from the melee. I decided to take a picture of the other photographer just to assist in the identification of the body if it came to that. A 5' tall Japanese man who may have weighed 110lbs up against a couple of tons of horny bison. We saw two other tourists who were not heeding the plentiful warnings, trying to get close to an elk calf, in the process they were getting in between the cow elk and the young'n. She wasn't very happy, we just kept moving.

[choke]

Here is the advice part, anyone have a suggetion on where to spend an overnight in Wyoming? Specific venues, we're not campers, my wife's idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn without cable. We are thinking something like Sheridan then a stop at Devils Tower on the way to the Black Hills. We are staying at the Rock Crest cabins in Custer for a few nights.

we are going to overnight in Bozeman on the way out. It sounds like you're taking 90 all the way from Bozeman to SD so Sheridan is as good a place as any, though you could go on to Buffalo. If you like history the Little Big Horn battlefield is just a few miles off your path and well worth the stop IMO. Bozeman to Sheridan isn't that far of a drive so you'd have plenty of time. You could go to Custer if you wanted, the whole distance is doable in a day. Your other choice would be to go to Gillette but it's not a very pretty place. I'd definitely hit Devil's Tower.

I'd probably head towards SD out the East Entrance of Yellowstone and then drop down to take 16 over the Bighorns (Cody-Greybull-Worland-Ten Sleep-Buffalo). The route from Ten Sleep to Buffalo is one of my favorites. Of course you'd have to reroute from Bozeman somewhere, maybe over the Beartooth Highway.