Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

Stop at Devil's Tower, while you're in the area. Pretty cool.

[Farce Poobah]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

Mt. Rushmore is great. Lot's of park activities that merit checking out the website. Don't miss the movies in the vistor center and don't miss the sculptor's studio.

Don't bother paying the big bucks to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. You can see most of it from outside the gates.

Deadwood is a cool Old West town that is worth seeing. Don't miss Boot Hill Cemetary.

I rarely disagree with anything Swami says, but I will here. On the Crazy Horse Memorial, going in (and paying the big bucks) gets you access to a nice collection of exhibits about the Plains Indians, mostly Sioux. (But the view of the mountain isn't really better inside.) And its a contribution to the ongoing work at the mountain, which will take at least two more generations to be completed.

[Farce Poobah]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

Alright, my family is planning a camping trip to the above parks/monuments in mid-August. Any advice? We're bringing our 9 year old daughter, so keep that in mind. Thanks in advance for anything you can think of!

My favorite is the Upper Norris Geyser basin; I could spend a month there and not get bored. Really love the area beyond Old Faithful, because you get to be close to the geysers, and there's always something going on.

If you get a calm clear morning, take advantage of it. Viewing is best in the hour before sunrise, when the steam plumes rise the furthest before dissipating. As the day goes on, it gets less impressive. (It also gets more crowded.) Worth getting up at 5am, and our 9- and 11- year old daughters liked it too.

P.S. also a vote for taking the Beartooth Highway in to the northeast entrance, instead of the East entrance. Simply spectacular, and worth the extra 100 miles.

[moose97]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

We were looking at camping at the Canyon campground run by Xanterra. Definatly not looking at backcountry camping. We don't necessarly need electrical hook-up, but it would be nice.

Well, just made the reservations, and Canyon was only available for three of the days we wanted, so we switched to Madison. Good that it's close to the hydrothermic areas...

[goldy_331]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

When at Rushmore, I recommend seeing it in the daylight and again for the lighting ceremony at sundown. The ticket is good for the whole day so you can leave and return, IIRC.

[Bill]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

As Timothy A said, make sure you cross the Big Horn Mountains on the way there and/or back. US Highway 14 cuts west across the Big Horns just north of Sheridan WY. Aside from the views going up and down both sides, once you get at the higher elevations of the Big Horns it's very beautiful high mountain country. Perhaps not as spectacular as Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons, but nevertheless really nice.

And if you go through Cody, check out the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. Remington and Russell are featured, but there are a lot of artists' works there. There are several museums co-located at the same site, including one for Buffalo Bill.

[huskyfan]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

you can't go wrong with anything in Yellowstone. the paint pots, old Faithful, the historic lodge (be sure to go in even if you aren't staying there - its right next to old Faithful. the mountains. the hiking. the lake. buffalo stopping your car.

Wall Drug is a good place to pick up snowdomes!

[moose97]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

As Timothy A said, make sure you cross the Big Horn Mountains on the way there and/or back. US Highway 14 cuts west across the Big Horns just north of Sheridan WY. Aside from the views going up and down both sides, once you get at the higher elevations of the Big Horns it's very beautiful high mountain country. Perhaps not as spectacular as Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons, but nevertheless really nice.

The suggested route from Yellowstone to Mt. Rushmore uses Hwy. 14 through Cody and Sheridan...

[Bill]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

The suggested route from Yellowstone to Mt. Rushmore uses Hwy. 14 through Cody and Sheridan...

Assuming the weather is decent, which it normally is that time of the year, I think you'll really love the drive across the Big Horns. Depending upon your timing crossing them, there are National Forest Campgrounds in the Big Horns also, although they are relatively primitive; no hookups, no showers, and just pit toilets. There may be some private ones with more facilities although I'm not sure about that; it's been many years since I've been there.

[winger]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

My favorite is the Upper Norris Geyser basin; I could spend a month there and not get bored. Really love the area beyond Old Faithful, because you get to be close to the geysers, and there's always something going on.

If you get a calm clear morning, take advantage of it. Viewing is best in the hour before sunrise, when the steam plumes rise the furthest before dissipating. As the day goes on, it gets less impressive. (It also gets more crowded.) Worth getting up at 5am, and our 9- and 11- year old daughters liked it too.

P.S. also a vote for taking the Beartooth Highway in to the northeast entrance, instead of the East entrance. Simply spectacular, and worth the extra 100 miles.

Funny Norris is pretty low on my list of favorite places in the park. But it does have some interesting parts to it. It is a much older thermal area than the area around old faithful, so therefor not as active but you can kind of get an idea of what different time periods of thermal activity would look like (as compared also to mammoth with is an even Older thermal area, but really quite dead, the thermal activty in mammoth actually orginates from norris).

I sadly never did the beartooth, but I did make it as far out of the park as Cook City, which I LOVE!!!

Well, just made the reservations, and Canyon was only available for three of the days we wanted, so we switched to Madison. Good that it's close to the hydrothermic areas...

The canyon village just reminds of me of a highway rest stop, althought they did a very nice job on the new vistor's center but they took out my favorite video!!!

This one has one of the clips that was in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNvTHOrTf_Y

Madison is a nice area, I am not sure where the road construction is this year, but last year it looks like they are shifting the road near gibbon falls, which is just north of madison. The traffic wait generally wasnt too long, but they did close the road early last year (mid august) and that can effect how you go about the park.

As Timothy A said, make sure you cross the Big Horn Mountains on the way there and/or back. US Highway 14 cuts west across the Big Horns just north of Sheridan WY. Aside from the views going up and down both sides, once you get at the higher elevations of the Big Horns it's very beautiful high mountain country. Perhaps not as spectacular as Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons, but nevertheless really nice.

And if you go through Cody, check out the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. Remington and Russell are featured, but there are a lot of artists' works there. There are several museums co-located at the same site, including one for Buffalo Bill.

Like I said before I have not seen the beartooths, but the big horns I have been to and they are pretty neat. But the tetons I could just stand at the foot of and stand in awe for weeks.

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you can't go wrong with anything in Yellowstone. the paint pots, old Faithful, the historic lodge (be sure to go in even if you aren't staying there - its right next to old Faithful. the mountains. the hiking. the lake. buffalo stopping your car.

Wall Drug is a good place to pick up snowdomes!

I agree on both!!! I love wall drug, I also love south of the border. But especially Wall Drug because South Dakota is friggen brutal to drive through.

Ok, so I was a tour guide in yellowstone many years ago, I went back last year as a private tour guide for someone's trip and I almost went back to work this season if I didnt score the current job I have.

So I will share some of the battle tested advice that can make your trip to the park a little more enjoyable.

Ok first off, you should know that last year was the busiest year in park history. Camp sites saw activity that havent seen in years, I tried to get into a couple of parking lots (like artist paint pots are usually not busy and it was friggen insane).

But most of the people that visit the park are lemings and quite predicatable.

So keep the following in mind:
The park is not open just 9-5.

You will be amazed at how crazy parking lots are that hour, and how at 5 oclock everyone turns into a pumpkin. I almost suggest getting up early, taking a nap and then going back out for dusk. The animals are not usually active during the hottest part of the day anyways (why cause its hot man!)

If you are doing picnic lunches, which I suggest you do, eat either before noon or after noon. Again everyone has to eat at noon. Eat at 1 and you will have no trouble at all finding a picnic table. Also some of the picnic area are in really nice spots. There is one area that I cant think the name of, but it is just south of Hayden Valley, and there are tables right along the yellowstone river.

You could over course eat in any of the villages, but the food is ok, and you go back insides, and you have to deal with the lines and all that crap. You generally will eat quicker, have a better experience and eat healther if you picnic most of the time. I would get most of your supplies outside of the park, but the hamilton stores (or whatever they are called now) can certainly fill you up.

Take all the dirt roads! I love taking the side roads, there is usually a fraction of the automoblie traffic and all of them were old park roads at one time. You might finds something neat in there too.

Take a tour of the old faithful inn. I say this not just cause I love Ruth Quinn one of the old faithful inn tourguides but it is a really neat building.

I say this cause I used to be a tour guide there, but if you are looking to have someone else do the driving for a day, sign up for a tour. The tour guides strive to have the most up to date correct information about the park, the know a little about everything and if there is a particular topic you want to know more about they can point you in the right direction.

You can see bears anywhere anytime.

Lamar valley is not only beautiful but bountiful when it comes to wildlife. If you dont have a spoting scope often the people that have them would be willing to share if they see something. But of course dont hog it. You could also sign up for a wildlife tour, but the wildlife sightings happen on the tour or on your own. (I often spent alot of time talking about ruppert evert and if I could of made a bear appear on my tour everytime I would have!!)
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Ok other suggestions.

The day you decide to do gesyers (probably when you are staying at madison) go straight to the old faithful vistors center, do not pass go, unless of course grand fountain is going off. The visitors center does predictions for some of the more predictable geyers, so you can take down the times for the day and plan some of your geyser visits around that. Of course see old faithful, and if you have time the geyser area around old faithful is a nice walk, so is fountain paint points, artist paint points. If you have the chance (which it might be too much with younger kids), I have always wanted to do the hike up to look down at grand prismatic spring. Because the fires burnt out that whole area you can get an amazing view of that spring.
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If I had to pick 3 areas (because the kids would proably get geysered out), I would do old faithful area, aritist paint points (spitting mud) and the midway geyser area (with excelsor and grand prismatic, midway name might be wrong). You could also do a shorter of the loop walks at norris, steamboat and a couple of other geyers are pretty steamy and the kids would proably enjoy. But norris is a very open and hot area, so do that early or late in the day (it will also be less croweded).
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Mammoth is cool, the terraces are fun to walk, and if it is a hot day you can take the kids to boiling river. It is north of mammoth on the north entrance road. A spring runs into the gardner river. There is also swimming on firehole canyon drive (which is south of madison). If the dirt road from mammoth to the entrance of the park is open it is a GREAT place to see pronghorn.
*****http://www.karenwingerphotography.com/Adventures/Yellowstone-Adventures-2009/IMG8895/621676689_fDPbA-M.jpg******

[winger]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

OMG I have never had a post that was too long....

NutZ

the rest of my first post:

The drive east from mammoth is agreat place to see wildlife and possible the most scenic (well it is all amazing) ok so more mountain like. you can follow that road all the way east thru lamar valley to cook city, which is an old mining town (silver if i remember correctly). If you are looking for wildlife usually once you get into the canyon after the valley you can turn around unless you want to go all the way out. It is a bit of a drive and time consuming.

The road west has tower falls, which are actually a pretty neat waterfall but if you see them after the grand canyon of the yellowstone you might be waterfalled out. I would sometimes skip it on my yellowstone in a day tours, but that is because i was usually running late, people were tired and they didnt want to walk anymore. The drive from tower, roosevelt and to canyon is really pretty and have everyone (but the drive) be looking for grizzlies down in the field. The love it there!!!

I used to think canyon junction was pretty lame but last year in the field right outside of canyon junction, on the road that headed over to madison, I saw two wolves playing/ fighting with one other watching in the woods. It was amazing, since you usually see a single wolf and never that close.

Hayden valley is also another excellent place to look for wildlife, with a bison heard there (and the other in lamar valley). The hayden valley heard can sometimes wander over mary mountain and end up more near oldfaithful area too, so you never know.

There is another cool thermal area south of the valley, called mud volcano, the kids would proably think the dragons mouth is neat. Heck I think the dragon's mouth is neat.

The best places to see the lake from I think are sunset point (out the east road) and the boat ramp at grant village.
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Fishing village is a good stop, and is an area full of grizzly (hey lets put a camp sit in the middle of prime griz habitat) which is why that is a hard sided camping area only. The whole east road is a great place to go looking for grizzly.

Actually pretty much top down on the east side of the park from lamar valley all the way to grant village are good places to look for grizzly.

Kepler falls which is on the road between west thumb and old faithful is a quick stop to see a cascade.

Ok so the grand canyon of the yellowstone. There are a TON of places to stop.
I suggest you do artist point last. That is truly my favorite spot, a glorious view and that way everything sort of builds up to it. Uncle Tom's trail isnt that bad, and of any of the ones that go down, I like that one the best.

Ok this is long enough and I am almost to the point where I am going to drag books out to go into further detail so I will stop.

Here is the gallery of the whole trip I took last year:
http://www.karenwingerphotography.co...21721937_3eKnP

Includes some stuff in Utah (golden spike, farmers market, snow bird and a copper mine) and the tetons. Actually didnt take as many photos as I wanted, which was also another reason I wanted to go back to work there this year.

If you have specific questions let me know.

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

If you enjoy reptiles, The Reptile Gardens is a lot of fun in Rapid City/Mt. Rushmore area.

http://www.reptilegardens.com/

[The Rube]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

If you enjoy reptiles, The Reptile Gardens is a lot of fun in Rapid City/Mt. Rushmore area.

http://www.reptilegardens.com/

Very much worth it. That is one thing I remember I liked when I went on a family vacation.

And as for the Sturgis thing, we accidentally went during that week. Isn't bad at all. Most of the people (even the "seedy looking ones") were more than polite and civil, etc etc. Zero worries. And overcrowding wasn't an issue at restaurants and such.

[huskyfan]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

I forgot about the grand canyon of Yellowstone!! its another amazingly beautiful site.

[JuveGG24]

Re: Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore Advice

Very much worth it. That is one thing I remember I liked when I went on a family vacation.

And as for the Sturgis thing, we accidentally went during that week. Isn't bad at all. Most of the people (even the "seedy looking ones") were more than polite and civil, etc etc. Zero worries. And overcrowding wasn't an issue at restaurants and such.

I can second that. We camped at Mt. Rushmore for a night during the height of rally never had a problem.

We also spent a night in Yellowstone during that trip. There was a big fire going in the park, so we drove in through smoke. I guess the entrance was closed that night/next morning. There was also a very nice ranger/guide at a turn off who explained the forest fire fighting procedures and the fire's impact. Really cool stuff.