🦬 Destination guide
Yellowstone & Grand Teton
These plans use the summer roads, roughly late May through October. Winter is a snowcoach trip and is not what is written here. Jackson Hole is the usual airport.
Best time to visit
When to go, written in our own words. Highlighted months are the ones we would book first.
| Month | What we would expect |
|---|---|
| Jan | Most park roads are closed to cars. Do not treat this as a driving plan. |
| Feb | Still a winter park. The inns in these plans are not the winter product. |
| Mar | Roads are not a casual drive yet. |
| Apr | Plowing, not touring. Wait. |
| May | Roads open from the edges as the plows finish. Call it a shoulder, not a guarantee. |
| Jun | The park is open and green. Nights are cold. Lodging inside is already tight. |
| Jul | Old Faithful is a crowd. Go early or stay next to it, which is the deluxe plan. |
| Aug | Still peak. Afternoon storms are normal. |
| Sep | The month we would book. Elk are around, nights are cold, and the roads are still open. |
| Oct | Early October can work. Later in the month the roads and the lodges start to close. |
| Nov | Not these driving plans. |
| Dec | Winter again. A different trip. |
By budget
A West Yellowstone motel and day drives.
Canyon Lodge plus Jenny Lake.
Old Faithful Inn.
Typical budget
Per person per day, computed from 3 public TopVacay trips in Yellowstone & Grand Teton. Planning ranges from those itineraries, not a live quote.
Where to stay
Stage Coach Inn is the value motel, outside the gate.
Canyon Lodge is inside the park. The moderate plan adds a Jenny Lake day in Grand Teton.
The Inn is the deluxe stay. The estimate is a standard room.
Top activities
Ranked by how many public trips here include them. Lodging, flights, and transfers are left out of the count.
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstoneon 3 trips
- Old Faithful Lodge cafeteriaon 3 trips
- Yellowstone park entranceon 3 trips
- Old Faithful and the boardwalkson 2 trips
- Jenny Lake boat and a short walkon 1 trip
Top trips
- Canyon Lodge, then Jenny Lake4 days · @topvacay
- Old Faithful Inn4 days · @topvacay
- Stage Coach Inn, West Yellowstone4 days · @topvacay
Questions people ask
Are the lodges easy to book?
No. Canyon and Old Faithful in summer go early. The West Yellowstone motel is the fallback.
Is Grand Teton included?
On the Canyon Lodge plan, as a Jenny Lake day. The other two stay in Yellowstone.