We looked into renting a camper van for 5 days = $2200 ish but ultimately decided to do the Southern UT trip instead. Camper van probably comes out cheaper if you include an SUV rental + hotel and you save time vs having to drive in and out of the parks. When we do plan our trip to Yellowstone, it will be in a camper van.
Yellowstone's main roads basically makes a figure 8. So you could go down the West side on the way down and up the east side on the way up, hitting the main sights. It would be rushed, but you see what you can. That would give you 2-3 full days in Grand Tetons. The best hike I did in Grand Teton was Cascade Canyon. You can take a ferry across Jenny Lake and it saves about two miles each way. If you take the first boat of the day at 7am its $5, compared to $20 the rest of the day, you also get on the trail before everyone else. In the first mile you gain almost all of the elevation. There is a nice waterfall and a great view over the lake. Then you walk up a canyon with mountains shooting up on both sides. It's one of the best hikes I have done anywhere. Death Canyon is another good one. It's tougher because you have three uphill portions, and the last one on the way back was a challenge for me. But again you are walking up a canyon with beautiful mountains on both sides. Taggart Lake, String Lake and Leigh Lake are shorter, but very nice hikes. Another cool one that is off the beaten path is Terraced Falls. It starts in the national forest between the parks and crosses into the far southern portion of Yellowstone. You have to take a pretty rough dirt road (Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road) to get to it, and would need an SUV. But you walk along a really nice stream to an impressive waterfall, and you are in part of the park almost no one goes to. I entered the road from the Idaho side, but the road can be accessed from Wyoming as well.
Something was going around on the internet about renting uhauls in lieu of a traditional vehicle b/c that was all that was available. Seriously. I have loyalty with Avis, but was striking out on the aggregators like expedia etc too.
Yep, I just spent some time looking into that too. I’m not sure if I’d ultimately make that play, but man this is crazy.
The plan was to drive down to Yellowstone Lake and take the inflatable SUP around. As we were pumping it up, a ranger walked up and asked us for our “non-motorized water vehicle permits.” Apparently, “how much is the ticket?” wasn’t the appropriate response. She got pretty pissed and followed us back to the car as we loaded it back up. Still went to West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, was awesome Spoiler
On the way out we sat and watched a herd of at least 100 bison meander their way over the river, babies running around like crazy. Really fucking cool. Have some vids I’ll upload later.
I hit up the south rim today as well and also saw all of those bison and their babies running around on the way out. We didn’t stop though bc we had to get back to Jackson for dinner reservations.
Pics from my trip around the lower circle today. First one is technically from grand Tetons. Hit up oxbow point on the way in. Highly recommend that in the morning. Reflection isn’t there in the evening. Spoiler: Yellowstone pics
Okay so update from me on my hectic, relatively last minute planning: I made a dramatic pivot and am now going to Glacier during essentially the same time window. Rental cars were much more cost effective out of Missoula for that window compared to Bozeman, although it's still pricey. I was able to change the flights over as well. I'm pretty stoked because Glacier is near or at the top of the list of National Parks in the contiguous US that I haven't been to. I'm starting from scratch with what to do (we'll have three full days and another half day), but I have a number of family members that have been that I'm seeking suggestions from. But once again, if anyone has favorite hikes, it would be very much appreciated if you are willing to share.
My absolute favorite hike in Glacier was Grinnell Glacier. It's not too long or steep, but you hike above Grinnell lake the whole way with beautiful views. It's located in Many Glacier. Another neat trip not everyone does is taking the dirt road up to Polebridge. There is a really good bakery. Grab some pastries and then continue on to Bowman Lake for some beautiful views. The Going to the Sun Road was not open all the way when I went, so I'll definitely have to get back at some point.
Today I learned that I have an alt account and it's tspa . This would have been almost exactly what I would have written, down to the Going To The Sun Rd being closed and needing to get back for it.
I should also say that I still think about those pastries from the Polebridge Mercantile. I'm not even a big foodie person but those have stuck out in my heart (and belly).
Got 4 nights at Joshua Tree, beginning of December. 1st time going. Any hiking/backpacking recommendations will get a like.
Overheard a few people talking on our boat trip to Stehekin a few days ago that Glacier is reservation only this summer. I haven’t done any independent research on that but it’s worth checking into. They also said one way around it is to bike in, the other is to reserve a rental kayak on Lake McDonald which gets you a bar code to get in. Again, haven’t verified any of that just overheard it. also, while I had to make the drive from Missoula to Glacier (and then back to Missoula, then back to Glacier) last summer and it’s not a bad drive, especially the drive around Flathead Lake, flying into Kallispell is a thousand times more preferable.
Thanks for the heads up on this. Going-to-Sun Road is reservation only. The original entry tickets sold out a few months back, but there are 145 last minute 7-day passes available each morning (they become available two days before they become effective). We have like a 4 day window where if we're able to snag one on just one of those mornings, we should be covered for the 3 days that we'd potentially be in the core part of the park. Crossing my fingers that we can pull that off.
how was cascade canyon? did you see any moose? I wanted to hike down there but ran out of time bc the Jenny lake boat’s last trip was at 4 when I was expecting it to be 7
not a national park but figured it would fit in here. have a buddy that lives in driggs, idaho so made the trip through the teton pass to visit him while I was out west. he’s got 120 acres and an amazing view. we also rafted down the teton river and saw a couple moose which was cool
also ran and hiked around grand teton national park and as BamaNug said the views are just striking. some highlights below. Spoiler: Grand Teton Pics
Didn't see any moose on that trail, but saw some in Yellowstone. Saw some small elk around Jenny Lake. Cascade Canyon was super crowded, but to be expected.
Just got back from Bar Harbor/Acadia yesterday. Great trip. Going to be a VERY crowded season as it progresses I think though.
I briefly spent some time there a few years back. Barker Dam was a solid one, although it was a little bit crowded on the trail. There should be water at the dam in December, and even if not, there are some cool petroglyphs along the way as well. Hidden Valley was another good one. It's basically a loop within an oasis of sorts, but there are some spinoff trails where you can wander around. It's a good one to bring some lunch and eat in a shady spot along the way. Both of these first two are super quick and easy hikes, although if you do them midday you'll still feel the heat (even during the winter). The other one I'd suggest is a little bit longer/more difficult - Lost Palms Oasis. This one has a little bit more altitude change as well and eventually leads you to an actual oasis of palms (as the name suggests). Depending on where you're staying, this one may be a longer drive to get to. Bring plenty of water for this one.
Suboptimal visiting conditions at Arches NP and Canyonlands NP. https://www.wsj.com/articles/national-parks-are-overcrowded-and-closing-their-gates-11623582002
That list accounts bigly for large crowds, so it's not purely "most beautiful." Makes sense, imo. I mean, what other state can say they have 2 of top 3 national parks in the entire universe?
Overall that's a pretty good list. Rainier is too high, Great Sand Dunes is way too high. The Utah parks are all too low.
I like the rankings as you gotta weigh many factors - not just most scenic. And if you've never watched their short videos of Parks and Public Lands, do so - very well done.