Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
exhausted, on October 1, and they were sent to the Wind River Shoshone Reserva-
tion in Wyoming and Fort Hall Shoshone Bannock Reservation in Idaho.
One could quite literally spend a lifetime in Yellowstone without being able to cover every
last corner of this magnificent wilderness, but the reality is that most visitors only have a
couple of days, at best, to spend exploring the park. Something like 98 percent of visitors
never get more than a mile from the road, but it's easier than you might think—and incred-
ibly worthwhile. Three days in the park is ideal, but if you have less time, there are ways to
maximize every minute.
One important consideration in planning your time in Yellowstone is to know the season
you'll be traveling. Summer offers magnificent scenery, usually good weather, and the in-
evitable “bear jam,” when drivers hit the brakes as soon as someone spots anything resem-
bling a brown furry creature. Summer visitors to Yellowstone need to plan for traffic and
often for road construction delays. Fall and spring are fantastic times to see wildlife, but
the weather can change in a heartbeat—at Yellowstone's high elevation, blizzards can strike
nearly any month of the year. Winter is a magical time in the park, but cars are only per-
mitted on one road in the northeast corner. All other travel is done via snow coach, guided
snowmobile tour, or on skis and snowshoes. There is no wrong time to visit the park, but
knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the various seasons will help you manage
your expectations.
Assuming you'll be in Yellowstone when the roads are open to car traffic, there are five
entrances and exits to Yellowstone, making loop trips relatively easy. From Montana, you
can enter or exit the park from the northeast at Cooke City, from the north at Gardiner, or
from the west at West Yellowstone. From Wyoming, you can enter the park from the east
entrance nearest Cody or from the south through Grand Teton National Park. If you're go-
ing from one state to the next, there is no more spectacular route than through the heart of
Yellowstone.
A cursory glance at a Yellowstone map will reveal the main roads, which form a figure
eight in the heart of the park, and the access roads leading to and from the entrances. The
majority of the park's big-name highlights—
Old Faithful, West Thumb Geyser Basin,
Fishing Bridge, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Norris and Mammoth Geyser Bas-
ins
—are accessible from the main loops. Depending on your time and your plan for accom-
modations, you could easily spend a full day driving each of the two loops. A third day
