I have 5 days to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone

<p>Since the yellowstone might be full I better stop at grand tetons for one night, then go to yellowstone the next morning and grab a site before the crowds arrive from the incoming flights and out of towners.</p>

<p>Hi Marc,</p>

 

<p>>Since the yellowstone might be full I better stop at grand tetons for one night, then go to yellowstone >the next morning and grab a site before the crowds arrive from the incoming flights and out of towners.</p>

 

<p>Yes, staying in Grand Teton is your best bet with Colter Bay Village cabins being the closest accommodations to Yellowstone (other than the private resorts along the Rockefeller Parkway). The Teton lodges and Jackson (cheapest lodging) are further south.<br>

However, you may have quite a bit of driving to do just to get into Yellowstone the further south you are from the Yellowstone South Entrance. Furthermore, the Rockefeller Memorial Parkway between the parks has a tendency to be under road maintenance/construction which can cause delays. So, in order to avoid the crowds you may have to get up very early. <br>

One thing of note: If you do not mind hiking or if have access to a boat (even better), the SW corner of the park bounded to the east by West Thumb and the S. Entrance is relatively unexplored, and you will see very few tourists in this area. There are some nice waterfalls in this area, and it may also be the best area to see moose, although you may have better chances seeing them at Oxbow Bend in Teton.</p>

<p>-- Michael</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've done some recent checks with Motel 6s and the pricing/availability of wifi was erratic. Some showed the same prices for rooms with or without wifi included then noted a wifi charge. The last one I stayed in, the wifi was down, as was the ice machine.</p>

<p>Although they are separate parks, they aren't that far apart. I wouldn't make any assumptions that either would have available campsites or lodging when the other wouldn't, etc. I'd expect that Jackson, because of the ski resort lodging is almost certainly going to have rooms. I'd also expect West Yellowstone would (although years ago, it was almost a ghost town after Labor Day but before the snow/snowmobile season started up). Post Labor Day, both parks (and I'd expect local towns as well) tend to have seasonal reductions in services and facilities and also there are some facilities brought on line for the snow/ski seasons. </p>

<p>Although there have been some bear problems, almost all visitors have very little problem with the bears or other large mammals if they follow the guidelines put out by the NPS.</p>

<p>I might not be as full as you might expect since the bear issues might scare people away, the ranger told me as long as you get here by 11:00 AM You can find a site in either Madison or Norris.</p>