Thinking of Yellowstone

I live in Kansas and am thinking of going to Yellowstone the last week of August into the first of September. I have never been there before and am wondering if this is a good time of year? Also, what kind of weather should I expect, and flora conditions? I want to shoot wildlife and scenics. I have been to Colorado alot and am looking for something new. If this is the wrong time of the year, or if you recommend going another time please advise. I haven't made any reservations yet which may be a problem, but would like suggestions where to stay(will camp some of the time). This is a 17 hour drive for me so I don't want to go at the wrong time of the year. I have a 4x4 and would like to see if there is off the path trails to get away from the typical tourist. Thanks for any suggestions.

4x4 or helicopter, forget getting off the beaten path in Yellowstone with anything but your own two feet. ONe of the tragedies of any area that is designated a National Park is the closure of any older jeep & wagon trails. Part preservation & part control of peoples travel. Reality is that in Yellowstone & most parks, if you are willing to walk more than 50 feet off the road you will lose 95% of the tourists.

As for time of year-the last 2 weeks of Sept & 1st 2 weeks of Oct will get you there when the Elk are jousting. You might have Lennie Lee Rues rep walk up to you & give you a brochure or catalog. You will see great Elk in weather from sunny to blizzard to fog-no predicting it. But you will see more big glass than at the super bowl.

If you walk a bit & look at the quiet places, from riverside to edge of meadow to boardwalks you will see a lot. If you get up early, before sunrise & walk 'tourist' boardwalks you will see few others. Same with late in the evening. Too many seem to think eating on a schedule is more important than getting max exposure to beauty. But, if you are out to see the best, their sloth is your gain. (tell them Disney is putting in a Yellowstone ride & maybe next year they will go there)

If you want, try some moonlight work. If the weather is rough, use baggies, unbrella, etc and shoot a lot. Most others will stay away.

As to what to expect-fall weather varies a lot. Check brochures & pubs about the area & plan on a lot of film. Don't try to see it all in a few days but slow down & see smaller areas if you want better work. Trying to fit in everything pretty much insures superficial images. Seeing 'everything' for future trip planning works, but slow down & get the best you can. First exposure can really overload your system if you aren't selective. Good luck

I'll second everything Dan says. Hanging out with the tourons can be entertaining, though. I saw three Brits walk right up to a male bison that was pawing the ground two falls ago. I was ready, could already see the National Enquirer headlines under my shot - "bison gores aliens" (literally true, think about it!).

 

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A second incident involved shooters. About 50 were in a group, all shooting 400/5.6 to 600/4 in 35mm, 645, 66 and 67 formats. They were shooting elk in late morning, all packed together with the light to their backs. All taking the same photo with dreams of submitting them to the same publishers.

 

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I was on the other side of a stream, walking around some closed buildings (budget cuts). A docent came 'round the corner and hopped on the porch I was standing on. "Bison!", he puffed. I peeked around the corner and pulled back just as a bull came charging by, about five feet away. The bull bison lowered its head and charged the photographers, who were a couple hundred feet away and therefore not quite aware of what was happening. Across the crick it went, and photographers scattered. As they scattered, you could see that one photographer left tripod and camera behind. I was watching with binoculars, and you could see a hassleblad and what passes for big glass in that system mounted on a nice, big Gitzo. It all looked brand new, and you could hear the photo gallery twittering as the bison continued on towards it.

 

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At the last possible moment, the bison swerved and went around, rather than over, the hassie and settled in for a nice dust bath, which I got photos of.

 

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And down at Teton last fall there was a crowd of Japanese photographers, all with 80-200 zooms wanting frame-filling shots, who crowded a bull moose. It got pissed and fled into a willow thicket. The entire crowd chased after it and disappeared into the thicket. This was a very stupid thing to do, if you know anything at all about moose. I was also pissed, because I'd set up to photograph this moose in light snowfall - their bus pulled up just as I got ready and I didn't get a single frame.

 

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Anyway, no visit to Yellowstone is complete without a visit to Teton to the south, and your entrance fee is good for both Parks.

 

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If you can go at the end of September/early October, be aware that budget cuts have forced early closures of campgrounds. Jenny Lake, in Teton, a nice, tent-only campground, closed about Sept 19/20 the last two falls. This cuts down on options.

 

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However, it also means fewer people in the Parks, so it's not entirely a bad thing. By Oct 1, in Yellowstone, probably 1/2 the people in the Parks are photographers of various skill levels, most carrying serious glass.

 

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Nowadays, the professional shooters who go there are interested in being as efficient as possible. They carry CB radios and scanners and tell each other where stuff is. One guy, whose name I forget unfortunately but who's mostly known for 4x5 wilderness landscapes and shoots a Minolta system ("hey, they gave it to me for nothin'!") told me to just follow him if I saw him driving fast (i.e. over the speed limit) because it meant he was chasing a radio message.

 

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Bizzare. Apparently this clique started the radio thing up in Denali, where of course time is precious since it is very difficult to get a road pass.

 

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The bottom line is that Yellowstone/Teton are a lot of fun, but you have to have the proper attitude. If you are going to be annoyed, rather than entertained, by the circus atmosphere I recommend you go elsewhere. Since I spend so much time photographing in areas where I don't see other shooters (at Malheur NWR, my favorite spot, I saw three serious bird shooters in 5 weeks this spring - more than in the last 5 years combined), I actually have kinda enjoyed the change of pace. And I've never run into the horror stories of photographers fighting over position for shots that one hears of, all, including the full-time shooters I've met, have been very friendly. To the point of a group sharing a picnic lunch alongside the Yellowstone River one day last fall during icky, high-noon bright light.

The 4x4 won't do you any good in Yellowstone (even though the roads

are pretty rough, they're not <em>that</em> rough!). Outside the

park maybe, inside the park you stick to the roads. There are a

couple of dirt roads in the park, but they are normaly drivable

with a rental car...

 

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Go later if possible to avoid the tourons, but be warned that

snow is possible anytime from mid-September on (4x4 might help

in that case), though serious snow is unlikely before October.

When I visit (and I'll probably be there this year), I usually

go in late Spetember.

 

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I won't recount horror ("dumb tourist") stories, but be prepared

for almost anything if you visit in late August. The big glass

shows up later, and a lot of it shows up. If you want the classic

shots (Elk, Bison etc.) you will be shoting with a crowd, but late

in the season they typically behave themselves.

 

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I've found the best (cheapest) place to stay is West Yellowstone.

Lots and lots of motels, not too crowded late in the season. Quite

a bit of the accomodation in the Park closes in mid-September if

I remember right, so check ahead of time. Gardiner at the north

end of the park has fewer motels, but is more convenient for

Mammoth at dawn.

 

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If you want to get away from the tourists, jusk hike a mile or so

down any trail. They don't leave the road much. However, some

of the best photographic spots are right by the road, and that's

where you'll find the heards of Elk and Bison, so if you want the

typical pics, you have to suffer the typical tourists.

Hey, I'm a Brit and I'm not an alien. You must have been thinking

of the French...

 

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I saw some pretty irresponsible behavior in Yellowstone on my last

visit, but some pretty responsible behavior by many photogrphers.

When tourons with P&S cameras started to get too close to an

animal, the real photographers would warn them off (of course they

didn't want to lose the shots either, but I prefer tho think that

they were being ethical!). Most tourons take notice, but I presume

that some wouldn't.

 

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I did see a large format photographer set up under his dark hood

and oblivious to what was going on around him. Not a good idea

in Yellowstone. Despite yelling by other photographers, he still

had his head under the hood when a Bison strolled past him about

10ft away.

 

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I saw a moose charge when tourons had him circled in the woods.

Luckily the undergrowth was thick, the trees were close spaced

and the Moose had large antlers, so he didn't get very far, but

I hate to think what might have happened.

 

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I hadn't heard about the radio network. I usually do carry a

Ham Radio (2m band) with me for national westher service reports.

It also has a scanner built in so I can listen to the Park

service traffic (usually very brief and very boring!). It also

helps to keep in contact with my girlfriend if we happen to wander

off in different directions (and remember to take the radios along!).

Maybe I need a CB as well!

I don't have all that much to add to the above responses, but have some suggestions for accommodations. This past past fall, I had the second of what I hope are many more trips to Yellowstone, and came to the conclusion that it makes sense to split the time between West Yellowstone and Gardiner - it is a looong ride from West Yellowstone to the Lamar Valley (where the wolves have often been seen), which is achingly beautiful. Some of the campgrounds in the Mammoth area were still open last week of September/first week of October, but, being an Easterner, I find the thought of camping where there are grizzlies around a little nerve-wracking! I stayed in a room with a small kitchen in West Yellowstone for $34 a nite (I think it was Al's Westward Ho - got it from the AAA book). No frills - but didn't need 'em. Next time, I'll check out Gardiner, too. Have fun - I wish I were going again this year.

I've found West Yellowstone to be better than Gardiner due to cheaper

motels and more places to eat. The two towns are quite different in

character. I must say I didn't like Gardiner much. West Yellowstone

is a bit of a "tourist trap" (gift stores, "zoo", etc.) but is

bearable out of season. There's a lot of activity on the road from

West Yellowstone into the park. The Trumpeter swans hang out on the

river, and there are always herds of Elk and Bison around. It is

a longish drive from there to Mammoth or the Lamar valley though,

so you have to get up early if you want to catch the dawn activity

there.

 

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The trick to Yellowstone seems to be to pick where you want to be

in the morning and evening, when the light is good for critters,

and do your driving, geyser veiwing and hiking during the day

when the light isn't so great. It's a <b>big</b> park, so you can

spend a lot of time driving around looking for critters and fail

to be in the right spot at the right time. It seems to be better

to guess where they will be (which isn't too hard for Elk and

Bison), and just go there and wait for them. You can tell where

they are (or are going to be) by the crowds of people and long lenses..

My 2 cents... in 10 points:

 

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I visited Yellowstone park during the last winter, during the last spring and I plan to go back there in one month (third weeks of August) and during the fall (end of September, weather depending).

 

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1/ much more wildlife observed in winter than during my spring travel.

Amazing young bufallos during the spring, though.

 

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2/ weather is trully impredictable in Yellowstone ! It turned out that the forecasts were wrong 50% of the time during both season, even when checked the evening before a day of travel and shooting ! It was very hot one day and then cold and rainy in the afternoon of the same day during my last spring travel !

 

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3/ mosquitos are a real pain, especially after rainy days. Plan accordingly (ie: bugs repelent a must, not kidding at all !)

 

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4/ many people drive like crazy, especially when animals are present on the boardwalk... you should not follow them too close... Some roads are in a very bad shape but I know they need money and time, two things difficult to obtain at the same time for a National Park.

 

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5/ As suggested above, West Yellowstone a very good place to stay, it is my favorite anyway. Should you try the road from Jackson to the South entrance, or the one from Cody to one the East entrance - very scenic roads when outside the park - you must be aware that Cody and Jackson are very very expensive !

 

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6/ you "want to shoot wildlife and scenics". Well, maybe you should consider "shooting wildlife, scenics and geothermal features". Believe me, I also came there for shooting animals (winter) and I did but I missed the geothermal wonders that reside in Yellowstone. During the spring, I experienced less wildlife activity (I was lazy and didn't get up early), but I really enjoy all the geothermal activity... That's natural, fantastic and unbelievable, even on a photographic point of view ! As suggested above, sunrise and sunset for animals, all the rest of the day for the geysers, pools, springs... By the way, I personnaly found the landscape photographic opportunities not very interesting... everything is burned at 75% percent, the Tetons offer a much more rewarding trip if you want to shoot landscape !

 

7/ Scenics: the waterfalls, the canyon, mammoth hot springs, the multiple geyser basins, the rivers, the meadows early in the mornings... plenty of things to shoot, just unbelievable !

 

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8/ "I don't want to go at the wrong time of the year": well, maybe the end of September would be a better time for wildlife watching and for the fall colours in the Tetons range, but you never know with the weather ! The winter is also a very exciting experience... I think that you don't really have experienced Yellowstone without a trip in the winter. What you see in winter is totally different from what you can observe during the other seasons. I mean tons of snow, calm, lowest crowd, lot of animals, plenty of fumaroles, dramatic landscape (thanks to the snow and the geysers combination). I love the park that way. But the geothermal attractions might be best with the sun high in the sky... so... in summer, it is not all that bad.

 

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9/ "will camp some of the time": I tried the Madison campground inside the park... it is not worth the effort: no showers, plenty of mosquitos, bad location in itself BTW, but easy drives either to Mammoth or to the Geyser Basins (Old Faithful area). Next time I will stay within the KOA campground in West Yellowstone. Sure I'll have to get up early, but the Ntl Park's campgrounds are not worth the try in my opinion (and I tried a lot of them, not only in Yellowstone)... I am not surprised that much that this particular campground never fills up (speaking about the Madison Campground).

 

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10/ URL: I have a lot of web URL that I am surveying and keep collecting about Yellowstone. I would be pleased to Email them to anyone interested on this forum.

 

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You can bother me whenever you want with questions about Yellowstone, I love this place. Take care.

 

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Vincent.

I'll second West Yellowstone. I also stayed in the Westward Ho, where the plumber next door got drunk, insulted someone, and spent about two hours in the wee hours of the morning get the crap beat out of him. They'd given me a special, very cheap, cubbyhole with no phone, and a couple guys were standing guard outside my door looking for cops while the beating went on, so I couldn't call the cops for help.

 

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Very weird. The old lady at the desk's response the next day was, "oh, boy, a FIGHT?!?!?!?". Then, "don't they have bars where you come from?" in response to my concern. I said, "yeah, we have two kinds of bars - I go to the kind where people DON'T beat the shit out of each other."

 

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Then, the next night it was all kissy-face and make-up. "Man, you really hurt me last night", etc etc. Turns out they were all friends.

 

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What's that old saying? With friends like this, who needs Saddam?

 

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Despite this, West Yellowstone's a nice little town.

 

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Regarding NPS campgrounds, part of learning to be a good wildlife shooter is learning to be something of an outdoorsperson. This means, at times, going without showers. Mosquitos are in every wild place with water, and a great many managed marshes at all. Be tough. Hang in there. They're nothing compared to no-see-'ums.

 

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"Well, yeah, Baccus, but YOU stayed in a Motel yourself!" True, I do so on some trips, on the other hand I'd spent the previous 5 weeks in my tent in a wilderness study area banding hawks...

 

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I realize physical discomfort isn't for everyone, but if you don't learn how to be comfortable living outdoors you'll end up missing out on a ton of excellent wildlife/nature photo opportunities in the wilder, more remote, areas of the world.

OK Don, you are definitely right about the outdoor ability every nature photographer must have. But when I went to Yellowstone last spring it was the end of a 20 days - 5000 miles trip, with every night in a tent, so, I think it was a little too much (I mean I was tired when we arrived in Yellowstone).

 

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But the NPS campground are not that great anyway, especially in Yellowstone.

 

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However, camping is the best and cheapest way to really enjoy a country (I will go camping in August again) and it is also a good way to be on location early in the morning too as the sun wakes you up at the right time if your tent is not too dark. That is a nice feature too (I hate electronic beeper).

 

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So there is gold in Don's last sentence, but this thread is about Yellowstone, so I stop now about camping !

 

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Bye. Vincent.

Camping is only an option for those fortunate enough to drive to

Yellowstone I think. I have to fly there (or spend a week driving

from and back to the East coast) and I can barely carry all my photo

gear to and from the airport, never mind trying to lug along a tent, sleeping bag and all the other stuff. If you can carry the camping stuff, you

don't have big enough lenses or a heavy enough tripod...

 

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I don't remember where I stayed in West Yellowstone, but it was

right on the edge of town (the west edge I think) and they rented

snowmobiles in the winter. Inexpensive and no fights that I recall!

Inexpensive lodging to the south is non-existant before you get

to Jackson. Even in Jackson, the Motel 6 is $50+ per night, so

it's not exactly the place to look for a cheap room!

Jackson isn't exactly close either, though makes a fair base for

the Tetons if you don't want to fork out the $$$ to stay at the

Park Lodge there. Note you can eat at the Lodge, even if you aren't

staying there. After 3 or 4 hours standing about in the rain

waiting for a Moose to move, the Lodge can be a welcome place to

warm up!

 

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One good point about September/October is that the mosquitoes should

be gone, as well as the tourons.

It is going to be very crowded at Yellowstone in late August to

early September. Back in 1993, my wife and I went in the middle of

September, a week after Labor Day. As usual, we didn't make motel

reservations. Jackson was completely full by the time we arrived

in late afternoon and we had to drive back one town to find

accomdation. The same thing happened to us in West Yellowstone.

The woman at the Day's Inn told us that a lot of people ended up

sleeping in their cars the night before, as the next town could

easily be 70 miles away. Eventually, we lucked out because there was

a late cancellation.

 

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At least back in mid September, 1993, you could easily find accomdation in Jackson, West Yellowstone, etc. as long as you made

reservation a day before. I would imagine that late August would be

a different story, though.

Ahh, yes, Bob, the lodge at the north end of Teton Park...

 

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In fall, they have an art show/sale to raise money for the park system, artists from around the country. Last year I found out it was easy to crash the reception...dressed as I was, in my normal dirty shorts and t-shirts, I passed as one of the artists. In fact, one woman INSISTED she'd met me at another show in California.

 

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Taking camera and camping gear via air to northern locales like Yellowstone is, indeed, impractical. I have, though, done it to warmer climes, Florida most recently. Didn't need a sleeping bag, though, just a sheet, tent, and pad. And of course no parka and the like.

I have never been in Yellowstone that early in the fall. I have always rolled in the 3rd/4th week of September. The Bison are coming out of the rut. The Elk are in Rut. Moose are in rut. The Antelope are in rut. It is too early for muledeer rut but the males are gathered together. What a great time of the year!!! And the best part is most of the tourons are gone. Bob is right, leave out the horror stories.

 

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I have always camped at Norris campground, until it closes and then moved to Mammoth. I really like Norris as it is centrally located. Great Grey Owls- head for Canyon or Indian Creek. Elk- head for Gibbon Meadow, Elk Park or stay right at Norris. Antelope- head for the old Gardiner road. Griz lately just about anywhere in the north loop of the figure 8 of park road. Moose- head for Willow Park. The light in here is usually lousy until late in the morning but sometimes a cow will be cooperative and stick around. If she stays the bulls stay. Get out early in the morning shoot until the sun is high and the light goes lousy. Head for Gardiner for a brunch and to a KOA for a shower. Then back into the park to find out what everyone else has been shooting. Ya, I am one of those in the "clique" that has a scanner and CB and stays in contact with other photographers.

 

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Don Baccus is right, there is a circus atmosphere to this place in the fall. There are picnics and cookouts that are scheduled at different places. For a lot of people, it is the annual rendezvous for wildlife photographers. I know people from California, New York, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New Jersey, virtually all over that show up. I sometimes think it is more for the BS rather than shooting but a GOOD time is had by all. This good time has very little alcohol involved other than a beer or two around the campfire at night.

 

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I will stay in Gardiner rather than West Yellowstone, just personal preference. The in-town stay I will schedule every three or four days. Leave the tent where it is and just stay in town. It makes the overall stay easier. Was not in the park last year as the move to South Carolina just got in the way. But I am looking forward to going back this fall. It will make for a long haul but I am going to combine it with my wildlife ranch shoot, so three weeks total on the road. 400 hundred rolls of film and off I go.

Maybe some on-line ressources could help:

 

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- http://www.nps.gov/yell/yellmap.htm

A simple map with mileage.

 

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- http://www.jacksonhole.com/

The Jackson city web.

 

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- http://www.uwyo.edu/lib/ylwstndb/home.htm

Greater Yellowstone Area Page: a big site with plenty of lodging infos.

 

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- http://www.solutions.net/rec-travel/north_america

/usa/wyoming/yellowstone-faq-monteit.html AND

http://www.solutions.net/rec-travel/north_america/

usa/wyoming/yellowstone_geysers.html

Links from rec.travel.library, good texts about the parks,

geysers, some lodging advices...

 

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- http://www.yellowstone.net

Slow but bunch of pictures, short wildlife desciptions, host of the

Yellowstone Net Wildlife Forum (http://www.yellowstone.net/wilddisc/)

 

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- http://www.yellowstonepark.com/

Some interesting free articles about everything in the park.

 

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- http://www.Yellowstone-Natl-Park.Com/steve.htm

Updated page with recent news about road works, events...

 

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- http://www.aristov.com/photo/natu/yell/index.htm

Vadim V. Aristov Yellowstone photo gallery, Nice pictures.

 

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- http://www.Yellowstone-Natl-Park.Com/

A well known ressource dedicated to the park.

Features: everything from camping to wildlife map (! :-),

weather, trip reports, Stores, news... Useful !

 

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- http://www.gomontana.com/Business/Snowmobile/ptyell.html

A quick presentation of the park's features...

 

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- http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/wy_yello.htm

The most cited web page about Ntl parks, maybe not the best but

for sure in the top 5...

 

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- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1407/index.html

A nice web with plenty of interesting informations with

pictures, maps, references, links, advices and suggestions.

 

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- http://www.intermarket.com/Yellowstone/diy.htm

an instructive excerpt from Lee H. Whittlesey's book entitled

"Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the

First National Park"

 

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- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1407/camping.html

I know it is labelled as "Yosemite" but it's a link about

all the camping opportunities inside Yellowstone !

Simple and efficient.

 

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- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1407/photo.html

Yellowstone Photo tips, for beginners only.

 

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- http://members.aol.com/k2lan/yellguid.htm

This is Kathleen's Yellowstone Guide, a former employee of

the park, lots of story and advices.

 

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- http://www.comp-unltd.com/~rodeo/cody.html

If you care about cody... no wildlife here !

 

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- http://www.comp-unltd.com/~rodeo/guest.html

From the former link, this page is interesting:

a list of the Guest Ranches near Cody.

 

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- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1407/book.html

The books, with comments. Well designed.

 

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- http://home.earthlink.net/~phototravel/yellow.htm

On line summary of the well known Photo Traveler Publications

about Yellowstone.

 

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- http://www.nps.gov/yell/

The "offical" gov. site.

 

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- http://www.idahonews.com/recrea~1/winterin.htm

Winter in Yellowstone, "Expect wonderful winter scenes

and fewer people".

 

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- http://www.nps.gov/yell/roadinfo.htm

Road info from the gov. site, updated.

 

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- http://www.idahonews.com/yellowst/snowmo1.htm

The drawbacks of the Winter activities in Yellowstone...

 

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- http://www.intermarket.com/Yellowstone/bkcntry1.htm

Yellowstone Backcountry Travel Page: informative.

 

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- http://www.gomontana.com/Business/YGA/yga.html

I had a good experience with Steve Braun while looking

for accomodations during the winter.

BTW, interesting for the "Hot News from Yellowstone".

 

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- http://www.nps.gov/yell/fees.htm

A must read: Yellowstone cheaper than Disneyland, a shame ?

Yes (MY OPINION).

 

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- http://www.usatoday.com/weather/basemaps/nw726664.htm

For what it's worth, the Weather channel forecasts for Yellowstone.

 

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- http://www.amsnow.com/westyellowMTpg.html

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA. List of lodging facilities.

 

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- http://www.bigskywire.com/yellowstone/index.htm

A pretty site about yellowstone, well done !

 

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- http://www.gomontana.com/snowmobile.html

If you are interested in snowmobiling in Yellowstone this

winter then this link is for you. Snowmobile enthousiasts

should stay off the park anyway !

 

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That's all. Hope this helps, feel free to e-mail me if I missed a big link you like best.

 

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Vincent.

One of our fellow photo.netians wrote:

"if you are willing to walk more than 50 feet off the road you will lose 95% of the tourists."

 

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This is a bit of exageration though I agree with the point which is to get off the road and hike a bit. I have found that the inverse square law applies to very well to avoiding the crowds of tourists. The number of tourists is inversly proportional to the square of the distance from the road. At 1/4 mile you have lost 50% of the tourists. At 1/2 mile you have lost 75% and at 1 mile you have lost 88%. This rule applies to mostly level trails. If climbing is involved then start at 1/8 mile instead of 1/4. This is a great rule of thumb and I have found it works for me.

Where are you flying into? Depending on that will have a bearing on where you go as the first impressions of some areas will probably keep you there shooting.

If you try a different route, such as flying into Salt Lake City, you are a 5 hr drive from Yellowstone. But, you can go up through Kemmerer, Wyo and visit the original JC Penny store & home, the Fossil Beds monument & probably see cowboys bringing cattle down from the mountains. Then you can cruise up through Jackson area to Yellowstone & come back finally around & thru Idaho. See all kinds of country that way & maybe get a few ideas for your future travels. This isn't any better than any other way to get there, just an option if you want to pack in more varied country to see.

I am planning a trip in late September/early October to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. I noticed that the prices of accomidations where VERY much cheaper in areas surrounding Yellowstone after Labor Day. Likewise in the Jackson area. (ie. in Jackson 1 bedroom condo that was approx $150/night now $75). I'm traveling with an infant so with all of her stuff and my camera gear camping was out. We were able to get rooms at all of the Yellowstone lodges that we tried with no problem a few weeks ago.

 

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As with any National Park, get up early and you'll miss 95% of the tourists. If you want to contact me with any specific questions, I may be able to help since I've done some leg work already: email me or use my comments form at http://members.aol.com/dbradmills