Have 21 Days to visit Yellowstone, GT, GNP, Banff & Jasper NP.

[ronn_dumas]

<p>We are going September 6 through 27, starting and leaving form Jackson Hole. Interested in suggestions for amount of time to spend in each park and realize it is a subjective question. However, for those who have spent a time in each park you will have good ideas. Am I trying to squeeze too much into this one trip? Also, ideas for good or bad hotels in the areas would be helpful.<br>

And, are there photo locations that are off the beaten path you would recommend. Also, any specific sunrise and sunset locations that we should not miss? Thank you for your help.</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>Are you returning to Jackshon Hole at the end of the trip (ie do you have to drive back there from Jasper?) Is this one of those one-shot deals where you will never get to go to these places again? I did a quick google maps look at the route - it's about 1100 miles one-way, or let's say 50 miles a day before you add in side trips. So let's double that (at least) to 2200 miles, which is about 100 per day - not too bad but if you choose to get out of the car for one of those days it doubles up another day.</p>

<p>I could personally spend a week or two in any of those parks, so you'll have to be choosy about what you see. It is do-able I think, but before you set out you should have considered the amount of driving-time involved. The good news is that it's a beautiful area, even between parks and you'll be there as fall descends so that'll make it even nicer.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>After organising and travelling on many trips , in general terms I think we've got the balance between in and out of the car , photography vs tourism and so on pretty much right for us. Many of our trips run about 16 days , whether in Europe or N/Central America and its amazing how often we end up with about 2200-2500 miles on the clock. Its also often the case that the minimum mileage along our route is about 1200-1500 miles, so there's about 1000 miles per trip - or about 60/70 miles a day- when we're just out looking at stuff rather than trying to make progress from A to B. We like two night stops, and I find that my photography is better when I've got enough time to get around an area and maybe revisit at a different time of day/weather ot whatever</p>

<p>Now if I plug that experience into your timeframe and journey I don't think you're going to have as much time for photographs and sightseeing as we normally get- which means that <strong><em>for me </em></strong>you'd be trying to squeeze too much in, and for me at least thats going to lead to frustration. The way round it I think is to travel in one direction as quickly as you can . three or four "driving days" built into your trip will mean that the rest of the time can be much more leisurely and photography orientated. Equally the balance of the trip will depend on how long a day you choose to have. Typically I'll photograph a couple of hours before breakfast and well into the evening- before, after or instead of dinner depending on time of year. If I didn't do that I'm sure the "in the car all day" sensation would be much greater. <br>

Another dimension to this is how much time you want to spend hiking. Personally I won't hike without a purpose and a few days with zero miles really does cut down (justifiably if you like it) the miles you can comfortably cover. </p>

<p>I think the trip you propose is just about do-able with good time for photography and tourism so long as you plan it efficiently and build in a few "driving days" I'd suggest about 7 days in the Canadian Rockies, Calgary-Calgary but without side trips to Kananaskis, Revelstoke etc. </p>

 

[Mattman944]

<p>Agree with David, that is a lot to see in 21 days.</p>

<p>How much time in each depends on how serious you are about your photography. The golden hour is only there twice a day. Another consideration is if you enjoy nature. Great nature shots often require some luck to find animals in accessible locations. More opportunities increase you chances for luck. Also, do you plan on doing any hiking. All of these places have great hiking opportunities where you can spend a whole day on one hike.</p>

<p>I haven't been to all of these, but for YS and GT, if you enjoy nature and landscape (like me), people told me to spend 2/3 in YS and 1/3 in GT. Six days in YS was about right for me.</p>

<p>Make your reservations soon, rooms in the parks are probably already taken. West Yellowstone, just outside the park, is the most accessible for the best parts of YS. GT is small enough to be completely accessible from Jackson Hole. </p>

[indraneel]

<p>21 days is good for a first trip. I've not been to Banff and jasper. I'd suggest packing a tent if possible, saves time and money and is flexible. The day hike across the lake at grand tetons (sorry I don't have the maps; a ferry takes you to across the lake but there is also a trail till there and beyond) is good, I went at sunset and it was OK, but from the angle of the peaks, sunrise should be very nice. The tetons also look good from the road near the dam at sunset.</p>

<p>The forest patch connecting the tetons to YNP is also fascinating at sunset. Make it a point to go across every boardwalk at YNP, especially the ones near old faithful. The hike on the south of "grand canyon of the yellowstone" is spectacular at sunset and you'll see cutaway of the yellow stone for which the park is named. Parking spots will be crowded, trails not so much. Carry a monopod/walking stick. There will be a lot of vapour in the air and most places did not look too good at noon (YMMV). Be careful of bears and don't fall into the river.</p>

<p>The drive out of YNP towards GNP is beautiful at sunrise/sunset, but most of the drive through montana was nothing special. You will find out what rolling hills mean, once you're through with the drive. The drive near butte on I90 is nice and you can enter GNP from either side. Take the ranger guided hike at the top of GNP if the weather is clear. There are lots of nice hike trails, maybe someone can point out the good ones. There's also rafting but I've not done that. The alarm in my car got switched on and I was unable to switch it off. AAA towed me across GNP (100+ miles); it was breathtaking seeing things from the truck's cabin.</p>

<p>I came via badlands on the return... but then I also drove from Dallas...</p>

[michael_linn]

<p>For off the beaten path go south a bit to Pinedale, Wy and get back into the Bridger Wilderness. Great photos abound and as it takes a few hours to hike in and out, <em>you</em> are the photographer.</p>

<p>Ansel Adams never got there.</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>Is end of August, and you need ideas for hotels/motels in September. This sounds a bit late, and most places will have no vacancies. You will need first and last day hotel in Jackson, since you will start/leave from there. However due to long distances and very slow traffic, you need hotels on the way of your round trip voyage.</p>

<p>Plan the route and get hotels/motels reservations immediately. See if you are equipped in camping gear, in case you will not find any accomodation. </p>

[david_henderson]

<p>The efficiency with which you plan your trips also affects whats possible. For example if you have to drive into the parks each day because you can't or elect not to stay close to where you want to photograph, thats a big influence on what you can cover and a huge influence on whether you'll be at the right place at the right time for photography.. If you have to spend part of each day looking for accomodation that really does cut doen the distance you can cover ( because you won't have the confidence to drive till say 6/7pm if you need to find somewhere to stay) and eats into your photography/tourism time.</p>

[Mattman944]

<p>Some shooting advice: </p>

<p>GT: The Mormon row barns are a good sunrise shot, the golden "hour" was about 5 minutes. Schwabacher's landing is another excellent spot for a sunrise, but it is really hard to find, get detailed directions.</p><div></div>

[Mattman944]

<p>YS: Geysers often look best when back-lit, I put the sun outside the frame and shielded the lens.</p>

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[allenahale]

<p>My experience, which comes from approximately 8 trips to Yellowstone, 4 to Grand Tetons, 4 to Banff, and 6 to Jasper, would be to spend most of your time in Yellowstone and Jasper. <strong>Assuming that you are not planning on taking extensive hikes </strong>- Banff is beautiful but in my opinion can be experienced in 2 to 3 days. The same goes for the Grand Tetons. There is never enough time to experience Yellowstone, Jasper, and the areas around them. If you are driving from Yellowstone to Banff, I highly recommend 5 to 7 days in Glacier National Park and 3 to 5 days in Waterton Peace Park. The most important thing to keep in mind is to allow yourself flexibility to take advantage of whatever opportunities present themselves along the way. Schedule and allow yourself time to check out lakes, waterfalls, animals along the way - Columbia Icefields specifically comes to mind.</p>

[david_daniel]

<p>I'm going to have to echo those who recommend less parks and more time in a couple of them. Honestly I could spend the whole 3 weeks in Yellowstone, and have. But if I was going up there next month, I'd divide my time between Yellowstone and Glacier, two truly incredible parks. I like to go to the same (successful) location over and over again. Last time I was at Glacier I hiked the trail out back of the Logan Pass Visitors Center late in the day for 4 days in a row. There's always tons of wildlife just off (and ON) this trail. </p><div></div>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>That is a lot of territory to cover in 21 days especially with a start and finish in Jackson Hole. I have been to all of the places you are going plus Waterton. I would focus my time on Yellowstone and Jasper.<br>

For sunrise (and maybe sunset) and a great place to stay, try the Num Ti Jah lodge at Bow Lake along the Icefields Parkway outside of Lake Louise: <a href="http://www.sntj.ca/">http://www.sntj.ca/</a><br>

You can roll out of bed and get the sunrise shot from the lake's shore right outside the front door of the lodge. <br>

For planning photo ops in the Canadian Rockies the best source of great info are the ebooks by Darwin Wiggett available at his website: <a href="http://www.darwinwiggett.com/product.php?id=41">http://www.darwinwiggett.com/product.php?id=41</a><br>

These are from or an expansion of what was in his book “How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies.”<br>

Do not miss Mt. Edith Cavell in Jasper. Go anytime, but I think the morning is the best.<br>

The best places to stay in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are the lodges inside the parks. However, reservations are hard to come by unless you have already made them. That goes for all of the places you are visiting.<br>

Joe Smith</p>

[raghuveermakala]

<p>I second the suggestion to get Darwin Wigget's ebooks on the Canadian Rockies. They're well written and give you great info. In any case, having been to all of the places on your list <em>(not on a single trip)</em> I can give you a few suggestions from memory:<br /> <strong></strong><br>

<strong>Grand-Tetons:</strong> Most locations are early AM. Mormon barns, Schawabacher landing (good with clouds), String lake, Oxbow bend. Moose junction for great wildlife.<br>

<strong>Yellowstone:</strong> You have to plan around Geyser eruptions. Best bet would be stop at the visitor's center at "Old Faithful" get the eruption predictions and plan around. There are some other locations like Yellowstone falls (9-11 am typically to see a rainbow at the falls), Grand Prismatic from atop the hill nearby, Lamar valley for wildlife and the geyser basins around Mammoth and Old-Faithful.<br>

<strong>Glacier NP:</strong> For sunrise, Goose-island lookout, Lake Sherburne (Many Glacier area). For sunsets, Lake McDonald is best. Apgar area for mountain goats and big-horn sheep. Iceberg lake and Cracker lake if you got time for day-hikes. Many Glacier area at dawn/dusk is great for wildlife!<br>

<strong>Banff:</strong> For sunrise, Moraine Lake, Vermillion Lakes, Lake Louise, Two-Jack Lake, Cascade Ponds all work great. For sunset, any of the Vermillion Lakes will look. Bowriver parkway is good for wildlife. Nearby Banff, you also have the scenic Kananaskis country south of Canmore.<br>

<strong>Jasper:</strong> Is great for wildlife at the overlooks on Icefields parkway just after Columbia Icefields center and at Wilcox pass. Maligne lake for sunset, Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier for sunrise. If the weather is overcast head to the many waterfalls in the park: Tangle, Athabasca, and Sunawapta falls will not disappoint. Mistaya Canyon and Beauty Creek are great short hikes.<br>

My interest is mostly in landscapes and mountain reflections. So many of the above contain lakes. There are some great suggestions from others in this thread and you can't go wrong. You are covering great distances and are unlikely to be at the right place at the right time as planned. So be flexible, go with the flow, enjoy your time and try to have fun!</p>

[david_huff1]

<p>I agree with most of the above, except I would urge you to spend at least 3 days in the Tetons. Sunrise at Schwabacher's Landing can be a miracle if the clouds are right. As you leave Moose Junction and pass the Mormon Row turnoff, keep heading up the highway. The wood sign is on the left, turn down the road (left) and head to the parking lot. From the lot, follow the trail to the right for 200 yards. You will know it when you see it. Mormon Row is great for sunrise too for both the barn and the sun sweeping down the Tetons as well as the wildlife. The hike or boat ride around Jenny Lake to the falls is worth it. Last, after you shoot the sunrise, drive the road back between Moose and Teton Village - turn left before the park gate at Moose. Drive slowly and you will see Moose out until about 10:30 a.m. in the ponds. As for lodging - stay in Teton Village, not Jackson, and you will have a far easier go at getting to the spots.</p>