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Planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks

I just started planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP's. We're leaving from the SF Bay Area and I'm trying to map a route, but which way do I go? Do I go North to Washington then cross, take a direct route across Nevada or go west to Utah then up? (We have two small children so we're not looking at driving more than 6 hours a day.) Anyway, I don't want to drive all that way without doing any sightseeing on the way. So the question I pose to you is, where would you recommend I stop and what should I see? Anywhere in the northwest is up for grabs. Like I said, I haven't routed the trip yet, your responses will influence how we ultimately get there. Thanks!

Tags: Grand, National, Northwest, Park, Tetons, Yellowstone

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Comment by Laurene on February 24, 2011 at 11:27am: We're not sure if we're going this year yet. Gas is supposed to get up to $5.00+/gal. so we're leaning towards staying more local:(

Comment by Sandra on February 23, 2011 at 11:28pm: Have you firmed up your plans yet?

Comment by Laurene on December 28, 2010 at 4:08pm: Hey Sandra, I was talking to Morgan in the Idaho group about this trip. I'm sure he knows or has a good idea of when the snow starts. Scott, Morgan gave me some good information about routing the trip, you can go to the Idaho group and read the comments.

Comment by Sandra on December 28, 2010 at 3:21pm: Does anyone know when the first snow usually hits in Yellowstone?

Comment by Scott Snider on December 12, 2010 at 7:58pm: Due to changes with family we have to change again our trip to Yellowstone from late May/June to Sept and although the weather might be better we will miss the young ones coming out after a long winter. I would love to hear from anyone going in Sept too.

Comment by Laurene on December 8, 2010 at 7:02pm: Hi Roger, We're looking at spending about 2 weeks in Yellowstone and the Tetons. We're trying to stay away from crowds so I wanted to go before or after summer. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. We'll probably end up going June or August, we have a favorite campground that we go to every July. As for the route, my husband was concerned not so much with going up hill, but coming down. We just got a new trailer and are not sure how the truck is going to handle the additional weight. So I'm going to do a little more research before I make a final decision on that. Thanks again for all your help! I appreciate all the information. Please let me know if you think of anything else.

Comment by Roger Brower on December 7, 2010 at 5:14pm: It looks to me the best way to go is, 80 to the 89 and go north. How long to plan to stay at the Tetons and Yellow Stone?

Comment by Roger Brower on December 7, 2010 at 4:56pm: June or later is a better time to go. I went in July and the weather was perfect. If you plan to see other national parks, it is cheaper to the yearly pass. Yes 89 is 5th wheel friendly.

Comment by Laurene on December 7, 2010 at 12:59pm: Thank you, Jay! That is great and VERY helpful information. (We really appreciate the highway information.) With every response I get I find I have more things to consider, which is exactly what I'm looking for. If you think of anything else, please don't hesitate to post another comment. Thanks again!

Comment by jay biggs on December 7, 2010 at 9:45am: first thing if you have not got reservations get them you wont camp in yellow stone with out them. next you don't want to go in may way too cold and to much snow they dont even plow the roads out until late april early may. june is way better for days around the 70s.if you take i15 up through slc its about 6 hour trip. at idaho falls you change to the yellowstone highway (20) that is 4 lane highway it goes all the way to west yellow stone. probably one of the easiest places to camp would be madison junction when you make you reservations you need to tell them the length of your trailer. it is pretty central in its location.hope this helps hope you enjoy your trip. if you cvant get into the pake to camp there some nice campgrounds around west yellowstone. jackson hole lake is the same. if you contact them now you should be able to get reservations.