Future trip help

[snagged in outlet 3]

Hey guys,

My wife and I decided to go to Yellowstone Park in 2021.  I'm looking for some tips or advice on what or what not to do.  We're thinking late August to try to avoid at least some of the crowds.  Two weeks and we're driving.  We want to go north through the Badlands and generally take our time to sight see, hike, horse back rides, fish and whatever other activity we can find.  We want to home base for a while around the park to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere not just drive through like I've done when I was a kid.  Fire away!!!

Pete

[Gavin]

Call me. Been many times.

[ness]

Does your wife want to fish? 

My son and I did a loop trip a few years back. RMNP, southern WY, Tetons, YNP and SD on the way back. Really enjoyed the trip, but there were a lot of stops. That was by design — to see what we liked. If I did it again and it was fishing-focused trip I’d spend more time in Southern WY, YNP and SD. I’d like to stay at Yellowstone Lodge, but you’ve gotta book that well in advance. 

[Gavin]

Rosevelt lodge in the NW Corner is a favorite spot. Cabin with a wood stove, no water in cabin. They have a restaurant & bar, but better to bring your own. Xanterra ran the park concessions and their food service sucks.

[snagged in outlet 3]

She doesn’t fish but loves to go along when I do. 
we might move it up to this year.  Looking at staying in the park on one of their packages.  It’s a vacation with fishing of course. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I want to float and fish at least one river With a guide.  Any recommendations for that?

[fishinwrench]

I want to do this too.   What's the best time of the year to be there?  Would prefer to avoid crowds but I definitely want the fishing to be good.

[Gavin]

Not sure if my guides are still guiding. Yankee Jim, and Bear Trap Canyon are on my list. Usually booked out of Rivers Edge in Bozeman. Didn’t like them much, always over charged 20-50 bucks, for monkey dodo you never thought you bought. Liked the guides(Brian & Jen Grossenbacher), not that shop.

[Al Agnew]

At the risk of bringing more people to my part of Montana, I'd suggest planning on spending some time near the north entrance to the park at Gardiner.  I would highly recommend Anglers West in Emigrant MT for guided trips.  Those guys are good.  Emigrant is right on the Yellowstone, but if somewhere else is fishing better they'll take you there.  The reason I say the north entrance is that puts you kinda centrally located for fishing both the Lamar and Slough Creek and tribs over on the northeast side of the park, or Madison and tribs on the west side; if you stay at West Yellowstone you're a lot farther away from the northeastern streams.  Fishing within the park is wonderful but there is a lot of water, some of it not heavily fished, outside the park on all sides.

I've never stayed inside the park except camping a long time ago and on a horseback trip to the back country a few years ago.  There are decent hotels in Gardiner, and a bunch of vacation rental by owner places in Paradise Valley north of the park.  My Missouri fly fishing buddies stayed in a VRBO place right on the river near Emigrant a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.

If you're driving and coming through South Dakota (definitely the only way to go to get to the north entrance to the park), a visit to the Badlands is a must, and roaming through the Black Hills is pretty sweet.  Take U.S. 212 near the SD border instead of staying on I-90--less traveled, more interesting, and an hour shorter.  It comes back to I-90 right at Custer's last stand on the Little Bighorn, an interesting place for a short stop.  If you're staying around Gardiner, take a day to drive through the Lamar Valley in the park, out the northeast entrance at Cooke City, and take the Beartooth Highway, one of if not THE most scenic stretch of highway in the West.  It'll eventually take you back out to I-90 and you can complete a big loop back to Gardiner.  Great day of driving.  You can also do another great day of driving going through the park to the west entrance at West Yellowstone, then down the Madison River valley, with a must stop at the visotor's center at Earthquake Lake, eventually to Bozeman and back around to Gardiner.  You could definitely make that a two day trip, stay the night in Ennis, and fish the Madison.

Plan on spending a full day driving through north side of the park and stopping at all the thermal features.  Old Faithful is interesting but in my opinion lots of other thermal features are much more interesting.  If you're really into wildlife viewing, the north side of the park is by far the best for that, too.  As far as I'm concerned, from Fishing Bridge south, you just drive through to get to the Grand Tetons, not as much of interest on the south side of Yellowstone.  If traveling to Jackson WY and the Tetons, take the time to drive the Teton Park Road, but also the main highway south of Moran Junction, where you'll see some of the best views of the Snake River and the Tetons.  And take the road up the Gros Ventre River for your best chance to see moose.  Jackson is an expensive place to stay but has some nice hotels.

Late August is a good time to be there, but if you're willing to take a chance of running into not so good weather, I'd recommend sometime in the first two or three weeks of September.  By that time the fall colors will be happening and it's both the most beautiful time of year and the time when the animals have about gotten their prime winter coats.  Most the time the first two weeks of September are beautiful weather, but you can also encounter snow one day and 60 degree weather a couple days later.  Of course, the later you go the fewer people, but Yellowstone can be pretty crowded even into September these days, mostly with foreign tourists--every other tourist seems to be Chinese these days.

PM me if you have questions...since I live nearly half the year an hour from the park, I know the area pretty well by now.

 

[tjm]

Schedule the trip to take at least a whole month. Less time than that and will have to skip 80% of the fishing and most of the interesting sights.