Mariah

I worked at the park in the 50's and loved it. Entered at the North Entrance then worked at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel as a waitress. Speaking of bears, one of the guides said to be out of the mountains by 3:00 on days we wanted to picnic in the mountains. The bears come down by then looking for food. We beat them, and that was all we cared about.
Would love to go back. We were thee with a group trip and it was still beautiful! That was in Sept., an it wasn't cold then. It Snows until July 4 and starts again late Sep.
Have a wonderful time!
Mariah

tessagin

have never been there so have fun.

pattypurple

I second this idea. The bus tour was well worth the money. We drove the North loop and DH couldn't see anything since he was concentrating on the traffic. The traffic is horrific so the bus is nice for that also.

eastslopequilter

There are two quilt shops in Bozeman, Main Street Quilting and Silver Thimble quilting. Back Porch Quilts and Thimbelina's Quilt Shop in Livingston, Send It Home in West Yellowstone. Cozy Mountain Quilts and The Dysfunctional Quilter in Whitehall. All these are not too far from Yellowstone.

eastslopequilter

This year there have been a lot more visitors because of the centennial celebration. Take your time and don't rush.

tlpa

My sister and I went last year. We had a different hotel every 2nd night or so in the different areas. We spent 2 days in the North Loop, and 2 days in the South Loop, and 2 days in the Tetons. There is so much to see I don't think you could be disappointed no matter what you saw. In whatever area you're in, you might want to hit the main attractions first and decide from there what else interests you. We drove into the West entrance after spending a day in Banack which is a deserted gold mining town (my sister likes to photograph, and she got some great pictures of the abandoned (but kept up as a sort of museum) buildings). We drove out the East (?) entrance because we wanted to hit the famous highway (I think where Red Lodge is that someone mentioned). Our trip started on Aug 30th and we left on Labor Day from Billings where our nephew was getting married. The crowds weren't too bad at that time and we had a fantastic time.

Wanabee Quiltin

I lived within a 90 minute drive to Yellowstone and since we knew we'd only live there for a short time, (5 years), we went to Yellowstone constantly and I know it like my own neighborhood. Bears and moose are very dangerous, bison are unfriendly and huge. Never saw even one snake ever. Watch out for the hot geysers, stay on the paths. There are forest fires constantly so they close the roads all the time. Go out at dusk to see the animals.watch out when walking on the roads. I worked in the hospital and a mirror on an RV killed someone while walking. Drive through the loops and see the Grand Canyons of the Yellowstone, Cody WY and also Jenny Lake.

quiltingshorttimer

We dashed through about 10 years ago on the way to my brother's in Boise, ID and stayed a night in Cody,WY--the museum there was worth seeing--and then just drove through Yellowstone and saw the geyser fields (stay on the paths!),Old Faithful and the Lodge,the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Obsidian cliffs and then out through West Yellowstone. My DH and I plan to drive through again sometime next May orJune on way to nephew's HS graduation and hopefully this time be able to spend more than one day! If you are driving West, Mt. Rushmore is well worth the stop and has a nice visitors center and the Badlands were very interesting too.

CanoePam

We have been to Yellowstone almost 20 times, most recently a couple of weeks ago. Do you want to concentrate on the thermal features (the largest number in the world) or concentrate on animals? The thermal features are on the western side of the park while the best animal sightings are in the east. A lot also depends on when you are coming. The hotter the weather, the harder some of the animals are to see. For examples, most bears and elk are up in the high country by late June and so harder to see. We were there this year for a week in mid-May and saw 9 bears (black and grizzly), numerous wolves, bisons having their calves, elks (who hadn't dropped calves yet), deer, mountain goats, mountain sheep, etc. We generally stay in the West Yellowstone area, but it is a long way to the Lamar Valley where the best wildlife viewing is. Are you flying or driving? Have you made lodging/camping reservations? The park is crazy crowded this year, and it is hard to find a place to stay.

There is a great app called "Just Ahead" that is an audio tour guide. It knows where you are and tells you about the location. Well worth the money it costs! And I would also say a bus tour is a good idea if you have limited time. Of course, you will certainly decide after your first trip that you have to return!

Best of luck.

Pam

beckyboo1

We're headed that way next week. Thanks to all for the tips and also for mentioning quilting stores.