Going to Yellowstone, tips?
 

You all were so helpful in helping me plan my last trip that I'm asking for your tips again! I'm going to plan a trip to Yellowstone, and very excited. I've found a lot on-line, including on the Facebook page for Yellowstone. I want to do some hiking, half day maximum (no back-country hiking for me!) and prefer to go with a guide, maybe some of the guided park ranger hikes. Do you experience altitude sickness? If so, how to remedy? I'm a little nervous about bears, snakes, etc. I know there are multiple entrances into Yellowstone. Do you have a favorite? Also, do you have any other local things to recommend? Like quilt shops, of course, or historical landmarks, towns, restaurants, etc.

Thanks for any tips/advice/must see!

stay away from the bears....you cant out run them.

I have no advice but I have to say how envious of you I am. I was at Yellowstone when I was 3 and barely remember it. I want to go back. It's on the list for when we retire.

LOL Jane. Good advice!

I like either the west or south entrances. The south entrance takes you through Jackson Hole. The west is really close to West Yellowstone, a town in Montana where we usually stay. I recommend the walking tour around the Old Faithful geyser basin. Check at the visitor center for eruption times of the various geysers in that area. And don't forget to visit the Old Faithful lodge/hotel. You could spend a whole day in the Old Faithful area alone. At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, try Uncle Tom's Trail. It takes you down to the level of the falls. It's a stairway of I think about 300+ stairs.

As far snake as bears and snakes, i don't think you need to worry. I've never seen a snake. Bears are not as common as they were in years past. Pay attention to the trail notices. They'll let you know if there are any bears in the area. Buffalos seem to be more common these days and you should keep plenty of distance from them.

Yellowstone is one of my most favorite places. It was a family vacation spot when I was growing up and I've since introduced it to my children and grandchildren. My best advice is to give yourself plenty of time to take in all the wonders of Yellowstone. There's no other place on earth quite like it.

You just need to get on their website and read the helpful hints very careful. You are going into a place where bears dear and wolves run free. No food what so ever should be kept in the your car. I don't think you need to worry about altitude sickness unless you have had it before.

We camped at Bakers Hole campground and entered the park via West Yellowstone. We used the camp as our base and did different directions in the park each day, we did end up back tracking sometimes but it worked for us. The only snake we saw was a teensy little guy right on the trail. We enjoyed all the "normal" tourist things, but you always need to allow for people who stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of coyotes and buffalo. We hiked a few of the trails and did have snow in June 2012. We were lucky to see lots of Elk and a few bull moose, deer and pronghorns. We spent quite a long time in the Grizzly and Wolf Habitat in West Yellowstone area, check the times of the shows and the times for feeding, very interesting.
We have been fortunate to visit other areas with wildlife but if you've never had the chance, I think it is very worthwhile.
We headed south to the Grand Tetons after our few days touring Yellowstone. I absolutely loved the mountains...and the storms.
Enjoy your trip!

I visited Yellowstone in the winter once and hope to do so again. It's unbelievably beautiful then, and many of the animals hang around the geyser areas to find food and warmth, so they're easily viewed. We rented a snowmobile for a day and went to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, also went cross country skiing and snowshoeing. I'm not sure I could still do all those things, but I'd like to try. Have fun.

I'm watching replies, too. Haven't been there yet but plan to visit sometime.

I highly recommend taking the loop bus tours if you are going to be there for several days. We did the north loop one day and the south loop another day and then went back to the places where we wanted to spend more time on our own.
The tour guides are extremely knowledgable and gave us a break from driving and getting to really enjoy the sights without worrying if we were going to run into another car!

With regards to altitude sickness, drink lots of water. If Yellowstone is at a higher elevation than what you are used to, water will do the trick. Your body is trying to add oxygen to your bloodstream and if you don't have enough fluids in you, it is hard to make the extra blood to carry the extra oxygen. Day hikes up the mountains generally won't cause altitude sickness if the base elevation of the mountain is what you are used to.Some swear that the enzyme CoQ-10 works great, too, as it helps your cells oxygenate better. Start taking the CoQ-10 about two weeks before you leave. You can find it in the vitamin aisle of your favorite place to buy vitamins.

Enjoy your trip!!