I'm looking to go out to Utah sometime after labor day and hit up Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Have 5 days to spend. Thoughts on how many days at each park and must see things? Also looking for lodging recommendations. Seems like staying in the parks would be a good choice but lots of options at each park.
Just don’t go in the middle of the summer. There are literal traffic jams, and finding parking is nest impossible. We visited in July going to the west coast and it was so bad we just decided to drive through and get the hell out of there. If you were the camping type once you get off the beaten path then you are probably fine
Yellowstone far more too than Grand Teton, they'll both are beautiful on the driving distance is alone will make it hard to see a whole lot in five days. All the Old reliable sites are breathtaking. The prismatic lakes are not to be missed. Maybe what we enjoyed most were hikes into in the meadows and going outside the park to some of the towns just outside
Either way, I think you will enjoy it. Just such beauty, even though it will kill most of us in the future sometime
Grand Tetons are a one day trip, in my opinion. You could spend a month in Yellowstone and not get bored.
We went during the christmas holidays, it was great. Not many people, not too cold and we stayed with our son at Glendale Arizona. We were able to watch the Gators take Ohio State to the wood shed!
Have always said anyone who has a chance s/visit Yellowstone. Spent a week driving in and out of the park several yrs ago. Flew into Jackson Hole, stayed in a log cabin ( our favorite stay) then drove N thru the Tetons to Yellowstone. Had a great meal at a scenic restaurant on Jenny Lake on the way. Favorite day was the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. Old Faithful and all the mud pots were interesting but very crowded and sulphur is not a good smell.
Southern UT is truly special, but Yellowstone is like Jurassic Park. The scenery is amazing + geisers, mud pots, colorful things I don't know what they're called (don't step in 'em), & amazing wildlife. Bison & elk everywhere. We saw grizzlies, albeit from a distance. Rainbows, waterfalls, mountains. Yellowstone is a "don't miss it" experience. One of the best parts was driving down through Beartooth pass out of Montana and into the park. Breathtaking
The going to the Sun road in glacier is a singular experience. And lots of great trails, including ones that go up to glaciers. But Yellowstone is beyond huge, it’s bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Bison, bears, geysers, wolves, elk, hiking, waterfalls, the lake…it’s endless. Jenny lake is beautiful in The Tetons, but I didn’t spend more than a day there.
Visiting Arches and Canyonlands NPs are like being in a roadrunner/coyote cartoon and there are trails you can drive down into at Canyonlands if you have either a nice truck or rental vehicle and camp spots you can camp in - some on Green River. Post Labor Day some of the Aspens will be turning golden. Moab is nearby if you are into slick rock mountain biking.
