Yellowstone & Teton National Parks

Hello Everyone. I would like some advice. My family and I are considering traveling to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks next year. I would like to know when is the best time to visit. I was thinking in June because of the wildflowers and the waterfalls should still be flowing pretty good. Anyone else have any suggestions.

I've been to Yellowstone and the Tetons several times. Fall (late Sept./early October) is a great time to be there for fall colors in the Tetons and the Elk Rut in YNP. Spring is great for young animals. Mid May is a great time of year. June is when the parks begin to get more crowded with visitors. I've never been there during the busy times and have no desire to do so. If you can move your trip up a couple of weeks into mid May you'll be happier.

May--still cold, few flowers, higher roads may still be closed.
June--baby animals, flowers, great waterfalls, cloudy skies, and becomming more crowded.
July--more flowers, lots of bugs, crowds, clear skies.
August--fewer bugs, waterfalls at low ebb, clear skies, crowds beginning to ease in last half of month.
September--few bugs, not crowded, roads open, some fall colors, waterfalls still low.

My vote would be either late June or late September. I've also been there in winter and liked that best of all. I do have the clothing for it though.


Kent in SD

Amanda: I've been to both parks in June and enjoyed them very much. The waterfalls especially were wonderful. One really good thing about June in Yellowstone is that the sun rises in the northeast at an angle that illuminates the Yellowstone Canyon and the lower falls such that there are no shadows. At that northern latitude sunrise comes about 5:30 in June so you don't have to worry about crowds. In the Tetons most all of the really good shooting is done at dawn so again you won't have much competition for spots although there will be other photogs at the classic spots. The wildlife is pretty spectacular and everything is green. I highly recommend them in June. >=))>

I went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons this June (second week). We had snow, sleet, rain and beautiful sun with 80-degree days, all in one week. A couple of roads and campgrounds were still closed. There were very few wildflowers (although a few snow covered ones), so "no field of flowers with mountains in the background" shots. On the positive side, the two days of sunshine brought all the animals out, a lot with babies. The roads were already getting busy, with several "bear jams" that blocked traffic for miles. I don't think there is ever a "perfect" time to go, but there will always be something (a lot of somethings) worth shooting.

I was there for a week a 8 years ago during mid-July. Waterfalls had slowed but were still flowing well. Not too many humans. One thing to remember is that Yellowstone is huge. Logistical planning was made a lot easier by picking up Joseph K. Lange's book "Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone & the Tetons". It saved me a lot of time which is a priceless commodity when trying to squeeze in as much photography into a family vacation as you can.

Amanda - I've been there several times. It is probably one of my favorite places to shoot. The last time I was there was the first week in June this year. Tons of new babies including a brand new baby moose only a few hours old. Lots of baby bison and elk and in one day I saw 12 bear including twin black bears a few months old. Also saw some new eaglets in their nest. The falls were running very strong from all the runoff and things were fresh and new. It was a fantastic trip and my favorite time of year to visit the parks.

I have also been there in August, September and October. There are more people in August, but I've never felt "crowded". The parks are so large that everyone seems to spread out unless there is a bear and then I swear there is some messaging system that alerts everyone in the park to where the bear is. I counted over 200 people at one place all trying to take photos of a mama bear with her cubs one time. It was insane and very difficult to get a decent shot because any time there are that many people the rangers come in groves and stand and shout out orders like you are in the military. Other than that, it isn't a problem.

Last year we went in late September/first of October for the leaves and it was very beautiful. We were there for the first snowfall and it was gorgeous. Got some great bison shots with snow all over them. The moose also have a good size rack by that time of year so you can get some nice photos. The downside is several of the roads closed before or while we were there and they close the boats on the lakes early so you have to hike into some of the scenic areas - about 2 1/2 miles. Loaded down with tripods and backpacks, it's not as much fun.

I am headed back up there September 4 for a week to check on a mama bear and her cubs I've been following. I'll let you know if there is any significant difference, but my guess is there won't be.

Amanda:

I was in both parks this July (14th-21st). I did not feel crowded. As mentioned most of the "classic" shots in Teton require a sunrise view and I was typically at these locations with 2 or 3 other photographers. The only time I started to feel a little press of people in Teton was when I was returning from a mid-morning hike to Hidden Falls by Jenny Lake. As I came back, the ferry over was packed. In Yellowstone, the only area that I felt got a little crowded was Old Faithful - I just avoided it between 1:00 and 4:00. Most of the guide books mention that to avoid crowds just get off the beaten path a bit - 90% of the people who visit these parks see everything from their cars. They were right - once I got 100 yards in on a trail - I was alone most of the time.

I saw lots of wildlife in both parks - putting a good mix of photography, hiking, and tourist activities. I found several large fields full of wildflowers still in bloom.

The one thing that I underestimated on this trip was the travel time within the parks. I knew how large they were, but I forgot about 25-45 mph speed limits within the parks - it took a lot of time to get around, leaving no room for saying "oh we forgot to stop at place X, we'll just shoot back tomorrow." You need to plan out your days for efficient travel, and count on some long days - especially in Yellowstone.

I found the NPS Rangers to be very helpful and they made some excellent recommendations to fine tune my advanced planning - they were especially helpful recommending several hikes based on my specifications.

I was nervous about the crowds - but my concerns did not materialize. At the end of this trip I flew over to Yosemite, which was another excellent destination. It turned out that I had 4 days there between forest fire issues and enjoyed perfectly clear skies.

Have a great trip.

Jim - Your point about travel time is excellent! Great advice for Amanda!! I couldn't agree more that the travel time is the largest disadvantage in the parks. If you stay in West Yellowstone and want to travel to the NE section of the park, it is a definite 1 1/2 hour drive one way and that is assuming you don't get behind any construction trucks or someone going 20 mph the entire way. I wish they would put more hotels along the outside perimeter of the park on all sides so you could have options as to what section of the park you stay at dependent upon what you want to do that day. As it is, you need to leave plenty of time for driving each day.

Cass

Ray - I typically stay in or around Lamar Valley each day when I go also because of the wildlife. However, I have never stayed in Cooke City. How far a drive is it to Tower Jct and Lamar from there? I may give it a shot this time.

Cass