So, with these new accomodations (must’ve been a cancellation, I’ll keep calling for an Old Faithful area opening over the next few weeks), would it modify any of the suggested routes by you folks?
Obviously, access to Old Faithful just got a little easier.
I don’t think so. It just buys you more time to get out of the car and walk around, which is a great think!
You may well luck out on the Old Faithful accommodations. Xanterra gets cancellations all the time.Just keep trying!
Just to keep you on your toes, I’ll offer an alternate plan to consider if you end up staying at Grant. Focus on the thermal features for the first day - Mud V, Norris, Middle & Upper Basins. If you get to Grant at the end of the day with a bit of time/energy left, visit the West Thumb geyser basin. It’s not worth a special trip by itself, but the geysers/hot springs right on the edge of the lake are kinda cool.
Then, day 2, just follow the river north from the lake and visit the Canyon. Go around the east side of the upper loop, and include a stop at Tower Fall, where a short side hike will get you to the banks of the river. Have lunch and take a stroll at Mammoth, then be on your way.
A friend and I stayed here after our day in the park and woke up to a buffalo outside our cabin. THAT’S an experience you won’t soon forget: thelogcabincafe.com
Totally forgot about that! :smack:
Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking of (so far):
Day 1:
There’s no shortage of sulfur and mud pots. Mud Volcano is probably the biggest one, but you can skip it without missing that experience.
I think the overall character of Norris is different enough from Upper that you really ought to go there if you can. But since your time is so short, don’t feel bad about just staying in the Old Faithful area if you’re absorbed in it.
You should also consider this and this before scratching Grand Prismatic Spring from your list.
Mud Volcano is at most a 30 minute stop. Unless you are extremely pressed for time, stop and see it.
Thank you all!
Due to everyone’s responses and further research, I’ve decided to scale back the plans. Yellowstone is but one element of my Epic Road Trip, driving from Lincoln, Nebraska to Spokane. Mt Rushmore, the Badlands, Devils Tower, and Little Bighorn are all en route. But Yellowstone is certainly the centerpiece, the part that excites me the most (with all due respect to Wall Drug, of course).
So, I’ve limited my plans only to my A-list. I want to have time to walk some trails and do some ranger-led tours. Stop when I see wildlife or a particularly scenic roadside area, without having to worry that I have to hit Norris Basin or West Thumb before sunset. Have the kids dip their toes into Yellowstone Lake (and realize it’s not Waikiki). And if we’ve had our fill of the Upper Basin and it’s only 2:00, see the Prismatic spring.
A-List:[ul]
[li]Old Faithful/Upper Basin. Want to participate in Ranger-led tours.[/li][li]Grand Canyon. Even if only to go to an overlook or two by the falls, like Artists or Lookout Point and one of those right on the falls. [/li][li]Mammoth Springs. It’s on the way out. [/li][/ul]
I appreciate some of the suggestions here. My itinerary is 100% flexible. The only parameters are the time it takes to arrive from Cody in the morning, to trying to get to the Roosevelt Arch by 1:00-ish the next day. I do think it’s fortunate I was able to find a Grant Village room vs the West Yellowstone reservations I had previously.
I see two options. Which would you recommend?
From Cody, head directly to the Canyon and see some B-list things working my down to Grant Village. Then saving Old Faithful for after breakfast until it’s time to leave for Mammoth.
From Cody, head directly down to Old Faithful, take my time seeing the Upper Basin sights. Then see some B-list things working my way toward Grant Village. Then do the Canyon the next day after breakfast until Mammoth.
If I hit my A-list things, see Old Faithful erupt, smell a stinky mud pit, and the kids get their Junior Ranger patches, I will consider my trip to Yellowstone successful. Then I’ll immediately begin planning for my return trip 
I haven’t seen it mentioned yet, but the Observation Point trail at Old Faithful gives you a different, much less crowded (and I think better) view of the eruption.
Old Faithful is where you’re going to want the most flexibility to stick around and see more stuff. The canyon is better for making another stop if you have time, or moving on from when time is up. I’d recommend option 2.
We’re back and the schedule worked perfectly! Thank you all!
We left Cody at 5am, getting to Old Faithful around 7:45am. We passed the East entrance without having to pay. We drove directly, but we did take our time to stop for views over the lake. We also paused to get out to look at hot springs and steam holes.
The 7:45am arrival time was perfect. The kids weren’t groggy and it wasn’t crowded at all. Best yet, Old Faithful was to go off at 8:08am. I was totally unprepared for how awesome the eruption would be, needless to say.
After that, we had a little time to get our Junior Ranger books and meet for the Geyser Hill tour at 8:30. We happened to catch the Aurum geyser explode while on the ranger-led tour. Then a second Old Faithful eruption right after that one finished! Then back to the visitors center to work on the Junior Ranger books… which took enough time to see a third Old Faithful!
So, it was almost noon, and I knew from above not to rush things. So we had a picnic at Whiskey Flat and figured out the rest of the day. The kids were having fun frolicking in the meadow, so they weren’t too anxious to get going to the next geyser collection. After all, we did see quite a few on the ranger walk. Norris and Artists Paintpots were dropped from our itinerary until next time, but did take a stroll around the Prismatic Spring. Then we headed to Grant Village to check in and shop for souvenirs. We strolled down to the lake where our kids loved wading in the water. I found this odd, as we live in Hawaii and Waikiki isn’t quite as chilly. 
Dinner was at the Lake House, then we walked it off taking a lap around West Thumb. The kids got to see their boiling mud pit, so maybe Mud Volcano could be dropped until next time. The kids were sick of smelling sulphur, to the point where they’d run away from the steam, so I’d say they smelled enough. Back to Grant Village for the night.
One thing I’d like to add: we never felt rushed. We took the kids’ pace and never felt like we had to dash to the car for the next thing. Even the weather was cooperative, we only got rain as we headed back to the car at West Thumb.
The next morning, we got up early and drove north through Hayden Valley. We left Grant at 6:30am and were the only car on the road. Now, up until this point on our road trip, I hadn’t seen any buffalo in ID, MT, WY, SD, or NE. I was getting a tad anxious, as I really wanted to see one. Then I spotted a bison eating at a picnic area near the lake. Pulled in and got my pictures!! Feeling my bucket list checked, I saw a car was stopped in front of me. A bison was walking down the road, nearly scraping my mirror as it sauntered past. Wow! Two in one day!
Then we got to the area past Mud Volcano, and the road was filled with buffalo! Walking up and down the hills, across the road, by our car, everywhere. Must’ve been 3-4 dozen, including calves. There were only a couple cars around us, so we stuck around watching these majestic beasts.
We got up to Artists Point, just in time as a Chinese tour bus was leaving. It was maybe 9:00am, so the cloudless sun was shining right into the canyon and waterfalls. Then we went to the brink of the Upper Falls, and we saw another buffalo in the parking median. As I started tip-toeing to shoot it, we saw another animal digging. A BEAR! Okay, I’ll stay where I am. The bear got up, then sauntered down the parking lot, ignoring us.
Breakfast at Canyon and they turned in their books and got their Junior Ranger patches. Viewed the Roaring Mountain, strolled along the Lower Terraces at Mammoth Springs, took the obligatory “Welcome to Yellowstone” sign picture and called it a day. Got back to Spokane around 6:30pm.
So, that was my quick Yellowstone report! I have quite few pictures to sort through on my big SLR camera (which I’ll link soon), but I wanted to thank everyone for their advice.
Glad to hear you had a wonderful time! Yellowstone is one of my very favorite places on Earth; I hope it’s now one of yours.
Just figured I put in a placeholder post. I’ll be passing through Yellowstone tomorrow; motorcycling with my uncle.
Will report back later.
I don’t know how I missed this thread earlier. I was in Yellowstone doing book signings in July, and I would have enjoyed meeting some other Dopers. HubZilla, you drove very close to my house (and my bookstore) on your trip. Sorry I didn’t see this and send you a note.
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:55, topic:660261”]
I don’t know how I missed this thread earlier. I was in Yellowstone doing book signings in July, and I would have enjoyed meeting some other Dopers. HubZilla, you drove very close to my house (and my bookstore) on your trip. Sorry I didn’t see this and send you a note.
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Your book is everywhere man. My traveling partner bought a copy for her nephew. We even used it to see the difference between bear poop and summer elk poop we saw on one of the trails.
We saw an awful lot of things, and took over 1200 photos. We did want to see more wildlife besides elk and bison though, which were plenty. We did see on coyote just walk right on by us while we were at a pull out.
I think Yellowstone has more bookstores and gift shops than any other national park. Last I checked, there were something like 11 different shops in the park selling the Yellowstone edition of Who Pooped in the Park? The other 17 editions do well, but none of them sell like that Yellowstone book.
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:55, topic:660261”]
I don’t know how I missed this thread earlier. I was in Yellowstone doing book signings in July, and I would have enjoyed meeting some other Dopers. HubZilla, you drove very close to my house (and my bookstore) on your trip. Sorry I didn’t see this and send you a note.
[/QUOTE]
It was a fun coincidence as they enjoyed the book in the Grant Village gift store, but later realized it was written by a fellow doper.
You are very welcome!
Love the pics! Now I have to go back again myself…