National Parks Adventure: The Western Parks
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100% Yellowstone
Yellowstone and Grand Teton by car, with geysers, wildlife and a city landing at the end.
Yellowstone and Grand Teton sit side by side in the northwest corner of Wyoming, and together they hold some of the most dramatic scenery in the American West. Yellowstone rests on a volcanic hotspot, which is why geysers and steaming hot springs rise from the ground, and herds of wildlife roam the valleys. Just south, the Teton range climbs straight out of the valley floor. National Parks Adventure on Journy explores America's national parks in depth, going past the overlooks and into the landscape itself. This self-drive trip takes that same curiosity to the West, running from Bozeman, Montana, through both parks to Salt Lake City, with nights inside the park and free days built in. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
Start at the Gateways
You fly into Bozeman, a Montana college town with mountains on its doorstep, and spend your first night at the Wandering Buffalo before the drive to West Yellowstone. The town sits at the park's west entrance and was built for park days, so you can be at the gate in minutes and back for dinner. You stay at the Stage Coach Inn, and one free day is yours to plan. The geyser basins, where hot springs and geysers bubble across open ground, are an obvious place to start. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, a deep gorge of yellow rock with waterfalls, is another. After that, let curiosity be your guide.
Old Faithful erupts to an average height of 140 feet about every 90 minutes. A must see when visiting Yellowstone.
Sleep Inside the Park
Midway through the trip, you move into Yellowstone itself and stay at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The geyser it's named for is a short walk away, and a day is set aside to see it. Old Faithful erupts on a fairly regular schedule, so you can watch a column of water and steam shoot into the sky and plan the rest of your day around the next eruption.
Staying inside the park changes how you spend your time. You can head out in the early morning before the crowds arrive, and you're still there in the evening after the day trippers have left. Wildlife keeps its own schedule, so being on the spot when animals appear is a real advantage. From this base, you can also reach Mammoth Hot Springs, where terraces of mineral deposits step down a hillside.
The Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces are one of the more unusual geothermal wonders the park has to offer.
Teton Views, City Finish
From Yellowstone, the road continues south to Jackson, Wyoming, the gateway town for Grand Teton National Park. You stay at the Mountain Modern Motel, and a free day takes you into the park. The Teton range rises abruptly from the valley floor with no foothills in between, and moose often stand in the willows below it. Overlooks along the Snake River let you take in the whole view at once.
Grand Teton National Park offers up some of the best scenery in the American West.
The trip then lands in Salt Lake City, where you stay at the Crystal Inn and have a free day in the city before your flight home. After days of geysers and mountains, you can spend it on restaurants, a museum or a walk downtown.
The link below opens the full trip, with a one-way car rental and hotels included. Keep the free days free, since the geysers and the wildlife reward patience.
100% Yellowstone
Yellowstone and Grand Teton by car, with geysers, wildlife and a city landing at the end.
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