Yellowstone Vacation Questions? Need help!

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Dukslayer26

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My wife and I want to go to Yellowstone possibly this sept. For those who have been, where are some hotels that are right outside the park that you would reccomend. We have never been and need some advice. Is mid September a good time to go? Would be fun to hear the Elk. We plan on flying. Any other advice would be great. Thanks!!
 
Mid-Sept you run into issues with snow and road closures. Check when they actually close. The Gardiner gate to Cooke City remains open year round, and goes through the Lamar valley, so its a cool drive. Hotels should be wide open, except for hunters. Plenty to do in Cody and West Yellowstone, but again that's the end of the season so call to see what's open. If you search the forums, this has come up a couple of times.
 
That’s home for me. Grew up in Mammoth Hot Springs. Bulls rut in Mammoth all through Sept. plenty of vrbo in Gardiner if you can’t find a Gardiner hotel option. The Mammoth hotel is probably booked. September has to be one of the finest times to visit the park. You’ll have a great time
 
Definitely go see Lamar Valley and the canyon. They are my favorite parts of Yellowstone. Gardiner and West Yellowstone are two great towns to stay in. If the south pass is open you can drop down into Grand Teton National Park and go see that and Jackson Hole.
 
My wife and mother in law went last September and they chose to stay at an airbnb. They found several really cool places to stay and they were much cheaper than the crowded hotels.
 
No help on lodging, but don't miss beartooth pass into MT and back. Do it in the morning/mid day, not evening or you could end up driving half of it in total darkness. Also, 2nd Grand Tetons, we thought that was prettier than Yellowstone. Enjoy!
 
We stayed in Gardiner last summer and thought it was beautiful and there appeared to be lots of motels, hotels, and cabins. Lamar Valley is a must we spent time there almost everyday. Never did see the wolves but it did not disappoint with other species.
 
West Yellowstone is fully functional in September, plenty of motels, and not near the crowds of summer. I resupply my bow camp there in September every year, grab a room for a shower in the middle of the 16 day hunt, etc. fawn creek trail is a great little hike, and the bulls are thick and bugling once you get back a few miles, sept 22 seems to be the peak time roughly. Awesome time of year to be there, and you don't have to run for your life from some guy that owns a Honda civic but rented a Robin Williams "Rent Me!" RV and has no clue how to drive it......
 
I can't help with lodging since I only live an hour and fifteen minutes away. West Yellowstone and Gardiner are both good places to base out of. Mid Sept should be a great time to visit unless they get a big snowfall in the park, which is possible but not too likely. Just be prepared. You never know about weather late in the season. The elk should be rutting. I would love to see it, but I'll be hunting unless I tag out early.
 
If you are flying in to Bozeman, Gardner or West Yellowstone is you best bets for lodging. The super 8 in Cooke city is decent and not too expensive. Dining choices in Cooke are not the best however. September and October are the 2 best months to visit the park IMO. The NE corner from tower jct to silver gate is the best part of the park in my biased opinion, I like mountains and mountain game animals. You can spot mountain goats easily from the road near silver gate. Lamar valley always has a good variety of animals too. Enjoy your trip!
 
If you're looking to see bugling bulls, you can't beat Gardiner. Mammoth Hot Springs (5 miles away) will always have resident bulls bugling in the morning and running around the main drag. There are often bulls hanging out on the Gardiner football field. While West Yellowstone has bulls not far away (Madison Valley) - they are much closer and more densely populated in the Gardiner Area.

As far as hotels go, I don't have a ton of experience with them, but do know the Yellowstone River Motel owners, who are amazing people. I know their clientele is very loyal, and they seem to keep everyone happy. Definitely give them a holler.
 
Another vote for looking at VRBO's rather than hotels. Gardiner or West would be my choices, as they get you into the Park quick. Cody is a fun town, but you're 50 miles from the Park. The Chief Joseph & Beartooth Pass hiways are a blast, and making a day of going from Gardiner to Red Lodge is a lot of fun with some great sights to see along the way, albeit outside of the Park.

Agree w/others about the Silver Gate/Lamar area. It's a great place in the fall. Bring your optics and spend some time watching grizzlies, etc.
 
Gardiner is a cool town. We went whitewater rafting with Montana Whitewater. We parked at the Super 8 Morel which is across the street from them. The group we rafted with were staying in town in some cabins right on the Yellowstone river. I went in August am already looking to go back!
 
I have a couple cabins that we rent out through Air BnB. One 20 min from West Yellowstone in Island Park ID, and another more centrally located between West Yellowstone and Jackson WY. If interested PM me for the link.

Sept is a great time to visit the park.....although you should really be out elk hunting ;)
 
If you fly into Billings and want to base your trip out of Red Lodge, I would highly recommend Two Bears Inn.
http://www.twobearsinn.com/
They donate to WSF and my wife and I will be using our 2 night live auction purchase very soon. Also spent 2 nights there last summer and it was a fantastic place to stay.
 
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