Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks: The Ultimate Road Trip Guide

Fall blankets the Teton Range with splendid colors.  It's never too late to plan a park trip.  Teton Village and Jackson await in Grand Teton National Park, and West Yellowstone, Mammoth and

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

WILD COUNTRY BECKONS FOR SCENIC DRIVES, WILDLIFE, MOUNTAIN VIEWS, PRIME FAMILY TIME

 

On a road trip to Yellowstone or Grand Teton, the scenery has a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you're chatting about snacks or gas prices, and the next -- oh, my -- the wonders appear. Mountains -- sharp, sudden. Bison in the meadows and on the road.

Those first views never gets old. The Teton Range rises straight up from the valley floor, no foothills to ease you in. A herd of Yellowstone elk drink from a mountain stream. The occasional bear might be feet from your car. Geysers, mountain lakes, steam, spectacle.

It's all dramatic, wild, and somehow comforting all at once.

The pristine lakes of Yellowstone and Grand Teton are part of the appeal drawing visitors from around the globe.

Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park in 2026 offer breathtaking mountains and geysers, pristine alpine lakes and great wildlife viewing -- moose, bears, elk, bison and more. Each park website offers particulars for narrowing your focus -- from boating to hiking or driving through the wonders.

IF YOU have not visited Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks in a while, or taken a day or two in Yellowstone, it's road trip time.

Color, an abundance of birds and wildlife,  and hearing languages from all over the world can't be beat.

Yellowstone is the nation's first national park, and summer is a great time to visit a national park.

You can't visit a national park too many times.  It's just not possible.  Each visit is nuanced, each drive or hike yields different sights.

Examples, from our travels within the last few days in all three of Montana's and Wyoming's national parks -- Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier.

A grizzly sow and her cubs were feasting on the lovely drive from Moose to Jackson, in the Tetons. Thus, the road was closed by the park service, necessitating a detour to Teton Village.  We saw a moose close-up on the revised route, and found a restaurant for a later supper!

Elk graze in Mammoth, right in the middle of town, here by a motel. Tourists often stop to take photos.

In Yellowstone, the direct road from Norris to Old Faithful was closed, so we skipped our favorite geyser and drove to Tower instead. We practically had the road to ourselves and the colors were breathtaking.

We saw more bison on that afternoon than we've seen in the last two trips to Yellowstone combined! Mammoth provided great ice cream and dozens of nearby elk.

After Road trip to the Tetons consider:

A Road trip In Glacier, just two days ago, we had snow during our first few hours as we drove north from Fairfield. Undeterred, we  tossed our bags in the hotel room (the lovely Dancing Bears in East Glacier) and took off for Two Medicine Lake for fabulous snow photos.

• Next morning, we spent an almost balmy day driving north, watching a grizzly bear at close range for over an hour.

FLEXIBILITY is the key when traveling anywhere, particularly in the parks where road repair and critter movement can close roads.)  But make that part of the fun and be prepared to embrace the change and enjoy the surprises.

Flexibility and cultivation of the art of rolling with the punches worthy credos for life itself?

This kind of travel is relaxing, romantic and quality -- for conversation and closeness at the shared wonders!

We also took the lovely back roads most of the way from Livingston to Columbus, stopping off at the cemetery there to visit our ancestors' graves on a gorgeous fall afternoon.

AS I WRITE this, I hope you, dear readers, are not too far away to drive to one of our splendid national parks.

If you are an armchair traveler, get up, hit the computer and plan to book a trip for next season. Our parks are our national treasures. Off-season rates are available and the crowds are gone!

For lucky us, we're just minutes as the crow flies from our door in Beartooth country to Yellowstone's northern borders.

But each beloved national park has its own distinctive beauty and allure.

COMING SOON:  We're winding up our circuit tour of the three national parks closest to us.  Next up, Glacier National Park, the Fairfield Inn, Dancing Bears in East Glacier, and the elegant Barrister Bed and Breakfast in Helena.

Plus tips on traveling happily with family. Remember to explore, learn and live and check us out Wednesdays and weekends at: www.whereiscookie.com