Yellowstone or Grand Canyon?

[TheVBs]

We are only just now talking about where we'd like to vacation this year. We went to WDW last year and will be going again in 2013. But this year we're thinking of an "out west" vacation. Could that be any more vague? The obvious two have come up, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. We would be driving from Michigan. We are completely clueless on both destinations. I'm only just now looking into them. I would love to hear any input from anyone who has experienced either of these destinations!

[MNNHFLTX]

Both national parks are extraordinary, but I would recommend the Grand Canyon over Yellowstone, just because I think it's a place that all Americans should see at least once. It's breathtaking! If you do go there, you need to finalize your plans as soon as possible if you want to stay on-site or near the park. Most park lodgings fill up months in advance. When we went to the Grand Canyon, we drove up from Sedona and spent about 1/2-day on the South Rim, then drove up to the North Rim and stayed in the lodge up there (actually in a cabin near the lodge, as the lodge itself has no accommodations). Very rustic, but absolutely amazing--our cabin was situated so that when you walked out the door you were literally 20 feet from the hiking trail along the rim! The North Rim is quieter and less touristy than the South Rim and we preferred it, especially out on the trails.

[dnickels]

What types of things would you and your family be most interested in? Yellowstone of course is known for its thermal features and animal-watching while the Grand Canyon is better known for the grand sweeping vistas. A preference for one or the other of those might lean you in one direction.

[Altair]

There will be less driving and more to see going to Yellowstone. You can hit Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills area, and Devil's Tower.

Grand Canyon is beautiful, but it can be very conjested in Summer.

[c&d]

Having been to both, I would choose Yellowstone. There was just so much more to do and see there. The hiking was great, the wildlife amazing, the thermal features, the fishing. If you do a search on Yellowstone, I posted on our trip there. We spent 9 days and we didn't see all there was.

[diz_girl]

I've never been to either, but both (and most every national park that is relatively accessible) are in our vacation plans when the boys get a little older.

That being said, I plan to visit Yellowstone before the Grand Canyon (although Glacier is first on the list). I put Yellowstone before the Grand Canyon because the Grand Tetons are nearby and Glacier isn't too far either, so you can touch on at least two parks in one trip.

But no matter where you go, don't forget the smaller national parks and monuments that are in the vicinity or on the way, which many people overlook and are real gems.

[NJGIRL]

We have been to the Grand Canyon and agree that every American should see it once in their life time if possible. There is so much to do there. We also combined a trip to Las Vegas at the same time.

We are going to Yellowstone in August and can't wait. I am planning the trip with a combined stop at Jackson Hole. It seems like there is alot to do in Yellowstone also.

You may have a problem at this point with going to either spot. I recommend staying inside of the parks to get the whole experience. One company runs all of the hotels within the national parks. These rooms go on sale in May a year in advance. So rooms for the summer of 2012 went on sale May 2011. There may be nothing left inside the parks because they do sell out. Check the web site for room availability before you spend too much time on a trip that might not happen. I know because this happened to us.


At the Grand Canyon we stayed at the El Tovar on the South Rim. The hotel was amazing (so old fashioned and charming). The hotel overlooked the canyon so as soon as you walked outside you were at the rim wall. Elk were on the hotel grounds every morning and at night!

We are staying at the Old faithful Inn at Yellowstone & have a geyser view. I am hoping that we like it as much as the El Tovar.

One thing to remember is that Yellowstone does not have TV or internet. Wanted you to know so you can prepare the kids.

[c&d]

We worried about the no TV and internet at Yellowstone with DS and it was no problem. He didn't miss it at all, he was so excited about everything he was seeing outside. When we got back to our room at night we were so tired we would just fall asleep.

[Janmac]

We have visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon twice because it's less crowded, and since it's much higher than the south rim, has cooler weather and prettier scenery. One of my favorite Park Ranger quotes came from the north rim visitor center when a man hurried in and asked one of the rangers what he would do if he had an hour to spend at the north rim. His response: "Weep".

Yellowstone is HUGE. It's like WDW - you should not plan to try to see everything. You can easily spend several days here without even going to every area. There is a lot to see at Yellowstone. There are a few threads here that give good info about sightseeing around Yellowstone.

As you are thinking of driving from Michigan getting to either the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone can take several days. This might factor into which park you want to visit. Your route would, as well. As another poster mentioned, you will pass many other parks along the way, either to Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon.

And as another poster pointed out, you may not be able to get into the Grand Canyon at this late date. Perhaps a cancellation at the north rim might be your best bet there. It's easier to stay near the park at Yellowstone.

One other factor would be the timing of your trip. We usually visited in June, which can be quite chilly at Yellowstone (and Glacier). One morning the thermometer was reading 38 degrees.

Jan

[TheVBs]

Thank you for all the responses! I know we're really pushing our luck trying to plan for either location at this late date. They're both places we want to see as a family and we're interested in the things to see and stop at on the way to both.

Originally, I was thinking Yellowstone because my sister and brother in law will be moving to Montana this year. But I didn't realize they're not expecting to move until Nov., so that changed everything.

We have two girls 11 & 7. DD11 is a nature nut! DD7 is totally a city girl but did have fun hiking trails at the state park we stayed at in Arkansas a couple years ago. I'm tempted to lean toward Yellowstone because of how much there is to do there. I had always wanted to stay at the Old Faithful Inn (or is it Lodge?), but I can live with staying somewhere else if we decide to go for it this year. I read over the other Yellowstone threads and staying in the Grand Tetons (if that's even possible at this late date) sounds like a good alternative.

DH is leaning towards the Grand Canyon. He thinks it will take less planning and is interested in seeing the touristy things along Route 66.

I'm kind of stuck in limbo here!! All I can think to do is start researching both. But, it feels overwhelming and I worry about how much time it will take. I'm half considering suggesting something else, except that I don't have any other good ideas at the moment!

[NJGIRL]

I had always wanted to stay at the Old Faithful Inn (or is it Lodge?), but I can live with staying somewhere else if we decide to go for it this year. I read over the other Yellowstone threads and staying in the Grand Tetons (if that's even possible at this late date) sounds like a good alternative.

DH is leaning towards the Grand Canyon. He thinks it will take less planning and is interested in seeing the touristy things along Route 66.

There is an Old Faithful Inn & an Old Faithful Lodge. Go on the National park web site and you will be able to check on lodging availability for both national parks.

With both trips you will have alot of planning. As far as Rt 66 sightseeing, I was not impressed at all. BUT we were only on it for a short time frame. Maybe other parts of Rt 66 are more interesting and others can help you out with that.

[NJGIRL]

One of my favorite Park Ranger quotes came from the north rim visitor center when a man hurried in and asked one of the rangers what he would do if he had an hour to spend at the north rim. His response: "Weep".

I love this....and as corny as it is, it is so true.

I have a suggestion for you if Yellowstone & the GC don't work out. How about Niagara Falls? There is a ton of stuff to do there. You could easily spend 5 days there if you visit both sides and do all of the touring stuff. There is even a indoor water park. They have firewoorks at night at least two times a week during the summer. There is even a street with all kinds of family night life. There is A Great Wolf Lodge in the area also. With NF you don't have to plan the trip so much in advance. It is a much easier trip to plan. It is also a place that everyone should try to experience. It is just wonderful.

[Janmac]

NJGirl's comment about Niagara reminded me of Mammoth Cave. Have you been there? (Hmm, we've been here twice, too.)

Traveling in the west can be daunting even without trying to plan a visit at one of the premiere national parks, with all that entails (lack of lodging availability, crowds, and distance).

One major tip, when traveling in many of the western states, plan your gas stops! Sometimes the gas stations are so far apart, you're wondering just where empty actually is for your vehicle. When we travel west, while DH is fueling the vehicle, I'm looking at our route for the next likely fueling place. Sometimes headwinds can wreak havoc with your mileage, so refueling at half a tank has become a habit, as well.

Back to Mammoth Cave - there are plenty of regular touristy things outside the park; DH and our youngest grandson had a fun afternoon doing the go carts, etc.

Inside the park there are several ranger led programs that are fun. There're the usual cave tours - check out nps.gov/maca (for mammoth cave). And one tour we enjoyed was the lantern tour, in a non-electrified section of the cave. Very different. No crawling, but there was some stooping. Stoop walking?

Our two youngest grandkids, at maybe 9 and 11, went on a kids' only tour which involved knee pads and a hard hat, provided by the park. A perk of the tour is that the kids got to keep their hard hats. The kids get to crawl through some narrow - and dirty! - areas of the cave. They both thoroughly enjoyed this adventure.

I highly recommend a program at the various National Parks and Monuments called the Junior Ranger program for your DD11. She will be sad to learn that this program is for kids up to 12. You can read about it at most national parks/monument websites. It involves doing some activities to earn a badge or patch, depending on where you are. Our grandkids loved doing this.

Mammoth Cave is an awesome place, above and below ground with several lodging choices in the park and right outside, too. It would be a good entry into the national park system before you venture out west.

Jan

[Altair]

One major tip, when traveling in many of the western states, plan your gas stops! Sometimes the gas stations are so far apart, you're wondering just where empty actually is for your vehicle. When we travel west, while DH is fueling the vehicle, I'm looking at our route for the next likely fueling place. Sometimes headwinds can wreak havoc with your mileage, so refueling at half a tank has become a habit, as well.

If you are a AAA member, you can get "Trip Tik" map booklets to help you plan your stops. You can make them on-line, but the best ones are from the offices. You tell them your route and they build a flip booklet of maps for you. They are larger scale and show which exits have gas, food, and lodging available. They make it very easy to plan ahead.

Gas availablility can be a problem in the West.

[TheVBs]

Thank you again for all the input! I have to admit, I've been dragging my feet about looking into this. It seems overwhelming.

NJGirl, which is the one everyone wants to stay at, the Old Faithful Inn or Lodge?

Thanks for the suggestions of other destinations as well! We were in Niagara Falls for a couple of days when DD11 was only 3. We've thought of going back sometime. We've also batted around the idea of a Mammoth Cave trip, but I had a hard time figuring out what all there was to do there. Granted, I can't recall how much effort I actually made because this was a couple years ago when we were in the same "where should we go?" situation.

I've also been thinking of the Black Hills area, I've heard some good things about that, and peeked at another thread about it.

I'll tell you, if we don't come up with something concrete in the next week or so, I'm tempted to just pick something from a hat!

[Altair]

Old Faithful Inn is the historic building. Be aware, some of the rooms do not have bathrooms in them. You have to share one in the hallway.

[NJGIRL]

We are staying at the Old Faithful Inn. Dave is right......be careful whichever hotel you decide on because not all have private bathrooms. I made sure our room had our own bathroom.

[diz_girl]

Another suggestion would be to try Colorado. It's not as far as WY or AZ, but there's lots to see.

There is -
Rocky Mountain N.P.
Great Sand Dunes N.P. & Preserve
Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P.
Mesa Verde N.P.
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Colorado National Monument

Less scenic, but interesting are -
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Hovenweep National Monument
Yucca House National Monument

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here are two vacations that we took, both of them camping, but you could probably substitute hotels (we have pop-up camper).

Coming from Minnesota:

Trip one (Grand Canyon trip) we drove day one out to Colorado, stayed in KOA and then day to we stopped and stayed in the Utah town of Moab, where Arches Nat'l Park is located. From this point we explored Arches and Canyonland Nat'l Parks. We then went on to Zion National Park, from which we did Zion and Bryce Canyons. We then proceeded to South Rim of the Grand Canyon. On our return we hit southern Colorado and stayed at Mesa Verde National Park. So a long trip, about 2 weeks, but we hit many Nat'l parks as you can see.

Trip two we did last summer. Drove to Custer State Park in the Black Hills and camped at Stockade Campground. After 4 nights we drove from their on to Yellowstone for 5 nights. We didn't do the Tetons on this trip, but we have done Yellowstone/Tetons before and would recommend it.

Trip 3 - we drove 2 days out to Glacier, stayed 4 nights in Glacier then drove up to Canada where we split 8 nights between Jasper and Banff. Without doubt, my favorite trip of the three.

I'm not even sure how you'd compare Grand Canyon to Yellowstone, all you can do is research what there is to see and do and go with your gut feel.

Best of luck.

[LVT]

Yellowstone is still possible. There are a lot of hotels around the park. We tend to see a lot of animals there.
It is huge:
1 you cannot see it all so there is need for a commando mode like WDW
2 there are distinctly different areas so it is like seeing several national parks