OT/ Just got back from 9 days Grand Teton/Yellowstone/Glacier

R

robyn6002

Cathlete
Hey everyone!

Wow.. What an AMAZING vacation. Last night we got home from an AMAZING 9 days in WY/MT. We did lots of hiking/river rafting/horseback riding/ AMAZING scenery/ Saw lots of animals 3 bears (1 grizzly), a mother moose and her little baby, lots of elk, bison, beaver, loads of birds (especially bald eagles).

It's is just amazingly beautiful! The tetons still had a lot of snow on them, the jagged peaks are amazing. Yellowstone is so diverse, tons of wildlife, the geysers, paint ponts, grand canyon, mamouth. Glacier/Waterton was amazing too. Going to the sun road is quite the experience - SCARY - it was closed the first day - because of rock fall- when we made it to the top it was hailing and in the clouds- and in some spots 1 - 1 1/2 lanes and HUGE drop off! We did loads of hikes - took the boat and went for hikes... funny i thought driving it couldnt get any more beautiful but amazing what a few mile walk brings you too!

Anyone else been there....

I would SOOOO love to retire to Jackson Hole ---- alas toooooo much $$$ (the one time being a single mom is a huge disadvantage ;)) -

Hope to hear someone who has also been there and loved it!

Cathe definetely made the hiking doable ;)
 
I love the Tetons and want to go back there and hike and backpack for at least a week. But Glacier National Park is my favourite place on the planet, truly. Nothing restores peace and tranquility to my soul than camping in a pine forest, hiking through Alpine fields to camp higher, above the Mosquito line!!, then climb up to mountain ridges and stay there for a picnic and a fabulous view. If I had my way, I would be heading there with my boots, backpack and tent and husband again this August for a wo week trip, but unfortunately, we both have too much work and a necessary, family obligation party in London to attend so I have to head East this Summer, not West. It will be the second year in a row I have not managed to get out West: how will I stand it? My happiest days in the last 5 years were spent on the trails in Glacier and Tetons......and there'ss so much more for us to do there, we just scratched the surface last time. I could stay there for a month......

Next year head to the Cascade range in Washington State and visit Mt. Baker, Shuksan, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams (a real easy climb, a snow stomp basically), Mt. Hood and the whole range....August is the best because all trails will be open and all snow will have melted and the mosquito population will be lower than it is in other months. Where there's melting water, there are mosquitoes.......

Glad you had a blast!!!

Clare
 
Clare - If you love Glacier National Park - get thee to Alaska.

I went to Alaska in 1998, drove from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay (on the Arctic Ocean). We camped and hiked everywhere we stopped. Denali is fabulous, so is the Brooks Range further north.

That Alaska trip has "ruined" some of my recent visits to the parks in the lower 48, including Glacier/Waterton last year because the diversity of wildlife is not as broad and the immense spanses of un-open land in Alaska just boggle the mind. Alaska was by far one of the best hiking/outdoor vacations I have ever experienced. I even preferred Alaska over Hawaii.

Although, there are many places left for me to go yet so I will wait and see, what my final "favorite" is.

Michelle
 
Funny you mention that Michelle! Alaska is the last place I really want to go. No desire to go to Europe (I dont find cities a vacation at all).

Your trip sounds awesome. Unfortunately with my oldest starting college this fall and my son a sophmore in HS... that trip is going to have to wait a while.

Plus I hear there are like 4 guys for every woman too :)

SO I can start planning now... what time of year did you go?

I think I'll always love Glacier/ Waterton. At nite I like to go to a village for restaurants and love to do the shopping thing after a day of hiking!

Did you go to the national parks?

Thxx!
 
I went in early August, weather is nice and mosquitos weren't bad at all. We went with a tour group called "Camp Alaska" that does car-camping trips with a van.

We had about 9 other people in the van and it was a 10-day trip from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay. We hiked in Denali, the Brooks Range adn everywhere in between. We also took trips to Manley Hot Springs to soak, saw Fairbanks, and took a boat ride to check out salmon wheels. It was a great experience. You can hike at midnight without a flashlight because it doesn't get really dark so lots of long days.

We saw every kind of animal possible.

We also spent 2 days in Katmai National Park, which is grizzly bear central. They actually have a viewing deck over the river and you watch the grizzlies munch on salmon from about 25 feet away. It is a little intimidating when it is time to walk the trail back and they stop you because a grizzly is napping on the trail up ahead.

I tell everyone to go to Alaska - it is great.

I also enjoyed Glacier/Waterton. We hiked to Sperry Glacier during the wildfires last year. The fire service had evacuated the park but somehow missed our backpacking group (even though we were registered) so we had the trail to the glacier for ourselves, it was amazing.

Michelle
 
Can I ask a question? How did you plan for this trip? How did you know/decide where to go? I am originally from the west (CA) and have spent time in Colorado, just not in WY/MT. Sounds like my kind of trip. Hiking is my #1 passion!
 
Hey there...

Personally i am totally into the planning drives my kids nuts!!! But I end out being online untile LATE at nite for about 3 nites!

Sites that helped

Gorp - http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/wy/hik_gt.htm
www.nps.gov - check by geography

Not sure if you camp or stay in hotels. We don't camp. For hotels I check travel advisor - I think.

We did spend one nite in the national park - glacier --- OVERPRICED - I found online they are repairing at many glaciers so we skipped that too. We ended out spending a few nites in Waterton Parks - AB/CA... Very nice and nice quaint town.

Grand Teton is near Jackson - really nice town but very expensive. They have a few places in grand teton - colter bay (we ended out eating there - they have a cafeteria place)

If you white water raft - we really liked Jackson Hole whitewater rafting...
 
I love the national parks of the west!! I've been to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Gunnison, Glacier, Muir Woods, Sequoia, Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Zion, Yosemite, Petrified Forest...am I forgetting any?? We'd still love to see more of Glacier and then see Banf, a few others in Canada, and then hit Acadia out east and then the Everglades in Florida. So much to see, so little time!!!!

You're making me want to take another vacation....or retire!! If only I could win the lottery!!! Maybe the winner of that 240+ million can consider me a charity and send some cash my way, lol!
 
Thanks for the info! We had wanted to go to Maine this year, but kid schedules didn't work. We are going to Pisgah National Forest (near Asheville) for some good hiking. Staying in a hotel but we have also camped. The kids and DH have white water rafted in Colorado - I haven't, is it scary?
 
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