Best time to visit?
 

Hi from Gibraltar

I am planning to visit Yellowstone , Yosemite etc. this year.

I am allergic to children;)

When would be the best time to visit

I don't want to dig my way through snow, but would prefer few crowds.

Thanks in advance

Fred

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Before the end of May or after the first Monday in September. By November there is the risk of snow.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

I would go with that but from last week in August. Most schools should be back, but you still run the risk of those kids not school age yet or the home school crowd. Both beautiful areas, enjoy. You might need a sweater and light jacket in Yellowstone as it can get chilly even though the sun is shining.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

If you can broaden your scope you should visit Mono Lake and also Bodie Ghost Town, (perfectly preserved Gold Rush Town, amazing, non touristy), which are not too far.


If you have the time you could also tour Death Valley and Las Vegas.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

You need to visit Yosemite before the end of May. If you wait until after summer, the waterfalls will be dry.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Most national parks, after April vacation, but before 1st May...least busy, usually free but things will be opening up for holiday season.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Most American kids are back in school after U.S. Labor Day which is the first Monday in September. We went to Yellowstone last September. Very few children about, but there were still a fair amount of tourists. Do note that it is next to impossible to get lodging in the Park. We spent four days in West Yellowstone and then three days in Gardiner. We flew into Salt Lake City where we rented a car. We overnighted in Pocatello Idaho going up. Drove through Grand Teton going down and overnighted in a small town south of Jackson.

Yellowstone does get snowed in and is essentially closed other than snowmobile access.

BTW, a legal scholar has noted a portion of Yellowstone is "Loophole Land."

As for Yosemite, the same thing about kids. It has been quite some time since I was last in Yosemite, but we stayed in Wawonna near the south Entrance to the Park. We made day trips into the Valley. On that trip we drove from LA up to Fresno and hung a right, so to speak.

BTW, I wonder if BOTH Yellowstone and Yosemite in one trip may a tad too much.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Yellowstone is between 7,000 and 11,000. When I visited there at the end of May in 2012, we arrived into Cody in a blizzard and it snowed a couple feet for the first 2 or 3 days we were there, some of the higher elevation roads were also closed due to snow. Memorial weekend is traditionally the opening weekend for Yellowstone, but it's not for the faint- hearted, and considering it was a holiday weekend it wasn't actually that busy.

Last year we went to Yosemite in August, it was heaving with bus loads of tourists. Definitely won't do that again.

I would suggested September being a better time, the schools are back, most of the tourists are gone, and it's still too early for snow in Yellowstone, plus Moose are more prevalent (according to the rangers we talked to) and the Elk will have their full antlers. Yosemite is a lower elevation, so weather is not so much of a concern as it is in Yellowstone.

Both very beautiful and worth the visit when ever you end up going.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Thanks to everyone for your input

I have just booked flights for the last 3 weeks in May

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Check out the weather conditions quite carefully. This has been a particularly dry and hot winter.

You do not give your plans, budget or style of travel. You need not do that. However, I have found that many people are not truly aware of how far apart things are in the western US. Yellowstone is quite isolated with Salt Lake City is nearest airport and it is a five hour drive away from West Yellowstone. The nearest airport with commerical service is in Jackson which is at the south end of Grand Teton National Park.

Yellowstone is a life-experience. You may also want to consider a visit to Sequoia National Park, Crater Lake or the Grand Canyon.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

Thanks S Folinsky
We intend travelling by car.

However we do appreciate the distances involved and the problems weather can create. Therefore we are not booking anything in advance and will just see how we get on. If we don't achieve all of our whish list then well, we will have to return :D. I don't think that will be too much of a hardship other than the Bank Managers objections.

We did a similar trip last September around New England onto Montreal and Toronto then back via Niagara and south of Lake Ontario.

If any of you are unfamiliar with Gibraltar the I must say my country is twice the size of Central Park :ohmy:

It really does prepare one for the USA :rofl:

Re: Best time to visit?
 

We flew into Cody, WY... it was still several hours of driving, but worked out for us.

Re: Best time to visit?
 

I've spent time in both New England and Western New York. If you can get it, I highly recommend Ken Burns' documentary National Parks. What happened to Niagara Falls is among the reasons for the creation of Yellowstone and Yosemite as national parks. It will give you feel of the history of the places.

The drive to Yellowstone through Idaho was pretty amazing and seeing the evidence of past vulcanism. Once in the Yellowstone Caldera, it wasn't too long before mouth dropped and we went "wow!"

Enjoy.