Yellowstone Visit this spring

Hello all,
Planning a trip to Yellowstone around mid May to Mid June time frame for about 1 week to be there on the ground ( depends on work schd).
The plan is to fly into Jackson , rent a car and see the sights. I would rather drive from Ohio but time won't permit it, as I can only take 10 days off.

Time on ground in Jackson would be 7-8 days, Arrive late on a Monday, fly back the next week on a Wed. Looking for cheap but nice hotels. Good with Hiking some but not 24/7. Good with driving some.
Need Advice:
1. Suggestions on what to see how to budget time.
2. Cheap lodging in the area. Near the park?
3. Must see things and must do things in Yellowstone and that area.
4. Weather.
I planned a trip last year out west , the folks here on Road Trip America helped to make it a huge success and a wonder full time.
Thanks

Welcome back!

My husband and I were working on our own trip in this area. One thing we discovered: hotels are NOT cheap in this area at all. We were lucky to find space at One Horse Motel in West Yellowstone, MT, after trying for an in-the-park cabin in several places, several times. It was less than $100/night and appears to have good reviews. Another buddy on here had recommended Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone, but it was already fully booked for the dates we wanted.

In Jackson??? Even Motel 6 was about $180/night. We're going to leave West Yellowstone one morning, head for Grand Teton, and probably end up in Alpine, WY that night. It's far more affordable than anything we could find in Jackson.

BTW, you might want to take a look at this schedule of opening dates. Some things aren't open until Memorial Day!


Donna

I also just finished trying to plan a vacation in the Yellowstone area for June and finally gave up. Lodging, when you could find any that was closer than a two hour drive to any of the park's attractions, was prohibitively expensive. There are excellent reasons for this. The tourist season is very short - basically lodging proprietors have to make a full year's income in about three months. And lodging is limited - there are few towns close to Yellowstone, mostly it is surrounded by national forests and wilderness areas. So: High demand, Limited supply - the perfect recipe for high prices. If you're up to camping, however, the plethora of national forests works in your favor and you should check them out. But whatever you do, do it quickly, Yellowstone and everything around it books up early and it's already getting late.

AZBuck

The Evergreen has rooms available in the last week of May and first week of June, they are about $110.

You might pick up a few ideas for Yellowstone and the Tetons by scrolling through this report.

We stayed at the Moose Creek Inn in West Yellowstone and although the rooms were quite small, they were cosy, well furnished and clean. Having had a quick look, there are a couple rooms available from $125 towards the end of May. There are others available on the RTA reservations page.

The Lazy G is also a nice place to stay in West Yellowstone. The rooms come with a kitchen area which is an addon cost, but can save you restaurant money. A couple of things that haven't been mentioned is this will still be spring time in the Rockies. You could get heavy rain, or snow. The higher elevations in the park will probably still have snow on the ground, and the winters there are hard on the roads also. If you can hold off till mid June the weather will probably be better, but by then you may also run into construction delays.

WOW

Thanks for the advice gang, I had no idea the lodging was so much. Camping is out, my bones wont like that. Motel 6 for 180$ a night? OMG

Hmm, Any one gone there later in the year AUG--Sept? Any better? The short season + Supply/demand thing makes sense---unfortunately.

August is the peak of the tourist season, I'd expect prices to be even higher then!

If you can wait until at least the 2nd week of Sept., you might start seeing prices drop a bit. That's really when the summer tourism season in the US is over, as schools resume after Labor Day.

I have been to Yellowstone many times during July/Aug. Fortunately my sis&bil lived just over the Continental Divide on Henrys Lake, Id. so never had to worry about lodging. If you are thinking about changing times, I would start looking to book now! I can tell you it will be crowded, really crowded around the popular sites. As you head north, say up toward Lamar Valley the crowds will thin out some. You may also want to go on their website to see if they have road construction planned as to where you can expect delays.

To give you an idea, here are the rates and dates for the Evergreen Motel for an economy queen for 1 person:

Before May 15 - $55
May 15 - May 21 - $79
May 22 - May 31 - $106
June 1 - June 20 - $111
June 21 - Sept 20 - $119
Sept 21 - Sept 30 - $111
Oct 1 - Oct 14 - $90
Oct 15 - Oct 19 - $70
Oct 20 through fall - $59

You can click my link, then hit Book Now to check availability.

I have stayed there, and I highly recommend it. It's a renovated old style 50's motel, rooms are very small but comfortable and clean. The owners are a young couple, and are very friendly and accommodating.

I don't think you are going to find anything cheaper without staying in a dump.