Yellowstone and snow in Mid may

Hi
Im hoping to be in Yellowstone next May (around the 20th) for 3 nights as part of a round trip from Denver via Grand Teton NP heading back via Cody, Sheridan, Rapid City, Wall, Badlands NP. And hopefully taking in most of the sights along the way.

My question is regarding the Road conditions in Yellowstone at that time of year, If there is heavy snow do the major routes become impassable or are they ploughed regularily? Im from Ireland and we usually dont have very heavy snow such that the roads would be closed. Im worried about getting stuck in Yellowstone and missing out on parts of the rest of the trip.
Brian.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You do need to keep in mind that May is very much a month of transition for Yellowstone. Most of the park is unreachable by car until the end of April, but by the start of June, the park is pretty much fully open. While you certainly have a chance of seeing snow, and they could even temporarily close the roads if it gets bad, the bigger issue is that several roads will have not opened for the season yet, and several lodges/stores/service area will also likely still be closed during your trip.

Here's a look at the scheduled opening dates for the park roads, and here's when the parks stores/services/lodging facilities open.

If you are planning on spending more time around Badlands/Rapid City you could visit them on the way and come back via the Tetons. Although unpredictable, generally speaking the nearer to June you arrive in Yellowstone, then more of the park will be open for 'summer activities'.

The NP Rangers are kept well up to date with forecasts and any risk of a late winter storm, so whereas it is possible you could face some disruption, it is much less likely you would be 'stranded' for days on end in Yellowstone, if at all, as long as you keep updated.

If you have any other questions about your itinerary etc, just ask.

Thanks for the welcome!

I had thought about doing it the other way round.
ie Denver -> Badlands-> Yellowstone-> Denver. Ive got exactly 7 days to do this. Myself and my daughter are arriving in Denver on 18th May next, and then picking up my wife and older son back in Denver on 26th. After they arrive we are going south but basically will do Gunnison, Durango, Mesa Verde and back through Moab. ( havent planned anything in detail yet but visited Moab 2 years ago and defintely will return this time)

My current itinerary for the first week is:
Fri: arrive Denver Airport 5.30pm, get car, drive to hotel in Cheyenne
Sat: Drive Cheyenne to Dubois
Sun: -> Grand Teton -> Yellowstone:lodging at Old Faithful
Mon: Yellowstone: lodging at Old Faithful
Tue: Yellowstone : Overnight at Cody
Wed: Cody-> DevilsTower -> Rapid City
Thur: Mt Rushmore, Jewel Cave,(+-Crazy horse) -> Wall
Fri: Missile Bunker at Wall, Badlands NP, -> Martin SD
Sat: Martin -> Denver Airport for pickup 5.30pm

What does anyone think of that route?

The problem with doing it in reverse is my time in Yellowstone would only move forward by 3 days since its the same week!

I am considering moving the whole trip back ( ie arriving 25th May)

Trying to get to Cheyenne on your first night is pretty bad idea. Trying to do a 100+ mile drive immediately after coming after spending hours upon hours on an international flight, not to mention time in an airport on top of that, is generally not a great idea. With a 530 arrival, its going to be dark outside by the time you get through customs and get your car, and its going to be about 9pm by the time you arrive at a hotel. Throw in the 7 hour time difference from Ireland, and you'll be trying to drive when your body thinks it is 2am-4am.

Is there a chance you could have your family fly into Salt Lake City? If you did that, you could reverse your trip, pick them up, and continue to Moab without nearly the amount of backtracking your current plans will involve.

Whereas there may still be snow on some roads in Yellowstone, and even close some, the great benefit of visiting Yellowstone in May is the wildlife. During the last week in May 2009, my visit highlights were an hours old moose with its mother, bison calf everywhere, and a prolifiration of wildlife with their young all around.

It's swings and roundabouts. You may miss seeing some areas of the park, but these could well be made-up for by great wildlife experiences.

The chances of getting stranded would be slim indeed.

Lifey

Yes im aware of the tiredness factor! but nearly always end up doing this.
Itd be very long drive the second day otherwise. ( ie Denver -> Dubois)
?

Also Cody or Sheridan for the overnight after Yellowstone?
We were interested in going to the Rodeo in Cody but now i see that the season doesnt start until June. Hence my question above.

Denver to Dubois is a fairly long day, but its certainly not unmanageable. It's less than 500 miles. To me, driving 8-9 hours when fully rested is a whole lot easier than trying to drive 2-3 hours, at night, when you've been up and traveling for nearly 24 hours straight and your body will be demanding rest. Honestly, staying in Denver really seems like a no brainer to me.

Actually, I wouldn't shoot for Dubois either, I'd aim instead for Jackson, which will mean a shorter drive to Tetons with less backtracking - which is important with your limited time.

I guess saving even more time by picking up the family in SLC isn't an option?

MidwestMichael thanks!
Some more questions:
OK If I was to stay in the Denver area - where? ( would like to clear the urban area at least so somewhere north on I-25) any recommendations?

Also Denver->Yellowstone via Grand Teton thru either Dubois or Jackson is showing about the same time in Google directions. Which route is more scenic?
when you say "less backtracking" can you give more detail

BTW yes the rest of the family flying into SLC is not a runner
- its 2 stops from Ireland whereas Denver is only 1, change in JFK(delta) or Newark(continental) and they want to keep things as short and as simple as possible!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nairb356

OK If I was to stay in the Denver area - where? ( would like to clear the urban area at least so somewhere north on I-25) any recommendations?

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I understand that. I'd look at the area around Longmont CO, which has a pretty large selection of motels, most of which are right off I-25.

Quote:

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Also Denver->Yellowstone via Grand Teton thru either Dubois or Jackson is showing about the same time in Google directions. Which route is more scenic?
when you say "less backtracking" can you give more detail

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It would depend upon where you are defining as Grand Teton - since the park itself covers a huge area. Coming in via Dubois means that you'd be entering the park in the middle to north end of the park, and you'd have to backtrack to see the southern half of the park and then go back north to Yellowstone. If you come in via Jackson, you drive through the entire park, and it would be a shorter drive to places like Jenny Lake and views of the actual mountain named "Grand Teton" (there are about a dozen Mountain peaks within the park.)

Quote:

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- its 2 stops from Ireland whereas Denver is only 1, change in JFK(delta) or Newark(continental) and they want to keep things as short and as simple as possible!

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Out of curiosity, I did a quick search and found a couple of options for a one stop flight from Dublin to SLC. Delta makes the trip via JFK and Aer Lingus goes through Chicago (using its partner United for the connection.) The price doesn't seem to be much more than going through Denver either.

Another option north of Denver is Loveland - there are several hotels right off I-25. I've stayed in the Best Western and the Super 8, and they are both acceptable. The BW is right at the exit, the Super 8 is about 3 miles west. It's about an hour to there from DIA, and Fort Collins is another 15 minutes, there are plenty of hotels there too. I wouldn't go any farther north than that.

Thanks all,
I have decided to take your advise and not drive far after the flight.
I'll go for a hotel at either Loveland or Longmont, had a look on Google earth and they are both very convenient and have restaurants nearby.

Will double check re SLC ( but we are flying from Shannon (SNN) not DUblin and I think that may be the difference in 1 or two hops)

Starting from Shannon, Delta still does make the one stop trip to SLC via JFK. That is probably your only option, but prices look to be similar on first glance.

Any talk of Shannon brings back quite the memories of a trip to Europe I took in the mid-90s. Our plane broke down and we made an unscheduled landing in Shannon and were stuck there for about 48 hours before we finally got to head from home....

MidwestMichael - I can think of better places than shannon to get marooned for 48 hours!:)

Talked to the family over the weekend and they want to fly into/out of Denver so I guess thats settled!

Now need to get to planning the second half of the trip
Thanks for all the help so far!

another question - stay in Cody or Sheridan overnight?

I don't think it makes all that much difference - other than how much time you want to spend in Yellowstone vs. the rest of your trip. Since you shouldn't need reservations at this time of year, I'd play it by ear.

OK If I understand you, ill not need reservations in either Cody/Sheridan and just make up my mind on the day?

That early in the year you should be ok without reservations. If it was into the summer, then Cody could be difficult to find a room without prebooking, but I personally would just wing when traveling in May.