Montana in Early May

[TiggerTrigger]

Thanks for the hotel suggestions. I'll check them out. I think the Travelodge & Super 8 are the hotels DH will be working at, but we don't have to stay at either of them.

As for the restaurant, as long as the theme is good, we're not that concerned with the menu. We'll mix in a few restaurants that we choose for food quality alone, but we're mostly look for fun, quintessential Montana themes. That restaurant looks perfect.

I know there's a Travelodge in Gardiner. I think I considered staying there on one of our visits but they were sold out. I think that's the trip where we ended up in West Yellowstone instead. We also like staying in the park, but it's expensive and you're really paying for location and getting to say you stayed inside the park over anything else. I was digging around on the Xanterra website and it looks like there are rooms available at both the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Old Faithful Inn (I guess I misread the opening dates or I'm misjudging your dates). It is an experience staying inside the park. My parents have stayed at the lodge and I've stayed at the inn. It might be worth considering, even if just for a night, for the experience alone. If the Inn happens to be open, they also usually have a free tour going over the history of the inn.

https://secure.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/booking/lodging

The restaurant has that fun rustic western vibe. Huckleberry is the flavor I most associate with that region. It's usually in desserts, so it was a fun treat to have it as sauce. It looks like it was served with the cheese curds we'd ordered as well as a topping on my burger.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I just wanted to note that you referenced a “quick drive” through Yellowstone. It is a massive park, and with bison road jams, it can be slow moving at times. You shouldn’t have people road jams in may, but it’s still a big park. The lower loop fully opens May 10 but the upper loop does not fully open until May 24. (The section from Tower Fall to Canyon is the last to open).

For what it’s worth, Yellowstone is amazing and truly worth a visit. There is a lot to see, with a lot of it visible from the car (the bison will literally be in the roadway with you) and a lot of beautiful geothermal features easily accessible from the boardwalks.

Poor choice of words on my part. To clarify, we don't plan to make a lot of lengthy stops.

Oh and I highly highly recommend the GuideAlong app. If you download the Yellowstone tour to your phone (prior to getting to Yellowstone since cell service is very spotty), the app uses GPS to tell you about different things in the park as you drive - including history, how/why the geological features work, different stories, what is worth getting out of your car and seeing, and where everything is. It is absolutely worth the money.

We'll definitely download the app. It sounds perfect for us. Thanks

 

[tarheelmjfan]

In Bozeman, I stayed at the Comfort Suites Airport-University. It was brand new at the time and a step up from any other Comfort Suites I've been to. But if work is paying for the hotel, there are options from most of the national chains. For restaurants, Copper: whiskey Bar and Grill was my favorite. The downtown area is easy to drive to and has free parking, so you can stay most anywhere and have good restaurant access.

In Gardiner, I stayed at the Absaroka Lodge. The rooms were basic, but everything was clean, and you had a view of the river. The Park Hotel Yellowstone is probably the best hotel in town, but we were there over a holiday, and it was well out of my budget. There aren't a lot of restaurants in town, but Iron Horse Bar and Grill was good.

Thanks for the suggestions. The more options to check out the better.

I know there's a Travelodge in Gardiner. I think I considered staying there on one of our visits but they were sold out. I think that's the trip where we ended up in West Yellowstone instead. We also like staying in the park, but it's expensive and you're really paying for location and getting to say you stayed inside the park over anything else. I was digging around on the Xanterra website and it looks like there are rooms available at both the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Old Faithful Inn (I guess I misread the opening dates or I'm misjudging your dates). It is an experience staying inside the park. My parents have stayed at the lodge and I've stayed at the inn. It might be worth considering, even if just for a night, for the experience alone. If the Inn happens to be open, they also usually have a free tour going over the history of the inn.

https://secure.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/booking/lodging

The restaurant has that fun rustic western vibe. Huckleberry is the flavor I most associate with that region. It's usually in desserts, so it was a fun treat to have it as sauce. It looks like it was served with the cheese curds we'd ordered as well as a topping on my burger.

You make staying in the park sound very enticing. I'll look into it.

 

[wabbott]

Even if you don't stay in the park, be sure and visit the Old Faithful Inn. It is a grand piece of architecture that is something to behold. Don't rush through it, take an hour or two to sit and soak it up. If Teddy Roosevelt were to walk through the lobby, it wouldn't be out of place at all.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/lodgings/hotel/old-faithful-inn/

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Even if you don't stay in the park, be sure and visit the Old Faithful Inn. It is a grand piece of architecture that is something to behold. Don't rush through it, take an hour or two to sit and soak it up. If Teddy Roosevelt were to walk through the lobby, it wouldn't be out of place at all.

https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/lodgings/hotel/old-faithful-inn/

We're currently discussing spending a night there. If not, we'll definitely plan to have a meal there & spend some time touring it.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You make staying in the park sound very enticing. I'll look into it.

It's something we enjoy, but I know others who think it's enough to just see the historic hotels and move on. At the very least, it can add some convenience if you decide it's for you.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We had decided to stay at Old Faithful Inn, until I realized the room I'd feel comfortable charging the company for didn't have a private bathroom. That's a deal breaker for us. Any suggestions for a different in park option that doesn't avg. $400+ per night on the weekend, but has a good view &/or special atmosphere that is unique to Yellowstone? (We want a private bathroom & at least a double bed.) If there aren't any other special options, we'll find something outside the park.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We stayed in the older part of the Old Faithful Inn and I would never do it again. The best I could say for it was that it was "historic". We stayed in one of the only rooms that had a bathroom. It was originally a bridal suite and I felt sorry for the bride. Luxury in the early part of the 20th century wasn't what it was cracked up to be!

There are cheaper rooms and much better rooms that are still in a wing of the Old Faithful Inn. Like any modern hotel, they have their own bathrooms. If I were to do it again, that's where I would stay.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We stayed in the older part of the Old Faithful Inn and I would never do it again. The best I could say for it was that it was "historic". We stayed in one of the only rooms that had a bathroom. It was originally a bridal suite and I felt sorry for the bride. Luxury in the early part of the 20th century wasn't what it was cracked up to be!

There are cheaper rooms and much better rooms that are still in a wing of the Old Faithful Inn. Like any modern hotel, they have their own bathrooms. If I were to do it again, that's where I would stay.

I'm guessing you were in the rooms in the original main structure (old house). When we stayed at OFI, we were in one of the newer wings attached to the original structure. Our wing extended off from the gift shop on the right side of the lobby. Those wings have traditional/modern hotel style rooms. They've updated the bedding since we stayed, but our OFI room looked a lot like this.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We had decided to stay at Old Faithful Inn, until I realized the room I'd feel comfortable charging the company for didn't have a private bathroom. That's a deal breaker for us. Any suggestions for a different in park option that doesn't avg. $400+ per night on the weekend, but has a good view &/or special atmosphere that is unique to Yellowstone? (We want a private bathroom & at least a double bed.) If there aren't any other special options, we'll find something outside the park.

That's too bad. If it didn't have a bathroom, it was likely one of the "old house" rooms in the original structure. They're really popular options because they have that log cabin vibe. The newer wings in the OFI have traditional rooms with full bathrooms, but I'm guessing those aren't available. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge looked like it was going to be open. If rooms are available, I believe those have full baths as well as that's a much newer structure.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

That's too bad. If it didn't have a bathroom, it was likely one of the "old house" rooms in the original structure. They're really popular options because they have that log cabin vibe. The newer wings in the OFI have traditional rooms with full bathrooms, but I'm guessing those aren't available. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge looked like it was going to be open. If rooms are available, I believe those have full baths as well as that's a much newer structure.

Thanks for the reply. After checking again today, it appears we're not going to stay in the park. As you know, the options are very limited this time of year. Oh well, I'm sure we'll enjoy Gardiner.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Thanks for the reply. After checking again today, it appears we're not going to stay in the park. As you know, the options are very limited this time of year. Oh well, I'm sure we'll enjoy Gardiner.

At least you should still be able to go inside and see the common areas of the lodge. The lobby area is pretty cool and you can really see how it was a big inspiration factor for WDW's Wilderness Lodge.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Once again, I'm hoping for planning help for a last minute trip. This time it's a trip to Montana. (This is assuming there's not a last minute change. ) We're planning to fly into Bozeman, unless there's a better option. We'll be spending time there & traveling to Butte, Yellowstone, Livingston & Gardiner. We're considering using Bozeman as a home base, but may move closer to Livingston, Gardiner & Yellowstone halfway through the trip.

We'll have two weekends (Saturday & Sunday one week, Friday & Saturday the next) & weekday evenings to work with. We will try to manipulate DH's schedule to have us near the more desirable locations over the weekends. I'm sad that the time of year will limit what is open, but we can't change the dates.

Our interests are history, culture & live entertainment of all kinds. At the top of DH's wish list, is a ghost town. We're always on the lookout for unique restaurants. We plan to spend some time in Yellowstone, but we're more interested in a quick drive through than an all day tour. We enjoy some nature & scenery, but once we've seen it, we're good. That's mostly due to me not being physically able to go on hikes or participate in other activities that are physically taxing. I need lots of rests throughout the day. All suggestions will be very much appreciated.

The good thing is nature is open 24/7/365

We did Yellowstone last year coming in via Amtrack through Denver. Then we drove from there and flew home from Bozeman. Bozeman is a beautiful area! You will unfortunately be too early to go up to Big Sky, they open the first weekend in June for the summer. They run the lifts up the mountain for mountain bikers and just tourists in general. The drive out there is beautiful though.

The drive from Bozeman down to Yellowstone is a bit much, I'd stay in West Yellowstone for a night or two if you can. It's a cute little town there with a few restaurants, of course shops and some other touristy stuff. If you stay both nights you should have time to drive the whole figure 8 plus go south and catch a better view of The Tetons.

Gardiner is also a cute little town where you could stay and do Yellowstone as well but please...go see The Tetons <3

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Top Photo - Leeks Marina a little pizza place off the main road in the Grand Tetons. This is the parking lot of the place - lol Second Picture is a cute restaurant in Gardiner. You'll have a great time no matter the time of the year or what may or may not be open.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

The good thing is nature is open 24/7/365

We did Yellowstone last year coming in via Amtrack through Denver. Then we drove from there and flew home from Bozeman. Bozeman is a beautiful area! You will unfortunately be too early to go up to Big Sky, they open the first weekend in June for the summer. They run the lifts up the mountain for mountain bikers and just tourists in general. The drive out there is beautiful though.

The drive from Bozeman down to Yellowstone is a bit much, I'd stay in West Yellowstone for a night or two if you can. It's a cute little town there with a few restaurants, of course shops and some other touristy stuff. If you stay both nights you should have time to drive the whole figure 8 plus go south and catch a better view of The Tetons.

Gardiner is also a cute little town where you could stay and do Yellowstone as well but please...go see The Tetons <3

The Tetons are a great suggestion! We hadn't considered that.

As of now, we have three nights booked in downtown Bozeman & two booked in Midtown. We're not totally committed to the Midtown motel yet. We're considering dividing the other nights between Gardiner & West Yellowstone. If we do that, we'd use WY as the weekend base for Yellowstone & now The Tetons & Gardiner as the weekdays base. (I know, I need to get it together. We leave tomorrow morning. )

Speaking of not having it together, I haven't started packing yet. I need someone to tell me to get off the internet & pack.

Top Photo - Leeks Marina a little pizza place off the main road in the Grand Tetons. This is the parking lot of the place - lol Second Picture is a cute restaurant in Gardiner. You'll have a great time no matter the time of the year or what may or may not be open.
View attachment 856512View attachment 856513

Beautiful picture!

We have Cowboy's Lodge & Grille on the list.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm going to Missoula next week for work. So I looked at the forecast...

YUCK! Will head home either Thursday or Friday depending on when I get my work done.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I'm going to Missoula next week for work. So I looked at the forecast...
View attachment 856524
YUCK! Will head home either Thursday or Friday depending on when I get my work done.

The forecast for our trip looks similar. We're expecting to get good use out of our rain coats. I'll be doing a lot of layering.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Please feel free to post pictures as you go.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Please feel free to post pictures as you go.

I'm a technological dinosaur, but I'll try to figure out how to post some.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Jackson Hole WY just got 6 inches of snow, with more forecast for this weekend. If you drive to see the Tetons, you might need snow tires or chains.

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