So my GF and my parents and I have decided we want to take a trip to Yellowstone some time next year. I've done a little research but thought I would ask you guys too.
Best times to go? I REALLY want an oppportunity to see wolves.
Things to do?
Places to stay?
Really just looking for some leads to research further.
It is awesome, my whole family-in-law went last summer around July 4th. Tourist numbers have been down a bit with the economy, so that was nice, very few RV's driving around.
It sounds kind of corny, but one of the neatest things we did was an evening wagon ride with cowboy dinner out in the woods. We saw some wild life, and had a very good meal with no work on our part.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/horseride.htm (http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/horseride.htm)
mitt
I'd go to Glacier National Park instead.
Sorry,
Will never be willing spend money in a state that encourages wolf killing. Will be doing our best to stay out of both Idaho and Montana and stay inside Yellowstone where at least there it is illegal to kill wolves.
I really don't think anything in the world makes me more irrate than people killing wolves for doing what they were intended to do.
Lets not make this about wolf killing (I know I'm the one who started it). Please stick to Yellowstone.
Quote from: cyrus buelton on November 12, 2009, 04:59:48 AM
I'd go to Glacier National Park instead.
I dunno about that. My son and I went to Glacier summer 08 (I got this crazy idea that I wanted him to see a glacier in person), and while we had a great time we both agreed that there are other parks we enjoy more. Like Yosemite, and Yellowstone (I've never been, but he has).
I'm having vague thoughts myself of maybe going to Yellowstone myself next summer. Very vague, so I'm interested in any feedback you get. [coffee]
I was there over the 4th of July as well. We rode our bicycles from our campground to Old Faithful on the 4th.....I thought it was a very fitting way to celebrate the beauty of our country on its birthday. Just riding/driving around we saw elk, deer, buffalo, bald eagle. We heard the wolves (and possibly coyotes) howling at each other one morning just before dawn.
Only thing we didn't see was any damn bears. Ironically enough, some campers had to kill a bear that same weekend <10 miles from our home (while we were in Yellowstone). Guess we should have camped closer to home if we wanted to see bears.
I think you'll love it there. It rained every afternoon while we were there and the locals in West Yellowstone told us that it had rained everyday for at least a month prior.
Me and some of my in-laws are trying to take motorcycles up there next summer. Roads have 35mph speed limits, but it is so beautiful and full of curvy roads.
Quote from: metallimonster on November 12, 2009, 05:15:48 AM
Sorry,
Will never be willing spend money in a state that encourages wolf killing. Will be doing our best to stay out of both Idaho and Montana and stay inside Yellowstone where at least there it is illegal to kill wolves.
I really don't think anything in the world makes me more irrate than people killing wolves for doing what they were intended to do.
Lets not make this about wolf killing (I know I'm the one who started it). Please stick to Yellowstone.
Seriously?
Ok, I'll stay out of that.
btw, I'd probably stay out of Wyoming too.
They are about to pass wolf hunting legislation as well.
Quote from: duqette on November 12, 2009, 05:40:27 AM
I dunno about that. My son and I went to Glacier summer 08 (I got this crazy idea that I wanted him to see a glacier in person), and while we had a great time we both agreed that there are other parks we enjoy more. Like Yosemite, and Yellowstone (I've never been, but he has).
I'm having vague thoughts myself of maybe going to Yellowstone myself next summer. Very vague, so I'm interested in any feedback you get. [coffee]
I was in Yellowstone during the winter and obviously Glacier in the summer.
different parks.
I haven't been to Yellowstone since the 70's but I hope to return soon. If you want to see wildlife, particularly wolves, consider going in the winter. Bears won't be out, but most of the other animals will be concentrated in known locations, more visible, easy to track, and there will be few tourists. There is a classic episode of the PBS show Nature called Yellowstone in Winter that should seal the deal for you if you can find it on netflixs. Also check out the PBS mini series on the National Parks. Lots there on the history of Yellowstone.
Quote from: cyrus buelton on November 12, 2009, 05:50:09 AM
Seriously?
Ok, I'll stay out of that.
btw, I'd probably stay out of Wyoming too.
They are about to pass wolf hunting legislation as well.
I know that they are trying but Yellowstone will stay protected. At least they don't have a governor saying that he will be the first in line to shoot one. I understand they need to protect their herds but they are going about it all wrong. This surprises me since you are such a dog lover. You know I usually don't get all worked up about anything political or un-pc.
I just got a few brouchers ordered and am going to check on some of those DVDs. Thanks for the tips guys.
You have to control a population that is getting way out of control.
I guess you are anti-deer hunting as well.
Wolves are wolves.
They are wild animals.
They are not domesticated.
My neighbor almost got mauled the other night by a pack of Coyotes. He couldn't get on the phone quick enough to get me over with a gun to pop those make the beast with two backsers.
sorry man, wolves/coyotes aren't dogs.
I am actually very pro-hunting. Just not any animal that you don't eat. I get that there are a lot of sides to this and I do think the population needs controlled but there are plenty of deer and elk for everyone to share. Its the hunters that have to have a deer stand right in front of them to shoot that don't want the wolves because the wolves make deer more cautious. I get the side of the ranchers, I wouldn't want someone messing with my livelyhood either. My problem is how they are going about it. The three states mentioned basically wanting to destroy the populations all together. That is not solving anything. Not a lot of good options here for either side. I just hate to see the see what happened in the late 1800's happen now.
Coyotes are a big problem- I get it, but can't we learn to share the world with animals? Does it always have to be our will forced on everything else?
I don't like where this is going and mostly that is my fault so I'll stop ranting and wait for some more info on Yellowstone itself. I apologize for thread jacking my own thread. [bang]
Thanks for the inspiration! My mom and I were trying to think of an inexpensive, "local" vacation we could do next year while we try to save money for a trip to Australia. I hadn't really thought about Yellowstone but now it sounds wonderful! I think going in the winter time would be awesome.
Would you be doing any cross country skiing? That is usually the best way to see wildlife.
Another suggestion would be Banff in Canada. One of my best friends moved to Calgary and just keeps ranting and raving about it. Maybe I'll get a chance to visit soon.
If/when you go, don't forget to give us a write-up and let us know how it went!
In regards to the wolves issue, I can sympathize with both sides. I grew up on a ranch and while I had two dogs very dear to me shot and killed by fellow ranchers for being where they didn't belong, I also had my beloved cat eaten by a mountain lion - a mountain lion that plagued our neighborhood for two years before the Game and Fish department did anything about it even though none of us could shoot it because our back yard is a "protected area." As much as I love animals, wolves and dogs alike, that b*tch was not just a big kitty. There is a difference in killing for sport and killing to protect your well being and that of your live stock - a lot of those animals can't be eaten because they were messing with you for being hungry in the first place. Ranching is hard work and America's ranchers are, like wolves, integral parts of our culture that are worth protecting. Let the wolves have their areas (national and state parks, etc) and let the ranchers have theirs. That's just my 2c.
I don't know about a deep winter trip. Not the biggest fan of freezing my balls off. Most likely we are going in late September/October. I know it is still cold then but really don't know much about how the seasons go there.
Most of Yellowstone is closed in the winter...
We saw 2 bears in July, one from the car and 1 off a hiking path.
Here are my pics:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/26466518@N02/tags/yellowstone/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26466518@N02/tags/yellowstone/)
:o
(https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2655983546_ee9c74bf18_o.jpg)
mitt
Nice booty shot, Mitt.
Too bad you dont' want to come to Idaho. Ive been seeing wolves almost everytime I go camping.
yeah they are pretty cool, BUT they are getting to a population density that is starting to cause problems.
Think about going out to the woods and minding your own business only to have wolves kill
both your dogs. Yeah trust me, it sucks. Hence keeping the numbers in check, it's gotta be done.
Yellow stone is very cool but depending on the year can be packed or empty or still full of snow.
The year my wife and I went there was still a ton of snow in mid may and alot of roads closed.
Still had a great time. Just remember wild animals are still wild, even though they don't run away.
Yellowstone is one of the treasures of this country, and you will have a splendid time whenever you go! I worked for nearly a decade for one of the non-profit groups that spearheaded the re-introduction of wolves in the lower 48,* and one of the best perks of that job was the year I managed to talk my boss into three different work trips out to Yellowstone.
Your best bet for wolf viewing is going to be in the winter, because that's when most of the Northern Rockies' non-hibernating wildlife will be concentrated down in the river valleys, most notably the Lamar Valley, the Grand Central Station of wolf-watching. The elk herds bunch up along the Lamar, the wolves follow, and the wolf watchers follow them. One of my most memorable life experiences was to snowshoe up out of the Lamar Valley floor on the tenth anniversary of reintroduction with the USFWS project leader, chief wolf biologist & project veterinarian to one of the re-introduction sites, listening to them tell stories the whole way up. The park itself is staggeringly beautiful in winter, and the road into the Lamar is kept open in winter, at least as well as a road in winter there can be kept open.
But yeah, it's going to be cold -- it was 10 below that day (and it gets much colder than that), and two days later I was stuck in a diner in Three Forks, MT, waiting out a blizzard that closed down the Interstate 90 for about twelve hours, and looked like this for a couple of days afterward:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4099010792_54231daf9b.jpg)
My second-favorite season in Yellowstone is the Spring, and that's also your second-best bet for wolf viewing. In this case, the cow elk & their calves will prefer the open country in the river bottoms where the moms can keep an eye on wolves & grizzly bears that are targeting the calves. The wolves are denning then as well, and at least some of the dens are likely to be in good viewing spots so you might get a look at adults & pups. Because the griz are freshly out of hibernation and voraciously hungry, they're in more predictable places for spotting as well -- though I spent a spring day criss-crossing the park with one of the country's best bear biologists and we saw everything BUT grizzly bears.
July & August are going to be a whole lot more hit-or-miss for wolf viewing. The elk have moved up into the high country, and the wolves have followed (see a pattern here?). The grizzlies (as evidenced by Mitt's VERY cool photo) are distributed more widely and you've got a pretty good chance of spotting those. And, of course, spotting multitudes of people.
I have less experience with the place in Fall; I can only imagine how stunning it gets, but I'd bet the wolf viewing is going to be pretty weather dependent. Unless something's moving their prey into more visible places, wolves are going to be harder to spot.
The info on this site seems to fit pretty well with my experience:
http://www.ylwstone.com/wolfwatching.html (http://www.ylwstone.com/wolfwatching.html)
*Personally, I am not opposed to a well-managed hunting season on wolves, though the organization I worked for wouldn't ever sign off on such a thing, and I don't think I'd participate as a hunter. But whether or not the state governments involved (the legislatures at least - I have HUGE respect for the ID, MT & WY Fish & Game folks I've known) have even the slightest interest in a well-managed hunting season is a very different question.
Wow^^^ that was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the details.
Good luck seeing one (without strong optics) unless you are: a) in heat, b)wear bacon underpants, c) are standing over freshly gutted game, or d) have small pets with you in the wilderness.
It's not like I expect to be 10 feet away from them and want to pet them. I just want to be able to see them roaming thier natural habitat.