West Yellowstone NP, Montana

Yellowstone Trip Tips – Preparation is Half the Vacation

By Deborah Brown

For anyone old enough to remember Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo and Jellystone park from old Saturday morning cartoons, making plans to see the real deal, Yellowstone National Park, is a bit of a nostalgic thrill. Yet, while your mind meanders to the kind of potato salad and cookies to pack in your "pic-a-nic" basket, there are a lot of matters related to exploring the park that demand more detailed planning and attention. For example, we stayed outside the park and commuted in a couple days in a row, but we hear that reservations for campgrounds and other accommodations should be made several months in advance.

That said, Yellowstone National Park (basically situated on a live volcano) is truly a wonderful place to visit — full of fascinating wildlife, extraordinary natural phenomenon and breath-taking scenery. You should plan to take your time however – this is not a buzz-in, snap-some-photos-and-buzz-out) proposition. Regardless of any one of the gates you use to gain entry, you can expect to spend considerable time on the winding roads that are frequently clogged with gawking tourists.

Weather, Bugs & Allergies. Coming from Southern California, the family (me, husband and adolescent daughter) were in Yellowstone in July, and thought we were going to beat the heat in a more northeasterly clime. Alas, that was not the case – it was in the 80s, maybe even 90s, the two days we were there. On the plus side, we had been warned by relatives that we could be "eaten alive" by bugs if we weren't prepared to fend them off with light-weight long pants, long-sleeved shirts and a backpack full of DEET. Fortunately, these preparations proved to be largely unnecessary. We encountered just a few pesky insects, but did see swarms (from the comfort and protection of our car) around the rivers and streams. People who plan to fish should be forewarned.

Back on the minus side, I was used to having some relatively minor allergy problems back in Southern California. However, I am not sure if it was ragweed or what, but my allergies were truly awful the whole time I was there, and cleared up quite a bit once we left the park and traveled north a few hours. In Yellowstone, it seemed I was constantly popping Clarinex, snorting nasal sprays and going through big boxes of tissue. If you or your family suffer from allergies to pollens, etc., you should come prepared.

Deborah Brown is an experienced writer/editor and PR consultant.

West Entrance is next to the town of West Yellowstone, MT. West Entrance is usually open (weather dependent) to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through early November, and to tracked-oversnow vehicles from December 15 to March 15. The closest airline service is West Yellowstone, MT, Bozeman, MT, Idaho Falls, ID, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Yellowstone, one of America's most popular vacations, includes spectacular scenery, wildlife and crowds!