Phoenix to Yellowstone

Well, this one for sure.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/1079

It depends on how much time you have and how long you want to take.

I found the area in southeastern Utah to be very beautiful. Arches National Park and the Canyonlands are amazing. You could swing up through Bryce Canyon and then skip around Salt Lake by going over to Park City. If you want a very adventurous and picturesque route, head up US89 though Logan and Bear Lake and then over to 189 to the Grand Tetons. A great back country drive.

Or, you could just head over to I15 - a lot quicker but not nearly as interesting!

Page Arizone has a great beautiful slot canyon. The site is used in many commericals. Just east of town, easy parking-- and easy walk right to the site.

Bryce Canyon is beautiful. Natural Bridges is good, if you have the time.

In Yellowstone I would recommend you see Artist point, tower fall, grand prismatic spring and morning glory.

There is a 4 hour span for Grand Geyser to go off, but if you have the time, do it. It is fantastic. It last around 25 minutes, unlike Old Faithful which lasts a couple of minutes. It is like a fireworks display in water.

I would highly recommend you get the Yellowstone Treasures guide book. It is worth the money.

I stayed in Old Faithful inn and I am going back next June and staying there again. If you aren't staying there, you should go in and walk around, It is really something.

Have a great time.

You are going to some pretty amazingly beautiful sites!!! Enjoy and share when you get back.

The main ones you will need are the breweries and wineries of Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and any other state you may enter. Remember to stay hydrated.

I would download National Parks and Roadside rests.

Be sure to reserve a motel room nearby in advance. I was there a week ago, and I couldn't find any near the gate.

I am not sure how long you intend on staying in Yellowstone, but walking the Upper Geyser Basin (a couple miles loop) is well worth it.

I particularily like Riverside Geyser on the Firehole river. It has an eruption cycle that generally allows for a couple of viewings during the daylight. It is well worth visiting...and it is predictable. Check the Vistors Center at Old Faithful for times.

The various park hotels, cabins, and campgrounds are well worth looking into. The website mostly always shows everything as full...so call. We can generally find places in the park (much of the time less expensive than in West) by calling.

The cabins at Old Faithful (OF Lodge) are basic but nice and quiet. Old Faithful Inn is a must see and staying in the Old House (the log portion) is fun...noisy and creaky but fun.

Canyon cabins are more deluxe and higher cost, most with baths. Nice if the Canyon area is on your adjenda.

Mammoth cabins and the Hotel are upscale, most with baths.

Many of the cabins...the bathrooms are in another building...some have bathrooms. We tend to prefer the simpler cabins, but make sure you know what you are getting.

Old Faithful Inn the old house rooms mostly share bathrooms down the hall too.

Roosevelt cabins are basic, not water at all, but quiet and dinner at Roosevelt is about the best in the park.

Grant Village is one place we generally avoid...very strip motel like.

The figure-8 drive can take all day...so break up your stay and hit each section of the park on different days. We like to stay in Mammoth/Roosevelt a couple of days, move to Canyon for a day, then stay in OF for a couple of days. This allows you to see each unique are of the park without frantically driving around it to get back to your base.

West, Gardiner, or Cooke City have some decent motels etc, but we almost always stay in the park to allow for very early photos etc.

Breakfast at OF Inn and the other hotels is generally very good....buffet that can set you up for a good long time.

Lunch counters at what were the old Hamilton Stores (cannot remember what they are called now) are good quick, cheap eats (grilled stuff).

Old Faithful is a must see, but try and get away from the ring of seats surrounding it. Walking a half mile gets you out of most of the crowd.

The view point on the hill (Observation Hill) above OF is worth the walk.

Black Sand Basin and the lower geyers basin is definatly worth a visit.

Norris is not as much my favorite area.

The Lamar Valley for Bison is good.

The road out to West has good Elk viewing and bison too.

You almost cannot fail to have a good time in Yellowstone....just get a bit off the roads on some of the trails to waterfalls or geysers and it is great.

Behind Roosevelt Lodge is a short trail to Lost Creek Falls...a nice quiet walk where spotting a bear is reasonably likely, and the falls are very pretty.

Have fun.

You have probably been to Sedona, but if not, swing through on the way. Depending on how far off the direct route you want to stray, there are many, many things to see.

When you hit Flagstaff, if you have the time, head east and/or west and see some of the sites/towns along the old Rt 66. Holbrook, Winslow ('...standing on the corner - if you remember the old song) are east, there is a long stretch of 66 starting at Seligman and going to Kingman.

As mentioned, be sure to see Arches, Natural Bridges (not quite as spectacular), Canyonlands (to really see it you need to hike or have/rent a 4x4). There are 3 sections of the park that do not connect.

Don't miss Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods. If you time it to hit Monument Valley in the afternoon, wait for sunset. It's fantastic. There are also Capital Reef and Lake Powell. Very beautiful.

If you pass through Salt Lake, see the lake and the Mormon Temple Square.

There is much more to see, but this is a start. I went from Phoenix to Salt Lake last April. Stopped at all of these places on the way, then took the western route back and visited Zion and Bryce Canyon.

You could spend a couple of months there and never get bored.

Have a great trip!!!

To all of you who provided such great advice (and you all did, including the wineries) - thank you.

We left Phoenix, loaded with POI's and made no reservations anywhere, since our GPS and the POI's gave us absolute freedom to travel anywhere without getting lost or fear of not having the info needed.

We would drive until we felt if was long enough then use the GPS to provide lodging ahead, call several on the cell phone and make "reservations with AAA discount" at one.

I have a diesel and the GPS / POI combination allowed for steady access to fuel the whole trip.

What were the places you saw at Yellowstone? Which route did you take? What was the best thing you saw at Yellowstone? What was the best thing you saw on the way, or on the way home from Yellowstone?

Glad you enjoyed it. Going next June.

What did you see along the way?

noahjokc - I'm leaving for my Yellowstone trip in 24 hours. I've found Janet Chapple's book "Yellowstone Treasures" to be a fantastic resource for places to see in the park. Using that book, I've planned out my own POI file which has been submitted to MsPOI for inclusion in the site's list.

Our trip starts from the south, since we're also visiting family in Alpine, about an hour south of Jackson. The plan was to go clockwise around from the south, staying at Old Faithful, Mammoth, and Lake for the 3 nights we plan to be there. Unfortunately, the road between Madison and Norris is closed for the remainder of this season, so our nice loop is going to involve a lot of backtracking instead. Ah well. We're going to take photos, so I'm sure I'll have a lot to share after we get back.

Our last trip there was 3 years ago, and we stayed in Old Faithful Inn for the duration and made day-drives to the other parts of the park. That was a lot of backtracking, so we figured moving from Inn to Inn would give us more variety this time. Even so, catching Old Faithful at sunrise ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjbnc/488851931/ ) was a real treat, and seeing the coyote that wandered past about 10 minutes before that was even better!

I don't have any suggestions other than have fun,
and thanks for the topic idea.

My husband and I (and two Westies) are driving from Massachusetts to Katy, TX, to Tucson, AZ, and back. We'll be towing an enclosed motorcycle trailer.

I'll have to see what our members post for you, maybe they'll work for me too.

Have a safe trip!

Cheryl

My wife and I really enjoyed Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons while we were there.

I notice on your picture the USS Flying Fish.I worked on that sub several times .Sure you are familiar with the Norfolk VA area.

I have the same book, "Yellowstone Treasures". It is great. One of the best books I have found on a national park. I used it when I was at Yellowstone previously.

I had the same problem when I was last there, one of the roads was closed, so I had to circle around. Made things a litle slower, but still saw many of things mentioned in the book.

The best things I saw were artist point, grand geyser, tower fall, the upper basin, and prismatic pool. I really like the Old Faithful Inn. Stayed there last time, and will stay there when I go in June. Make sure you get the high range room.

look forward to seeing your post on your return.

LOL ..

Thanks ralphy1. Can't be too careful about not having the location of a brewery!

As it turned out, we went to a great little brewery and had lunch (and some local product) in Great Falls, Idaho. It was located across the street from the Falls themselves and was terrific.

We went from Phoenix straight up to Flagstaff then to Page, but veered a little west of Page (89A) and stayed the first night in Cedar City, Utah. We then to I-15 up to Salt Lake City to see Debbie's sister.

Next morning we took I-15 up through Pocotello (got some merchandise at a Target thanks to the GPS) and on to Idaho Falls. Next day was all Yellowstone using the POI that called out attractions as we approached them. That was a long day. We ended up staying at the Bull Moose Saloon somewhere south of Jackson Hole, Wy.

Then back the same way we came since, unfortunately, my lady got a respiratory infection the second day out and we needed to hoof it back.

So, when she gets better we'll do it again for a much longer time.

The whole trip was fantastic ... much more beautiful than I thought it would be. From Flagstaff north it was a wonder. We only scratched the surface.

We just returned from a two week road trip, the last 5 days being in Yellowstone.

The Madison to Norris road closure gave us a bit of a funky trip as we moved from Canyon to Old Faithful then up to Mammoth. We were able to move from OF to Mammoth on the first day of the fire burning near Lake....fortunatly before the road was closed.

We talked to several people who had gone North in the park then were cut off from their accomidations by the road closure due to the fire. They ended up driving out to Livingston-Bozeman-West and back in....a long way around.

The fire provided some great sunset colors that is for sure.

We had a grand trip once again to Yellowstone.

Yes, the Arnica fire canceled most of our plans. We were coming from the south, and there was just no easy way to get around the bridge construction at Gibbon Falls, and the fires above West Thumb. We canceled our nights in Mammoth and Lake, and substituted our second night at the Holiday Inn at West Yellowstone.

Day 1 (Mon Sep 28) started in Alpine WY, about 1 hour south of Jackson along the Snake river. We took closer to 2 hours, for multiple stops along the Snake and all the glorious fall colors. Stopped in Jackson just to get groceries for picnic lunches. Up into the Tetons, the views around the dam were hazy for another fire at the south end of the lake, so not so good there. The road is also under construction along the stretch between the two parks, with up to 1/2 hour delays for one way traffic along the 10 mile stretch. Once in Yellowstone we stopped multiple times for waterfalls and views of Lewis canyon. In West Thumb, we were able to visit the geyser field, but the road was closed immediately past that point. The geyser area was mostly free of smoke and haze, although we could see the smoke from the fires across the lake. A few more stops along the way to OF village at Isa Lake which was mirror smooth, sighted a coyote on the roadside, and a visit to Kepler Cascades. Then in to the Snow Lodge and checked in to our cabin, which was nice. Dinner at the Inn was so-so and the service was worthy of only a very minimal tip. By the way, the Inn and Lodge charge a Utility Fee on meals: an explicit charge for the lights and heat! about $2 on a $50 tab.

Day 2 (Tue Sep 29) had breakfast at the Snow Lodge, better service but still terse. My wife took her book and sat on the porch to watch for Old Faithful while I hiked geyser hill and took my own side visit up to Solitary Geyser, one I hadn't seen before. The valley view up there is well worth the extra .3 mi one-way walk. On my way back down, the larger cone of the Lion group started going off right next to me, an awesome bit of luck! We met back the the Inn and took the car to Black Sand and Biscuit basins, along Firehole Canyon drive, and skipped the fountain paint pots for too much walking. (My wife was diagnosed with three kidney stones just before we left, so we had to curtail our walking plans quite a bit.) We stopped for a picnic lunch along the riverside and continued our drive up to Firehole canyon. Took our sweet time through the canyon and visited every stop. Went down the road to Norris as far as we could, but hit the block just past Tuff Cliff... so I hiked around Tuff Cliff as I hadn't seen it before, and visited the couple pools in a smaller pull-off just before it. (Missed the name) Then we headed out the west entrance to our Hotel, arriving in late afternoon.

We decided to get a few extra states under our "places we've been" belt to drove the loop down US-20 into Idaho, then turned back up ID/MT-87 into Montana and back along Earthquake lake and Hebgen lake on US-287. That was a fascinating surprise find... there was a 7.5 earthquake one summer evening in 1959, and the landslide it triggered blocked the river and started forming a new lake... right on top of an occupied campground. There are assorted information stops along US-287, and it was very neat stuff to read, and a beautiful valley and lake. It didn't hurt that we found a herd of Antelope along the way, either.

Day 3 (Wed Sep 30) started with snow flurries at 5am that continued all day. We decided not to go back through the park and opted to head down US-20 into Idaho while we checked out the roads. Nothing was sticking, so we turned on the scenic byway ID-47 and paid a visit to the Upper and Lower Mesa Falls of the Henry Fork. Nice views there, although it was getting hard to see the Lower Falls through the snow. Still nothing sticking, so we continued on ID-32 and then ID-33 toward the pass into Jackson. ID-33 turned into WY-22 and the pass was open, but restricted to no trailers. Got to the peak of the pass, and the snow was starting to stick. Hit the top and followed the signs to check my brakes. The anti-lock chattered away, and we kept right on sliding. Yeah, fun! 20 MPH or less down the other side, and thankfully we didn't slide off the 10% grade with twisty turns. Got to the bottom on the other end, and the sign claimed "chain rules in effect." Now they tell me! Had some time to wander around Jackson before returning to our family's place in Alpine.

Photos... I have (literally) 900 pics off my camera that need to be sifted and posted. Most of them are geocoded. I'll post the gallery link here later.

That sounds like a good Yellowstone/Teton trip. The west road closure plus the fire really did turn a bunch of plans upside down but it sounds like you made the best of it anyway.

I will be interested to see the forest between Lake and Thumb next year. Should be a bit more open.

Thanks for the update. sounds like you had a good time. What did you think of the upper and lower Mesa falls? Worth seeing?

Tire chains and snowshoes

He made the trip around the first of September. Do you really think he needed tire chains and snowshoes then?

If you're out that way, yes. We spent maybe 20 minutes at Upper and 5 at Lower. There's a $5 use fee for the Upper rec area, but they have lots of boardwalks to keep up and at least two sets of pit toilets. The scenic drive through the area was a nice diversion from following semis on US-20 too.

My photos are slowly rolling out to my flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjbnc/sets/72157622408534619/

enjoyed the pictures. I will share mine when I get back in June.

Will have to try the Mesa falls.

Everyone must look at these photos. They are beautiful!!!

Beautiful pictures.Thanks for sharing.We were there a few years ago.Looking at the pictures getting me in the mood to go back soon.

been trying to talk to wife into going to Yellowsone for years. I forgot just how beautiful it is up there. I must try harder.

Sorry Charlie for the late response. Just saw your last paragraph. I was part of the commissioning crew (plank owner) of the Flying Fish. It was built in Groton, CT (Electric Boat / General Dynamics) and we did spend a lot of time in/out of Norfolk. I was an electronics tech working on SINS, ECM and Crypto.

cheers,
Duane

Hi, I live in PHX and was interested in your link and got the following message:
Access denied
You are not authorized to access this page.

Is this something Miss POI needs to help with or is this really a restricted page?

Hi Duane , did you ever get pull up next to the USS Proteus AS-19?
IC2 SlyCat

Sly,

I may have. The Proteus sounds familiar. We pulled into a lot of sub tenders on both the east and west coast, Guam and Hawaii. Where was it? I was on both the Flying Fish SSN 673 on the East coast and the Hawkbill SSN 666 on the west coast, far east, Vietnam, Artic and a few other places best not to mention.

Duane

Sly,

OK, so I'm a litle slow responding ... sorry. What link are you referring to?

Duane