Trip to Yellowstone with elderly parent - advice, please

[Julie in MO]

Hi,

My 83 year old dad moved in with us this summer. He's in good health, but does have Rheumatoid Arthritis. When our family was discussing summer vacation "dreams," he mentioned that he'd love to visit Yellowstone/Mt. Rushmore again. We are happy to make this happen for him, but have never had Yellowstone on our vacation "radar" before. I checked out travel books from the library and realized that it might be too late to reserve a nice place to stay, but will start investigating that.

 

SO...if you have been to Yellowstone and can recommend a place to stay, a plan for enjoying the park, a route that worked well, or how to travel with an elderly parent, I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts. We considered flying to Salt Lake City, renting a van, and driving to Yellowstone to cut down on total driving time. He can do about 8 hours in the car comfortably with frequent breaks.

 

I know this has little to do with homeschooling, except that I'll likely turn it into an educational experience....

 

Thanks!

Julie

[fraidycat]

Can I ask why you want to fly to Utah? If Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore are your ultimate destination(s), why not fly into Wyoming or South Dakota?

[Mama Geek]

We were traveling across the country in late May/early June and were able to get a hotel for a night or 2 in Jackson Hole and a cabin for a night or 2 in Yellowstone last minute. I am sure it depends on the time of year that you go as to how hard it is to get a place. We drove through snow getting into Yellowstone from Jackson Hole in around June 1.

[TechWife]

Yellowstone is one of my dream destinations as well. I just started researching it in earnest. Because the park is so large, try finding out what it is most important for him to see at the park - this will help you choose a destination airport as well as determine where to stay. There are many places to stay in the park and around the park and a variety of accommodations - from cabins to hotels. If he needs bathroom grab bars, be sure to request an accessible room.

[Chris in VA]

We flew into SLC and stayed in Jackson, WY for 3 weeks about 21 years ago. It was great! We rented a one bedroom apt with a pool for a super price (I think it was dirt cheap--maybe $125 a week? With a kitchen and dining area, where ds slept). We saw things around the Tetons, and then drove up to Yellowstone for an overnight. We went in late June, I believe. The town of Jackson was quite reasonable and charming, but this was a long time ago.

We took a cable car ride up a mountain in Jackson HOLE (which was just one town over), and had a lovely view.

In YS, we saw Old Faithful and walked around the paths where the colorful little pools are--such a clear memory for me because they were BEAUTIFUL. We saw a couple of waterfalls, which are nice to visit because the paths were paved and you walk downhill, first. I'm sorry, I've forgotten which ones we went to.

 

Anyway, staying in Jackson at a place where you could cook made it very easy to keep our budget reasonable. We had free tickets to SLC from a prior trip, so it was doable for us (flew out from FL). We actually also drove into Montana from Yellowstone and saw where the Little Big Horn was, and stayed one night in some small town. Never saw a bigger sky in my life--gorgeous.

 

It really was a favorite trip.

[Mama Geek]

Jackson Hole is pretty expensive now. Maybe you could find a weekly rental that would be cheaper than just a hotel room. Yellowstone is incredible and well worth it.

[Julie in MO]

My brother lives in SLC, so that's why we would fly there and drive the rest of the way (and my brother might join us).

 

Thanks for the suggestions - we were thinking late June might be best, weather-wise.

 

Blessings,

Julie

[Candid]

You need to check the inside park reservation system now. I think I read when we planned our trip that you need to make reservations two years in advance. There are fine places to stay outside Yellowstone. We stayed http://www.shoshonelodge.com/ and loved it. I'm not sure about camping reservations, but when my parents went a while back I think there was no tent camping allowed, you had to have a hard sided camper.

 

We were a mile outside the east gate, but there is a drive into the hot spots. We stayed for four full days and were able to see almost everything. A lot will depend on him and his ability to walk, but you can see a lot from the car and most of the geysers mud pots, etc. are easy and flat walks. The only thing we did that I would not recommend for him is the stairs down to the waterfall in the canyon area.

 

We hated Jackson, even with older kids, it didn't feel like a kid friendly place. Finding a place to eat with entrees under $30 proved impossible. I was glad, glad, we didn't spend more than one night there.

 

The other thing to look at are the Yellowstone Institute courses. I believe they come with their own accommodations.

[luvnlattes]

Have you looked into VRBO? We went to Yellowstone in August and found a place through that site. Since we're on the West Coast we stayed in West Yellowstone which wouldn't really be convenient for you, but you could look into other towns near the park entrance you'll most likely use.

 

We had a 3 bedroom "cabin" which was more like a house than a cabin. It was only about 15 minutes from the West Yellowstone park entrance. While it may have cost a little more, we saved by being able to start out with breakfast at home before heading into the park each day. We also packed a lunch and brought a cooler of drinks and snacks along. We would spend the day in the park and then go back to the cabin to make dinner. I think for dinner we split that about 50/50 between eating at the cabin vs. stopping and eating in town.

 

We really enjoyed having a home base and my sister did something similar when she went to Yellowstone the year before, but they stayed in Gardiner. It might be something worth considering.

[TravelingChris]

I am not elderly but do have RA and do have issues with some type of travels. We did the Northern Rockies for our 25th anniversary and I started planning that in March, I think, with the actual trip in late July- early August. I second the suggestion to fly to Jackson Hole and then rent a car. Then you can drive through Grand Tetons- great for viewing animals, and continue onto Yellowstone. We did find lodging in March so I think trying now you would have an even wider choice. Then I would exit Yellowstone to the West and drive to Mt. Rushmore. It is a beautiful drive and you'll see Devil's Tower (which was prominently featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind). Mt. Rushmore is near Rapid City, SD and you could fly out from there and return your rental car there.

 

There are lots of things to see and do in these parks without walking great distances. I never do hikes of more than a mile and I had a wonderful time (except I did break my leg but that could have happened anywhere since I simply stepped wrongly on a step)/

[melbotoast]

In YS, we saw Old Faithful and walked around the paths where the colorful little pools are--such a clear memory for me because they were BEAUTIFUL.

 

 

I believe you're talking about the Fountain Paint Pots.

 

We've found that flying into SLC is often the cheapest. Be sure to take into account the price of the flight AND the price of the rental car. It may be nice to be somewhere closer to reduce driving time. Traffic can be VERY slow within the park at times, so it may be more driving time within the park than you would expect.

 

If you do end up going through West Yellowstone, I have a lot of recommendations of good places to go there :)

[Julie in MO]

Wow- thanks SO much for responding everybody! I have also enjoyed looking at travel books from the library. One day dad and I had a four hour wait in a doctor's appointment and I was SUPER glad I brought all the travel books to happily peruse! Thanks, again!!!!

Julie