September: Teton or Yellowstone
- Thread starter WVilleLion
- Start date
One day? That's unfortunate, as it's tough to do justice to either NP in one day.
I'd recommend Yellowstone if that's all the time you have. You can see some amazing animal sights without a lot of effort. Bison are majestic, and are easy to see just by driving through the park. Bears and wolves can be found, but you have to be somewhat lucky to spot them, especially if you're only there one day. You also have the advantage that elk, and especially bull elk, are easier to spot in September, as they are rutting.
Besides wildlife, you have Old Faithful, and Yellowstone Canyon (or Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River), which are both quite spectacular, and easy to access.
There are many other things to see and do in Yellowstone -- I'm just highlighting those that are famous and well worth visiting. If you select Yellowstone, you should do a little research, and figure out what YOU want to see, as there are quite a few other interesting things in the NP.
If I only had one day, I would not recommend Grand Teton. The wildlife is not as impressive, or as easy to encounter, in the Grand Teton NP vs. Yellowstone NP. Grand Teton is a park that is best seen and experienced by hiking and boating. Its visuals are just not as spectacular as Yellowstone's, so I wouldn't recommend it over Yellowstone for a one-day visit.
Have fun.
No offense to Tom, but if you have just one day, don’t waste any of it on old faithful. Yellowstone has a greater overall collection of natural wonder and beauty, but the view of the Tetons from the East is the single most beautiful thing I’ve seen. Can’t go wrong with either
If you are staying in Jackson, you'll see a good portion of the GTs driving up to YS. As Tom stated, most of the fun of the GTs is obtained via hiking to sites (Taggert Lake, Phelps Lake, Inspiration Point, etc.). You'll be able to get the view of the GTs and Oxbow Bend (one of the prettiest spots viewable by car in the GTs and a spot where I saw a grizz swimming out to the Island after a Mama moose and her calf - worth pulling over for a view). Lot more to see via car in YS, although you'll see Bison and Elk on the right (huge pasture area) right before you get to Oxbow Bend. Biggest pain about YS is the traffic, so pack your patience. Living in that area during the summers since 2009, there's a ton to see and one day will not do it justice. I head out there in June for the summer again this year. Can't wait.
Where are you staying? What part of September? Like Bones said, dead on if you are staying in Jackson. If you are there in later September and in Jackson, the Teton Road into Yellowstone is all you may need for checking out wildlife. If you can somehow get into Yellowstone and drive into Lamar Valley, late September you will be stunned by the amount of wildlife. Especially elk. Did both parks in late September, 2018. Going back in 2023. Doing the Grand Canyon this fall...
Both!! Tough call 2 of my favorite parks. If you truly only have a day I would pick Tetons, but maybe do some research before you go and see if 1 park has something specific you want to see. You can't go wrong with either. Grand Teton is just stunning the views. Mormon Row is just outstanding. I guess I look at it as if you want to see wildlife then Yellowstone. If you want breathtaking views then GT.
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If i had only one day i would leave Jackson at daylight or even a little before. Enter Yellowstone and drive up the east side. You will see a lot of wildlife in the Hayden Valley. My only stops would be the sulfur cauldrons a view of the lower falls and canyon and the tower store for ice cream. I would drive about 15 miles out the Lamar Valley, turn around and come back. You will see a lot of wildlife in those 15 miles. Across the north to Mammoth Hot Springs and back down the west side of the park. Stops would be Norris Geyser Basin, Prismatic Pools and Old Faithful.
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To get into the park you need to take the Wilson-Teton Road thru the Tetons into YS. Follow WDLion's trip above....great day! Take a camera! Finish your day in Teton Village...go to the Mangy Moose or The Gun Barrell Saloon in Jackson for some red meat! Wish I could be your guide!!!
If it's his first visit to Yellowstone, Old Faithful might be pretty high on his list. He will see the Tetons from the East on his drive to and from Yellowstone.
No, I'm specifically saying "don't waste your time seeing old faithful". This is especially true if you only have one day, or its your first time. Its a ugly, stinky tourist trap and huge time suck.
Not doing Old Faithful.
Sorry to burst your dreamy bubble, but I'm taking her to Yellowstone and the Grand Ta Tas in June to do some photography. Well, I'm taking her twin (my wife).
No disrespect Tom, but if I only had one day and I was staying in Jackson, I would pick the Tetons every time. You are going to spend a great portion of your day driving up to Yellowstone and then driving around Yellowstone. Personally, I would prefer to experience the area from foot or bike, not car. I enjoyed the Grand Tetons so much more. If you want to experience them, as others have said, plan out some things you want to do. Hike around Jenny Lake. It’s gorgeous and a pretty easy hike. We saw lots of Bison in the Teton area, as well as a bear, moose, deer, their version of a prairie dog, etc. Either way, it’s a win win and I’m jealous. Enjoy.
Almost forgot, we saw a badger in the Tetons also. I never saw one before. They are interesting. You could drive up to the Jackson Lake Lodge and have lunch or dinner while looking at the mountains and sipping a Snake River Lager. They also have outside seating. The food is a bit pricey but the atmosphere makes it worth it. I thought the Tetons were much more picturesque than most of Yellowstone. On another note, if you decide to go to Yellowstone, dress for multiple types of weather. We were there in late June. Started the day sunny and in the 60’s. A storm rolled in and it dropped into the 30’s and you could see your breath. I wasn’t prepared for that. Poor planning on my part.
Grand Teton. Get up at daybreak, drive by “timbered island” on the way to Jenny Lake Road. Take Jenny Lake Loop Road short but sweet. Elk area in meadows. Most likely to see Elk if they are rutting. Go to lookout on Signal Mountain...fantastic views of Tetons. Go to Colter Bay visit the Museum, small but impressive. Then hike Hermitage Point trail, easy walking and you can make it short or long. String Lake Trail good also, outrageous views of Tetons from little seen angle. Can encounter wide range of wildlife if fortunate, take bear spray. Wildlife early and late, daybreak and late evening.....other stuff mid morning and afternoon. Late September better than early, color change!
I second LB99 suggestion for Jackson Lake Lodge.
I second LB99 suggestion for Jackson Lake Lodge.
I second Wyoming Lion with the bear spray! Ran into a grizzly bear hiking around Jenny Lake. Scared the living **** out of wifey and I. Grand Teton for me
None taken, as I was only expressing an opinion. And in my defense, please note that it was 15+ hours after I posted my thoughts that it was established that the OP was staying in Jackson. Had I known that when I posted, I would have modified what I wrote.
As @Bkmtnittany1 indicated, if you're staying in Jackson you'd have to drive though Grand Teton NP to get to Yellowstone (unless you went up 22, 33, 32, 47, etc., and entered Yellowstone through the West Yellowstone area, which would be a dumb move, as you'd miss GTNP, and go out of your way in getting to YNP).
I'd still advise that the OP use the approach that @WDLion suggested, of driving through GTNP into Yellowstone, going up the east side of YNP, and coming back down on the west side. That would give you the early morning and late afternoon/early evening in Grand Teton, and also allow you to enjoy YNP in all its glory.
That approach is a good bit of driving, but the OP only has 1 day. The hiking in GTNP is the best way to experience the park, IMHO, but with only 1 day I don't think you'd get near the experience in hiking at GTNP as you would in driving through it and then driving through YNP.
There isn't a right or a wrong answer here, just a preference.
We went to Yosemite a few years after Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons. Everywhere in Wyoming they advised taking bear spray with you when hiking, which we did. We get to Yosemite and my oldest son asks a Ranger where we can get bear spray as there were bear warnings everywhere. The Ranger’s response was that you can’t use bear spray in Yosemite, it’s illegal.
We are encountered way more bears in Yosemite also. Two different occasions we happened to be in the same general area as a mom with cubs. Talk about the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. The first was at about 30 yards as a mother and cub were feeding in vegetation. They were not concerned with us, but we certainly weren’t sticking around until they were. Second time was riding horses in the Redwoods. We rode up to a mother and 4 cubs and she wasn’t happy. Maybe it was because the horses were in the mix, but she took a very defensive, aggressive stance and stared at us while we rode by. I’d guess this was about 25-30 yards again. I also wasn’t sure how the horses were going to react, but they were sticking to the task at hand and getting us up the trail. Made me a little nervous to say the least. With that being said, I’d do it all again. The hiking in all those parks was fantastic and I will never forget those times spent with my family. Once in a lifetime type trips that were incredible. Wherever you decide WVilleLion, take it all in and enjoy it. Have fun.Check out a one day tour of Yellowstone. We did it about 10 years ago. Van picked us up in Jackson. Hit the major spots and it was the best way to see it in a day.
Should stop at Old Faithful. It’s fun watching stupid tourists walk right up to the bison to take a picture. If you are lucky you will get to see one of the the bison chase someone down and toss them 20 ft into the air.
Should stop at Old Faithful. It’s fun watching stupid tourists walk right up to the bison to take a picture. If you are lucky you will get to see one of the the bison chase someone down and toss them 20 ft into the air.
The Tetons. They are real, and they are spectacular.
If you are there for a few days....perhaps you can take a late afternoon ride and do the Wilson-Teton Road drive. Should take 2 hours total. Then, do a different drive into the park as suggested by Tom when you do your full day trip. WT Road is filled with wildlife, I think it goes to Moose, a tiny town just outside the GT Park entrance...
FYI - Moose-Wilson road will be closed from Rockefeller to JHMR this spring /summer for major road repairs. Check before going.
I have been to both. Because you only have one day, I would recommend that you choose Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone has so many amazing things to see, but the big downside to it is its sheer epic size and that translates into a lot of time spent driving in the car. I would recommend prioritizing time spent outside experiencing a park when all you have is one day. GTNP is far more compact and the driving times between attractions are far shorter. In addition, GTNP gets a lot less traffic (I've been stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness before).
As an armature photographer who often seeks mountain scenes for compositions (see photos below), I can say that there is no more majestic mountain range in the country than the Tetons. They are just different. Plus, there are so many places you can pull off the road in the park to view the mountain range from different vantage points.
If you can be there early, seeing the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons is something you won't want to miss.
Or, if you're there really early... (p.s. I took this during a winter trip)
There are a lot of places you can roam around at.
If you like the combination of history and an amazing view, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Mormon Row.
I also recommend checking out Jenny Lake. There are rental options for kayaking in one of the most beautiful places to do so (rentals are available through mid-September). If kayaking is not your thing, you can just go on a boat ride around the lake and even get dropped off at the base of a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.
Speaking of hiking, there are numerous hikes you can take throughout the park. You can make them as long or short as you want.
From the same hike:
Either Yellowstone or Grand Teton will leave you with memories the rest of your life, but it takes a lot more time to get around Yellowstone than it does GTNP. Because of your limited around of time, I would recommend Grand Teton this time and save Yellowstone for another point in the future when there are multiple days available to you.
Yellowstone has so many amazing things to see, but the big downside to it is its sheer epic size and that translates into a lot of time spent driving in the car. I would recommend prioritizing time spent outside experiencing a park when all you have is one day. GTNP is far more compact and the driving times between attractions are far shorter. In addition, GTNP gets a lot less traffic (I've been stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness before).
As an armature photographer who often seeks mountain scenes for compositions (see photos below), I can say that there is no more majestic mountain range in the country than the Tetons. They are just different. Plus, there are so many places you can pull off the road in the park to view the mountain range from different vantage points.
If you can be there early, seeing the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons is something you won't want to miss.
Or, if you're there really early... (p.s. I took this during a winter trip)
There are a lot of places you can roam around at.
If you like the combination of history and an amazing view, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Mormon Row.
I also recommend checking out Jenny Lake. There are rental options for kayaking in one of the most beautiful places to do so (rentals are available through mid-September). If kayaking is not your thing, you can just go on a boat ride around the lake and even get dropped off at the base of a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.
Speaking of hiking, there are numerous hikes you can take throughout the park. You can make them as long or short as you want.
From the same hike:
Either Yellowstone or Grand Teton will leave you with memories the rest of your life, but it takes a lot more time to get around Yellowstone than it does GTNP. Because of your limited around of time, I would recommend Grand Teton this time and save Yellowstone for another point in the future when there are multiple days available to you.
Thanks all. We will likely be doing a tour and not doing our own thing. I guess my next question would be any recommendations regarding your company, as I see there are quite a few.
The biggest benefit to visiting in September is the lack of crowds. September marks the official end of summer tourism, so there are many less people in the park.I have been to both. Because you only have one day, I would recommend that you choose Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone has so many amazing things to see, but the big downside to it is its sheer epic size and that translates into a lot of time spent driving in the car. I would recommend prioritizing time spent outside experiencing a park when all you have is one day. GTNP is far more compact and the driving times between attractions are far shorter. In addition, GTNP gets a lot less traffic (I've been stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness before).
As an armature photographer who often seeks mountain scenes for compositions (see photos below), I can say that there is no more majestic mountain range in the country than the Tetons. They are just different. Plus, there are so many places you can pull off the road in the park to view the mountain range from different vantage points.
If you can be there early, seeing the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons is something you won't want to miss.
Or, if you're there really early... (p.s. I took this during a winter trip)
There are a lot of places you can roam around at.
If you like the combination of history and an amazing view, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Mormon Row.
I also recommend checking out Jenny Lake. There are rental options for kayaking in one of the most beautiful places to do so (rentals are available through mid-September). If kayaking is not your thing, you can just go on a boat ride around the lake and even get dropped off at the base of a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.
Speaking of hiking, there are numerous hikes you can take throughout the park. You can make them as long or short as you want.
From the same hike:
Either Yellowstone or Grand Teton will leave you with memories the rest of your life, but it takes a lot more time to get around Yellowstone than it does GTNP. Because of your limited around of time, I would recommend Grand Teton this time and save Yellowstone for another point in the future when there are multiple days available to you.
While that is true, the long road mileage in the park still remains the same in September
Never, ever been bored or tired driving in Yellowstone. Most awesome place in the USA.While that is true, the long road mileage in the park still remains the same in September
I love the park as well, but my argument is what to prioritize when all one has is one day to experience a park. Being outside and spending time on site is what I would prioritize over driving. Yellowstone is a multi-day adventure.
Jenny Lake down into that pass from your last pic is me and my wife’s favorite hike we’ve ever done and we’ve hit 24 Nattys.I have been to both. Because you only have one day, I would recommend that you choose Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone has so many amazing things to see, but the big downside to it is its sheer epic size and that translates into a lot of time spent driving in the car. I would recommend prioritizing time spent outside experiencing a park when all you have is one day. GTNP is far more compact and the driving times between attractions are far shorter. In addition, GTNP gets a lot less traffic (I've been stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness before).
As an armature photographer who often seeks mountain scenes for compositions (see photos below), I can say that there is no more majestic mountain range in the country than the Tetons. They are just different. Plus, there are so many places you can pull off the road in the park to view the mountain range from different vantage points.
If you can be there early, seeing the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons is something you won't want to miss.
Or, if you're there really early... (p.s. I took this during a winter trip)
There are a lot of places you can roam around at.
If you like the combination of history and an amazing view, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Mormon Row.
I also recommend checking out Jenny Lake. There are rental options for kayaking in one of the most beautiful places to do so (rentals are available through mid-September). If kayaking is not your thing, you can just go on a boat ride around the lake and even get dropped off at the base of a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.
Speaking of hiking, there are numerous hikes you can take throughout the park. You can make them as long or short as you want.
From the same hike:
Either Yellowstone or Grand Teton will leave you with memories the rest of your life, but it takes a lot more time to get around Yellowstone than it does GTNP. Because of your limited around of time, I would recommend Grand Teton this time and save Yellowstone for another point in the future when there are multiple days available to you.
Oddly enough as we were walking along the trail I ran into a friend I hadn’t spoken to in nearly a decade from when I lived in a small town in Minnesota. Great day.
Fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing. I love the Tetons.I have been to both. Because you only have one day, I would recommend that you choose Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone has so many amazing things to see, but the big downside to it is its sheer epic size and that translates into a lot of time spent driving in the car. I would recommend prioritizing time spent outside experiencing a park when all you have is one day. GTNP is far more compact and the driving times between attractions are far shorter. In addition, GTNP gets a lot less traffic (I've been stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness before).
As an armature photographer who often seeks mountain scenes for compositions (see photos below), I can say that there is no more majestic mountain range in the country than the Tetons. They are just different. Plus, there are so many places you can pull off the road in the park to view the mountain range from different vantage points.
If you can be there early, seeing the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons is something you won't want to miss.
Or, if you're there really early... (p.s. I took this during a winter trip)
There are a lot of places you can roam around at.
If you like the combination of history and an amazing view, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Mormon Row.
I also recommend checking out Jenny Lake. There are rental options for kayaking in one of the most beautiful places to do so (rentals are available through mid-September). If kayaking is not your thing, you can just go on a boat ride around the lake and even get dropped off at the base of a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.
Speaking of hiking, there are numerous hikes you can take throughout the park. You can make them as long or short as you want.
From the same hike:
Either Yellowstone or Grand Teton will leave you with memories the rest of your life, but it takes a lot more time to get around Yellowstone than it does GTNP. Because of your limited around of time, I would recommend Grand Teton this time and save Yellowstone for another point in the future when there are multiple days available to you.
True, but less traffic means less time consuming.While that is true, the long road mileage in the park still remains the same in September
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