driving in Glacier and Yellowstone?

[Ripple]

We are picking up our new 21 in July, and will be camping near Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP on the way back to Ga.
Thinking about doing a bus tour thru the parks to avoid the traffic - has anyone done this, and what do you think?
I am not sure I want to drive "going to the sun" and the "Yellowstone loops" instead of just looking at the scenery.

Thanks all for your help.

[Mtn1203]

Originally Posted by Ripple

We are picking up our new 21 in July, and will be camping near Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP on the way back to Ga.
Thinking about doing a bus tour thru the parks to avoid the traffic - has anyone done this, and what do you think?
I am not sure I want to drive "going to the sun" and the "Yellowstone loops" instead of just looking at the scenery.

Thanks all for your help.

I would definitely recommend the bus in Glacier. It is also possible that you wouldn't be able to find a parking spot at the visitor center at the summit. We have always driven when in Yellowstone and it is a bit of a nightmare, but I like to go at my own pace and stop when I want to.

[Vermilye]

There are pluses & minuses to the bus or "Jammer" tours at Glacier. You probably won't get to see as much scenery if you are driving, particularly if you are nervous about mountain roads. On the other hand, you can stop when and for as long as you want (assuming you can find a parking space, and that is a large assumption). The tours provide information about the area, you can look at the scenery rather than the road, but are on someone else schedule.

I prefer to drive, but early mornings when there is less traffic & more spaces to pull off. It also helps to hit the corners of the season. There is one place where I prefer the buses - Zion. I drove in early April before the buses started, and the traffic was unbearable, and the parking non existent.

[caddoster]

we did the yellowstone bus ride (circle of fire tour) and enjoyed it. not having to drive and be bus height on the road is nice. we did it as a pre-trip on what to do when we drove our own car around to see things in more detail.

we also saw the "yellowstone in a day" bus at mammoth hot springs but thought that might be a bus ride too long...

[Chris & Patricia]

Originally Posted by Ripple

We are picking up our new 21 in July, and will be camping near Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP on the way back to Ga.
Thinking about doing a bus tour thru the parks to avoid the traffic - has anyone done this, and what do you think?
I am not sure I want to drive "going to the sun" and the "Yellowstone loops" instead of just looking at the scenery.

Thanks all for your help.

Yes a bus tour of Yellowstone would certainly avoid you having to worry about driving. But Yellowstone will be very busy in July, whatever your mode of travel, eg self-drive or bus tour. I believe that its the busiest NP in the US and most of the visitors come in a four month period June- September, with July and August being particularly busy. We got held up by an hour in June due to a herd of bison crossing the road and tour buses get no priority over anyone else in the traffic, just the parking. If you propose camping in Yellowstone NP, you should check out the camping information on the park's website as sites are at a premium.

[blue_bullet]

We are local and follow Yogi Berra's comment: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded". If I have to go to GNP again it will be by bus or in late September. A thing we used to do was get Amtrak tickets Whitefish to East Glacier and have one driver take US 2 to East Glacier, pick up the train riders, and drive the park east to west. Do not plan to park at Logan Pass. Another route to take is go to Apgar Village and take the paved road in GNP over to Polebridge avoiding the congestion on Going to the Sun Road.

[Donna D.]

Every single mile for the past sixteen years my trailer(s) have been hooked up to my truck(s), I've been the driver... every. single. mile.

I've missed out viewing some beautiful country because I was focused on the road. Curvy roads, mountain roads, coastal roads, highways along rivers and streams.

I won't be going to Glacier nor Yellowstone on this next big trip, but will be visiting Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. I paid for a tour, someone else is going to drive and I get to look and take pictures! I'm almost giddy.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by blue_bullet

We are local and follow Yogi Berra's comment: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded". If I have to go to GNP again it will be by bus or in late September. A thing we used to do was get Amtrak tickets Whitefish to East Glacier and have one driver take US 2 to East Glacier, pick up the train riders, and drive the park east to west. Do not plan to park at Logan Pass. Another route to take is go to Apgar Village and take the paved road in GNP over to Polebridge avoiding the congestion on Going to the Sun Road.

And while in Polebridge, stop at the Mercantile & get the best cinnamon rolls & sticky buns ever!

[James Gang]

We did Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons on our return trip from Chilliwack. Took a raft trip down the Snake River. Perhaps the highlight of the trip. Do try Huckleberry ice cream and huckleberry syrup

[cpaharley2008]

bad link, try again

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

bad link, try again

I can see it. Moose and a river.

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

bad link, try again

Worked fine for me, had a moose on the other side of the river.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

bad link, try again

It worked for me - didn't we go through this previously where different browsers would work or not work? I can't remember the details..

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

It worked for me - didn't we go through this previously where different browsers would work or not work? I can't remember the details..

Yes, and I may have one that is not compatible-Safari-11.1.1

[NCBill]

Bus tour = no thanks! Camp at Yellowstone, then drive your TV around. Thats what I have always done.

Now some National Parks have eliminated car traffic and gone all shuttle buses instead, like Zion most of the year. At some point, given parking and traffic problems, shutting the parks down to all cars and just using shuttle buses makes a lot of sense and is good for the environment too.

There will be a time in life where taking a bus tour will be the only way for me to see the sights, but until then, not happening.

FWIW: Great Smoky Mountain NP remains the busiest park at 11 million visitors (Yellowstone is #6 at 4 million, Glacier is #10 at a little over 3 million). And Great Smoky Mtn NP has relatively few roads, so the traffic can be awful. The entrance on one side is Cherokee, NC, another tough area to drive. Tennessee side is even worse, entering at Gatlinburg, a traffic nightmare. Traffic light every single block. Its a disaster.

Some parks are best visited on what I would call shoulder season, either before school lets out in the spring, or after school starts in the fall. We are arriving at Yellowstone the day after Labor Day. We went there last in early May, which was too early, as most of the roads were closed (snow). Zion is best seen in January and February.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Yes, and I may have one that is not compatible-Safari-11.1.1

I'm also running Safari 11.1.1 and it works for me. I did have to give it permission to use Flash (Version 30.0.0.113)