Yellowstone in Winter

[Stephen Lewis]

A friend and I are planning a two week trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons in January 2010. I've started researching locations etc (we're staying in West Yellowstone and Jackson Hole), and I would like to buy a good map(s) of the area. There are a few available via Amazon, but it's difficult to get an idea of the content and quality.

Can anyone here recommend good maps covering Yellowstone and Jackson Hole? I would prefer to have it all on one sheet (double sided) but don't mind two maps if this provides a better scale and details. Many thanks.

[Don7x17]

Contact that snowmobile and snowcoach operators at that time of year -- they'll tell you which roads are open for such travel. You can rent snowmobiles in either place.

Plan on a long detour to get from Jackson Hole to West Yellowstone if you are going by rental automobile -- the roads through Yellowstone won't be open to travel in January.

[venchka]

Maps:

http://www.rei.com/search?query=GRAND+TETON+NATIONAL+PARK

http://www.rei.com/search?query=yellowstone+national+park

I own and use the Trails Illustrated maps. They are good. It may be better to buy the maps in the States. They should be available at an outfitter store in Jackson, WY or West Yellowstone, MT.

Geographic trivia: Jackson Hole is a geographical feature part of which lies in Grand Teton National Park. It is also the name of the commercial airport serving the region. Jackson, Wyoming is a city SE of Grand Teton National Park.

Bring your woollies! Better yet, bring lots of fleece, down and Gore-Tex. I do prefer wool for my extremities. It gets COLD! in Yellowstone and the Tetons. Seriously, life threateningly COLD!

The winter highway route between West Yellowstone & Jackson lies mostly in Idaho on the western side of the National Parks. A very pretty drive. I rode it on a bicycle in the summer.

Good luck! Bon voyage! Have a great trip.

[Dave Jeffery]

I was there May 1rst and some of the roads had just opened.

Death Valley California, Zion National Park, The Valley of Fire State Park Nevada, Red Rock State Park Nevada, Las Vegas, 29 Palms CA., Rancho Mirage CA can be OK in January if you cannot travel any other time but these places may be cold and are not anywhere near as nice as many other places you could visit during the spring and fall.

A good place to start gathering information about US national parks is NPS.GOV and the average seasonal temperatures are usually listed on the site. The Grand Canyon can book over a year in advance so also find out about possible permits etc. for the most popular places.

If you are going to visit a number of parks buy a year long parks pass which will pay itself of if you visit three national parks.

Also note the mileage between the parks and the terrain as there are long distances between them.

Good luck!