jellystone must dos..
 

you guys were so great last year when i inquired about lassen so this year will be in yellowstone at the end of aug. have a 7 and 11 yr old. what are must dos? will be there for 5 days. thanks ken.

Take them fly fishing
Old faithful
Old faithful Lodge
Boat ride on Yellowstone lake
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Soak in the Boiling River
Get off the pavement in the park you will likely see very few people. ;)

just watch out for the PO'd Griz... on that note, head down to Jenny Lake area and check out the 2 Griz mama's and their 5 cubs.. Stay in your car. They say we migh have over 1000 Griz in the Yellowstone eco system now..

Head into Jackson and ride the Tram at Teton Village to the top of Jackson Hole Ski Resort.

And everything else MT930 said.

Get off the trails in the park you will likely see very few people.

but be careful about bears

Check out the book, "Yellowstone Treasures." We used it as our guide. Lots of great info.

Yellowstone Treasures: Informative Guidebook to Yellowstone National Park

thanks for the info as always. i have just ordered the book. ken

Take 'em on a pic-a-nic

I absolutely love the nothern part of jellystone. Down south around the lake and old faithful is lodgepole pines so thick you can't see through them, and they go on for ever. Piled higher and deeper.
But up north it opens up and the landcape changes around every bend.

The falls at the grand canyon of jellystone is another must see.

Cool thing about this book is that it's set up like a guided tour. It starts at known waypoints, then as you progress (".75 miles on your right...") will point out things you would have driven past and never noticed. Lots of trivia, history, science, etc. My wife read it as we toured through the park. It really added a lot to our trip.

a lot depends on what you are interested in

I've worked in the park and a friend of mine still works there; I also used to date a Ranger-Naturalist who worked there. You can find all sorts of things off the beaten path that are super - but may only be super to somebody with a certain background. Post your interests for more info.

Note - not all areas are accessible to the public or with kids, dogs; or even safe.


PS - by work - I mean doing scientific research

that's a good question. for me, i'm just the driver, its mainly my older daughter who is really into nature. last year's trip when we went to crater lake, lava beds, and lassen, she was into the mud pots, the cone mountain and the caves. we're going to the lewis and clarke caverns on the way to jellystone.

ask her & also is she college (major?); high school etc.

I can try to get info out of a colleague who works in the park every year - he may be in the field out of Email connection tho

(also he's a snake-o-phile, so...)

Yellowstone is always great, but sometimes crowed, toward end of August it should be getting better with kids going back to school.
My wife and I have worked here many summers and again this year. I come to fly fish for the summer and we do seasonal work, my wife puts up with me doing this which is much appreciated. We took two of our grandkids (5 yr. and 9 yr.) fly fishing on Soda Butte Creek yesterday and had a great time even though water in northeast corner is still a bit high and very cold, but they loved the experience of catching some cutthroat trout.
We like the Old Faithful Inn more than the Old Faithful Lodge because of the all log construction and 90 foot view to the ceiling of log structure and the huge rock fireplace. Their restaurant is classy rather than a cafeteria and you can watch Old Faithful Geyser from the outdoor deck and in evenings listen to the piano player and have an ice cream snack to relax. Although the Lodge does have a nice view also out the large picture windows. I agree with others, get off the roads and enjoy what the real Yellowstone has to offer. Enjoy your trip!

jellystone must do's
 

Oops! I meant "crowded".......sorry!

daughter is entering grade 6 so just a kid. she's very interested in nature and animals and just everything and anything that's outdoors, well except for team sports.. i'll ask her what she would like to see.

for 6th grade, I'd start with a visit at the main Ranger Stn., watch the videos, and have a Ranger-Naturalist talk to her and get her started on the Jr. Ranger program, or whatever they have nowadays.

She can ask them about whatever her special interests are - don't neglect geology.

They will have a selection of books, field guides, etc. that she can buy.

Do the same thing in Grand Teton and any other National Parks.

some taxonomy:

Park Ranger-Naturalist - wears a big hat with a flat brim & uniform; specially chosen to be people-friendly; usually not a professional biologist; knowledgeable about natural history type stuff

Park Biologist - a scientist, usually has a PhD; no special clothing; may have a courtesy appt. at a univ. nearby (e.g. Univ. Wyo.); shleps around conducting research in the Park

Road Ranger - looks just like the Ranger-Naturalist, but usually wears a pistol and drives a cop car with radar; may have assault rifles in the trunk (esp. in SW); they can give tickets or arrest you; don't usually know much about biology etc.; this is the main path to becoming a Park Supt. or other "overhead" in NPS