Advice for Yellowstone NP Spring trip?

[FlyingSquirrel]

I've never been to Yellowstone NP before (crazy, I know). Well anyway, somehow the idea crept up on me, out of nowhere, and all of a sudden I have this intense desire to go there. I have also never really researched much about the park, but a quick Google search brings up enough material to read and sort through for 2 years. So, as usual, I thought I'd pop a question up on the forums for some "real world" advice from people with actual experience at the location.

I'd like to avoid the crowds as much as possible. A few hours of research shows me that mid-May is one of the least busy times of year, while still having some roads and facilities open to automobiles. Their road opening schedule coincides nicely with my arrival on the West side entrance. So, I am considering trying to make this trip in May, before Memorial Day. I am thinking that going at this time of year could backfire on me if the weather is horrible, but if it works out, I will probably be rewarded by only 25% of the crowds that might come just a month or two later. I honestly have no idea what to expect at all, but hopefully the crowds won't be anything like this:

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...ddixon_600.jpg
http://visitusa.org.uk/memberassets/...WY_resized.jpg

Has anyone here been to YNP in May? How was the weather? Roads? Where did you lodge? Any general tips or advice for this time of year, or even for visiting the park in general, would be greatly appreciated!

[NorthernFocus]

Hi, Matt. We've been there a couple of times but not in May. Not sure how much time you have but my first piece of advice is to split time between Yellowstone and Tetons. Other than the thermal features, Tetons has much better topography and is better for landscape photography. Wildflowers should be starting to come out by then.

If you're mainly planning on shooting wildlife in Yellowstone, there are a couple of things to think about. First thing that comes to mind is that the bull elk won't have racks. They may be just starting to get nubbins of velvet. On the other hand, that is calving time. Also if you manage to locate any bears and/or wolves, they will still have their full winter coats. They also feed on the elk and bison calves so you may really score some amazing scenes of predation.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. It is an awesome place and your first visit will only make you want to go back.

[Polar01]

Matt, I have been to Yellowstone twice now, late May around 3rd week and 1st week of May. Early May not all the roads are open to autos as the snowbus season is has just ended, most of the roads were open by the that year by the 3 week. The Bear's Tooth Pass was still closed that year and would not have been opened for another couple of weeks I was told. The temperature was in the mid to upper 30's but you will find you may have trouble with mist in and around the hot springs with the cooler air temperatures. I sent about 10 days over the two times I went, some days were great, other days not so good. I strongly suggest that you go in early before light to where you want to photography before the possers start to arrive. Once you have shot then take some secondary shots and get out and return to you hotel. Then go back in before dark to get some blue hour and night sky shots.
To answer where to stay I stayed in West Yellowstone, at a Best Western.
As to the photo with line up of cars, never saw one that big, but the Bison do use the roads to move around the park, walking very, very slowly, after two days in the park you start to wish that you will never see another one again.
You will enjoy yourself.

Cheers: Allan

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thanks a lot for the quick responses! Anyone else that has input, it would be greatly appreciated as well!

Dan, thanks for the suggestion regarding the Tetons. I value your advice. Let me say, though, that from past experience (what little I have so far, anyway), I have learned that I tend to get too ambitious and spread myself thin across many endeavors (this happens in all areas of my life, lol). So, my idea was to explore only Yellowstone on this trip. I am going to have a primary focus on wildlife, with whatever mid-range telephoto landscapes I can pull off in between (I'd even welcome fog and mist shots if that's all I can get).

Gear will be two camera bodies (7D and 7DmkII), 500mm, 70-200mm, 1.4x. I’m not even going to bring my 10-22 because I know I won’t use it, so it will be useless, extra weight. I am not fond of shooting wide angle landscapes, I suck at them, and if I have my telephoto, I am certain I won’t want to swap to the wide angle. Every time I bring it, I don’t use it. As I said, I have found (and had advice given) that it’s better to focus on one type of subject per trip. Better results, less stress. There’s always the iphone for landscapes, haha.

Hopefully as was mentioned, I can get some photos of young animals. Also, hopefully some of the animals will be in good condition and not totally ragged from the winter.

Please allow me to think out the trip in writing here, I apologize if this is useless to you guys, but it will help me..feel free to weigh in on the following....

As far as conditions, I’m a bit worried there will be snow and/or ice on the roads, which will not be good for my car (bringing the chains!) In fact, that may be the case on the way over through the mountains, so my schedule may be delayed….hmmm. Unfortunately, when planning a trip this far in advance, the weather is basically a game of roulette.

I’ve also heard that you need to reserve hotels WAAAAY in advance, so I hope it isn’t too late at this point.

I am planning a full week (2 weekends plus the 5 days between) for the entire trip, including travel. The drive over to Yellowstone will be a couple days long, so I figure I can do those two nights in hotels along the way, pulling off for each afternoon at whatever is good for photography. Then the 3rd morning head on into Yellowstone via West entrance.

I am not sure what the best way is to go about the actual NP. At this point, I am guessing that the easiest, least stressful plan would be to basically drive the NP roadway all day, take my time, pull off whenever something looks interesting, and just have fun. I’ll head up the first evening to my (soon to be reserved) lodging for NP night 1. (My thought is, this ‘wing it’ approach to exploring will be flexible and let me stop when things look enticing, as opposed to trying to stick to some type of itinerary for desired and planned locations and hikes) The next day, head further in toward whatever 'end of the road' destination I can make it to, again just relaxing and stopping wherever looks cool or a crowd is pointing their glass. End of day, back to the lodge for NP night 2. Next day, drive the other direction, same plan, then back to lodge for NP night 3 at perhaps a different lodge. NP day 4, start heading home late afternoon, stay at halfway home point in hotel for night 4. Day 5, keep going, hotel for last night 5. Final day, arrive home, possibly pass out. Then Sunday to relax (before having to return to work Monday), clean up gear, and review some pics.

Well it has helped me a bit to type out this brainstorm. I think it will give me something to work off of. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks

edit- Forgot to mention, yes, Allan, I agree with your idea of getting up early. I am absolutely hard core serious. I will be up before sunrise and driving out to locations to get whatever sweet scenics and/or wildlife shots that I can get. Hopefully this will result in me being out with just a few of the other more serious photogs (I figure there are so many people visiting, that the small percentage of them who are early birds will still equal a good number of people). It would be awesome to have a couple hours in the mornings to be alone for some wildlife shot solitude.

[Polar01]

Matt: as for rooms when I went in early May of 2013 there were 4 other people there, and in 2010 3rd week there were 24 people there total (Best Western Desert) at West Yellowstone. The roads were clear of snow however there was still some snow on the land and along the road, once on the 3rd week we had 3" on morning make for a great shot of Old Faithfull. There are not really a lot of roads to take in the park, the rangers keep a pretty tight rein on what sites and road are open as park staff are busy getting the park ready of the summer season at that time of year. I enjoyed my self both times there.

Cheers: Allan

[NorthernFocus]

Matt, don't over think it. Work out some basic logistics and go have fun. Your first trip will be a learning experience regardless of how much you plan.

We also stayed in West Yellowstone on our trips. Last time we were there in the "shoulder" season and the rates at the lodge right beside Old Faithful were reasonable so we stayed there a couple of nights. I'd check into that and if it is doable for you it is highly worth it. The valley around the thermal features is full of bison. If you are staying right there you can pick your times (like during normal meal times) to go out and avoid seeing many people.

[Texas Dave]

We spent September in the Teton area and drove up to Yellowstone twice for a quick visit. I have hundreds of Bison photos, lol, but didn't get a chance at a wolf or bear.

I can't really advise you on Yellowstone but I agree Dan as far as visiting the Tetons too. We have family in Alpine and drove down the pass everyday to visit Jackson Hole and the Teton park in and around that area. So many beautiful places to visit and Jackson Hole is an interesting place in itself. The beaver dam and oxbow are a couple of "busy" places but not bad for us in September. We took the walk around Lake Jenny and several of the hiking trails in and around the park. If you get tired of Yellowstone, I'd book a day or two in Jackson Hole and explore the area, really neat place and people. ...and if you do, Breakfast at Nora's over in Wilson, WY is worth the 15 minute drive from Jackson Hole.

Have fun!

[Mike Buckley]

Given the amount of time that you will be in the area, I completely agree with you that you should stay in the Yellowstone area and not go to the Tetons.

[tclune]

I'm going to the YNP this May. I'll be going on a Road Scholar photo trip ( http://www.roadscholar.org/n/program...x?dID=1-7F3OAH ) which seems to be a pretty good deal and allows me to leave the planning and meals to someone else. This is my first foray into Road Scholar trips, so I don't know whether they're the right thing to do or not. I'll be taking a couple of days at the end to go down to the Grand Tetons with my traveling companion, since I doubt I'll get back there again. FWIW

[BrianA61]

Matt, all great advice posted here. I've been to YNP twice, both times in late Aug/early Sept. The crowds are also thinning at the end of the busy season and the roads (obviously) are all open everywhere. I'm planning a third trip back as the first two weren't enough. Yellowstone is a BIG place and you will need as much time as possible to shoot at a leisurely pace. Since this is your first trip, your cameras will probably be glad when you get back home. They will get a workout as there are photo ops at every twist and turn in the roads. Here is a little something I did on my second trip. This is by no means all that I shot, just a FEW highlights. Enjoy your trip and post your work here when you get back.

http://vid295.photobucket.com/albums...ps03e9bb75.mp4

[Dr Bob]

Matt:
I have been to Yellowstone several times over many years. I have been there mid to late May and the crowds are very small. We even got into the Old Faithful Inn without a reservation at that time. Expect snow on the ground and possible road closures in certain areas of the park. However, this year the snow in the west has been less than normal so who knows.

I strongly recommend you get a good printed map of Yellowstone asap to plan you trip. The main road in the park is like a figure 8 with each loop being about 50 miles long. A good map will indicate the location of attractions so you can better plan each day to make the best use of your time.

I was in Yellowstone for the entire month of September in 2013. My focus was fly fishing and photography in that order. I mainly used my 18 - 135 mm Canon lens on my 7D. I had a wide angle and a 70 - 300 mm along too which I used much less. For elk and bison shots, since the animals are very often close to the road, you do not need a long lens. The bear and wolves while I was there required very long lens way beyond what I own. Perhaps you will be more lucky.

For where to stay, I agree West Yellowstone is a good location. It is more central to many things in the park and one of the larger towns close to the park.

Have fun.

Dr Bob

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thanks again, everyone, for your replies, great advice, and suggestions. I've done a ridiculous amount of research and planning. I've laid out my schedule / itinerary, and reserved all of my lodging. Since the park is huge and the roads can take many hours to travel (especially when stopping often, as I probably will), in order to maximize my time at YNP and make the trip more efficient, I've chosen to lodge within the park for as many nights as possible. I am staying in the Northern area in Mammoth for 3 nights, and the Southern area in Old Faithful for 2 nights. This will allow me to wake up and head out before sunrise, and be on location and taking pics asap wherever I want to be, without fooling with going through the entrance booth, lines, and repetitive drives on the outskirts of the park as I enter. Some the lodging that I wanted was already sold out, so I made some small adjustments. Not a problem, but I would probably have had more of an issue if I waited much longer to reserve.

I'll explore and cover the North and lower North areas the first few days, then the South and upper South areas the next few days. I'll ask around at the facilities / talk to rangers etc about what wildlife has been seen recently, and where, and where they recommend that I go for specific target species that I'm looking for. Based on that info, and my gut instinct and eyesight, I'll just explore things and have fun. I am excited to have 5 days in the park. I'm not particularly interested in planning specific sightseeing, hikes, and so forth, for this trip. In the future, I can always do that, but for now my focus will be on wildlife, and just going wherever my sources recommend (or where a crowd of big lenses and scopes are pointed).

I called the park and spoke with a nice and helpful employee. I asked a variety of questions regarding my trip, and he thoroughly answered them, and more. I wouldn't hesitate to call again if I have more questions.

I live in an area that is 500 ft elevation, but YNP is around 6,000 to 9,000 ft. One concern I have is the effect of the elevation change on my body- apparently such a change in elevation can cause various symptoms ("altitude sickness"). At least I will be increasing elevation over a period of 2 days on the way over, so hopefully I can acclimate to it. My plan will to be just go easy the first day in the park, until I find out if I experience any issues. Not that I plan to go on many strenuous hikes or anything, anyway, considering the equipment that I'll have with me.

Thanks again for the advice! Hopefully I'll have some fantastic images to share when I return, or at a minimum, some great memories.

[Mike Buckley]

I think you chose wisely to stay in the park. I did one trip staying, like you, in two places inside the park and another one staying entirely in West Yellowstone. Each had their advantages because of the different purposes of the two trips but staying in the park will probably meet your needs the best.

When we got to the very highest part of the park, my 10-year-old niece got a nose bleed. The two adults and the two 13-year-olds were fine. I don't know if young children are more susceptible to that than adults. Once we left that area, the nose bleed went away the rest of the trip. Maybe take some extra Kleenex.