Drive Time: 7.5 hours (including drive back to Salt Lake City)
I grew up with Ansel Adams posters of the majestic Grand Tetons hanging on our walls. So when Eric’s family requested a trip to Yellowstone, my only stipulation was that we include some time at Yellowstone’s southern neighbor. If not stopping to hike, it takes less than 2 hours to drive around Grand Teton National Park, so we saved it for our last day & returned to Salt Lake City that evening.
We entered the park from the north, heading south towards Colter Bay Village. Our original plan was to drive the loop & return for a night at Headwaters Lodge, but plans changed & we decided to return to Salt Lake City that evening. This meant we retraced the route more than once, so instead of telling what we drove, I’m going to focus on where we stopped (in the order that I would suggest someone actually follow).
On day three of our family road trip to Yellowstone, we headed north from our lodging at Headwaters Lodge Flagg Ranch, passing through the South Entrance & heading towards Grant Village. Our first stop was Moose Falls, which is close to the South Entrance. It was a short, moderately steep walk to the waterfall & provided wonderful photo ops (especially in the early morning light) — a MUST stop if you’re planning your own trip.
We spent our first night just outside the North Entrance of Yellowstone at Park Hotel Yellowstone in Gardiner, MT. LOVED it! Gardiner is a sleepy mountain town with lots of charm without feeling touristy. The Park Hotel is a family-run inn, beautifully decorated & in a prime location. A 1-night stay was expensive ($325), but it was comparable to what we’d pay during the summer within the park itself. Yellowstone in summer is NOT a cheap destination unless you camp or book early.
