Yellowstone vs Smoky Mountains

Hi there

We're thinking of visiting one of the National Parks in the US and would
really welcome opinions on Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountains;
both look lovely and so we're not yet sure which we would like to visit.


We're thinking of going at some point in the summer months and would be
going for a couple of weeks. There's a lot of info out there on both but
it would be useful to have any pros and cons too!

Here are a few details about what we're looking for:

- the plan is to stay in a log cabin, probably a bit more on the luxury
side rather than the 'rough and ready' side

- we don't fish

- we don't have children

- we do like walking

- we do ride but probably just plan to do a day or two's worth of riding
rather than the whole two weeks in the saddle



If anyone's got any views, then that would be a great help


Many thanks in advance


Ruth

wrote:
Hi there

We're thinking of visiting one of the National Parks in the US and would
really welcome opinions on Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountains;
both look lovely and so we're not yet sure which we would like to visit.


They are about as different as two places can be!

Yellowstone has the insuperable advantage that it is next door
to the Tetons, two for the price of one (plane ticket, that is).

That said, one would not use "lovely" as the main word
for either Yellowstone of the Tetons. You could use it for
the Smokies, especially if you arrived just at the right time
in spring for flower blooming, and hit a pollution-free time.

For Yellowstone the word is "awesome" for the thermal features such
as geysers. For the Tetons it is "grandiose" just for that famous ...
and justly so ... grand view seen in so many pictures. Up close they
are even grander.

As for actual, real, log cabins, they are available either area
if you look around. They and attached dude ranches are more available
in the West around Yellowstone.

If you have ONLY one go at "the National Parks in the US" and
have to choose between the Smokies and Yellowstone/Tetons (if
the latter, DON'T DO JUST ONE) there is really no contest, GO WEST.

Doug McDonald

wrote in message
...
Hi there

We're thinking of visiting one of the National Parks in the US and would
really welcome opinions on Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountains;
both look lovely and so we're not yet sure which we would like to visit.



The Smokies are nice but not very different from forested mountain
regions anywhere in the world.

Yellowstone is unique and the trip of a lifetime, there's no contest
go to Yellowstone (and dont miss Grand Teton NP while there)

Accomodation in the park is in short supply , go online and
book NOW

Keith



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Keith W wrote:

snipped

The Smokies are nice but not very different from forested mountain
regions anywhere in the world.

Yellowstone is unique and the trip of a lifetime, there's no contest
go to Yellowstone (and dont miss Grand Teton NP while there)

Accomodation in the park is in short supply , go online and
book NOW

Yellowstone and Grand Teton have the beautiful scenery, the large
thermal areas, and abundant wildlife. You should be able to horseback
ride in either place.

George

I agree: The Smokys are nice, but not really worth a two-week stay IMO.
Yellowstone and its environs are magnificant, and are well worth
seeing. I'd consider taking a few days of your trip and heading up to
Glacier National Park on the Montana/Canada border. It's a bit of a
drive from Yellowstone, but very pretty country.

BrianW wrote:

snip

seeing. I'd consider taking a few days of your trip and heading up to
Glacier National Park on the Montana/Canada border. It's a bit of a
drive from Yellowstone, but very pretty country.


I second this. Glacier/Waterton is absolutely beautiful. We spent
several days there and could have spent more.

We went to the Smokies in 2005, and I definitely found our "out west"
trip more scenic (awesome is a more appropriate word). I would not
describe our trip to Smokies as "awesome".

I can't comment on the riding, as we didn't look into that.

But the bottom line is, no matter which place you go, you'll enjoy it.
We certainly did.

Shel

I agree with the others. The Smokies are beautiful and are definitely
worth a visit, but Yellowstone is much more dramatic.

(However my guess is that Yellowstone is a lot more crowded in the
summer than the Smokies.)

Jim

In article .com,
wrote:

(However my guess is that Yellowstone is a lot more crowded in the
summer than the Smokies.)

I was in Yellowstone last October. The parking lot at Old Faithful
was almost empty but its size was frightening. The place must get
a lot of people in the summer.

--
http://yosemitephotos.net/

wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:

(However my guess is that Yellowstone is a lot more crowded in the
summer than the Smokies.)

I was in Yellowstone last October. The parking lot at Old Faithful
was almost empty but its size was frightening. The place must get
a lot of people in the summer.



A few years ago I was in Yellowstone in early August. The parking
lot at Old Faithful was huge, and less than a fourth full. Of course,
that was only 4 hours after sunrise :-) and nobody was there yet.

Doug McDonald

In article ,
Doug McDonald wrote:
A few years ago I was in Yellowstone in early August. The parking
lot at Old Faithful was huge, and less than a fourth full. Of course,
that was only 4 hours after sunrise :-) and nobody was there yet.

Yeah, we had a similar experience with the Grand Canyon of the
Yellowstone. Although the trails are mostly paved through there,
we got there early, and saw few people. That was really nice, but
still a "pavement" experience. That's my issue with Yellowstone:
It's all about "parking lot attractions." I don't find the geysers
particularly interesting, unless you've never seen any, but the
multi-colored hot springs and terraces are striking. Still, it's
a zoo.

We did several long-ish hikes at Yellowstone too, and the trails
are pretty much vacant, but there's a reason for that: The
non-pavement areas are just nothing special. Oh, it was OK, but
we tried a variety of hikes from recommended guides, and none were
really notable. Grand Tetons and Glacier have *much* better hiking.
Yellowstone is about the "parking lot attractions." Of course,
fortunately, Grand Tetons is nearby.

I'll probably just annoy people by saying this, but it can sure be
boggling how rude "parking lot" people are compared to people you
meet on trails. Even busy trails, if there's a little effort
involved, take on a completely different -- and much more friendly
-- personality. After staying at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
for a few days, for instance, walking back out to the South Rim was
kind of incredible just from a sociological perspective. Night &
day.

Anyway, I know some people love Yellowstone, but for me, it's more
of a "see it once, and that's enough" kind of place. Since it's
right next to Grand Tetons, though, we'll probably revisit our
favorite colored springs at some point.