Yellowstone vs Smoky Mountains

Hi Shel

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

Sounds like we'll have a pretty full 2 weeks


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".


He, he - I think I'm starting to build a picture now...

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.

Well, Yellowstone is looking to be the place to go I think although I
think that the Smokies sound beautiful too but perhaps the two weeks
will be better spent at Yellowstone.

Many thanks for the advice!

All the best


Ruth

Hi Jim

In article .com,
" wrote:

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

It certainly sounds spectacular....


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


Yes, I think that it may be sensible to go a little out of season - I'm
happy to cope with anything on the weather front and so I think that
early summer or early autumn will be good.

Many thanks for your help!


Ruth

Hi Todd

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."

Yes, this is also the impression that I'm getting but there must be
plenty to see off the beaten track too ...

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.

It does sound busy at peak times....

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.

Grand Tetons sounds like a 'must' from what's been said.

Yellowstone is about the "parking lot attractions." Of course,
fortunately, Grand Tetons is nearby.

Yes, I think that this will be the place to see too.


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.

He, he - many thanks for your help - it's good to get lots of different
perspectives, it's stuff that you can't really find in the guides.

All the best


Ruth

Hi Lawrence

And if you do go to Yellowstone, make a point to visit the Grand Tetons.
Wonderfully majestic.

Yes, that sounds like a very good plan...

Dunno, but I would not at all be surprised if those
Budweiser football playing horses commercials are filmed there. And if not
there, then someplace very much like it.

Sounds amazing - thanks for the info!



Al the best



Ruth

Hi Doug

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!

Yes - each with their own plusses and minuses from the sounds of things.

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

A lot of people have said that and so that looks to be a place that will
be a 'must' visit.

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.

He he he! 'Lovely' was a catch all description - I'm pretty sure that
there will be more suitable words to use but they'll become more obvious
when I see the places I should imagine

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.

I bet it's pretty amazing...


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.

There seems to be some nice accommodation available. I'm pretty used to
log cabins from childhood stays in the Czech mountains and so am quite
into staying somewhere rustic but comfortable.

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.

....as they say! Yes, there will only be the one go for the moment as
there are lots of other places to see too but I fancy just going
somewhere really scenic for a couple of weeks and somewhere where it's
possible to see a bit of nature and scenery on a large scale - something
that's quite hard to come by in Europe.

All the best


Ruth

Doug McDonald wrote:
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.

Well said and absolutely correct!
__________________________________________________ _________________
A San Franciscan who's visited 49 of 50 US states.
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com
__________________________________________________ _________________
[Content below asterisks not mine.]
************************************************** *****************



*** Free account sponsored by SecureIX.com ***
*** Encrypt your Internet usage with a free VPN account from http://www.SecureIX.com ***

wrote:
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.)

In the summer, both of these parks are *very* crowded...absolute
"zoos".

If I had to 'put up' with the crowds in the Smokies, I'd plan to be
hiking every day, and would work our days to be very early (pre-dawn
alarm clock). This way, we can have breakfast at ~6am and be out to
the trailhead by ~7:30am, thereby beating most of the traffic -- and
still find parking --.

For Yellowstone in season, I'd again be a "tourist schedule contrarian"
and be up very early and out very early, before most of the crowds.
Without kids, you'll gain at least an hour on the families in the park.
I'd also be inclined to split a 2 week trip between two parks. FYI,
this doesn't mean that Yellowstone doesn't have them, but both Glacier
and Tetons are better known than Yellowstone for day hiking.

Overall, my first choice would be to go off-season...I'd say that
that's more important than which of these two parks. For a two week
long trip, I'd also probably find it hard to spend two weeks in the
Smokies, since I'm not at all interested in outlet shopping at Pigeon
Forge or the man-made attractions in crowded Dollywood or Gatlinburg.

For the most part, I don't think that the Smokies are worth a long
airline flight to go see...I'd stay onboard the airplane and head
further West. With two full weeks, I'd be tempted to at least consider
looking at my itinerary to see about Yellowstone+Tetons+Glacier, but
between these three, I'd probably drop Tetons, since Glacier is similar
and IMO more interesting. For combining these, its around an 8 hour
one-way drive from West Yellowstone, MT up to Rising Sun, MT (Glacier).

For transportation, there's not really any commercial airports "on top
of" Yellowstone that I can recall, but if Glacier is in your itinerary
plans, this gives you some opportunity to compare a few airport
options: Butte (BTM), Helena (HLN) and Great Falls (GTF) are all
located "along the drive" between Yellowstone & Glacier, so you might
want to see which options between carrier, convinience and cost work
for you best. For example, you might fly into GTF and arrive late, so
catch a hotel in town. The next morning, you can wake refreshed and
drive the 3-4 hours north to Glacier, then after a week, spend a full
(8-9 hour) day driving down to Yellowstone, then on your last day,
drive the 4-5 hours up to GTF and catch a hotel overnight near the
airport and then catch a morning flight homeward. If you visit both
parks and don't open-jaw your flights, you're going to spend 16+ hours
driving on the roads between the two parks...your only question then is
how you split up the driving.


-hh

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

Yes, I think that it may be sensible to go a little out of season - I'm
happy to cope with anything on the weather front and so I think that
early summer or early autumn will be good.

It is my understanding that the Great Smoky Mountains N.P. is the
most-visited national park in the U.S.. I live about 400km west of the
park, and severe traffic jams there are often reported in the news here.

If you can only do one, definitely, do Yellowstone. Words cannot do the
place justice. I've visited in September and October. Crowding was not
a problem. (I suspect visits drop off a lot once the schools open)
There are other interesting things to see near, but outside, the park.
(the Grand Tetons N.P. being just one of them)

If you do visit the Smoky Mountains N.P. in the fall, do note that it
can get especially crowded once the leaves start changing colors. (of
course, that's probably also the most beautiful time to visit the park...)
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Ham stuff for sale:
http://www.w9wi.com/articles/4sale.htm

-hh wrote:


For Yellowstone in season, I'd again be a "tourist schedule contrarian"
and be up very early and out very early, before most of the crowds.
Without kids, you'll gain at least an hour on the families in the park.


Exactly, as a point I made earlier. The "crowds" only occur in the
middle of the day. And the sun rises early in the summer and sets late.

You will, of course, be out at mid-day, but one good look at the
park maps you get at the entrance, and some good planning, and you
can have absolutely spectacular views, nearly alone, early and
late. Just plan wisely and be, at midday, in places where
crowds won't bother you. It is very true that if you can get
off of paved trails, in either Yellowstone or the Tetons,
you will never be crowded. This is a good thing to plan for midday,
geyser schedules permitting.

Doug McDonald

In article ,
J.Jongejan wrote:
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.

--
http://yosemitephotos.net/

If you do a hike into the (back-)country you will be alone
within minutes!

Except for that bear