Cycling in Yellowstone and Tetons

[Lori Vernon]

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone next fall.  We are avid hikers and will be enjoying the parks thru hiking.  I would however like to cover some more distance and see more of the park but am not keen on sitting in a car with the possibility of getting stuck in a bear jam.  We are also cyclists so was considering biking thru park.  We will be there the 3rd or 4th week in September.  We would have a kind of home base lodge that we would do day trips out of.  Can anyone comment on the feasability of cycling in the parks as a way to see the sights at this time of year.  Is it more efficient than car travel and would you recommend it?  . Thank you

[John Nelson]

I cycled through Grand Teton and Yellowstone and greatly enjoyed it. Make sure you take the bike path from Jenny Lake to the south.

Yellowstone is huge, so it takes some distance go get through it. A home base lodge is a good idea because the nighttime temperatures will be cold. Make your reservations soon. Because the park is so large, you likely won't be able to get everywhere on day trips from your home base. That's okay, however, because you can just use a car to get to your starting point.

The second half of September is past peak tourist season, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with traffic. The daytime temperatures should be cool but not yet cold, and it should be fairly dry.

Take a lock so that you can explore the area from where you park your bike.

Your plan sounds really good to me.

[BrianW]

Yellowstone in late September can be fairly cold, with chance of snow too. Most of the lodges start shutting down in mid-September, and some of the campgrounds too. I've been there a couple of times in the fall to do photography and it's really nice. Animals are out and about getting ready for the winter, elk are bugling, and there are way fewer people about. However, I've seen it get down to 15 degrees at night with snow in the first week of September, and be 80 degrees on another trip in the middle of September (I had to buy a t-shirt because it was so hot!).

While I'd normally say "go by bike," for this trip I think a car will be much better, given the short daylight hours, weather variability, etc.