Yellowstone and grand Tetons route

[dkmamunes]

I tried doing a search but couldn’t find what I am looking for so pardon me if it’s already posted. I would like to do Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Are there any recommendations on the best route to do so? I am traveling east to west on the Trans Am trail and just a few days away from Yellowstone. Thanks for any feedback you can provide

[John Nettles]

There are so few roads in Yellowstone and Tetons.  What are you trying to accomplish/see, i.e. scenery, hiking, just get through, etc.

The "traditional" routing is to follow the ACA TA to Teton Park Rd. just south of Jackson Lake Lodge, and take Teton Park Rd. to Jenny Lake (great campground, seriously one of the best) where a bike path take you all the way to Jackson. 

After doing the Jackson thing (it can be expensive place to stay overnight so consider a WarmShowers host), either backtrack the Jackson Lake Lodge turn off or take US-191 (bike path to Moose, WY) to the intersection with US-26 where you rejoin the ACA route.

A third alternative, if you are willing to ride on the interstate (legal), is from Jackson, head south on US-191 to Rock Springs then head east on Interstate 80 to Rawlins.  This gives you a lot more services compared to the TA route and the traffic on I-80 is really not that bad (less than a lot of large city roads) and it has a full shoulder.  There are some sections of the old highway that parallel it but check out Google maps to ensure you don't ride to a dead end.

Going back to Yellowstone, if you want to see more of Yellowstone, you might consider riding to Grant Village, then do a ride over to Canyon Village then back the next day.  This section has a lot of wildlife.

Tailwinds, John

[John Nelson]

I’m not sure I understand. Why not just follow the TransAm route through those parks? If you want to see more of the park, take a rest day and a bus tour.

[dkmamunes]

 I guess I need to look at it closer. To me it looks like you take the grand Teton loop before you get to Yellowstone and reconnect with the ACA after Yellowstone which would mean looping back which is fine if that’s the only way to go.

[staehpj1]

We followed the official TA route.  It was nice.  Did I hear rumors the route has changed or was changing to avoid traffic?  If so I can't address the new one.

There was one departure from the route where we did pick up a dirt path that took us behind Grand Prismatic.  We were able to visit a falls (Fairy Falls I think) along that path.  We ate lunch in a spot where we walked up a bit higher to be able to look down on Grand Prismatic.  It was a nice view of it that most don't see.  Ask a ranger about the path.  One of the rangers tipped us off about it.

There is a Tetons Spur,but sadly it is an out and back.  We opted out on it, but I did drive it when on the way to another trip.  It does have a great view of the Tetons, but we decided we'd see enough of the Tetons from Jenny Lake.

[dkmamunes]

Thanks! I think I’ll just do Jenny Lake too then spend a few days in Yellowstone

[staehpj1]

I guess I need to look at it closer. To me it looks like you take the grand Teton loop before you get to Yellowstone and reconnect with the ACA after Yellowstone which would mean looping back which is fine if that’s the only way to go.

Yeah.  We were on a somewhat limited time table with one of our group worried about getting back to a job, so we avoided extra mileage in general.  We asked a ranger near the decision point and she advised that we'd see all of the Tetons we needed to from the main TA.

On hindsight,  The view was amazing on the spur, but it would be quite a bit of extra time and effort if you are limited on either.

[John Nettles]

If you are NOT on a time crunch and you want the full tour, here is a route.

West Yellowstone > Ashton ID > Jackson (via the Yellowstone Bypass) > Jackson Lake Lodge > Grant Village > Madison Campground (Old Faithful and lots of geyers) > Castle Canyon > Do a 1 day out/back to Fishing Bridge back to Castle Canyon (great wildlife) > north to Tower Jct > Cooke City > Red Lodge (includes the stunning Beartooth Pass @ 11k' > Belfry > Cody > Thermopolis > Riverton (pretty scenic road) > Jeffrey City where you finally reconnect to the TA.

This would include numerous scenic sections along with a few major climbs but if you want it all, here it is. Obviously, it is much longer but hey, if you got the time, go for it.

Another option to consider later on is you like really nice scenery, ride from Saratoga, WY, to Centennial, WY then down to Woods Landing then to Cowdrey, CO, where you reconnect to the TA.  Note that this has a very scenic 10,900' pass but low traffic and very scenic with adequate services along the way.  Highly recommend as it is much more scenic than the TA and it has more services.  The downside is one major climb and it is a bit longer.

Tailwinds, John