Firstshot Loc: East,tn

Best time to visit Yellowstone for photography, spring or fall?

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

It depends on what you are looking for. All seasons are great in Yellowstone, for different reasons. I guess the worst season is Summer for the crowds!

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Exactly. I prefer spring with new-borns and summer flowers. Wife prefers fall and crisp scenes with elk bugling and less traffic.

Guess which season we do the most.

Sept 20 thru Oct 10 this year.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Both. Expand your horizons.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Fall is better, after Labor Day and before the first snows of the year. 0

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

My favorite all time visit was the third week of May. But some of the main roads were just being opened. Pay attention to when entrances open and close. It will have major impact on how you approach the park.

Firstshot Loc: East,tn

Do you stay in the park , and how far ahead to make reservations?

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

We have stayed in most of the park lodging, but due to our preferred areas of interest we have been staying in Gardiner for several years. It is necessary to book at least a year in advance for our favorite place.

You may wish to note that park lodging reservations open up over a year in advance.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

May for bears, Oct for Elk during the Rut. Never during the summer.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

If you plan on going over the Beartooth Hwy., Go later in the summer/early fall, due to snow!

Tgbyrne

Winter. Way less people. No bear but more wolf sightings. Spectacular geyser steam with the cold weather. Winter activities like snowshoeing and cross country skiing. There are also snow coach tours with photo guides of desired. Stay at old faithful snow lodge and at mammoth or Gardner for trips on your own across the north.

Firstshot Loc: East,tn

Winter sounds good. At my age snow coach tours may be the ticket. Convincing my wife another.

ngphotog Loc: Michigan

We prefer going in May the first week that many of the lodges and other amenities are open. That is typically the 3rd week of May, and that is when we went this year. There are often some snow piles not fully melted, but nothing that will slow you down. However, some road portions are still closed due to continuing repairs from the flooding last year. However, no access is blocked to any sites, you just take a detour. All the Yellowstone maps will give you driving times between tourist spots in the park. But where to stay? Old Faithful Inn and other in-park lodging is now up to $450 or more per night. Old Faithful Inn has a lot of character, but is about 100 years old, has many small rooms, not all with bathrooms, and has no wifi or TV. For evening dinner you have no alternative but to use their buffet at $43 per person. If your heart is set on staying near Old Faithful, then I recommend the Snow Lodge, which is across the parking lot from Old Faithful Inn and is modern but preserves the Yellowstone log construction look. And if you stay there you can still visit the Old Faithful Inn and dine there. All that being said, if you are really after animals, the most them that are seen are by far in the Lamar Valley (often called the Serengeti of the USA) in the North half of the Park, and the most accessible place to stay for that is outside the park in Gardiner, MT. Rates there are about $200 -$250 night in May. If you stay in the southern part of the park you will be spending a lot time driving to the Lamar Valley. Another fact to remember is that many animals start to be active at dawn, settle down somewhat during the day, and are active again at dusk. Also, the grizzlies and their cubs are coming out of hibernation then, and wolves and their pups are active. It is extremely helpful to have a guide to know where these animals are more likely to be located. Also, all the guides co-operate and have radios that they communicate with informing the other guides where the animals are moving. Also, because the animals gather to feed on carcasses of fresh kills, the guides let one another know where those kills are located. For the Lamar Valley you need at least an 850 mm lens. Many photogs are now using Swarovski spotting scopes with Olin adapters with their high end smart phones. If you don't know where to go, you can end up getting skunked. I advise hiring a guide for your first day at least. Typically your guide would pick you up in Gardiner at your lodging at 5am, and return about 2 pm. Typically you will have seen bison, grizzlies, wolves, moose, antelope, elk, and others. An excellent guide typically takes 2-4 people so you are not getting in each other's way. You can do research and review Yellowstone guides. I would refer you to mine, but he is plenty busy just by word of mouth. A guide may seem expensive, but you will likely see as many animals in one day that you would see in 3 days on your own, if that. I hope all this helps anyone planning on going to Yellowstone. Last thought, if you are not going before June, forget it until the fall. It is just too darn crowded with families on summer vacation.

Firstshot Loc: East,tn

Thanks for all the wonderful info. Very informative.

Leland22 Loc: Texas

I been several times in all seasons. We usually travel fall for color. However, Y has almost no color all evergreens-Tetons do. More animals in the Spring. Avoid summer crowds. If you have an extra day, I would highly recommend the Beartooth Highway from Cooke City to Redlodge MT -absolutely awesome for photography. You won't regret it.