Kuzano

Good point about the GATES and purely semantics.

4 years ago, I attempted the East entrance and was turned back about 5 miles before the park for road closure. I had to go North around the north side of the park and almost the width of the park to get to the North entrance. It added, or stole, a half day of my trip as it was a putrid boring drive.

No ... do not check for GATE closures, as I too have never seen a GATE at Yellowstone.

CHECK FOR ROAD CLOSURES HOWEVER. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE HAD TO NAVIGATE TO OTHER ENTRANCES 3 TIMES.

I go to Yellowstone every 3-4 years on a trip from Oregon to Michigan.

MtManMD Loc: Beaverton, Oregon

The conditions may vary greatly from year to year. I was there around 5/23 a few years ago and the Tetons were covered with snow, which makes for a great reflection in the lakes. Lake Yellowstone was still frozen (which is an interesting sight), and there were many feet of snow still covering the ground throughout much of the southern Yellowstone.

Even though it is a dry sagebrush climate, it can stay pretty cloudy that time of year in the Tetons, so allow for multiple days if possible.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

We did Yellowstone and the Tetons in Mid-May 2004 and had no snowy roads. The mountains were beautifully snow-capped but the roads dry. Plenty of aging roadside drifts at higher elevations. Given the way this weather has gone this year I would say you need to make some calls before you decide on the destination and route. There are no givens.

Photocraig

I live in the Reno NV area. The mountains to the West top out over 11,000 feet. Snow is usually seen trough June, so May will be OK there too. But,and this is from many years experience, All Wheel or 4-Wheel Drive is mandatory for any trip to the West and Northwest other than July-September. Tahoe months have all seen snow and hard freezes, but the long sunlight usually melts the roads well. The other poster who suggested the trade off between flights closer vs. 2 days+ Car rental makes sense.

The scenery in the Tetons is fabulous, the Yellowstone wildlife is ABUNDANT. but, be prepared for a winter vacation. And be sure you know what to expect from Park and other program availability and rentals. Keep researching.

BTW: It snowed over a foot last night at over 8,000 foot elevations. and in Reno-Sparks @ 4500 feet Elevation there is 3" of snow. That can happen any day.

Your Ohio learned winter driving skills will serve you well. But, in the West, a heavy snowfall can be measured in feet and often a foot in an hour at the elevations your visiting. The other difference is that the hills here exceed the mountains there. And the roads can be steep with tight curves. I recommend taking an hour in DAYLIGHT to learn how to drive your rental in Western Conditions. If you arrive at night, stay at the airport location and do your driving in daylight. Like Dorothy Sid," Toto, we're not in Ohio anymore." You can do it but the conditions which seem similar are significantly different. Just respect them.

Have a great time. I wouldn't hesitate to go.

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

May can be a great time to visit the Tetons. We owned a condo at Spring Creek Ranch for years until the kids started to grumble about going to Jackson Hole every year. We then sold it but still own a couple of Jackson Hole timeshares that we use every year in May. (This year the two overlap so we have a week beginning May 6 if anyone needs a place to crash.)

Now that the commercial part of my post is completed, please take a look at the picture I posted from May 6, 2015. Please don't critique harshly--it is only there to show the amount of snow on the Tetons in May as well as to give an idea of how fickle the weather can be. It was rainy several days and beautiful other days. As far as Yellowstone is concerned, the south entrance (gate) is usually open the second Friday in May--depending on weather. Also May is a great time to be in Jackson--fewer tourists, lower rates, and two-for-one pricing at many great restaurants. We will be there in 2016 from May 7 thru the 21st. Ping us if our schedules coincide. In any event have a great trip.

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

I live on the west side of the Teton Range. If I could be in this country only one month of the year, FWIW that would be September. The aspen groves are in fall color then and there are spectacular scenes of the gold - red groves in with a backdrop of the Tetons highest peaks in many places, resulting in some fabulous photo ops.

However, May can also be beautiful, the high peaks still covered with lots of snow. It will be muddy in some places - the quantity of snow melt from five or more feet of snow is very large and very wet. Many of the best places to photograph from can only be reached by unpaved roads, and these can be wet and muddy, or even still not easily passable because of residual snow. For your car rental consider a jeep or other 4X4. If you are adventurous and would like to get into the back country good maps are important, either national forest travel maps or Idaho and Wyoming Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlases, or both would be my recommendations.

Suitable airports have been mentioned, SLC and Idaho Falls. Idaho Falls is serviced only by a subsidiary of Delta and flights to IF all originate in SLC. The airplanes are small and prop driven. I mention this because some individuals, such as my wife, develop anxiety in such small planes and are uncomfortable. The last I knew there were similar flights to West Yellowstone. The flights themselves don't take long so the noise and vibration don't have to be endured any great length of time. These flights are very expensive for such short legs - often they will cost more than a flight from a home city to SLC even though the distance is much shorter. Another possible airport is Jackson and there are quite a number of flights there from various cities on jetliners. In my experience the costs to Jackson vary greatly but it may be worth checking out. Jackson also has a good supply of 4X4 vehicles for rent.

I would strongly advise not limiting yourself to just one side of the Tetons. Both the east and west sides of that mountain range have beautiful scenes to photograph. Some are not well known, such as Upper Mesa Falls of the Henry's Fork in Island Park. As has already been stated, the paved roads in Jackson Hole, the Teton Basin and the area along the western side of the Tetons between the Basin and Island Park should be open. The Yellowstone NP roads are not all likely to be open in May. Check the National Parks websites frequently as your departure grows near for road conditions.

There are no guarantees of weather in the northern Rockies. Much of May is usually beautiful (we get a lot of sun here) but a raging snow storm is possible although unlikely. I would recommend making your flight reservations refundable for this reason. The amount of winter snowfall varies considerably from year to year and effects road conditions in the spring. For example, last winter was the mildest here in most folks memories, only about a maximum of 1 1/2 feet of snow cover at around 6000 feet, whereas every other winter since I moved here in 2007 had 3 - 5 feet of snow cover all winter long. If you follow the snow amount in Jackson and Driggs this coming winter, for example, You may be able to get some idea of what travel conditions may be like in May.

This is a very beautiful area, one offering photographers wonderful opportunities. I could have moved anywhere I wished upon retirement but chose this area for it's sheer beauty. I see the high peaks of the Teton Range out my bedroom window every morning (weather permitting) and what a joy that is.

I hope all of this is of some help. It's easy to get carried away about this beautiful place and I sure did! Best wishes for a great experience here, whatever time of year you choose.

Pkfish Loc: Wilson Wy

End of May is a good time to come. You can usually get around fine. Not so many tourists. Good chance of seeing bears and elk & moose in velvet.Like many have said ,check for road closures and bring warm clothes. Have fun!!!

Mike Jackson Loc: Jackson Hole, WY

These two pages might be exactly what you are needing! I go out to the GTNP almost daily and add photos and comments. These are the May Daily Updates for the past two years.

http://www.bestofthetetons.com/2015/05/28/may-2015-daily-updates-photos-for-grand-teton-national-park-jh/

http://www.bestofthetetons.com/2014/05/01/may-in-grand-teton-national-park-and-jackson-hole/

Hope they help!

Mike Jackson
www.bestofthetetons.com

Vi Loc: Upper Midwest

I went to Yellowstone and the Tetons last August. Great trip. I want to go back again soon. Weather was great, lots of tourists but if you start early in the morning you can beat the rush to the major destinations. Pack your own food, snack and drinks. Not many places along the way for that. Take the side trips. They are better than some of the major attractions and not so crowded during peek of day touring time from noon to about 4-5 pm and the tour buses can't go on those roads... Not allowed by the park. Fly in and then rent a car or suv. Talk to other visitors along the way, they give you a bunch f helpful info. Also the park rangers are great. If you belong to AAA, they will give you a ton of info for free and also help you plan your trip. While in Jackson, I did a river ride and the Eagles were out in force along with other wild life. Also go to the park websites and you can find a bunch of wonderful info there along with road openings, time of year, etc. enjoy and watch out for the Wyoming stop signs......bison along the road side.