Hello.  My wife and my parents are planning on going to Yellowstone in the second week of July then we will head to glacier national park; we may also make a stop in the grand Tetons and or the badlands national parks.   We will spend 4-5 days in hotels and a total of 14-16 days away from MS.  Our travel to Yellowstone will take 2 days.

We will be car camping. I figure I'll reserve campsites this week. But hope to use some of the other non reservable sites in Yellowstone and glacier. Which sites are best?  What are some good scenic drives?  Are there any great remote day hike trails?  My parent are near 70 so no overnight hikes this trip, unless my wife and I split off to do so.  Where are some good places to eat?  Will 4-5 days at yellow stone allow us to see a good amount of the park?


Somewhere between Yellowstone I'd love to find a fishing guide to go trout fishing with (fly or conventional) for a day or two.  I prefer arfcom recommendations to booking on a website. Where are some good places to fish where we can camp nearby EVEN if not in Yellowstone?

You can try for a camp site at Madison Campground in YNP. You have to be early, because the campground fills up every day. The concession people at the park can check their computer to see if there is a spot available, and you can immediately reserve it then.

From Madison Campground, you have easy access to the Madison, Firehole, and Gibbons Rivers. This area is fly fishing only. I spent some time fishing the Gibbons to get away from people and the road. Carry bear spray.

Lotsa good fishing in the North Fork Shoshone, at least if it calms down by the time you'll be there... the past few weeks the river's been so high and fast from snowmelt that 2 of our campgrounds have sites closed due to flooding (Wapiti and Big Game). Hopefully it'll be better by the time you're in the area.

If you're not camping in a hard sided vehicle or trailer, you can still stay in Rex Hale, Clearwater, Wapiti, Elk Fork, or Big Game campgounds, although I wouldn't recommend Rex Hale in a tent, as there's very little shade and way too much wind. All the campgrounds farther up the river toward Yellowstone are hard-sided only due to grizzlies (although grizzlies have shown up in every campground on the corridor). Sites can be reserved at all those campgrounds except Elk Fork, plus they all have first-come, first-served sites as well. If you want a site on the river, all those except Elk Fork have some, but Big Game and Wapiti are a bit sketchy right now with the flooding.

Yellowstone is a lot of walking and that time of year it gets damn hot.  You can't two steps without running into a trail, waterfall, geyser, shop or lake.  The walk around old faithful is easy out the surrounding hot springs is a couple of miles.  Remember don't approach the animals, every year someone gets hurt thinking they can get a selfie with a buffalo or some other dumbass thought.

I just got back of Glacier and it's a bit more simple that Yellowstone.  The big attraction if the "Road to the Sun".  It's a highway that goes over the mountains to the east end of Glacier.  It was closed while I was there but it may be open for you.  Lots of trails to walk, some were as little as 1.5 miles.  Flathead lake is a good stop too.  Taught my oldest how to skip stones on it.

I suggest going out of Yellowstone through the north exit, through Miles City and over the Beartooth Pass into Red Lodge.  Great drive.