suggestions appreciated for stanley ID
Replies: 17 - Last Post: Aug 26, 2012 5:59 AM Last Post By: happylee
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suggestions appreciated for stanley ID
Hi,My husband and I are going to do the oregon coast, bend, boise, idaho falls, grand teton/yellowstone trip.
We will travel in the late September.
For the Idaho section, we will drive from bend to Boise, and up to Stanley. From Stanley to Idaho Falls.
As for background, my husband is an amateur photographer, and we are both fit hikers.
Suggestions needed,
1. For chances to catch wildlife, we are going to yellowstone. Is it still worth to take the Bear Valley on the way from Boise to Stanley? And which part would you recommend to go?
2. We plan to spend two days in Stanley. Probably would take the Alice Lake trail as a day trip. Any other trails you would recommend from photographic point of view?
3.Any special spots for photos you would recommend?
4. Would late of September be too late for the foliage?
5. From Stanley onward, we would stop at Craters of the moon monument. We probably would leave at noon and spend night at Idaho Falls. Would you suggest to stop at Idaho Falls for the night or drive directly to Jackson Hole for the night (From Idaho Falls to Jackson Hole would purely be night drive)? BTW, is there any other places worth stopping during the way?
Many questions.
Thank you in advance!
Joy
1
There are some neat hot springs along the Payette River near Lowman, on the way from Boise to Stanley.The hike to Sawtooth Lake, which starts just before you get to Stanely, is absolutely fabulous - highly recommended.
2
From Bend on the 20...I see no reason to overnight in the Boise area...continue on the 21 to Stanley that afternoon...As you might want to linger over lunch in Sun Valley,Idaho Falls makes a good overnight...Also a good place for a big box store stop and fueling up as things get more dear the closer the Parks...Make use of the daylight by driving the 26/31/22 over Teton Pass into Jackson's Hole... Where to, after the parks ??? carracar3
Hi , carracar, we will leave bend at noon. that is why we need a stop at Boise. From google map, it take 6 hours+ to drive to Boise.After the parks, we are heading to Salt lake city and then to the parks in Utah and Arizona. Part of our two months trip in the west of USA. : )
4
As a Idaho native let me suggest ...driving the slower,more attractive 26, into Ontario Oregon. Spending the night in one of the several motels where one joins the I-84...We have always liked the re branded (from Motel 8)" Americas Best Value"(blue signage) for the fine breakfast they put out...That "big box" store is next door...Stock up here, as there is no sales tax in Oregon... Continue... East, across the Snake River, fueling up in Idaho & gaining the 52 to avoid the butt ugly drive down the I-84 into Boise...Go North a bit on the 55, near Banks, turn East, to the 21 at Lowman...On this route,by the time you reach Stanley, you may well be out of film ! After your stay in The Sawtooths I suggest, continuing on the 75/93 to Salmon & turning in the 43 to enter Yellowstone from the West(287) or the North (89)...This allows a North to South tour through the Park(s)...Drive the 191 to the Utah Parks... happy trails, carracar5
Really appreciate carracar!We will follow your suggestion for the Ontario-Stanley part.
For the Stanley-Yellowstone part, do you think, from scenic point of view, 75/93/43/89 would be better than Kethum, sun valley and crater moon? We don't mind to drive a little bit in Yellowstone and Grand Teton as there are too much to see. We probably go to the same spot several times for better lighting condition for photograph. :)
Thank you again!
Joy
6
Quite frankly, Craters of the Moon is a lot more interesting to see than Yellowstone. So good choice there. (The year I went to Yellowstone, did so at the beg. of Sept. and it was cold even then!) Also great choice to go through the Sawtooths, although you'll probably want to stay several days more! Might want to take notice of one of the big fires up there right now. Not sure how that'll effect the photo portion of your trip. Sun Valley is a miss - just a bunch of rich people with their oversized houses. The Tetons of course are spectacular. :)7
Last September we did a trip that included Stanley, arriving via Hwy93 from Missoula and Salmon (just okay), then Hwy 75 (very scenic). We had a couple of nights at nearby Redfish Lake Resort (great, with good hikes and good food - big Idaho Potatoes), and then drove on to Sun Valley/Ketchum (interesting, with enormous wealth), and then Craters of the Moon NM (well worth an hour or three), and then across the plain into Idaho Falls.Next day drove Hwy 26-31-22 (very scenic again through the mountains) to Wilson (the back door of Grand Teton NP) and then in to Jackson to overnight. Drove through GTNP next day (taking the park roads, not Hwy89 on the east side of the Snake River), with an overnight at Colter Bay Village in the cabins there, prior to entering Yellowstone NP the next day.
We loved it all. We could have easily driven from Idaho Falls to Colter Bay Village in one day, but we took our time over two days.
PS - We did like Craters of the Moon NM, but it wasn't more interesting than Yellowstone NP.
8
In a land with little water... I simply enjoy slow river valley drives ... Given that volcanism is largely responsible for creating most all land forms from Crater Lake to the current activity in Yellowstone Park ... Craters of the Moon, NM. is more of the same old, same old. The drive, Cary/Arco/Idaho Falls seemingly endless. While you may be on the I-90 far too long...Butte has some interesting mining era artifacts that may make for interesting photos...I suggest you overnight in Bozeman...There is a fine Coop there, to stock up, if you eat "healthy"...Yes. then 89 in 191,out... carracar9
Thank you all above for the suggestions! We will anyway take the Idaho Falls route as we live in a region with lot of rivers, valleys, but few volcanos to explore.One question, will it be too cold to camping at Grand Teton and yellowstone at the end of Sep?
10
We were in GTNP and Yellowstone NP on 15-20 September last year, and it was starting to get pretty brisk at night - and early morning. We stayed in the budget cabins at Bridge, and Mammoth, and at Old Faithful ... they were all good, and between $70 and $90 per night. Nice option.11
we will be there end of Sep and beginning of Oct. Most of the lodge closed except Mammoth and Old Faithful Inn.12
This happens constantly on this branch - closures of tourist facilities at times that seem shockingly early.I appreciate that North America has a tough continental climate, but the extreme shortness of the "tourist season" would seem to work against the economics of it all. But what would I know ... being an Australian ... where the climate is nearly perfect and everything (except the ski resorts) is open pretty much all year.
13
Yellowstone is bit of a special case. For one, it is very remote from population centers, and once the summer travel season is over in early September, the volume of visitors simply can't support keeping the whole operation running. So the early closing doesn't work against economics, it's because of economics. There is still some activity through September while the weather remains good, so a few lodges stay open, but by October winter is setting in and tourism drops to near zero. Things pick up again after snows pile up, as the winter recreationists start arriving, and you'll note that some facilities re-open for the winter.14
Fair enough - we went to Switzerland last year in mid-late October - precisely because it was after the summer crush, and before the outrageous prices of the ski season - worked well - the weather was great, and the Alps were relatively uncrowded, and apart from a few less trains, most things were still operating.ADVERTISEMENT
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