Big Sky, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons Vacation

I will be posting pictures from my summer vacation in this thread.

Day 1.  We flew out of Newark to Chicago and then got a connecting flight to Bozeman Montana.  While I was waiting in the United Airlines Lounge for my connecting flight, this thing surprised me when it pulled up right next to the window.  I know most people on here will hammer me for posting a picture of a plane, but I have never seen such a big plane so close before.



After we flew to Bozeman we got in a rental car and started driving toward West Yellowstone.  We stopped by Big Sky on the way there.  We rode the Swift Current HSQ and as we were riding, I told my dad to "be prepared to kiss a few thousand dollars goodbye when we come back to the west to ski".  After seeing it up close and personal for my first time, and my dad's first time in 20 years, I think I am closer to skiing there, maybe not at Big Sky, but somewhere in the west.  Either way, here are the pictures.

Hey Snoloco, I like the big plane picture. Not all of of us are jet-setting world travelers. It is always strange to see ski hills without snow, they look far less appealing. Looking forward to your take on Yellowstone and the Tetons. Pretty impressive little part of the world right there.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

I like the big plane picture. Not all of of us are jet-setting world travelers.

It is pretty amazing that I woke up in Newark NJ with a view of highways, the airport, buildings, and everything else there from my hotel room window.  I am typing this on the same day almost all the way across the country in an area that is one of the most scenic in the country vs Newark which is one of the ugliest.  I am definitely looking forward to the rest.  We are seeing the park for the first time tomorrow.  Today was just a travel day with a stop at the ski area.

Spent a week at the Old Faithful campground once. You're going to love it. Stay on the boardwalks through the geyser fields.

I like the plane pic too. What is that (7?7). Not so keen on the Newark dis, but I guess I understand it.

Going to be very cool when you ski out west.  Could change your outlook on some things too.

You can probably ski Utah cheaper than some other places, maybe consider that.  Have a great time, looking forward to the rest of the pics.

Good ol' 747, it's the only Boeing with two levels of seating. I saw one at O'Hare a couple months back...Probably a non-stop flight to Tokyo.

Harvey wrote

I like the plane pic too. What is that (7?7). Not so keen on the Newark dis, but I guess I understand it.

Going to be very cool when you ski out west.  Could change your outlook on some things too.

You can probably ski Utah cheaper than some other places, maybe consider that.  Have a great time, looking forward to the rest of the pics.

That plane was a 747.  I cannot ski Utah very easily because United Airlines has no direct flights there.  My dad flies it for work many times a year and has earned some kind of status on it and his credit card gets more miles on it as well as some other travel benefits.  That allows us to skip many of the airport lines, use the United Club, be the first to board the plane, get one free checked bag per traveler booked on his reservation, and get our checked bags unloaded from the plane first.  I know Harvey wouldn't do this, but before anyone slams me for being a snob, this is similar to our season pass benefits.  Getting a credit card that gives travel benefits from traveling a certain airline is a similar thing.  You choose one company to be loyal to and get lots of benefits on it, kind of like getting a season pass at a ski area where you choose one mountain to go to and get benefits there.  At Mountain Creek, I get priority early access to certain lifts, discounts on food, and some other free things.  It would be weird having to connect in Denver to go to SLC, However, to go to Steamboat which is currently my first choice, we would have to connect there anyway.  I don't want to have to drive from Denver to the mountains because I 70 traffic is very bad and worse than driving to NYC.  When my skiing is on the line, that is just setting up for disaster.  When flying to Steamboat, we can just fly right over all the traffic.  The same thing could be done at Vail with Eagle Airport, but I have heard that Vail is overcrowded, and it is very hard to get around the mountain, so it is far from my first choice.

snoloco wrote

Harvey wrote

I like the plane pic too. What is that (7?7). Not so keen on the Newark dis, but I guess I understand it.

Going to be very cool when you ski out west.  Could change your outlook on some things too.

You can probably ski Utah cheaper than some other places, maybe consider that.  Have a great time, looking forward to the rest of the pics.

That plane was a 747.  I cannot ski Utah very easily because United Airlines has no direct flights there.  My dad flies it for work many times a year and has earned some kind of status on it and his credit card gets more miles on it as well as some other travel benefits.  That allows us to skip many of the airport lines, use the United Club, be the first to board the plane, get one free checked bag per traveler booked on his reservation, and get our checked bags unloaded from the plane first.  I know Harvey wouldn't do this, but before anyone slams me for being a snob, this is similar to our season pass benefits.  Getting a credit card that gives travel benefits from traveling a certain airline is a similar thing.  You choose one company to be loyal to and get lots of benefits on it, kind of like getting a season pass at a ski area where you choose one mountain to go to and get benefits there.  At Mountain Creek, I get priority early access to certain lifts, discounts on food, and some other free things.  It would be weird having to connect in Denver to go to SLC, However, to go to Steamboat which is currently my first choice, we would have to connect there anyway.  I don't want to have to drive from Denver to the mountains because I 70 traffic is very bad and worse than driving to NYC.  When my skiing is on the line, that is just setting up for disaster.  When flying to Steamboat, we can just fly right over all the traffic.  The same thing could be done at Vail with Eagle Airport, but I have heard that Vail is overcrowded, and it is very hard to get around the mountain, so it is far from my first choice.

Let me be the first to offer a counter opinion. If your company is paying for the exclusive use of flights from one company (or even more than one), it makes a lot of sense.

If you're an individual consumer, it might be more of a pain but you can always save money shopping for discount fares. Sometimes that may still mean flying to Reno for Tahoe skiing instead of in SLC (or similar), but it's tough to beat being thrifty and applying the actual savings to your vacation.

Just a thought. Not that there's anything wrong with American, it brought you to Montana!



Haven't been on a 747 in a long while though, mostly the wretched and retirable 757.

snoloco wrote

don't want to have to drive from Denver to the mountains because I 70 traffic is very bad and worse than driving to NYC.

And you have made this drive how many times?

Did you price the flights into Eagle? or the direct flight from NYC to Steamboat?
It's usually a kings ransom..

Lone Peak looks even bigger without snow for some reason.

Love the guy uploading without the lap bar down... some things never change out west.  

Snoloco, make sure you take the opportunity to get away from your car and the tourists and get at least a taste of the backcountry, even if it's only for a day hike.  There are many options in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  Lake Solitude (GTNP) is absolutely spectacular, but might be a bit aggressive.  The easiest route involves taking a ferry across Lake Jenny, then it's a 14-mi round trip with a bit over 2K vert of climbing.  Bring your fly rod for the lake.  Fantastic views of the Grand.  Check with a park ranger for other suggestions.    

Were those padded chairs with bubble tops? Top or bottom drive?
How many feet per second?
Was there a water park?

All that nonsense goes by the wayside when you have a real mountain...

PeeTex wrote

Were those padded chairs with bubble tops? Top or bottom drive?
How many feet per second?
Was there a water park?

All that nonsense goes by the wayside when you have a real mountain...

The lift was a standard issue Doppelmayr High Speed Quad from 1996.  The chairs were padded well and had footrests, but there was no bubble or heated seats.  It was a bottom drive rated at 900 horsepower.  Tensioning was at the bottom.  The lift was rated to run at a maximum speed of 1,000 feet per minute or 5.08 meters per second.  The inclined length of the lift was exactly 8,448 feet 9 and 3/4th inches and the vertical rise was exactly 1,645 feet and 1/8th inch.  There was no waterpark to my knowledge.

snoloco wrote

PeeTex wrote

Were those padded chairs with bubble tops? Top or bottom drive?
How many feet per second?
Was there a water park?

All that nonsense goes by the wayside when you have a real mountain...

The lift was a standard issue Doppelmayr High Speed Quad from 1996.  The chairs were padded well and had footrests, but there was no bubble or heated seats.  It was a bottom drive rated at 900 horsepower.  Tensioning was at the bottom.  The lift was rated to run at a maximum speed of 1,000 feet per minute or 5.08 meters per second.  The inclined length of the lift was exactly 8,448 feet 9 and 3/4th inches and the vertical rise was exactly 1,645 feet and 1/8th inch.  There was no waterpark to my knowledge.

WTF - you need a girl friend.

Day 2 pictures.  We went into Yellowstone for the first time today.  We drove to Mammoth springs stopping at various locations along the way.



























When I got to Mammoth Springs, I got these pictures.







After seeing this, we decided that we needed a break from the tourists and crowds, so we took a hike off the beaten path.  We were originally supposed to go 4 miles, but due to approaching thunderstorms, we only went 1.5 miles.  I got these pictures.









After returning from our hike, I got this picture of another hot spring before leaving.  It was great to do the hike to get away from the masses and we will do it more in the next days.

Hmmm, alpine trails in the summer.  Excellent for hill repeats.

Day 3:  We saw more geysers today and did a hike at the Yellowstone Grand Canyon.  Sorry I didn't post these before, I was busy and my camera lost battery, so I have to use my parent's pictures.

What's that big waterfall?

Favorite place so far?

Lower Yellowstone River falls.

I am surprised it is running so well as the west is really dry.