Wyoming National Parks – Know Before You Go

It’s always helpful to have some quick tips and suggestions about your travel destination before leaving. In this “Know Before You Go” article, some of the best tips, tricks, suggestions, and knowledge about Yellowstone and Grand Teton have been collected. This information will improve the quality of a trip to these national parks (like the Wyoming National Parks – Yellowstone and Grand Teton Itinerary) and reduce the pre-trip anxiety that many feel when planning their vacation.

Cell Phone Coverage

The big three US cell phone providers all have coverage in many areas outside the park. However, cell coverage is spotty inside the parks. This is especially true of Yellowstone National Park. More specifically, 5G coverage is spotty. Verizon has almost no 5G coverage in the area. Both AT&T and T-Mobile advertise coverage in the towns of West Yellowstone and Jackson. Because of the spotty nature of coverage, it is best to plan for no coverage during the day on this trip.

The following are some tips for how to manage the loss of signal and how to not let it impact your trip:

1. Embrace the Loss of Coverage – In this day and age, it is hard to find somewhere that the outside world can’t reach you. While this can cause some issues to some, everyone should embrace it. Use the time to engage with those around you and the beautiful natural habitat.
2. Download Travel Plans and Directions Ahead of Time – Download maps and offline directions ahead of time.
3. Print Itinerary and Needed Details – In this day and age, printing is a rarity (especially in the non-business world). While you may not be able to access some information on your phone, make sure you have offline copies of the most important information. You can capture these on your phone, but I recommend having the most important documents as a printed copy as well.

Typical Weather and Climate

Temperatures

Temperatures in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park vary widely throughout the year. For this reason, there are definite high and low seasons in the parks. However, Grand Teton does get a second life in the winter as a skiing destination. Therefore, Grand Teton doesn’t have the same low season that Yellowstone has.

The most popular time to visit both Yellowstone and Grand Teton is summer when the weather is warm. The warmest months are July and August. Temperatures routinely reach the mid-70s for highs but still drop to the mid-40s for lows in Yellowstone. June and September are also popular times to visit both of these national parks. The temperatures are a little cooler with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the upper 30s in Yellowstone. Grand Teton is pretty consistently about 5 – 8 degrees warmer than Yellowstone throughout the year.

The shoulder season covers May and October. Temperatures drop in these two months with highs in the low 50s/upper 40s and lows getting down to the mid to upper 30s. These temperatures will prevent many roads from opening. Many outdoor activities will also be unpleasant in this weather. I don’t recommend traveling to Yellowstone during this timeframe unless you are planning a completely different type of trip. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are regularly below-freezing during these months. A winter-focused vacation with snow shoes and snowmobiles is possible. However, all summer hikes and geysers will be very different in the winter.

Daylight Hours

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are located between the 43°N and 45°N latitude lines. Daylight hours are pretty similar to the rest of the United States given its roughly central position in the country.

In summer (the most popular travel time), the parks experience days with up to 15.5 hours of sunlight. Visiting anytime in the summer will result in at least 13 hours of daylight. This provides travelers a nice amount of time to experience and hike the parks.

As the winter starts, the daylight gradually begins to decrease. When daylight hours are the fewest (November and December), the national parks are only receiving about 9 hours of sunlight per day.

Precipitation

For the vast majority of the year, Wyoming national parks don’t get a lot of rain. From June to February, the maximum monthly average rain total is 0.68″ per month. March through May are the months with the greatest amount of precipitation during the year. During these months, the average gets up to 1.69″ per month. Because of the low temperatures during these months, this precipitation is snow. While the precipitation totals are relatively low, snow accumulation can occur during the winter months. Yellowstone gets an average annual precipitation of 7.6″ per year. For comparison, a city like Chicago in the US gets 17″ of rain per year.

All this goes to say that it is unlikely that rain will ruin your trip no matter the time of year that you choose to visit. Even the rainy season has a low monthly precipitation. However, you should always be prepared for a day or two of rain or the occasional afternoon shower.

Overall, I wouldn’t plan a trip around the chance of rain when traveling here. Temperature (and the resulting snow accumulation) is the much more important climate consideration for trip planning. Have a game plan for indoor activities in case it does rain, but otherwise enjoy your trip and don’t worry about the rain.

Tipping

Tipping culture is alive and well in the United States. The majority of wages for service staff are based on tips. This is the same for guides. Below is the tipping culture and recommended tip for each situation:

• Restaurants – 15% to 20% is the customary tip amount. Particularly good or particularly bad service can cause people to go outside of this normal range.
• Bars/Pubs – Tipping bartenders is also common. The rule of thumb used to be $1 – $2 per drink. For easy drinks (a pour of wine, a beer, or a simple cocktail), this is probably still fine. However, if there is more work in your order, it is customary to tip in line with the restaurant norms.
• Taxis – It is common to tip a taxi driver a small amount at the end of a trip. It is most common to round up your trip charge as a tip as well as for convenience. Not asking the taxi driver to provide a small amount of change is a nice gesture.
• Tours – Tours guides are routinely tipped. The amount of an appropriate tip for this type of activity is variable. It should be proportional to the amount that was originally paid for the experience. Somewhere around 10% is generally customary but use your best judgment. Also, adjust this up or down depending on the quality of the tour and the level of service provided.

Time Zone

Yellowstone and Grand Teton are located in the Mountain Time Zone (UTC-6). This means that Yellowstone and Grand Teton are 2 hours behind New York (Eastern Time) and 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles (Pacific Time). In most cases, this time zone difference shouldn’t be noticeable or cause drowsiness after traveling for anyone originating within the United States.

Wildlife Protection – Bear Spray

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are known for the wildlife. This wildlife includes some predators like bears and wolves. Because it is possible to come into contact with these animals while hiking, it is recommended that visitors to the park carry bear spray when they travel any of the hiking trails that are away from the populated areas. If you are hoping to see wildlife in natural habitats, you should take bear spray with you.

Bear spray is a form of pepper spray specifically designed to deter aggressive bears and other wildlife. Similar to pepper spray, it causes a burning sensation and temporary discomfort when it comes into contact with the eyes, nose, and mouth. Before heading out into bear country, have bear spray available. Note that this is likely something that you will need to pick up upon arrival as flying with bear spray is not allowed by the TSA.

When hiking in the park, the following tips should be followed for using bear spray:

1. Have Bear Spray Readily Available – It’s no good buried in a backpack.
2. Understand the Safety – Most bear sprays have a safety clip or latch that needs to be removed before use. Know how this works so it doesn’t become an impediment if you need it.
3. Position Yourself Upwind or Crosswind from the Bear – Spraying into the wind will not be effective and will potentially injure yourself with the pepper spray blowing back onto you.
4. Aim and Spray – Aim slightly in front of the bear. Start spraying when the bear is about 30 feet away. Create a cloud between you and the bear (aiming especially for the bear’s face) to provide a barrier.
5. Retreat Slowly – While spraying, slowly back away from the bear. Don’t turn your back to the bear so that you remain aware of its movement.