Highlights:
– Unbelievable wildlife (bears and wolves!!)
– Fewer crowds than summertime
– Comfortable daytime temperatures and chilly nights
These two beautiful parks are more or less directly next to each other and can be combined into one amazing, beautiful, wild camping stop on your road trip. I would recommend spending at least 3 nights here, if not more, to truly get a feel for these beautiful parks.
Of all the national parks, I think Yellowstone is the one where visitors benefit the most from visiting in the autumn. Yellowstone tends to be overrun with tourists in the summer time, but in the autumn the crowds are much more manageable, making for a much more enjoyable experience. Make sure to check the NPS website for road closures, as they close the main north/south road around mid to late October each year.
We camped at Lewis Lake Campground in the south of Yellowstone for 3 nights. We were able to book our campsite the day before we arrived and set up camp in the dark on the first night. This campground is conveniently located if you want to also visit Grand Teton (which, incidentally has more expensive campgrounds than Yellowstone), but it is quite far from many of the highlights of the park.
You can divide your time in Yellowstone/Grand Teton into regions, as the natural area is so large. 1 day for exploring Grand Teton, 1 day for Old Faithful and surrounding thermal features, 1 day for West Yellowstone, and 1 day for the northern part of Yellowstone. It is easy to decide what highlight features you want to visit in each of these areas using the park map, but I would definitely recommend taking some time to hike some trails in the backcountry as well, as you will get the most authentic “wilderness” feeling. Make sure to carry bear spray with you and speak to a ranger about what to do if you encounter a bear on the trail. It’s no joke.
Autumn is a great time for wildlife in this region. Between the two parks we saw 6 grizzly bears (from a safe distance), hundreds of bison, elk, pronghorn deer, three moose, a dozen white mountain goats, a fox, 4 wolves, 2 bald eagles, and more! We were so glad to have our binoculars with us! The highlight of all highlights, however, was waking up before sunrise to look for wolves. There are wolf watching tours you can pay for, but with these few tips, you can find the wolves yourself. The first thing to know is that the wolves are most active around sunrise and sunset. It’s easiest to see wolves in Lamar Valley, as Hayden valley is much larger and harder to spot wolves in. We arrived at the Lamar Ranger station about an hour before sunrise (another perk about the autumn is that sunrise is later so you still sleep in a bit 😉 ) and waited until we saw other wolf spotters going by or arriving. Once you find other spotters, you’re good to go. Many of the regulars who go out looking for wolves have radios to communicate with one another and will announce over radio if/when they spot wolves. Everyone who is on the lookout together will then return to their cars and follow in a caravan to wherever there is a sign of wolves. If you have one, bring a spotting scope or a long-distance camera lens for best wolf viewing. I would also recommend bringing many layers of warm clothes and a hot drink while you stand in the cold!
I have visited Yellowstone both in the summer and the autumn, and I can say without hesitation that my experience in October was far superior, mostly due to the lower number of people.