Epic adventures require meticulous planning - and a trusted guidebook. Moon Guides author Carter G. Walker joins Danielle with recommendations for planning a two-week expedition covering three of the country’s best-loved national parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier based on her book Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip.

Discussion includes the following:

[00:02] Introduction - Carter G. Walker, Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip: Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons & the Rocky Mountain Front (Travel Guide); Suggested additional reading Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook (updated yearly)

[01:48] Pandemic park travel planning plus additional Moon Guide resources by Carter G. Walker

[04:33] Time Travel: What’s the perfect amount of time to allot for your Yellowstone-to-Glacier road trip?

[06:20] Car rental tips: Montana’s gateway cities maximize your budget - Billings, Missoula, Great Falls

[07:53] Stocking up: Tips for buying road trip provisions in Jackson Hole (Grand Teton National Park), Bozeman, Livingston (Yellowstone National Park), and Great Falls, Kalispell, or Missoula (Glacier National Park)

[08:58] Let’s Go: An overview of your epic journey

[10:35] Beginning in Bozeman, MT: Tips and resources for your first days in Yellowstone, NPS Yellowstone app, recommended ENP episodes for Yellowstone 4.1 through 4.8, Mammoth Hot Springs, National Geographic May 2016, Upper Geyser Basin

[14:18] Seasonal timing for your trip and the Yellowstone winter snow coach

[15:58] Bozeman sightseeing

[16:46] On to Jackson Hole, WY: Daytrips to Grand Teton and things to do

[18:12] All about Grand Teton: Seasonal highlights and activities at Jenny Lake, Two Ocean Lake, Snake River, Jackson Lake

[21:03] Jackson Lake Lodge activities and its environs: Signal Mountain, Oxbow Bend, Elk Island, DuBois, WY, Moran Junction, Ocean Lake, Emma Matilda Lake

[22:45] Lodge booking tips

[23:13] Yellowstone’s east side: Canyon Village, Tower Junction/Roosevelt, Mammoth Hot Springs, Paradise Valley, Lamar Valley

[24:08] Paradise Valley area highlights:Gardiner, MT Chico Hot Springs, Chico Saloon

[25:57] Rocky Mountain Front, MT to Great Falls, MT: Sluice Boxes State Park, Wishaw, MT, White Sulphur Springs, O’Haire Motor Inn and Sip 'n Dip Lounge, Piano Pat Spoonheim

[28:12] Browning, MT: Glacier Country activities and lodging: Museum of the Plains Indian, Blackfeet Nation

[29:03] Browning to Many Glacier highlights and camping resource

[31:32} Seasonal challenges: avoiding the crowds, backcountry safety, Highline trail

[34:04] Glacier National Park: Ranger-led programs and activities, St. Mary Visitor Center,

[35:27] Glacier Institute programs and multi-day camps

[36:37] Everything you need to know about Going-To-The-Sun Road

[37:43] Lake McDonald Valley and Lake McDonald Lodge area highlights and activities

[39:28] Crowd control: Planning your Highline or Going-To-The-Sun hikes including shuttle tips

[42:19] Lake McDonald to Whitefish, MT: Activities and lodging in nearby Essex, MT at Izaak Walton Inn

[43:28] Ending the trip in Bozeman: Flathead Lake, Jewel Basin, National Bison Range, Missoula, MT, Mission Mountains, Flathead Indian Reservation, Seeley Swan Valley, Helena, MT

Thank you to Moon Travel Guides for sponsoring this episode.

For complete show notes and archive, visit everybodysnationalparks.com.

Resources:

Buy your copy of Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip

Carter Walker http://www.cartergwalker.com

Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook

Note: This episode is coming out in spring of 2020 during COVID-19 please be safe and follow recommended guidelines. If you are going to a national park, check the website for specific closures and guidelines for that park. The content of this interview is to inspire travel once it is safe to do so. Thank you and we hope you and your loved ones stay healthy.

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