Visit Yellowstone Offseason

by Kraig Becker on

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most popular destinations in the U.S., welcoming nearly 3 million visitors per year. Most of those come during the summer months, when the weather is consistently beautiful, and the travel season is in full swing. But this article suggests that we should go now, to beat the crowds, and enjoy springtime in the Northern Rockies, where no matter what time of the year it is, Old Faithful erupts, whether anyone is watching or not.

The Park covers more than 2.2 million acres, spreading out across Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. It was first established back in 1872, and is home to hundreds of species of birds and animals, including sixty distinct species of mammals, such as elk, moose, bison, wolves, and bear. Yellowstone also contains diverse terrain, with rivers, lakes, canyons, and mountains dominating the landcsape.

Of course, all of these natural wonders are also what attracts the large summer crowds, which makes visiting the park in the offseason such a popular idea for outdoor enthusiasts. For instance, even though it is spring, and temperatures are on the rise, there is still plenty of snow in the high country, allowing for some late season skiing or snow shoeing. At lower altitudes, the trails are now open, granting access to much of the park, and since the crowds haven’t arrived yet, there is plenty of solitude as well.

The article offers some excellent links to websites that cover Yellowstone from top to bottom and have plenty of great tips on how to maximize your visit, including the best places to stay, both inside and out of the park. Beat the rush in Yellowstone. Go before Memorial Day weekend, to have the park mostly to yourself.

Jackson Hole Airport to undergo runway work

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Jackson Hole Airport is likely to close for around four days next month because of runway work. The closure is scheduled to begin at 5 PM on May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day), with the four-day estimate coming from the contractors hired by the airport. If the hired help can get the work done according to schedule – and when was the last time that happened? – the airport could reopen as early as May 30, though a range of up to June 2 is proffered.

The good news? The Federal Aviation Administration is going to kick in $5 million for the effort.

Of course, there’s always a critic. Major General Ed Wright, top dog in the Wyoming National Guard, gripes that he and 53 other National Guard generals, and their staffs, where planning to meet in town for a conference for the first five days of June.

He’s quoted in USA Today as saying, “I was more than surprised this week to hear thirdhand that the airport is proposing to close at exactly the time the majority of our attendees are scheduled to arrive.”

Apparently, Wright did not punctuate his concerns with, “Don’t you know who I am?” perhaps because it’s implied.

The general’s true colors are evident in his two statements: (a) generals have tight schedules (even part-time generals, apparently) and (b) “I certainly don’t believe they would purposely single out a military event at a time when our nation is at war and Wyoming is deploying the greatest number of guardsmen in our state’s history.”

Okay, so which is it? Generals are too busy to be interrupted – regardless of what the rest of the world needs? Or, is it that the airport is putting maintenance, safety and reduced scheduling impact ahead of the needs of a nation at war … a war that clearly will be won or lost by the ability of 54 generals to meet in a resort town?

Sorry, Wright. This all seems just a tad disingenuous.

In addition to the esteemed and upset part-time military official, approximately 450 passengers were scheduled to fly into Jackson Hole Airport during the closure. How much of that consists of the generals and their staffs? That information was not revealed.

Passengers inconvenienced by the closure will not be charged fees to change their flights to Salt Lake City or Idaho Falls during the closure.

Idaho State Parks Plug In

by Josh Lew on

Idaho State Parks are seeking to redefine camping. The places where Ernest Hemingway used to pitch his tent and cast his fly rod is going wireless. At least, some of them are.

Park officials are looking closely at an experimental program that currently connects five state parks to the internet. The parks in question are Bruneau Dunes, Harriman, Henrys Lake and Ponderosa.

So far feedback has been good; though purists are obviously a bit miffed at the combination of nature and tech. After all, state parks are one of the last remaining places where you can go to get away from those who compulsively check their email or MySpace friends list.

A survey conducted as part of the pilot program shows that most people are in favor of campground WiFi. Campers claimed that they would use the service for practical reasons like checking weather reports, contacting family, looking up information about the park, and making arrangements for future camping expeditions.

But who are these survey respondents? If you are thinking that most are the type who consider camping parking bus-sized RVs somewhere with lots of trees, you’re right. Kind of. Many of those in favor of the WiFi were representing the old school: tent campers. So, like it or not, it seems the marriage of tech and nature is going to go ahead in Idaho.

Wolves: Oscar winning material and no longer endangered

by Jamie Rhein on

At the end of this year’s Oscar winner for Short Film–Animated, “Peter and the Wolf,” the wolf goes free even after he made Peter not too happy. (Sorry if that ruins it for anyone.) The tolerance for the wolf is one that has been hard won.

Tolerance hasn’t been totally won, although, through the Endangered Species Act, government regulations have helped the gray wolf population grow in the Northern Rocky States. The population has grown so much that Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett said the gray wolf is a “conservation success story.” For this reason, the wolf is being dropped from the list of endangered species, perhaps never to return.

When we went to Yellowstone National Park a few years ago, we did catch site of a gray wolf, one of the animals we were looking for. Unfortunately, wolves like to eat livestock, so farmers and ranchers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming aren’t thrilled with wolves who encroach on what they rely on for a living.

The wolf saga is an example of the push and pull between environmentalism and business. The tourist industry doesn’t have much pull in this battle, but maybe the wolves will get a hint that hanging around Old Faithful isn’t a bad idea.

Cleaning museum to open in Pocatello, Idaho

by Catherine Bodry on

If you’re looking for the ideal family vacation destination — one that’s fun for every age, and maybe a bit educational as well — you have something to look forward to. Don Aslett’s Cleaning Museum is scheduled to open in fall 2008 in the small southeastern Idaho town Pocatello.

Don Aslett started a international janitorial company, and is as big a cleaning fan as you can find. In fact, in order to communicate the scale of cleaning he’s talking about, his museum will prominently display a giant model of Noah’s Ark — because we’re talking about biblical proportions of clean.

The 50,000-square-foot museum will include a horse-drawn street sweeper, as well as the largest antique vacuum cleaner collection in the world. And there’s stuff for the kids, too: a three-story globe called Kid’s Clean World where “children can take part in interactive exhibits teaching them how to wash their hands, make their bed and clean their room.”

And if you need some cleaning tips, the third floor of the five-floor museum will function as a training center.