Yellowstone National Park

[SewingWarriorQueen76]

Hi,
I'm just putting some ideas together for a family holiday, once in a lifetime kind of thing so I can start saving. We'll happily self cater& fly drive but with so many options, can anyone make recommendations for package or accommodation so we can put it together ourselves.
Thanks

Stay inside the park if you can. The options vary considerably depending on time of year and the level of modernity you want:

www.yellowstonepark.com/where-to-stay-camp-eat/hotels-cabins/inside-yellowstone-park

@MissConductUS thank you. It's an obvious place to start

Watching with interest.

The National Park Service has a site to help plan your visit:

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm

And this travel blogger has some very good itineraries for different length visits:

fullsuitcase.com/yellowstone-itinerary-suggestions/

The park is amazing and as a result becomes a bit of a mob scene in June, July and August. Go in April or May or September if you possibly can.

Yellowstone NP is huge and it's remote - so yes I would definitely plan to spend a few nights in accommodation within the park. We did this many years ago and it was great. To really see something of Yellowstone (and make driving all that way worthwhile), I'd plan to stay at least 2 nights and more if you want to hike and really explore. NP accommodation opens 366 days before your date of stay and it books up really fast, so plan your itinerary carefully and be ready to book when that date comes around. Grand Teton NP is nearby is also worth some of your time if you love the great outdoors.

If you want to do a Fly Drive trip to the USA with a bespoke itinerary using an agent then someone like Trailfinders can sort it out for you. Alternatively, you can book a Fly drive package with BA or Virgin (best prices available around 11-12 months before departure), and sort out the accommodation yourself. If you want to SC or do Airbnb then you'll have to do this, as most of their accommodation is hotels (although there are some suite hotels).

We went a few years back as a family. 4 children aged 6-15 at the time.

We didn’t do much hiking.

If you want to see the more difficult to spot animals like bears and wolves I would recommend going with a guide. The guides know where to look, they use radios and get the most up to date information from the rangers tracking various packs.
We went with Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris. We didn’t stay inside the park.

Grand Teton park is beside Yellowstone and also a good visit.

Rafting on the rivers around Jackson Hole was really good too.
It is a great place to visit.

We stayed at a lodge inside the park, as that is what everyone advises you to do. It was overpriced and uncomfortable. We then moved on to West Yellowstone, just outside the park. Yes, it is tacky, but we also got much better accommodation at a better price. And better food as well.
After visiting the park we moved onto Wyoming and Montana, which were much more attractive.

Have you done Yosemite NP (California) and Zion/Bryce Canyon NP (Utah) already OP? I thought they were more accessible, less driving and just as good?