Yellowstone - Majestic outdoors or tourist trap?

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>>1003131
>tourist trap
Yup.

Couple of really cool spots, but there's a lot of nothingness inbetween and it's all speed limit 45.
You'll be on those roads with hardleys and motorhomes.
Asians fucking errywhere.

Doing it on a motorcycle was nice, since I could easily get around the RVs and slow harleys.

One day through the park was enough for me. There's other cool shit to do/see/ride around (not in) the park.

>>1003143
When did you visit? Would I have better luck in May/September/October?

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>>1003175
Mid-july.

Worked out with another event I was going to in that part of the country anyways, took a day to ride through the park.

Don't really think it matters what time of year though; if it's decent weather, expect a shitload of asians and tourists.

Yellowstone and surrounding wilderness areas are amazing backpacking locations. Some of the best wildlife viewing in the world. Get off trail and you'll see no one, just large game and scenery.

If you're asking about driving through the park to see the big attractions from the car then it's up to you if the crowds of morons are worth it. The thermal features are cool but I would never waste time doing that in peak season.

>>1003131
I've never been to Yellowstone, but in Yosemite it's best to stay away from the popular attractions. The most beautiful spots are far away from the where the crowds are. Doesn't mean the park is overrated, just means that the spots people go to are overrated.

>>1003131
The tourist spots are the major geysers and springs, which are packed in summer but still worth seeing because they're incredibly unique. If you actually get off the roads and do some hiking or backpacking you won't see many people. Go late in the season for fewer crowds although any time the roads are open is crowded.

>>1003203
pretty much the same for yellowstone, I worked there 2 seasons with xanterra and did some sick hikes with my buddys, storm point, avalanche, electric peak, skyrim trails are all really good if you can stay awhile, but if you're just passing through id say stop by the tourist stuff, even thats pretty interesting.

at Zion they have Disneyland buses

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>Majestic outdoors or tourist trap?
litchrally both

>>1003277
a majestic tourist trap?

>>1003277
its most beautiful and majestic features eat tourists.

Well a guy fell into the hot spring and died just this past summer, so yeah it's a trap.

>>1003530
That happened because he illegally left the approved trail

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>>1003601
and not just a little either. he was like half a mile off the track walking around fumaroles and mudpots in an area that looks like the surface of fugging Io, and he fell into an acid pot and dissolved.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/national/man-scalded-to-death-in-yellowstone-was-trying-to-soak-in-hot-spring

>>1003131
It's both. Go in off times. I've been twice, it's beautiful.

>>1003131
It's all it's hyped up to be. The major sites (grand prismatic, mudpots, old faithful) are crowded, yeah, but they're still worth seeing. Make sure you see them, but dont spend all your time driving around between sites. I'm assuming you'd want to go off and hike around, and in doing so you'll get totally distanced from the crowds.

Only bad thing I saw in my time there was three korean tour busses pulled over to look at a black bear sitting on its ass under a tree.

>>1003277
Dogfags are fucking retarded

I'm always amazed that more people don't die in National Parks.
>natural features that can kill you if you're stupid around them
>literally millions of visitors, many of whom are complete idiots

>>1004211
99% of them never get more than 100 yards from their cars. One of the top three causes of deaths in national parks is traffic collisions.

>>1003131
it's definitely very crowded in the summer, but there's also nothing else like it in the world. it's absolutely amazing, plus you can always just go innawoods and the chinese tour groups won't find you

It is worth the visit. However i went in the summer and the amount of other tourists kind of takes away. Lots of asians. Not bad or good, exceot i did find them to be rude.

>>1003131
Go in the off season after school gets back in to avoid throngs of horrible tourists that cause 8 mile long backups for one bison.

Or go see the highlights and then immediately go into the backcountry where you won't see anyone.

>>1004211
It's covered up and typically not reported because it's bad PR for the NPS. Not that I blame them, they're strengthening the gene pool by killing the tourists who don't know their ass from a pine cone.

>>1004211
More do than you think. Read Missing 411 or Off the Wall.

>>1004798
Oh, I'm well aware that most deaths in the park don't make news unless they're something gruesome that will make for tons of views/clicks/ratings.

What surprises me is that all the morons who don't leave the roads like >>1004266 says also don't:
>cause fatal crashes erry day while taking selfies as they maneuver RVs on twisty mountain roads
>accidentally immolate themselves when they attempt to light a fire to burn some hot dogs and marshmallows
>catch hantavirus or plague from the gluttonous beggar diabetic squirrels in the campgrounds
>constantly fall off stuff
I used to work in Yosemite and with the behaviors I saw on a daily basis it's just astonishing that we weren't calling the morgue every hour on the hour.

I've been in early June. Some of the camping areas were still snowed in. Wasn't too awfully crowded even at the major attractions.

>>1005210
I had a visitor at the park I work at try to use his stove in a nylon fucking tent. It tipped over and went up in flames. Guy died from being literally covered in burning, melted nylon.
Worst fucking day of my life, trying to keep his family away from the mess while getting yelled at for not giving him CPR. Like that would have helped the fucking situation.

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Yellowstone backcountry is fantastic. I've had a couple of great trips there.

If you want to see bison, go to Teddy Roosevelt NP. Higher buffalo density, lower human density. If you're suicidal and/or stupid, you can stroll through herds of them.

>>1005210
We had people feeding prairie dogs at our park to the point where one big fatty we caught was over twice the average weight of a normal prairie dog at 1400 grams. We had recently detected tularemia in the park and put out signs everywhere. Still fed them.

We would yell at them and they would still be feeding them while saying they dindu nuffin.

I hope they all got really sick.

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>>1005787
what do you do in that situation? turn back? chill in the field until they move along?

The best time to visit is after Labor Day. Stay in the Old Faithful Lodge for one or two nights it's really nice. Make reservations now

>>1005817
why didn't you call DNR?

>>1005256
Why does this make me smile?

>>1007450
National Park, so I was in uniform yelling at people.

If they were real dicks we would call a LEO and have them write them a ticket.