Yellowstone.

[MTHusker]

I would recommend shorting stay in Yellowstone, head north to Glacier park, stop in Seeley lake area on way up, great camping spots, most places from July 4 to later in July are going to be busy, but Yellowstone is crazy then, spending 2 weeks would drive most people nuts. Just my 2 cents...

 

[Gr8bawana]

Most campgrounds in the park have hardside restrictions. I would try to camp outside the park somewhere. There is some pretty nice campgrounds south of Cooke City just in Wyoming. Last time passing through the park with a friend around the 1st of July and we couldn't even find a parking spot at old faithful, and that damn parking lot is big. We drove around the parking lot a couple times and left and went home!

That would be like driving around the parking lot at Disneyland and leaving because you couldn't find a parking spot when you already had tickets. There is a reason it's so popular, it's one of the worlds greatest spectacles that is a must see especially if you have never seen it in person.

When we went to Yellowstone about 30 years ago my wife refused to camp inside the park because she was afraid of bears getting into our trailer, her family camped a lot in Yosemite back when there were lots of bears.
Anyway we ended up camping outside the park for a week and while talking to the campground host she told my wife that we were much more likely to have a run in with a black bear outside the park than inside.
I though that was quite funny, my wife not so much.

 

[JimP]

I remember Yellowstone back in the garbage dump days where they had bleachers set up for you to watch the bears from. I remember way back around 60 or 61 as my mom fed a bear marshmallows through the wing window of the car. Now when you go to Yellowstone you will hardly ever see a bear.

The last time that I was in that area I actually saw more bears outside of the park including a grizzly.

 

[wy-tex]

July in Wyoming is a fun time.
Jubilee Days in Laramie with a Brewfest, concerts; Cheyenne Frontier Days with rodeos and concerts and a free Thunderbirds Air Show.

 

[Matthoek21]

If driving out also look into the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, WY. Pretty cool old hotel with a cool story.

 

[hoshour]

I remember Yellowstone back in the garbage dump days where they had bleachers set up for you to watch the bears from. I remember way back around 60 or 61 as my mom fed a bear marshmallows through the wing window of the car. Now when you go to Yellowstone you will hardly ever see a bear.

The last time that I was in that area I actually saw more bears outside of the park including a grizzly.

My wife and I actually saw grizzlies on two consecutive days while we were there a couple years ago. One was 150 yards from the road and a line of cars had stopped. Several people were standing by their cars taking pictures of a sow and two cubs. Not smart.

The other grizzly was a big boar that was only 75 yards off the road. We saw him while were driving and pulled over to take pictures. No way was I getting out of my car.

Also saw some bighorn rams close up and of course the thermal stuff is fascinating.

 

[wildstreak]

Looking at going next year. July of 2018. Picked July because my work shuts down the first two weeks of July every year. So I'm off those weeks if I want it or not. Is there tent camping restrictions? I had heard that there is but can't find anything on it. But ya that's why I'm trying to get stuff lined up so I can go next year. Also my boy will be in forth grade so the free pass will be a plus.

I spent two weeks in Yellowstone in 2015 from June 24th - July 10. It wasn't that bad. Hiked Mt. Washburn trail on July 4th. We didn't camp, instead we spent a couple days on each side of the park. 2 nights in Cody, then 2 nights at the Flagg ranch at the south gate of Yellowstone ( we spent some time in the Tetons while we were at the south gate), a few nights in west Yellowstone and the rest in Gardiner, Montana.

Camping books up FAST as well as any lodging around the park. Up to a year in advance or more.

Buffalo and elk sightings became boring (as if that's possible), saw a bunch of black bears, 4 grizzlies ( a single then a sow with two cubs at Hayden Valley), got up close and personal (too close for comfort actually) with a bunch of bighorns on the hike up to Mt Washburn.



You have to check out the rodeo in Cody. Its a good time.