Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

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mlipps
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Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by mlipps »

My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip to the bay area late winter/early spring. West bound, we plan to go south via Albuquerque to avoid the worst of the mountain passes. East bound, I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? I see many areas of the park didn't open until May this year. I'm sure this won't be our only visit so I don't mind if some things are still closed, but I don't want it to be a total waste of time either. Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
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WoodSpinner
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by WoodSpinner »

OP,

We went mid May this year and we’re able to enjoy the park but still ran into snow conditions. Some of the lakes had just opened up a week before. The roads themselves were open and passable.

What were you hoping to do in the park? This might make a difference in timing.

It’s a great park, enjoy!

WoodSpinner
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White Coat Investor
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by White Coat Investor »

Late Winter early Spring is like May 1st in the Tetons. March is still the dead of Winter. Unless there is a recent storm, highways will be open, but everything else will be pretty limited. I've used skis/snowshoes in the Tetons into June to get around on what is "just a hike" in August.

At "ground level" (6900 feet) you'll be able to do hikes and stuff by May 1. But you don't have to go up very far to get back to Winter.
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Flobes
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by Flobes »

mlipps wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:02 pm My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip... I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? ...Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
Mid-March @ Grand Teton NP, visitor centers, ranger stations, all campgrounds, and some roads are closed.

You can reasonably expect deep snow on the ground as well as snow falling from the sky, daytime cold with mornings very cold, and limited sunshine hours. Mid-March is indeed winter, not spring.

If you're a snowshoer of skier, March is a wondrous time to visit. If you're hoping to hike, not so much.

BTW March is typically one of the snowiest months in the northern and central Rockies, with altitude more a snowfall determinant as latitude. Winter 2021-2022 is now 70-80% forecasted to be a La Nina year: colder and wetter to the north (like Grand Teton), drier to the south.

Have you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March. And La Nina conditions should make Colorado mountains drier and warmer the usual for your eastbound mountain drive.

But each year, weather and snowfall are wackier and more unpredictable. Do you have time flexibility, both coming and going, if you are hit with serious weather on your drive?

Depending on where you are in the Midwest, a fun way to travel to CA is via Amtrak. Spectacular scenery and a convivial slow pace. Train always runs no matter the weather, although often late. My preferred mode of transport across Rockies in winter. You could take southern route thru Albuquerque going westbound and San Francisco-Utah-Colorado route eastbound. Here's Amtrak USA map.
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David Jay
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by David Jay »

Flobes wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:12 pmHave you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March.
+1 for the Moab area in March.
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mlipps
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by mlipps »

David Jay wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:32 am
Flobes wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:12 pmHave you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March.
+1 for the Moab area in March.
Good ideas, we haven't been to any of the Utah parks yet. Is Zion also good to visit that time of year?
Flobes wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:12 pm
mlipps wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:02 pm My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip... I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? ...Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
Mid-March @ Grand Teton NP, visitor centers, ranger stations, all campgrounds, and some roads are closed.

You can reasonably expect deep snow on the ground as well as snow falling from the sky, daytime cold with mornings very cold, and limited sunshine hours. Mid-March is indeed winter, not spring.

If you're a snowshoer of skier, March is a wondrous time to visit. If you're hoping to hike, not so much.

BTW March is typically one of the snowiest months in the northern and central Rockies, with altitude more a snowfall determinant as latitude. Winter 2021-2022 is now 70-80% forecasted to be a La Nina year: colder and wetter to the north (like Grand Teton), drier to the south.

Have you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March. And La Nina conditions should make Colorado mountains drier and warmer the usual for your eastbound mountain drive.

But each year, weather and snowfall are wackier and more unpredictable. Do you have time flexibility, both coming and going, if you are hit with serious weather on your drive?

Depending on where you are in the Midwest, a fun way to travel to CA is via Amtrak. Spectacular scenery and a convivial slow pace. Train always runs no matter the weather, although often late. My preferred mode of transport across Rockies in winter. You could take southern route thru Albuquerque going westbound and San Francisco-Utah-Colorado route eastbound. Here's Amtrak USA map.
Thanks for all those ideas & advice! That's very helpful.

I'm not a downhill skier (broke my patella last year trying to learn, no thank you) but I'm interested in learning XC & would definitely try snowshoes too. My boyfriend has done both before although he's not a pro either. What I worry about is, not being acclimated to the altitude, those are hard work & we might struggle a lot to cover any real ground.

We will definitely build in some flexibility to the drive, but thanks for reinforcing the importance of that. I'm not the first to post on Bogleheads about one of these winter road trips through the Rockies so that much I had figured out from previous posts. :D

We've thought about Amtrak but we need to rent a car while we're there as we're staying for about a month, so the train doesn't make a lot of sense. I would really love to do that someday though.
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mlipps
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by mlipps »

White Coat Investor wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:05 pm Late Winter early Spring is like May 1st in the Tetons. March is still the dead of Winter. Unless there is a recent storm, highways will be open, but everything else will be pretty limited. I've used skis/snowshoes in the Tetons into June to get around on what is "just a hike" in August.

At "ground level" (6900 feet) you'll be able to do hikes and stuff by May 1. But you don't have to go up very far to get back to Winter.
Thank you for the insights!!
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mlipps
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by mlipps »

WoodSpinner wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:04 pm OP,

We went mid May this year and we’re able to enjoy the park but still ran into snow conditions. Some of the lakes had just opened up a week before. The roads themselves were open and passable.

What were you hoping to do in the park? This might make a difference in timing.

It’s a great park, enjoy!

WoodSpinner
Appreciate the personal experience! I'm open to spending our time XC skiing, snowshoeing, etc, but I don't have any experience with it so not sure it's the ideal place/time to learn.
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by White Coat Investor »

mlipps wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:44 am
David Jay wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:32 am
Flobes wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:12 pmHave you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March.
+1 for the Moab area in March.
Good ideas, we haven't been to any of the Utah parks yet. Is Zion also good to visit that time of year?
Flobes wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:12 pm
mlipps wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:02 pm My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip... I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? ...Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
Mid-March @ Grand Teton NP, visitor centers, ranger stations, all campgrounds, and some roads are closed.

You can reasonably expect deep snow on the ground as well as snow falling from the sky, daytime cold with mornings very cold, and limited sunshine hours. Mid-March is indeed winter, not spring.

If you're a snowshoer of skier, March is a wondrous time to visit. If you're hoping to hike, not so much.

BTW March is typically one of the snowiest months in the northern and central Rockies, with altitude more a snowfall determinant as latitude. Winter 2021-2022 is now 70-80% forecasted to be a La Nina year: colder and wetter to the north (like Grand Teton), drier to the south.

Have you been to Utah's Arches NP? Nice destination Mid-March. And La Nina conditions should make Colorado mountains drier and warmer the usual for your eastbound mountain drive.

But each year, weather and snowfall are wackier and more unpredictable. Do you have time flexibility, both coming and going, if you are hit with serious weather on your drive?

Depending on where you are in the Midwest, a fun way to travel to CA is via Amtrak. Spectacular scenery and a convivial slow pace. Train always runs no matter the weather, although often late. My preferred mode of transport across Rockies in winter. You could take southern route thru Albuquerque going westbound and San Francisco-Utah-Colorado route eastbound. Here's Amtrak USA map.
Thanks for all those ideas & advice! That's very helpful.

I'm not a downhill skier (broke my patella last year trying to learn, no thank you) but I'm interested in learning XC & would definitely try snowshoes too. My boyfriend has done both before although he's not a pro either. What I worry about is, not being acclimated to the altitude, those are hard work & we might struggle a lot to cover any real ground.

We will definitely build in some flexibility to the drive, but thanks for reinforcing the importance of that. I'm not the first to post on Bogleheads about one of these winter road trips through the Rockies so that much I had figured out from previous posts. :D

We've thought about Amtrak but we need to rent a car while we're there as we're staying for about a month, so the train doesn't make a lot of sense. I would really love to do that someday though.
Southern Utah is best as a shoulder season destination weather-wise. Crowd wise, the dead of Winter is ideal. Summer is lousy on all counts. Even boating on Lake Powell is too hot in the summer!
1) Invest you must 2) Time is your friend 3) Impulse is your enemy | 4) Basic arithmetic works 5) Stick to simplicity 6) Stay the course
Zeno
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by Zeno »

mlipps wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:02 pm My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip to the bay area late winter/early spring. West bound, we plan to go south via Albuquerque to avoid the worst of the mountain passes. East bound, I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? I see many areas of the park didn't open until May this year. I'm sure this won't be our only visit so I don't mind if some things are still closed, but I don't want it to be a total waste of time either. Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
See https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/winter.htm

Some roads may or may not be closed; you would have to play it by ear, by which I mean subscribe to the WYDOT travel alert system and see what the weather looks like 12-24 hours in advance

Traveling across I-80 (which is well south of Yellowstone and GT) in winter may result in closures of that major interstate

Another factoid: Generally speaking, the heaviest snows here come in the late winter and spring. So your transit is apt to coincide with peak snow season, even in the spring. Some roads here are closed from about Thanksgiving to Memorial Day

Tl;dr: Unless you are flexible (24-48 hours in advance) I wouldn’t book this itinerary. Happy to provide more insights via PM
Last edited by Zeno on Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
RetiredAL
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by RetiredAL »

mlipps wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:02 pm My boyfriend & I are considering a road trip to the bay area late winter/early spring. West bound, we plan to go south via Albuquerque to avoid the worst of the mountain passes. East bound, I would love to take a few extra days & detour to Grand Tetons National Park. What I can't tell as a midwestern gal accustomed to snow but not mountains, is how early can I safely pass through that area and be able to enjoy a meaningful visit to the park? I see many areas of the park didn't open until May this year. I'm sure this won't be our only visit so I don't mind if some things are still closed, but I don't want it to be a total waste of time either. Ideally, would love to pass through in Mid March but I'm not sure if this is realistic.
Teton Park Rd (inside the park) is typically closed Nov 1 until Mid May, so close up access to many of the Park's Lakes and trails is difficult. The low-lands of the park is at 6600ft. We have been at Daughter's, 100 miles north of Yellowstone at 5200ft, and have been snowed on over a Memorial Day Weekend.

Also be aware that the South Entrance to Yellowstone typically does not open until mid-May, so do not plan on returning home by driving thru Yellowstone. To get to I-90, you will have to backtrack to ID-20 and then go north thru West Yellowstone to Bozeman.
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Random Musings
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Re: Road trip: SF to Chicago via Grand Tetons in Early Spring

Post by Random Musings »

Although I love the Tetons, March may limit what you can do there. As you are swinging though Albuquerque, perhaps you can visit these other NP parks if you already have not (or visit again if you really like them)

Death Valley
South Rim Grand Canyon
Petrified Forest
Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains (5 hours south of Albuquerque)

If you go via the Tetons, make sure you visit the Badlands on your way to Chicago. It's a short detour off the main interstate, well worth the time.

RM
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