Living & Working in Great Places

Should I drive or fly?

Hello, I will be headed out to yellowstone the second week of May and need some advice to help me decide how to get there. I will be traveling alone from Pittsburgh, Pa. (unless anyone else is from around here and needs a travel buddy).

I am considering driving...I have a dodge neon that is paid off and has 80,000 miles on it. I thought it would be useful to have around. The only drawbacks are it has a lot of miles and it's a very far distance to drive alone (no cruise control).

Flying would be easier but of course it's expensive and I wouldn't be able to bring as much like my bike and camping gear.

I'd appreciate anyone's advice from prior experience to help me make my decision. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by angel on February 4, 2010 at 11:50am: DRIVE GET OUT AND SEE THE COUNTRY HECK YEAH TAKE THE NORTHERN PASS THROUGH THE DAKOTA,S AND THEN DOWN TOO COLORADO AND SEE THE ROCKIES AWSEOME COUNTRY LOL ANGEL PS BE A PARKKEE OR GO STRAIGHT TOO MONTANA; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Stovall on February 4, 2010 at 12:27pm: I love driving my self. I also own a dodge neon an 04 to be exact, it has about 109 k miles on and runs like a champ for an 04 . I will be taking from WA to Yellowstone. I would drive my self , however , if you are not a fan of driving that then by all means take the flight.There are some major advantages of having your own rid in Yellowstone. 80 k its really not a hole of lot miles that is nothing to compared to some of my parents rigs where they 160 k , 130k and still drive them daily etc. Shoot even my truck has well over 200 k on the original body/chassis , I drive it only to town and out on the off roading trails but still drive. I'm not sure how your driving skills are out on open road , but me personally I can drive about 9 to 10 hours on day if I can but that is just me . Good luck on deciding . If u need to buy a gps , i love my garmine nuvi !; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brandy on February 5, 2010 at 2:24pm: I think I might end up driving. Will you be in yellowstone this summer? I'll be working in housekeeping at the lake.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Keith Larson on February 4, 2010 at 1:29pm: There are a lot of variables to consider. 80,000 miles might not be too much...or it might be. You have a better idea on your individual vehicle. I have known several people that their car dies either along the way, or at the location. Pittsburgh to Gardiner is 1878 miles according to google maps. That's a long time if you're driving alone.

Flying would not be that much more expensive. If you're getting 25 mpg that would be about 75 gallons. At $2.70/gallon (average USA price right now) that's a bit over $200. A quick look at Kayak.com has flights from Pittsburgh to Bozeman around $260-270.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brandy on February 4, 2010 at 5:57pm: hey thanks for doing the math for me!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Drew on February 4, 2010 at 6:11pm: Greyhound aka 'The dirty dog' is an option too. Long trip but I've done it, its not fun or glamorous but gets the job done. Goto www.greyhound.com for the prices and schedules. I think reduced rates are 7 or 14 days in advance for the bus and something like 21 days in advance for reduced air tickets.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jim Tobin on February 4, 2010 at 1:40pm: A car is a great thing to have, it will open up a lot of travel opportunities for you. Unless it is prone to mechanical problems and you spend all of your hard earned money on repairs. Inexpensive mechanics are few and far between in a tourist area like Yellowstone.
If this is your first time at a park I would advise to travel as light as possible. DOn't bring a lot of possessions to tie you down. Get a ride to Bozeman or Jackson. People are always going there. Kick in a few $ for gas. Pick up a throwaway bike at a pawn shop. Rent camping gear from the Recreation center or borrow what you need from friends.
After a season in the parks you will have abetter idea of what you REALLY need the next time. Enjoy the outdoors, it's all free.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael on February 5, 2010 at 10:42pm: I personally think you'll regret not driving. 80,000 is low miles as far as I'm concerned.. There will be times when you just have to get away and not having wheels makes that very difficult. I worked last summer in Northwest Montana and drove my old Chevy Lumina which has 267k on it. In fact, I'm going to drive it up there again this summer!
Good luck!; ▶ Reply to This