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A trip is being planned to Yellowstone N.P. Would like to take C.Z. to Salt Lake City and then rent car to Yellowstone. Any suggestions for this trip? Thanks! DM
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Mr. Fan, the biggest drawback to your proposed trip is the "not exactly" people hour arrival of Westbound #5 and "definitely not" of Eastbound #6. My best suggestion is to find a hotel and get your auto next morning.
Even the pre-Amtrak Zephyr was "not all that" people friendly arriving. "People friendly" was the UP "City".
But with that being said, the closest "major brand" to the station (07mi) is Hilton's Homewood Suites. The other "majors" are more in the center of town or about 1.5mi ( mine on last trip )
But a warning; if Salt Lake has a rough side of town, surprise; it's between the train station and the center (City Center is "Localspeak").
As far as independents go, aside from "I don't stay at 'em", there are several that were built for the '02 Olympics. I'm sure they were elegant back then, but today?????
The major auto rental companies all have downtown outlets, and in common with elsewhere, have lower rates than at the airport with their "franchise recoupment fees". Whoever dreamed up that euphemism for "it's more here because we can get away with it", deserves a pat on the back or, your call, kick on the can.
My last SLC visit was during '14.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Passenger Rail Fan:
You didn't state where you would board the Zephyr. If you live in the northwest or in the east, another possibility would be the Empire Builder to Whitefish, MT. Overnight there if you are coming from the east. Then rent a cart from Whitefish to North Yellowstone Park. It is about an hour of more of driving time compared to Salt Lake City to East Yellowstone. However, you would avoid those weird hours at the SLC station.
Richard
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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If there are auto rental outlets in Whitefish, and absent Salt Lake being a destination, then Richard's suggestion has merit
DonNadeau Member # 61606
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And even much more merit when you consider that Whitefish puts you right at Glacier National Park, with easy access also to Canada's beautiful Waterton-Lakes National Park that borders Glacier.
Moreover, depending on your time available for this trip, Whitefish is just a five hour drive from the heart of Banff National Park and two other national parks adjacent to that in Canada.
Although it's very likely to be too expensive it's worth checking the drop off rate between Whitefish and Salt Lake City. When rental car companies need to move cars to meet demand I've gotten lucky with no drop off charges.
As mentioned above it would be helpful to know where you are coming from to make sure that our suggestions are relevant.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Waterton Lakes National Park is a lot of fun. Things to do include a boat trip around Waterton Lake, Waterton Village, and a visit to the Prince of Wales Hotel. Great photo opportunities.
If you go to Banff National Park, I would suggest going in late July or August. Same for Lake Louise. I just came back from there. When I arrived in Banff the outside temperature was 33 degrees and it was snowing! And, during the last week of May!
Richard
palmland Member # 4344
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Richard, I agree about your recommendation for Canadian Rockies in late July or August. Long ago I was on a camping trip that included Banff NP. I remember waking up in my small tent and seeing water drip from the roof onto the sleeping bag. It was the 4th of July. Opening the tent there was a heavy wet snow covering the ground, and the tent. Part of that day was spent in the laundromat drying out!
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Mr. Palmland -
Back in the early 70's, when I lived east of Glacier Park, I heard of something similar.
A couple were camping in Glacier in early July. An overnight snowstorm caused their small tent to collapse on them. As they used to say, we had 2 seasons, winter and August.
Richard
sojourner Member # 3134
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I am doing a trip like this in not too far future--staying in hotel in SLC on night of arrival though. I think it would be crazy to try to do otherwise, esp as train can be late. I don't mind spending on hotel--it's the price of train travel. If you cannot find a cheap enough hotel in downtown SLC, you can try the airport, but then your cab fare will be high--and be sure to book your cab in advance as train is so iffy on arrival I don't know that they would meet it otherwise. You would have advantage of car rental from airport, which is always more convenient.
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