Quote Originally Posted by emily_in_nc View Post
Well, there are no bike paths, and the shoulders are quite narrow. On some of the roads, there are no shoulders at all. And there is a LOT of traffic, including many large RVs and tour buses. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been mid-summer since we were actually there in what is considered the shoulder season for this part of the country. We did do a couple of rides, but we were disappointed. Just not much thought given to cycling infrastructure there; in Yellowstone, cars rule.

Contrast that to Grand Teton, just one park south, where there are much wider shoulders on the roads, paved bike paths through much of the park, and some paved "back" roads that have almost zero traffic. Less hilly besides. And the views are much more dramatic with the mountains. In Yellowstone, you mostly see lodgepole pines. The lake was beautiful, and there were certainly other gorgeous areas here and there, but we had to take a bus tour to really see the park.
I really wish Yellowstone's website would communicate better for cyclists - it isn't a good place to bike (I keep trying to tell people that ) As the nations largest national park, a very limited "road building season" and horribly strapped for cash, I don't see an improvement in the near future. They do offer some spring riding - before the gates are open to car traffic but even now, the fall visitors have increased dramatically - lots of photographers coming to capture bull elks in rut.