Western Railroad Discussion > To book or not to book.

Summer vacation planning time. Thinking of a July or early August trip to Yellowstone and Glacier with a visit to MRL in between.

Informal poll on chances of travel restrictions being lifted by then?

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We don't plan on booking anything this year. If you do, really look at the cancellation policies.

ChrisCampi Wrote:
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> We don't plan on booking anything this year. If
> you do, really look at the cancellation policies.

I agree with this. Check the cancellation conditions. I have noticed that a couple of the lodging sites I use and have rewards points through, are now allowing the pay-up-front option with free cancellation. Never seen that before. Good luck.

Kim Heusel

Currently Montana has a 14 day quarntine for anyone, resident or non-resident once they arrive in MT. Some destination places, like Whitefish have passed ordinances shuttiung down lodging unitl at least May (for now). Gallatin County (Bozeman, Big Sky, West Yellowstone) has the highest Covid-19 cases right now. Why? Winter tourist destination, before it shut down. We do have a stay at home order... https://covid19.mt.gov/

I'd advise, no.
Dave in Missoula



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/20 19:17 by monaddave.

Izaak Walton is closed until May 1st, but that could change.

As in much of the nation, here in California, we have a stay at home order also which has closed our national parks. The clue may be one of California's big tourist attractions. Disneyland is only accepting advance reservations for their hotels next to the resort for bookings June 1 or thereafter. Anything could change but that seems realistic. All depends on the stay at home order being dropped in order for the parks here to reopen. Generally Yellowstone and Glacier N.P. follow closely what happens in other national parks.

​I hope for a resolution soon (so I can return to work and move back to Sequoia National Park) but it is a nationwide balancing act between protecting vulnerable people from COVID-19 and getting the economy rolling again. The state governors gave the stay at home orders so they will likely be the ones to rescind the orders.

​Jeff Geldner
​Sequoia National Park, CA (but temporarily in Carlsbad, CA)

Too early to say at this point.  
The Trainweb site that lists railfan excursions shows no trips before mid-May; the site was last updated April 6.

One thing to consider if you do plan a trip is cancellation insurance. 
A recent Los Angeles Times Travel column noted that since COVID-19 is a known "thing", it may not be covered by regular trip insurance; you might need CFAR (cancel for any reason) insurance. 

howeld Wrote:
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> Summer vacation planning time. Thinking of a
> July or early August trip to Yellowstone and
> Glacier with a visit to MRL in between.
>
> Informal poll on chances of travel restrictions
> being lifted by then?

This sounds off topic, but even in July, visiting cooler, drier regions can increase infection risk.

Much is still unknown about COVID-19, but medical professionals have already called it a "close cousin" of SARS (SARS-CoV) which was first identified in early 2000s. SARS studies have shown that the virus "lives" longer in cooler, drier climates, while they die off quicker in warmer, humid areas. An example of "cooler" would be temperature ranges in the high 60s, to mid 70s (Farenheit) and humidity of 40-50%. It may not be coincidence that outbreaks of these types of diseases happen in autumn and spring seasons.

There's an old wive's tale about getting sick from temperature changes when you go in and out of air conditioned rooms (man-made cooler, drier climate). A more accurate explanation might be that people who are unknowingly carrying viruses (including the common cold) in the summer are infecting people in indoor, air conditioned rooms where social distancing is not practiced? 

Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, and MRL territory would fit the autumn/spring weather pattern. As noted above, note the cancellation policies before you plan your trip. There are signs that social distancing is working in several regions (including California), so if you commit to the trip, keep that practice in mind.

Research, analyze, and hopefully, you can come up with your own risk assessment. Don't be like Hamlet. :-)