Yellowstone camping

[danlehosky]

Well, planning for a trip with an RV is much more complicated than with a tent. We have missed out on any spots we can reserve in the park thru xterra. We are planning our stay from july 11 thru July 16th.

We will be coming from WA state. Do any of you know or can you reccommend a good campground outside of the park? We are OK with boondocking.

I know this is ridiculously late to be planning this. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Damn, tenting is easier.

Dan

[purman]

Colter bay in the Tetons is about 25 -35 min south of the park. They have full hook ups and dry camp sites we have stayed there 3 times and love it. There is also a Private camp ground just south of the park but I don't remember what it is called. Colter Bay Campground | Grand Teton Camping | GTLC - Grand Teton Lodge Company

[Ridgerunner3]

There seven campgrounds in Yellowstone that do not require reservations. See the link I have attached.

Yellowstone National Park Camping ~ Yellowstone Up Close and Personal

Colter Bay has two campgrounds. One is an rv park that has full hookups and requires reservations. The other does not require reservations and is very large. Colter Bay to the south end of Yellowstone is not that far in miles, but any distance traveled in the Tetons or Yellowstone takes much more time than you would think. Using Colter Bay for a base of operations for a visit to Yellowstone would eat up a large amount of your time through travel.

I would try for the non-reserved campgrounds in Yellowstone. You just need to get to the campground early... and hope for the best. Pay attention to the published trailer size limits for the campgrounds you decide to go after.

Good luck. We are heading to Yellowstone next week.

[spenfolder]

There is a great campground just north of West Yellowstone on highway 191. Baker's Hole is right on the Madison river and has some electric sites. There are also a few other campgrounds in the area with electric. I have had good luck with finding a site arriving early (before 11:00 am).

Here is a web link with some other camping west of Yellowstone: West Yellowstone Montana Forest Service Campgrounds

Have a great trip.

Stan

[Phoenix]

We stayed at Madison Arm RV Resort in West Yellowstone. Great little campground next to a lake. They require reservations, too; but a year or two ago, we took a late cancellation and slipped right in. Lots of other RV resorts in West Yellowstone, but all will be very busy through Labor Day.

ONE HUGE CAUTION: Head the warnings to drive slowly on the dirt road to Madison Arm. Everything you read about it shaking your RV to pieces are TRUE! We spent a day and half shopping for replacement screws, bolts & nuts, etc., at the local hardware store, and then reattaching all of our oven, closet and cabinet doors, which were on the floor when we arrived (along with all of our groceries from our open refrigerator). This road seems smooth with a slight ripple; but don't be deceived. 15 to 20 mph and a few extra minutes of driving time will save you hours of rework. (Dang! -- Why didn't Airstream use longer screws, or nuts and bolts with Loctite?)

[the_bosco]

Good timing on this thread. My 5 year-old son came home the other day and exclaimed "Dad! Did you know Yellowstone Park is in Montana? We could go right now."

Pebble Creek does look nice.

[Len n Jeanne]

I am actually en route to Yellowstone, and am typing from a little RV park in northwestern Montana! Yes, we have a reservation (at Bay Bridge in Yellowstone), but it is shoulder season in Yellowstone till the end of June.

I would check out the nps.gov site for the Tetons national park. It is close and well worth seeing. I don`t recall its name now, but their website mentioned a large campground that doesn`t normally fill up. If they take reservations, I would recommend you grab them. Of course, you could try the non-reservation campgrounds in Yellowstone, but getting there `early` may mean by 11:00 am, or sooner. Sometimes campers start lining up in national parks campgrounds by 9:00 am, in the hope of snagging a site just as the previous occupant leaves.

This is a problem for tenters as well as RVers.

If you`ve got a copy of Woodall`s guide to RV parks or can search for RV parks on-line in gateway towns, and don`t mind spending extra money, you could probably reserve at a commercial RV park near the national park. This actually isn`t a bad idea if hookups are important to you, as only one campground in Yellowstone has hook-ups.

I don`t know about nearby National Forest campsites, but they would be worth checking into.

[danlehosky]

Thanks everybody, we found an RV park (Rustic Wheel) at the western entrance. and will start off there. If we can find space in the first come serve spaces we will. I have however already reserved a spot at Bridge Bay for the 2013 season. They were wide open for reservations. We are probably only going to stay at Yellowstone for a couple of days this year and then head up to Glacier for the remaining time. I've been to both parks but it's been years. I can't wait. I have learned my lesson about advance planning.

Dan

[flyfisher]

There have been lots of prior posts on this forum about campgrounds in the vacinity of, and in, YNP. A search for them should yield plenty of info.

Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone is generally regarded as the best, and closest RV Park, just outside the west entrance. The west entrance also has the best road into the park.

My wife and I spend our summers at Yellowstone's Edge RV, which is right on the Yellowstone River, along Rt 89 South, 35 miles north of YNP, and the north entrance into the Park. This is one of the best RV parks in the northwest.

The wildlife viewing in the Park the past couple of weeks has been nothing short of spectacular. All of the Park's animals appear to be on the move, and close to the roadways.

My wife and I went to Mammoth on Friday evening to see a documentary movie on the Yellowstone River ("Where the Yellowstone Goes") and saw large herds of elk all along the highway leading to the Park. Who says the elk population is way down due to wolf kills?

[BigGrey]

Dan,

DW and I spent 3 days at YNP and then another 4 at GNP although was later in the year (September) we had reservations at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone however none in the Glacier area by chance we a privately owned park named SAN-SUZ-ED with full hookups and about 2.5 miles from the entrance of Glacier very nice park maybe give them a call for a res ???

The San-Suz-Ed Montana RV Park and Campground - Information

[Len n Jeanne]

We are just returning now from 4 nights at the Bay Bridge CG in Yellowstone (where we had revs.) One thing I noticed was empty campsites, even when the campground sign said "full." I think what happens is that a reservation with Xanterra (the revs. concession) requires a one-night deposit, which is good for the entire night, whether you show up early, late, or not at all. But "no-shows" lose their remaining reservation if they booked for more than one night.

We met up with some neighbours our second night who like to be "flexible" and didn't make an advance reservation. They got in OK, and booked early in the morning for a 2nd night at the CG entrance station. I guess the moral of this story is that it may be worth checking the on-line reservation service daily, due to cancellations; or rolling up very early in the morning in the hope of taking the place of one of the previous night's no-shows.

If it were me, though, I feel a campsite in-hand is worth something, as distances in Yellowstone are long, and speed limits are low. If you can't get in on a first-come, first serve basis, it can be a long drive to your night's resting place.

[n2916s]

We have lots of "first come, first served" campsites in YNP. Mammoth Hot Springs are all pull-throughs. Show up at 1100 and you have a pretty good shot. lots of Forest Service CG's just east of YNP on the road to Cody.

Good Luck,

Mike

[OilnH2o]

Ditto two thoughts -- the Gardiner (North) entrance to Yellowstone is often overlooked and San-Suz-Ed at West Glacier is a great little, but long-time RV park just outside Glacier's west entrance. They are famous for their home-made pie, which you can call ahead and reserve to be ready, fresh, on arrival! Yum!
We'll be there June 29,30 and 1 July.

[danlehosky]

Len n Jeanne. We got a site at Wagon Wheel at the west entrance. This is our first year with the AS and more planning on our part would have been better. How was your trip?

[danlehosky]

Big grey,oilnh20 , thanks for the tip about san sun-ed. How was your stay?

[Len n Jeanne]

Originally Posted by danlehosky

Len n Jeanne. We got a site at Wagon Wheel at the west entrance. This is our first year with the AS and more planning on our part would have been better. How was your trip?

The trip was great, thank you! We enjoy canoeing, and had a rather thrilling paddle on Yellowstone Lake. It is a big lake, with significant wind and waves, and it was our fault for not getting off the water before 10:00 a.m. No harm done, but I am ever more convinced of the need to stay close to shore!

I think a RV park in West Yellowstone is a good choice, as you won't be too far from the various thermal features on the western roads in the park. The YNP roads make kind of a figure-8, with the various park entrance roads coming off them like spokes. The southwestern and northwestern sections of this big figure-8 are the most interesting (to me) if you are there principally to see the various hot springs, pools, &c.

We did stop at Mammoth Hot Springs at the north end of the park on the way home. It is a really cool place with a neat little campground, but the time needed to drive from Mammoth or Cody, WY to (say) Old Faithful can add significant driving time to the park visit. I think the average park speed limit is about 40 mph, with mph deducted while you (or the vehicles in front of you) stop for a wildlife photo op, or parking at one of the geyser basins or waterfalls. Much of the driving in the northern and eastern sections of the park consists of long sections of dense pine forest. Nothing wrong with this, but it probably isn't why anyone would visit Yellowstone.

BTW, we looked at the Fishing Bridge RV campground, the one with hook-ups within YNP. Yikes! Motor homes and 5th wheels were packed in so tightly that if your neighbours had slide-outs, you have practically invited them to join you for dinner. We've had more space between campers in urban RV parks. We stayed at Bay Bridge this last visit, which is walking distance to the lake, and in the past have camped at West Thumb, in the Grant Village campground. Both are fine.

Have a wonderful trip!

[quiltbike]

We stayed at the KOA in West Yellowstone. It worked out great as they serve breakfast in the morning and dinner at night. The food was great - freshly caught rainbow trout or bison steak among other entrees. Not worrying about those meals allowed us to spend our days in the park and I only had to prepare a picnic lunch
They also had an indoor pool and clubhouse with activities. We really like camping in National and State parks but this KOA fit our schedule so we could spend the most of our time in the park.

[Len n Jeanne]

Bambi @ Mammoth Hot Springs. (Couldn't resist!)

[danlehosky]

Beautiful, we have a silver Tahoe that looks great with our FC. We will have an Epic 18X kayak on the roof. It is a very tippy expedition kayak. I fear nothing on the water though (some say stupid). If the lake is choppy, I'll put on a spray skirt and roll that thing all day long. We have been first, canoeing and then kayaking for 40 years. I can't wait. Whats the best way from YNP to Glacier?

Dan

[Condoluminum]

We've stayed at Paradise Valley KOA north of Yellowstone along Yellowstone River, off Hwy 89.. Rear of trailer backed in about 25' from the river, with shaded view of driftboats fishing in evening.. Worked well, but we were heading east, not into Yellowstone by then.. Small pool and hookups...