Landyacht trip to Yellowstone

[BarbElmer]

We are planning trip from Wisconsin to Yellowstone in our Airstream Landyacht in June after school is out either pulling a vehicle or trailoring one so we can bring our dog with. A relative suggested camping in West Yellowstone and driving in for the day. Has anyone traveled from Wi to Yellowstone who can recommend the best route to go? Are there mountains that are tricky to drive through? Suggestions of where to stay enroute and once we arrive? Thank you!

[paiceman]

We have done the route many times, in a Motorhome as well as towing 30' AS trailers. We do not start in Eu Claire, but in Pittsburgh, PA.

We end up running I90 out and staying in KOAs as we travel with two Labradors and "won't leave home without them. Almost all KOAs have fenced dog parks. We ran out I90 and down Rt 89 into Yellowstone and then over to West Yellowstone KOA. It's only about four miles from the West Gate to Yellowstone. 89 is a little hilly but we did not have any issues either with the 38' Gas MH or the 30' Airstream TT.

The KAO in Billings is nice, right on the Yellowstone river where we let our dogs swim. Can't see the river from the campground, but short walk over some banks.

When we took the Motorhome we pulled a Jeep, good decision as we put 9,500 miles on the MH and 8,000 on the Jeep, sightseeing.

The time or year you are going I'd suggest reservations as things are crowded. Expect long traffic lines in the park and crowds at the venues, but well worth it.

Enjoy

Bud

[Kota]

I'd head north and go through Duluth and take 2 across until heading south in Montana on 191. Lots of options for camping on lakes and rivers.

I'll go through my journal and post some more with pictures.

Unless you are on a mission to get there and like running the interstates and prefer those cornfield interstate side KOAs.

Going or coming, there's a nice KOA at devil's tower.

[Silverbee]

Made a similar trip in 2015 to Yellowstone and the Tetons, although we started out in NC. From Wisconsin Dells area we went to Mt Rushmore and then down to Wyoming. We stayed near East Yellowstone entrance and found Hwy 16 out of Buffalo to be the easiest route over the Big Horn Mountains. Here are a few campgrounds that we enjoyed and some nearby attractions.

Wisconsin Dells area. http://www.4countryroads.com/
We did the boat tour of the Dells. Very informative, relaxing, and beautiful trip.

Buffalo, Wyoming. http://www.indiancampground.com/
Nice campground. Convenient to Hwy 16 which is the safest and most scenic route to cross the Big Horn Mountains.
The Jim Gatchell museum and the Occidental Hotel in downtown Buffalo were great.

Cody, Wyoming, Buffalo Bill State Park Campground, nine miles west of Cody http://travel.wyo-park.com/campgroun...-park/Overview
Right on the Shoshone River close to the Buffalo Bill Dam and the East entrance to Yellowstone. Buffalo Bill Museum is great in Cody

Powell, Wyoming. Homesteader Park (Hwy14A). Great place to overnight and boondock. Free. No hook-ups, but access to water, bathrooms, picnic tables, and grills, and a dump station. Powell is located just outside of Cody, Wy.

Big Horn Mountains. Tie Flume Campground
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/ti...O&parkId=73800
No hook-ups but beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Also be sure to try to drive the Wind River Canyon route that is between Cheyenne and Thermopolis. Thermopolis is worth a stop at the state park for a dip in the hot springs mineral water.
http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Site/SiteInfo.aspx?siteID=9

We didn't stay at any KOA's so just wanted to give you some ideas for scenic places to stay.

[dames7]

If you a camping in west Yellowstone next summer, need to make reservations very soon,

we stay in West Yellowstone last summer for 10 days and was glade to have a spot for 10 days as all the camp site fill up a 1yr in advance, we stay at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park, a 5 Star Good Sam and walking a block or to everything.

[HoffmanP]

Cody, WY, is a must see and worth a few days. The campgrounds on the National Forest on the way to Yellowstone are some of the nicest in the country. A few of the campgrounds have electricity.

[kdickinson]

Yellowstone is an amazing place. you have better driving instructions than I would from your location. We always go I-80 (the windy road) to Rawlins then north to the south gate. It's a scenic route but brutal on the motorhome or tow vehicle due to crossing the continental divide something on the order of 11 times. We have stayed at the West Yellowstone RV park and my input is - bring lots of mosquito repellant, if you don't have one do buy a canopy with a mosquito net on it, and I don't think that park has a pool due to the short season - but, that said, expect freeze warnings through June. If you plan to fish definitely find out about the rules for that time period because they enforce fly fishing only for a big part of the season, maybe all season. There is a KOA about 20-30 miles out of West Yellowstone and it looked pretty nice from a distance. And yes - expect long lines into and even getting out of the park but boy is it worth the trip! Oh - and try to get up to quake lake - fun day trip

[paiceman]

There are two KOAs near the West gate, one is just about 4 miles and the other is about 10 miles. Owned by the same family which owns the one in Billings near the river.

Bud

[joqin]

We went in the 2nd wk in June a few years ago and camped inside the park at 7500 ft. We drove through a blizzard in the bighorns and it was close to freezing every morning. At that time, the "season "didn't start till July, so not all roads or stores were open. Luckily for us, the original heater in our 65 caravel worked great, not so much for the Aussies in the rental tent next to us !! And to further remind us that we are all biodegradable, there were claw marks on a tree behind the airstream, higher than I could reach. Have a good trip. Joe in Minnesnowda.

[n2916s]

Fishing opens Memorial Day weekend for most of the Park. The only areas that are "fly fishing only" are the Firehole, Lower Gallatin and Madison rivers. By "fly fishing only" the Park means you can use any kind of gear, including a broomstick, as long as the lure at the end of your line is a wet or dry fly. I use a bubbler and fish a fly with my spinning rod every now and then.

Everywhere else you can use any type of gear you like. No eggs, spray on attractant, rubber worms... and no lead.

I mostly use small spoons.

In early June, you can actually catch some herky Lake trout from the beach behind the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center.