camping in Yellowstone? ?

[osolow]

anyone have a good time there if so were's the best part of the park? will be going this summer

look's like i will be getting my 29' as long as my last inspection gose good

[RDM16CCD]

I live in Utah and go to Yellowstone quite often and always have a good time. The park is big, and there are different kinds of activities depending where you are. So, if you want to do a lot of sight seeing of geysers, or watching wildlife, hiking, fly fishing, stuff on Yellowstone Lake for water activities, etc., you might choose different campgrounds. If you have enough days you might consider staying at more that one campground.

Also, there are different kinds of campgrounds. There is only one in the park with full hook ups, a number of large campgrounds with 100s of sites, and some smaller ones with fewer sites. Some of the larger ones are close to showers and laundry facilities, and stores.

Also, there are private campgrounds around the outside of the park, like West Yellowstone, Cody, Silver City, etc, that you could stay at and do day trips into the park.

Do you have any more info on the kind of trip you are looking for? I'd be happy to provide some suggestions, so you'd have a place to start with your planning.

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by osolow

anyone have a good time there if so were's the best part of the park?

The best parts of the park are the places that you have to hike into.

Seriously, everything inside Yellowstone is worth seeing, but if you really want to experience it best, you need to get off the main roads and away from the other 95% of the tourists that go there.

John

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by osolow

anyone have a good time there if so were's the best part of the park? will be going this summer

Anywhere. I found it great off season. If you don't mind cold the place is awesome in Spetember and Octiber. No where near as many people.

[RIstream'n]

Originally Posted by osolow

anyone have a good time there if so were's the best part of the park? will be going this summer

look's like i will be getting my 29' as long as my last inspection gose good

We did Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons 2 years ago and it was incredible. We stayed at Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone which is less than 5 min from the west gate entrance. Grizzly was great and West Yellowstone is cool little town. The west gate seemed centrally located and we took day trips into the park. Each area is so unique that it's hard to say which is better. We got up and out early each day and we were able to spend alot of time in each area. We never felt like we missed something. I'm sure there was more to see but we covered alot and did alot of hiking. If we had to pick our favorite area I think it would be the grand canyon of yellowstone. We were there in early July and the crowds weren't bad at all. If you need any other info just pm me. Have fun!!

[Tim A.]

We have stayed at Grizzly RV Park in W. Yellowstone for years and find it very good. It is, however, the most expensive RV park in W. Yellowstone and other RV parks not as close to downtown are also good.

There is some truth that walking in provides a great Yellowstone experience, but extensive walking is not absolutely necessary. In many of the less popular spots, a few hundred yards will achieve a lot of beautiful solitude. One of the very nice things about Yellowstone is the amount of easy access for many of the attractions which means that people with disabilities have a wonderful chance to view wildlife and the terrain.

Michelle is correct about the crowds diminishing in September and October. Some of our most enchanting visits in the park have been in those months. Most of your neighbors who have visited Yellowstone cannot show you pictures of wildly blowing snow with fabulous wildlife and landscape. With colder the temperatures, the hydrothermal features can be at their most dramatic.

[nymphfishin]

Originally Posted by osolow

anyone have a good time there if so were's the best part of the park? will be going this summer

look's like i will be getting my 29' as long as my last inspection gose good

3,468 square mile of great,
no best, all great!
Have fun!

[CaddyGrn]

If you are going at the peak of summer.... make reservations very early! The spots fill quickly. I have had luck with last minute spots in Yellowstone quite often, but each time I was in a rig with less than 19 feet ~ gave me full options that way. A 29' is going to have less options.

I have also stayed outside the park, but I seriously prefer to stay inside the park. The accommodations aren't as "perfect", but you don't have to waste a hour or two driving from one side of the park to the other... eats up a lot of fuel.

We usually camp and then pick one or two nights to stay in one of the lodges for a "break". The lodge at Yellowstone lake is wonderful, and in the summer they often have string quartets that play in their lobby and it is wonderful! The "old" lodge near old Faithful also has free music many times in the evening during the summer. Very restful after a full day of sightseeing.

I haven't been in a couple of years, but the last time we were at Yellowstone we came in the East entrance... it was under major construction and really a terrible route. I would check out the various entrances and find which will accommodate your rig the best. It may not be an issue now, but some roads were pretty narrow and curvy.

No matter what, it is well worth a stay and long visit! So much to see and learn. It is a jewel of our National Park System. There has been discussion somewhere in an old thread about the current consessionaire (Xterra ~ or something like that...) that runs the camping, etc. They do seem to be into making money and not so concerned about maintaining the park or the environment. But make up your own mind about this...

Have fun!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson

[TinLoaf]

Yellowstone is probably my favorite place to visit. My parents love it too and started taking me there at a young age. I've never been able to stay away since.

I prefer to camp at Bridge Bay. It's fairly central to the park's figure-eight road layout. There's a large, open field where the larger RVs are assigned and there's the older part of the campground which is very wooded, but with much smaller and very private sites.

If you have time restrictions, I'd recommend at the very least one day for the northern loop, one day for the southern loop, and one day for the Grand Tetons.

The northnern loop must-see highlights include Hayden Valley (for wildlife), The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Tower Falls, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

The must-see highlights of the southern loop are mostly thermal oriented. There's Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. Be sure you go inside the Old Faithful Inn. It's well worth it. I've never been overly impressed with the Lower Geyser Basin, but Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin is very impressive.

If you have time, venture out the Lamar Valley and up through the Beartooth Mountains. The Lamar Valley has begun to rival Hayden Valley for wildlife and the Beartooth are just stunning. Be sure to leave the trailer at the campground for this one. It's an incredible experience.

And like everyone else has mentioned, Yellowstone is best experienced when you get off the roads and onto the trails.

[flitzwhopper]

When are you going? We're going this summer.

[rickandsandi]

We found it great in September. A lot less people, more wildlife and cooler weather. There really is no best part of the park and as mentioned above, hiking into the reaches of the park is the best way to see it. We stayed in Fishing Bridge for six days and that wasn't too bad because we did have full hook-ups. Problem was we were packed like sardines into small spots. No biggy since we were in the wild most of the day and used our AS for late dinner and a place to sleep. We also discovered six days isn't even close to the time needed to visit the park.

[hshovic]

I worked there for years. Best camping is outside the park. It is VERY busy in most places, but here's a secret. For semi-boondocking type, go to Spring Creek Campground on the Gallatin National Forest. or Lonesomhurst. Both are right on Hebgen Lake and have vacant spots all summer. There is a host.

There's a catch! The road, though flat and gravel gets horribly washboarded. I took it at about 5mph, but if patient you get a great place.

Just like Yellowstone, where it's still true that you are alone 100 yards from the road...

Except for the motorcycle noise, which is another subject

[neil.ervin]

What is the length of the washboard road? Another way of saying this is: How long must one endure the washboard road before getting to the campground?

Thanks,

[hshovic]

One must endure for 2 miles for Lonesomhurst, and about 6 for Spring Creek...

[Fyrzowt]

(and wife of much less age, gas, and weight)

Hey hshovic I like your signature line!
Dave

[Wayne&Sam]

We like the Lamar Valley and stay at Pebble Creek or Slough Creek. Pebble is a bit further east but has a very short access road. Slough Creek has a long access road (maybe a mile?) but is beautiful. No hook ups, but you can pre-arrange for a truck to come by and fill your water and empty your grey/black tanks for a fee.

[emdubyadee]

We stayed 3 nights each at Fishing Bridge and Grizzly last June. We had a fantastic time in Yellowstone and hope to return in a few years.

Fishing Bridge is basically just a parking lot with hookups surronded by forest. No complaint, however, because we enjoyed having hookups while we stayed inside the park. We made reservations several months ahead of time and it was full when we arrived. I would do it again even though you have no television, no fire ring, no cell phone coverage and not even a picnic table.

Grizzly RV park was one of the nicest RV parks I have ever seen. Geographically, splitting our time between Grizzly and Fishing Bridge worked out very well.

Pics from Fishing Bridge:

[osolow]

[the number one thing i want to due is fly fish and probably ride my mountain bike around on some trails and see a lot of the touristy things. i think we will boondock it or possibly take a generater. but camp i would really like to have a fire ring and some what secludud if possible?
we will be going in the second week in july and be there all week. we will have 4 to 6 people going and my silver home away from home will be the center of camp
i have never camped in the park, and was going to order there trip planer for $30 off the web site. it sounds like if i have to reserve a camping spot i better gett on it i really appreciate all the info please keep it coming

[Fyrzowt]

i think we will boondock it or possibly take a generater. but camp i would really like to have a fire ring and some what secludud if possible?

Not much seclusion available in the summer at established RV sites from what we saw.

The first time we were back there we had reservations at an RV park in Pinedale that looked great on the website, but was a dive when we got there. We moved on, but then I was worried about getting a place that time of year.

My back-up plan was to boondock in the National Forrest which we can do out here in most places. I don't know if there is a local prohibition on camping out in the woods there.

We were able to get the last spot available at the Teton Villiage KOA. In July. You never know...
Dave

[osolow]

Buffalo Bill's Cody / Yellowstone Country
Cody, Wyoming & Yellowstone, Wyoming Travel Guide: Buffalo Bill's Cody/Yellowstone Country

anyone stayed here?