Planning Trip to Yellowstone WY this summer

[larrysun]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone this summer and need some help selecting a campground at Yellowstone. I understand they have about 5 campgrounds that you can reserved a site at. I will be pulling a 25FT airstream trailer. This will be our first trip to Yellowstone. Any recommendations for campgrounds at YS.

Thanks

[Lily&Me]

I would get on Reserve America and see what might be available for the dates you want to visit.

There are likely already lots of sites booked up.

Good luck!

Maggie

[n2916s]

The five campgrounds that accept reservations at YNP are Grant, Bridge Bay, Madison, Canyon and Fishing Bridge. All are dry camping other than Fishing Bridge. They are managed by Xanterra and you can make reservations on their website. Just type in "Yellowstone Lodges" and it should come up.

Personally, I think Canyon is the wisest choice as it has a shower facility and is centrally located. Grant also has a shower/laundry facility.

There is a scheduled major road upgrade project that will effect the East Entrance road in the vicinity of Fishing Bridge, you might want to consider that.

If you decide to stay outside the park, West Yellowstone is, in my opinion, the handiest location as it is the closest "civilization" to a gate. Mind you, nothing commercial anywhere near the Park will be cheap.

As suggested, I'd jump on reservations now. Of course, you could try for one of the six "first come, first served" campgrounds. Generally, if you start looking at 1000 am or so, you can get a site in one of those, especially Lewis Lake. All are dry camping.

Try to avoid July.

[Piggy Bank]

I recommend booking on line and then calling them on the phone to double check that what you booked is correct.

When we did the on line reservations it seemed like none of the categories were exactly right. By calling them, they took more detailed notes on my trailer length and tow vehicle so that we were sure to get placed in a site that was the right size for our rig.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by n2916s

The five campgrounds that accept reservations at YNP are Grant, Bridge Bay, Madison, Canyon and Fishing Bridge. All are dry camping other than Fishing Bridge. They are managed by Xanterra and you can make reservations on their website. Just type in "Yellowstone Lodges" and it should come up.

Personally, I think Canyon is the wisest choice as it has a shower facility and is centrally located. Grant also has a shower/laundry facility.

There is a scheduled major road upgrade project that will effect the East Entrance road in the vicinity of Fishing Bridge, you might want to consider that.

If you decide to stay outside the park, West Yellowstone is, in my opinion, the handiest location as it is the closest "civilization" to a gate. Mind you, nothing commercial anywhere near the Park will be cheap.

As suggested, I'd jump on reservations now. Of course, you could try for one of the six "first come, first served" campgrounds. Generally, if you start looking at 1000 am or so, you can get a site in one of those, especially Lewis Lake. All are dry camping.

Try to avoid July.

Really depends on what type of "camping" you do. If you like RV parks, then Fishing Bridge, which is inside the park, and Grizzly (in town of West Yellowstone) are the best options. If you are not an RV park person and want more of a campground feel, I agree that Canyon is likely the best option within the park. They will be able to accommodate your AS and have very nice showers and laundry (showers are included in fee). Across from this campground is a new hotel and general store as well as ranger station, backcountry office, etc.

[Ridgerunner3]

We have stayed once at Madison and four times at Grant Village. We have always been happy with Grant Village. The park is very large. You will spend a considerable amount of time driving if you plan to see most of the park. Bison and elk often decide they really need to stand in the middle of the road.

I really love the Canyon area but have never been able to get a campsite there large enough for our Safari 25.

You will have a wonderful trip. The best camping trip every.

[Jfuse]

Like the others have suggested; book early. We have stayed in Fishing Bridge for 8 days with full hook ups, but it is tight. We also have a 25FB Flying Cloud and had plenty of room. Our favorite is Canyon because it is in the trees and you aren’t right on top of each other. Canyon also has the best Visitors Center. Arrive by 7 am to get a site for a 25’. Only Fishing Bridge has full hookups. We don’t mind dry camping, but 8 days was too long for us this year. If you stay in Fishing Bridge, book now and request an end site. I agree that Canyon is the best inside the park for location. West Yellowstone RV is expensive and you are right on top of each other. The “town” is very small, but coming in from the West gate is a good location. The dry camping is first come, first serve and during the summer months it is full by 10am. We personally like to stay in the park and go the first week of September before they close the boats because it is less crowded. For all the sights you have to get up really early to get a parking space. The animal sightings happen really early also; up at 5am and out viewing animals by 6am. You will fall in love with Yellowstone!

[Woosch]

We always swear off Fishing Bridge. A little too squishy for us. Maybe ok for a night to rinse tanks, get some laundry done, etc.
Check out this link.

https://youtu.be/xBn1tdE3eQo

[KJRitchie]

We stayed at Grant last June. Book now as Xanterra allows one year booking windows. Madison was booked for 30/40 foot sites so chose Grant and we we booked 6 mo out. Had to do a lot of driving. Leave early to get to popular attractions. Yellowstone is is a zoo and not because of the wildlife.

[azflycaster]

Over the years we have stayed at Fishing Bridge, Bridge Bay and Madison (several times). Madison is our favorite because it is quiet and there is good fishing a few hundred yards away. The pull thru sites at Madison offer plenty of room for a 25 foot trailer.

[philly_air]

We've just booked several nights at Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton NP followed a week at Bay Bridge in Yellowstone for next July/Aug. We were already seeing some limited availability.

I would recommend calling them on the phone as opposed to booking online. Although I had to wait nearly an hour on hold when I called this past Tuesday morning I was given excellent service when I finally got through.

They lady I spoke with said they had a few 'double wide' sites at Bay bridge she could reserve for me that were not visible online. These sites will allow me to unhitch and park my truck along side my 28' AS.

There are no hook-ups at Bay bridge but it seems like it's centrally located and there is a central dump/water station that i'll need to pull to once or twice during our stay.

My advise would be to book soon!! Good luck!

[StrmyWeather]

We stayed at Madison for a week or two last Spring and really enjoyed it's location. I had to drive into West Yellowstone a couple of times and would not like to make that additional drive into the park, although I would do that if there were no choice. I didn't really like our other choices available for the time we were there (not much was open). You didn't mention when this summer or for how long, but mentioning summer would mean that you better reserve and not be too particular and, as has been mentioned, if it doesn't look available online, call. The personnel at Madison were really nice and helpful. We were there in May and people were lining up early for spaces and many turned away both because it was full or there were no longer sites for their rv size. It is dry camping but it's an easy move to dump your tanks and fill with fresh water. The dish rinsing sinks at the bathroom (which were very well maintained) made things easy. The meadow and river being close was a nice bonus and a great place to have coffee and stare at the wildlife, or fish. Have a great trip

[gaylejoe]

My favorite National Park. We have visited there 8 times and can't waited to go there again. We stayed at Fishing Bridge, Bridge Bay, Grant, Madison, and West Yellowstone. My favorite is Bridge Bay because it is kind of centered in the park. Its nothing to drive over 200 miles a day in the park. I love to dry camp and prefer it over full hook ups that's why most of our stays have been in Bridge Bay.