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GettinAway · 09-03-2020, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landshark

GettinAway, sometimes people ask me how I can live in a rural (read "backwoods") state like Idaho, and the answer is simple: this is the "last best place" to live in the US. As a Miami, FL, native, I APPRECIATE and LOVE the high desert climate: no humidity, no mosquitoes or fleas or ticks (I have dogs), warm summers, lots of dry powdery snow in winter, people are friendly and will stop to help you if you're stopped by the roadside, and the wonderful and unspoiled Great Outdoors! Just doesn't get any better...

Glad you enjoyed your trip last year, where do you plan to go next year?

Vivian

Vivian, that’s a good question. When I’m on a bike, I don’t stop often, and cover a lot of ground. With the AS we don’t like moving all that often. I got as far north as Sand Point, ran into too many people and headed back south. When I got to McCall I ran into too many people again, so I headed back north. I had a nice stay at Heyburn SP, and I loved the area around Elk City. We have relatives over near Missoula, so I think we will try to start from there. We will have kayak, and fly fishing gear with us, so will look for water.

Obviously I need to do a little more investigating.
Thx

Bigskyrider8 · 09-05-2020, 06:13 PM

Fire in Yellowstone is expanding. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/gr...e-due-to-smoke

Also, very sad big fire burning just east of Bozeman, really blowing up today with high temps and wind. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/sl...s-near-bozeman

P.S. 101 degrees at my house today, forecast for snow.....yes snow on Monday!

Bigskyrider8 · 09-05-2020, 06:25 PM

My Brother in law took this picture while helping his friends evac.....this afternoon.....now all the houses in the photo are gone

Roundabouts · 09-24-2020, 09:10 AM

We enjoyed 10 days of camping in Yellowstone. Sept. 1-5 at Canyon and Sept. 5-11 at Madison. The park was very busy. We have tried to stay on eastern time so we got up early and were able to see the sights or hike before the parking lots got full. I found it frustrating that you could go into the gift shops but not the visitor centers. Outside in the open, even on trails, social distancing was not an issue at all.

We have traveled 5900 miles since August 18th and are in Texas now but will head home in the next few days. It has been a wonderful road trip. I was very pleased with the AS. Yellowstone was first time dry camping in AS and we just went back to our simple ways we practiced with our Casita. No water in tanks, saved battery for turning on furnace in the morning. It snowed and was down to 23 one night and below freezing for several nights but we stayed comfortable. Our converter broke, so we have now ordered replacement, but our solar did a good job each day recharging. In Madison we had good sun at our campsite.

We also spent 6 nights at Gros Ventre in Grand Teton. Wonderful park.

**Rocinante** · 09-24-2020, 09:15 AM

Gros Ventre is an interesting campground. When we were there a couple of years ago, it was in significant disrepair, but they had started a project to re-pave the various loops. By now it's probably much nicer. We camped in a "no generators" loop and had a great experience. We'd definitely give it another try next time we're out that way.

Bigskyrider8 · 10-31-2020, 06:35 PM

Good Night Yellowstone:
My wife and I drove from West Yellowstone through the park to the Gardiner entrance this morning. The park closes most of the roads on Monday morning, what a summer it's been.
The parks super was quoted as saying back in July "I've never wanted a summer to end as quickly as this one".
That being said, we were amazed at the huge number of cars from New York, California and Florida driving through the park today.
The exodus from the big city life to rural Montana is in full swing.
Home prices have sky rocketed in most of Montana as people seek a slower, quieter life.
I think next summer will be just as busy, maybe even busier.

Bigskyrider8 · 10-31-2020, 06:40 PM

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...om-in-u-s-west

A related article........

kpfate · 01-26-2021, 03:13 PM

Just an FYI to all: See article link below
https://sheridanmedia.com/news/38188...ntact-tracing/

So far Teton County (Jackson, Grand Teton Park, etc) has seen the variant strain of Covid 19 in the last two weeks. Although the numbers in this article may seem low to many who live in larger populated states, Wyoming only has a total population of 580k so these numbers are huge!

Please be safe and check areas before you travel!

drmox · 04-13-2021, 08:02 AM

I have reservations at Gros Ventre campground in Grand Tetons NP for the last week of June, and it was like scrambling for Rolling Stones concert tickets on the online reservation website. My travel party scored four electric sites, all in a row, for one of the busiest weeks of the year. So...yeah, it was hectic, but worth it.
If anyone else is planning on being there (GT or Yellowstone) during this time frame, feel free to stop and say hi. We'll be the folks in the big silver trailer.
But if you do not already have reservations, staying in the park is most likely out of the question. I suggest the National Forest, or a private CG in one of the small towns outside the park.

AShar · 04-14-2021, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmox

I have reservations at Gros Ventre campground in Grand Tetons NP for the last week of June, and it was like scrambling for Rolling Stones concert tickets on the online reservation website. My travel party scored four electric sites, all in a row, for one of the busiest weeks of the year. So...yeah, it was hectic, but worth it.
If anyone else is planning on being there (GT or Yellowstone) during this time frame, feel free to stop and say hi. We'll be the folks in the big silver trailer.
But if you do not already have reservations, staying in the park is most likely out of the question. I suggest the National Forest, or a private CG in one of the small towns outside the park.

I thought Gros Ventre CG was first come first serve. Have they changed? We stayed there last year July 2020, and it was FCFS , we got really good campsite by getting in the line at 5:30AM.

OTRA15 · 04-14-2021, 04:43 PM

"First come first served" may be gone all over:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f42...ns-221256.html

https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvis...campground.htm
https://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/news/...ion-system.htm

Best bet is to plan way in advance, and call each intended stop as you approach.

All of our local county and state "first come first served" campgrounds have gone completely over to "reservations only."

n2916s · 04-14-2021, 05:18 PM

Yellowstone also added three campgrounds that were FCFS to the recreation.gov reservation system.

Last year they had record visitation. Lots of hopeful folks showed up in shiny new rigs only to find “no room at the inn”. Lots of unhappiness ensued.

Just my opinion but if it wasn’t for the fact that the Yellowstone Loop Road is also US 14/16/20, I believe they would institute a reservation system to enter.

I love the place and worked there for years but 4 million plus visitors over less than 6 months is degrading the experience...

field & stream · 04-14-2021, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n2916s

Yellowstone also added three campgrounds that were FCFS to the recreation.gov reservation system.

Last year they had record visitation. Lots of hopeful folks showed up in shiny new rigs only to find “no room at the inn”. Lots of unhappiness ensued.

Just my opinion but if it wasn’t for the fact that the Yellowstone Loop Road is also US 14/16/20, I believe they would institute a reservation system to enter.

I love the place and worked there for years but 4 million plus visitors over less than 6 months is degrading the experience...

As a long time Yellowstone visitor (first time 48 years ago!) I must sadly agree with the “degraded experience “ comment. And it’s not just Yellowstone — Rocky Mountain NP is about 10% the size of Yellowstone and has more annual visitors. All across the west state parks are similarly impacted.

Pretty soon it will be like Yogi Berra said: “The place is so crowded nobody goes there.”

drmox · 04-15-2021, 07:37 AM

Nope, the parks made the decision to go to all reservations after a year of having folks lined up for two miles starting at 0430 every morning. I caught wind of the change from this website, and there were six of us from my traveling party pounding away on our keyboards at 1000 Jan. 21st. When the dust settled, loop D (the loop with electricity), and more than half the campground had been booked for the whole season.
Progress? Depends on who you ask.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AShar

I thought Gros Ventre CG was first come first serve. Have they changed? We stayed there last year July 2020, and it was FCFS , we got really good campsite by getting in the line at 5:30AM.

OTRA15 · 04-15-2021, 01:11 PM

Thanks for those details . . . a sad shift in the camping winds IMO.

DaveP · 04-16-2021, 06:30 AM

There are hundreds of campgrounds in the Rockies that you can get into and see the wonderful sites, fishing, hiking, etc. without the hassle of the major national parks. We are waiting for the inevitable slow down at the big national parks before we start go back.

uncle_bob · 04-17-2021, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveP

There are hundreds of campgrounds in the Rockies that you can get into and see the wonderful sites, fishing, hiking, etc. without the hassle of the major national parks. We are waiting for the inevitable slow down at the big national parks before we start go back.

Hi

Been waiting for that slowdown for a couple decades ...

Unless the US becomes an "unwelcome destination" for foreign tourists, the big parks (both US and Canada) are pretty well decoupled from swings in the US. Yes, the campgrounds may become slightly easier to book. The crowds will still be there .....

No, its not *all* out of country (or even out of state) folks that jam things up. Last time I was in Rock Mountain NP, pretty much every single plate I saw was in state (or Wyoming). The place was packed ...... ( peak fall colors seem to do that ...).

Bob

Lily&Me · 04-17-2021, 08:22 AM

My late husband and I spent about a month one year roaming the Rockies and staying in the small forest campgrounds, none of which were inside the Park itself.

No amenities other than a site and fire pit, usually, but we generally had them to ourselves and it was glorious.

Some by rushing rivers, all beautiful and wild to we flatlanders.

Maggie

DaveP · 04-17-2021, 09:13 AM

Hi Bob,

Not really serious...

Just wishful thinking...

uncle_bob · 04-18-2021, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveP

Hi Bob,

Not really serious...

Just wishful thinking...

Hi

My concern is simply that I *do* hear people saying this sort of thing, and meaning it. "I'll wait for the crowds to go away" is not that uncommon a thought. Indeed scheduling for lower crowd parts of a season *might* make sense ... hmmm... no crowds because the park is closed ....

The risk is that people plan themselves right out of ever going. Kids grow up and move away. Things can change as we age, some for the better. A lot of them seem to be for the worse.

If you *can* go now, go. Don't miss out based on a (likely wrong) theory that the crowds will be much smaller 4 to 6 years from now. Never going at all is way worse than putting up with some traffic.

Bob