Austin, TX to Grand Teton NP

Thanks, "littlemo".

We will be leaving Cedar Park (Austin) Saturday morning going up Hwy-183 through Brownwood, Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, Raton pass, front range, etc.) and pulling into GTNP Monday afternoon/evening, giving ourselves 3-days travel time.

We will be in Jackson Hole area five nights (Mon-Fri) with about four full days. We will canoe/hike/fish/bike most of that time. Plus whitewater raft the Snake River (of course) and a day in Jackson (Alpine slide, etc. for kids).

We'll pull out Saturday and head up to YNP through South entrance and work our way up to Madison (maybe a picnic and canoe stop on Lewis or Shoshone lakes). We'll spend 2-3 nights at Madison flyfishing, hiking, touring, visiting town of West Yellowstone, etc. and then work over to Fishing Bridge where we'll spend the remaining 3-4 days of our trip. We will plan to exit East entrance and follow your suggestions for some of the sights/attractions for our homeward bound journey.

NOTE: You are so right about the expanse of Yellowstone. We've already settled the matter in our hearts that we cannot hope to take in all the majesty this vast park has to offer us on this first (of hopefully many!) visit. We look very much forward to future adventures and discoveries and will continue to look to experienced friends like you and the others for tips and advice! Sincere thanks!

dsmith3 wrote:
Thank you all for the excellent and detailed replies. Very much appreciated!

We currently have six nights at Fishing Bridge RV park reserved for next July. But I've considered splitting our Yellowstone stay into Madison campground to put us closer to West Yellowstone and Mammoth areas of the park. Has anyone stayed at Madison? How about Canyon Village?

For our week in Grand Teton we will be staying at Colter Bay Village. Any other favorite places to RV camp in GTNP?

NOTE: We are also hauling our canoe so any recommendations or tips of good paddling spots would be welcome. Along with any favorite out-of-the-way cutthroat streams! ;)

I recommend shaving some time off your GT visit and adding to YNP visit. In my opinion (for what it's worth, LOL) GT can be done in 3-4 days. Yellowstone is HUGE and there is a lot to see here. You'll want to take one day to drive in your toad over the Beartooth HWY to Red Lodge, MT. If you do your GT visit first then when you finish in YNP you can exit through the East entrance and start home through Cody, WY, You will go through Wind River Canyon to get there. It is awesome. Buffalo Bill Cody museum and "old town" (Butch Cassidy hideout) and other interesting sites here. BTW, and you may know this, Fishing Bridge is the only camping in park that has hookups. I've never stayed @ Madison but have heard it's a great campground. I do plan to stay there my next visit. Also Mammoth doesn't look bad either. Anyway, I have been to this area many times and I never tire of it. It is my Favorite! You will have a GREAT time and will have to come back over and over. Enjoy!

Thank you all for the excellent and detailed replies. Very much appreciated!

We currently have six nights at Fishing Bridge RV park reserved for next July. But I've considered splitting our Yellowstone stay into Madison campground to put us closer to West Yellowstone and Mammoth areas of the park. Has anyone stayed at Madison? How about Canyon Village?

For our week in Grand Teton we will be staying at Colter Bay Village. Any other favorite places to RV camp in GTNP?

NOTE: We are also hauling our canoe so any recommendations or tips of good paddling spots would be welcome. Along with any favorite out-of-the-way cutthroat streams! ;)

intheburbs wrote:
Best route is probably I35 to I70 into Denver, then I25 north to I80 in Wyoming. Take that to Rawlins, then follow US287 all the way to Teton/Yellowstone.

Not sure how many days you plan for the drive each way, but if you're doing three days each way (roughly 500 miles a day), a great stop would be Loveland, CO, just north of Denver. Johnson's Corner RV park is nice and they have "world famous" cinnamon rolls. They actually are quite tasty. And about 10 miles north is Fort Collins - a great college town with a nice downtown area for walking/eating.

I'd also suggest staying at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. It's the only RV park inside Yellowstone, and has hookups. You're going to be driving A LOT around the park, and it's a nice, central location.

That's probably your best route if you want to make the best time, but with one exception. I wouldn't take I-70 all the way in to Denver. You can take C0 79 north from Bennett to the intersection with CO 52, then take 52 west through Ft Lupton, and pick up I-25 west of there, which avoids traffic (and a LOT of traffic, depending on the time of day).

An alternative to Johnson's Corner in Loveland would be Boyd Lake State Park on the NE side of town. While it doesn't have full hookups, it does have electric as well as showers, and is much less crowded that Johnson's Corners, and a LOT less highway noise. Or you could also try St Vrain SP in Longmont, just south of Loveland. Same amenities as Boyd Lake, but a bit closer to I-25 for easy off/easy on.

We came back through Cody and Thermopolis; beautiful drive. Called the Douglas KOA from Cody and they held a spot for us without credit card. Nice people. Stayed at Capulin RV Park east of Raton and visited the Capulin Volcano National Monument. Really interesting.

New member here also. Another option to consider is staying on I-25 north from Denver to Casper, WY. Then take HWY 26 west thru Riverton, Dubois and over Togwotee Pass into GTNP. Amazing views of the Wind River Range and the sight of the Tetons as you descend the pass is breathtaking. You may consider a different return route, exiting the East Gate through Cody and south through Thermopolis. In my opinion, Either route is a more scenic drive and has much less truck traffic than I-80. Wind River canyon south of Thermopolis is spectacular. Thermopolis also has natural mineral hot springs that are worth a stop, and a swim. Can't really go wrong with any route to YNP, the drive from Denver north will provide many photo opportunities. Have fun.

4huskers wrote:
Take US183 north to Abilene and then I20 west to US84 to Lubbock I27 to Amarillo US287 to Dumas US87 on to Raton, NM and I25. Time your drive through Denver to avoid rush hour although it's busy anytime during the day. At Ft. Collins take US287 to Laramie. I80 to Rawlins and US287 and US26 to Grand Teton NP. From there take US89 to the south entrance of Yellowstone. I've driven all this route except for the part out of Austin to Abilene and they're all good roads(at least they were when we were on them). This route is 200 miles shorter than going up I35 and trust me it's worth coming over Togwotee Pass and seeing the Tetons as you descend. Fishing Bridge would be a great basecamp; I'd check on getting reservations now for next year. Any questions just PM me. One more thing if your GPS wants you to take US385 to Dalhart don't do it. You'll shake your rig apart. PM if you like for more information.

This is a good route. We usually do an overnight at Lander, WY. go visit Sinks Canyon while there then head on up through Togwotee Pass. This is an awesome site watching the Tetons get bigger as you get closer to them. Earlier in route we have spent the night @ the Welcome center in Amarillo. Free wi-Fi and 24 hour security. Great place to stop and get a few hours sleep for free.

it's worth coming over Togwotee Pass and seeing the Tetons as you descend.

X 2

Take US183 north to Abilene and then I20 west to US84 to Lubbock I27 to Amarillo US287 to Dumas US87 on to Raton, NM and I25. Time your drive through Denver to avoid rush hour although it's busy anytime during the day. At Ft. Collins take US287 to Laramie. I80 to Rawlins and US287 and US26 to Grand Teton NP. From there take US89 to the south entrance of Yellowstone. I've driven all this route except for the part out of Austin to Abilene and they're all good roads(at least they were when we were on them). This route is 200 miles shorter than going up I35 and trust me it's worth coming over Togwotee Pass and seeing the Tetons as you descend. Fishing Bridge would be a great basecamp; I'd check on getting reservations now for next year. Any questions just PM me. One more thing if your GPS wants you to take US385 to Dalhart don't do it. You'll shake your rig apart. PM if you like for more information.

Best route is probably I35 to I70 into Denver, then I25 north to I80 in Wyoming. Take that to Rawlins, then follow US287 all the way to Teton/Yellowstone.

Not sure how many days you plan for the drive each way, but if you're doing three days each way (roughly 500 miles a day), a great stop would be Loveland, CO, just north of Denver. Johnson's Corner RV park is nice and they have "world famous" cinnamon rolls. They actually are quite tasty. And about 10 miles north is Fort Collins - a great college town with a nice downtown area for walking/eating.

I'd also suggest staying at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. It's the only RV park inside Yellowstone, and has hookups. You're going to be driving A LOT around the park, and it's a nice, central location.