About three weeks ago I asked for information about the first come campgrounds and how they worked in Yellowstone. I got several responses and none of them were really correct. The reason is the rules are new this year.We just spent 14 days in the two parks and only had reservations for two nights, those nights were at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone.The way the first come campgrounds work in BOTH parks is this: you show up early and wait in line at the registration office At 8 AM the office opens and they start assigning campsites in order until the park is full. You DO NOT go into the campground and pick a site if you do you will not get it and you will go to the end of the line and wait. We saw people being asked to leave who did not follow the rules.If you want a site you have to get there early, we were in line at 6:45 at Norris in Yellowstone and were 23rd in line that day they had 25 sites available. After you get a site you can stay up to 14 days.Many people were turned away. We also were able to secure sites in Grand Teton the same way, the hosts and NPS Rangers were very professional and organized. What we did was to leave our trailer at our existing site in another campground and just took our truck to where we wanted to stay next. We got a site, paid for two nights and did not occupy it the first night. This method was OK'd by the Ranger. Then we took our time getting to the campground the next day. We just paid for additional days by the day,It worked great.It really helped having reservations at Fishing bridge the first night. Then we did not have to drive far to get the rest of our reservations. Both parks were extremely busy but we did most our touring before noon and after 6pm and that helped.jesseannieWe had a blast.

We were there in mid May. Only 3 campgrounds were open. We stayed in Madison.We had reservations. I didn't want to drive 2,000 miles and not have a site.But at that time of year,we would have been ok since we arrived on a Wednesday. There were people coming in every day just for one night.Most of them were tent campers. I'm glad we weren't tent camping as the nights got down into the low 40's or high 30's. On the way out and back, we didn't have reservations and had no trouble getting sites at state parks or private campgrounds.

Hi,What happens when all the sites are gone? Is there an unserviced over flow area?

New procedure and already people are beating it by getting a site and letting it remain empty until they want to move in Where there is a rule someone will figure a way around itI can not see a ranger approving this

jesseannie wrote:Many people were turned away. We got a site, paid for two nights and did not occupy it the first night. We had a blast.You had a blast while "many people were turned away" because you paid for a site but did not occupy it. Someone could have "had a blast" camping if you had not selfishly kept a site you had no intention of occupying.SHAME ON YOU

If everyone did this there would be full CGs with half the sites empty.

First come Campgrounds in Yellowstone and Teton

41 Replies

JT
Explorer
Aug 04, 2016
Just a comment on a possible misunderstanding: Yellowstone and Grand Teton are national parks; separate jurisdiction (Dept. of Interior) from the US Forest Service (Dept. of Agriculture). "FCFS" stands for "First Come, First Served". :)
monkey44
Nomad II
Aug 03, 2016
JT wrote:
"...so I have no clue what people are saying about no early access for camping to grab a site. We just drove in and took an empty site (lucky, yes) -- just got an envelope, and renewed each day we decided to stay."
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Ditto. There's *nothing* noted about any "new rules" for FCFS campsites on the Y-stone or Teton websites; the procedures seem to be the same as they always have been. :h

Course, it works fine for the folks that know - which means FS will probably change it soon, and it won't. Sometimes, I think the people that are unhappy with it (want all reservations) complain, and the people that are happy with it don't. So, all they get is the complaints to change it and think that's what everyone wants ...
JT
Explorer
Aug 03, 2016
"...so I have no clue what people are saying about no early access for camping to grab a site. We just drove in and took an empty site (lucky, yes) -- just got an envelope, and renewed each day we decided to stay."
---
Ditto. There's *nothing* noted about any "new rules" for FCFS campsites on the Y-stone or Teton websites; the procedures seem to be the same as they always have been. :h
monkey44
Nomad II
Aug 03, 2016
Walaby wrote:
monkey44 wrote:
We just returned from Yellowstone - with no reservations. We timed our drive in to get there early, around 8AM, spent over an hour coming in the gate from the south (Tetons) because of the traffic backup.

We stopped at the first campground. We noticed numerous folks packing up to leave, and many remaining. We saw several empty sites (around 9:30 / 10AM) and picked one. We booked two days, then two more days in a row. We had that site the entire five days we spent in YS ... as we were packing up, and a truck towing a small TT stopped and asked. He just sat there until we pulled out (about half hour) and pulled in. I'm not sure if he already had his ticket, or went back and got it.

So, this sounds like what was presented as the old way of doing it, which appears, at least in your case, was still the current way of doing it.

Mike

Yes, exactly right - we were there in June - so I have no clue what people are saying about no early access for camping to grab a site. We just drove in and took an empty site (lucky, yes) -- just got an envelope, and renewed each day we decided to stay.
allen8106
Explorer
Aug 02, 2016
westernrvparkowner wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
What happens to folks who can't find spaces? Are there overflow areas?
NO! Yellowstone law enforcement is very diligent about not allowing any overnighting in non-designated areas. People without sites have to move on until they eventually find something. It can often be they have to travel a long, long way.

Precisely why I'll stay on the outside of the park and avoid staying in the park at all costs.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Aug 02, 2016
kohldad wrote:

Another question is what is the minimum amount of equipment that I must leave on my site to show it is occupied? I only have a TC so it always goes with me and I usually don't have anything to leave behind.

Your tag will give your leaving date. If someone would happen to pull in while you're gone they wouldn't be allowed to stay as it's your site. As far as leaving things on your site when you're touring, some folks do this, I think, just as courtesy for a party driving by at a quick glance they can see if it's occupied. Most often, it would be a chair or even a homemade sign, 'site occupied' However, if we see an empty site with nothing on it, we always check to tag before moving on to it.

Bottom line, there are no 'rules' as to what you need to leave, if anything, on the site. It's up to the party looking for a site to make sure he looks on the tag.
kohldad
Explorer III
Aug 02, 2016
In the past, there was an 11 or 12 check out time and I have until that time to decide if I want to stay another day. If they start assigning sites when the office opens, does this mean I have to decide the night before if I want to stay two more nights or do I still have until check out time to decide?

Another question is what is the minimum amount of equipment that I must leave on my site to show it is occupied? I only have a TC so it always goes with me and I usually don't have anything to leave behind.
Walaby
Explorer II
Aug 02, 2016
monkey44 wrote:
We just returned from Yellowstone - with no reservations. We timed our drive in to get there early, around 8AM, spent over an hour coming in the gate from the south (Tetons) because of the traffic backup.

We stopped at the first campground. We noticed numerous folks packing up to leave, and many remaining. We saw several empty sites (around 9:30 / 10AM) and picked one. We booked two days, then two more days in a row. We had that site the entire five days we spent in YS ... as we were packing up, and a truck towing a small TT stopped and asked. He just sat there until we pulled out (about half hour) and pulled in. I'm not sure if he already had his ticket, or went back and got it.

So, this sounds like what was presented as the old way of doing it, which appears, at least in your case, was still the current way of doing it.

Mike
monkey44
Nomad II
Aug 02, 2016
We just returned from Yellowstone - with no reservations. We timed our drive in to get there early, around 8AM, spent over an hour coming in the gate from the south (Tetons) because of the traffic backup.

We stopped at the first campground. We noticed numerous folks packing up to leave, and many remaining. We saw several empty sites (around 9:30 / 10AM) and picked one. We booked two days, then two more days in a row. We had that site the entire five days we spent in YS ... as we were packing up, and a truck towing a small TT stopped and asked. He just sat there until we pulled out (about half hour) and pulled in. I'm not sure if he already had his ticket, or went back and got it.

We noticed the ticket envelopes are numbered - I'm guessing that's to prove you got it that morning ? Maybe ? Not sure why it's numbered.

But we never travel with reservations - even to the major parks. We like the freedom and over the years, have only had an occasional problem getting a site and have always worked out a way to camp where we want to camp. We'd be truly disappointed if every site was 'reserve only'... that would be unfair to a lot of campers. A mixed bag is the only way to be fair to everyone.
NRALIFR
Explorer
Aug 02, 2016
2gypsies wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
In Montana, most national forests do not allow boondocking. You have to be in a developed campsite. The forest service actively patrols and enforces that regulation.

This is not true. We've stayed on dispersed land (boondocking) in Montana's national forests. Here is just one example:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/custergallatin/recreation/recarea/?recid=81373&actid=34

My thoughts as well. I was just in Montana and noticed many opportunities for dispersed camping in the National Forests. You could NOT dispersed camp in the DEVELOPED CAMPGROUNDS in the National Forests, but outside of those as long as you followed the rules for dispersed camping it could be done.

2gypsies wrote:
Naio wrote:
2gypsies, I am not sure you read about the very recent changes to the system? You probably got your site/s under the old system.

The thing is....there is no 'new system'. The way the OP got their site is not commonly done. They talked to a ranger and it was o.k.'d. It's not advertised as a 'new system' of getting first come sites. Everyone still waits in line and are prepared to camp that first night if they get a site.

Perhaps I'm wrong and it changed this year. Can you quote the 'new system' - not from the OP but from the national park rules?

I just don't want the incorrect information given so people will think this is a park headquarters-approved way of getting first-come sites.

I'm surprised to read that a ranger would tell them it was OK to do that. If I remember right, most of the "first come" NF campgrounds that I stayed in on our most recent trip to CO and WY had the rule "Site MUST be occupied BY A PERSON on the first night". I knew exactly what that rule was trying to prevent, and I think it's a great idea.

:):)