GTNP & Yellowstone NP Camping
Would it be beneficial to camp inbetween these parks in order to see them both and only relocate once?
Forum Discussion
We were in GTNP & YNP for 10 days in 2007. We stayed at a campground in West Yellowstone for 3 nights, Colter Bay 3 nights, and Bridge Bay 4 nights. That way we could see the west and north side of YNP, the east and south side of YNP, and some of GTNP. My only regret is that would couldn't stay longer. YNP is the size of Rhode Island and you can't get anywhere fast. We sat in one bison jam for over an hour. And we nearly had a head-on collision with a bison bull one night as we drove back from Canyon. If I hadn't caught the brief red flash of his eyes in the headlights, DH would have driven right into him. We immediately stopped as we didn't know exactly what we saw, but we know it wasn't normal. In a minute or so this big behemoth walked past within 6 inches of our car. It was like having the Titanic pass you.
Even with staying in 3 different places, it was a lot of driving. We are not hikers, due to mobility issues, but we visited a LOT of thermals and saw a lot of animals. We took picnics to several picnic areas and put our feet in the Yellowstone River. The best thing we did was at Old Faithful. We got there about 20 min after it erupted, so it was going to be about an hour until it erupted again. We took the kids over to the Inn and got some ice cream cones. We took them up to the second floor deck, which overlooks the thermal area, and broke out the playing cards. Before we knew it, an hour had passed and Old Faithful let 'er rip. Best seats in the house!
Even with staying in 3 different places, it was a lot of driving. We are not hikers, due to mobility issues, but we visited a LOT of thermals and saw a lot of animals. We took picnics to several picnic areas and put our feet in the Yellowstone River. The best thing we did was at Old Faithful. We got there about 20 min after it erupted, so it was going to be about an hour until it erupted again. We took the kids over to the Inn and got some ice cream cones. We took them up to the second floor deck, which overlooks the thermal area, and broke out the playing cards. Before we knew it, an hour had passed and Old Faithful let 'er rip. Best seats in the house!
