Forum Discussion

jgkeeto's avatar
jgkeeto
Explorer
Feb 06, 2017

planning a trip to yellowstone, road driving help needed

hey all,
we are planning on a trip to yellowstone for however long it takes us to see and have a great time.
here's our question, we are buying a class c winnebage view that is 25' long, we don't want to tow a vehicle with us but instead want to drive around in the view and see the sights plus be able to pull over and enjoy the sights. so, is the view small enough that we can drive around in the roads and be able to park along the roadside or at attractions do they have parking for larger vehicles in the parking lots.
also, has anyone just pulled over somewhere and spent the night drycamping or is that not allowed?
i guess we are asking if driving a 25 footer is going to be too big or are we going to be ok. any help or advice you all have is appreciated.
the width is 7'6"
  • You should be fine for seeing the sights. Yes parking can be a problem but you are flexible, just park when you can and come back to those that you can't or ask if someone is going to leave. Just be flexible.
  • jgkeeto wrote:
    ...also, has anyone just pulled over somewhere and spent the night drycamping or is that not allowed?
    i guess we are asking if driving a 25 footer is going to be too big or are we going to be ok...
    Camping in Yellowstone is restricted to designated campgrounds only. There are a number of Park Service operated campgrounds that are first come first serve. All of the campgrounds in Yellowstone are drycamping except for The RV Village at Fishing Bridge.

    You will have lots of company in rental Class Cs that are not towing a second vehicle.
  • There is some parking for larger vehicles. However, there will be times when you will not be able to find a parking spot large enough. Mostly it will depend on time of day and time of year. You will not be able to park along the side the road, although stopping in the middle of the road is a frequent occurrence. They are not going to let you overnight in a parking lot although you may find out of the way parking spots they don't check at night.
  • It's very busy in YNP in the summer and parking will be a challenge no matter what type of vehicle you are driving. The bigger the vehicle the more difficult it will be to park at the many thermal features. No problem at Grant, Old Faithful or Mammoth.

    As far as roadside camping, that is not allowed inside the park. Do you have reservations at a campground in or out of the park? If not you should make some ASAP and consider yourself lucky to get a space. There are a number of first come first served CG's in the park but all CG's report full by 8 to 8:30 AM. I think the idea of renting a car in W. Yellowstone is a good one. There are many CG's in town and if you don't mind an additional 15 minute drive you can stay at Valley View RV park in Island Park ID.
  • You can always rent a car In West Yellowstone this way you can set up camp and use it as a base without packing up and then setting up every day. Fuel savings by touring in a car verses the MH will help offset the cost. Less stress on the narrow roads and parking. IMO.
  • We went there a couple years ago in our truck/truck camper. We're around 23' long. We had the camper on the entire trip and didn't have much trouble finding places to park in the park. There was only one trailhead that is very popular that we couldn't find a spot to park.
    We did go in early September so the park wasn't nearly as crowded as it would have been in the summer months.