Planning Yellowstone/Teton Trip (from Iowa)
We're beginning our plans for next year and we've settled on YNP and possibly Teton NP. Right now thinking 5 days in YNP and 2 days in TNP. Does that sounds about right? Regarding YNP, looks like...
Forum Discussion
We were in Yellowstone last summer for our 4th trip in 10 years. It was our first trip to the Tetons. We love both parks and spent 2 days in YNP at Madison, 3 days in the Tetons at Colter Bay and then 2 days in Fishing Bridge.
Camping inside the parks has the advantage of time. When we have camped in West Yellowstone, it took an extra 30-45 minutes just to get into the inner roads to start our day and tacked on 30-45 minutes to get home to our campsite at night. We prefer to be in the action inside the parks.
Madison is a wonderful non-hook-up campground with many pull-thru sites and a wooded feel. It is right on the Madison River and elk are abundant. The amphitheater provides a great place for the nightly ranger-led presentations. We loved Madison and highly recommend it.
Fishing Bridge has hook-ups, but it's a parking lot. The sites are so close, you may not be able to extend your awning. It's fine to sleep at night, but don't plan to spend any time outside at your site because you are so close to your neighbors. The laundry facilities and showers are a plus at Fishing Bridge and there is a convenient RV service and parts store next to the campground.
Our biggest regret was we didn't spend more time in the Tetons and Jackson, Wyoming. Three days wasn't enough. The Colter Bay full hook-up campground was nice and provided a little more space than Fishing Bridge. They also have a good laundry facility and showers. The restaurants are nice and there is Wi-Fi in the area.
The language on the websites appears they strictly enforce the size limits of their campsites. If you are in doubt about the size of your rig fitting, make your reservations over the phone. I did that to make sure we fit and wouldn't be turned around when we showed up. It was an easy process and they answered our questions.
Have a great trip!
Camping inside the parks has the advantage of time. When we have camped in West Yellowstone, it took an extra 30-45 minutes just to get into the inner roads to start our day and tacked on 30-45 minutes to get home to our campsite at night. We prefer to be in the action inside the parks.
Madison is a wonderful non-hook-up campground with many pull-thru sites and a wooded feel. It is right on the Madison River and elk are abundant. The amphitheater provides a great place for the nightly ranger-led presentations. We loved Madison and highly recommend it.
Fishing Bridge has hook-ups, but it's a parking lot. The sites are so close, you may not be able to extend your awning. It's fine to sleep at night, but don't plan to spend any time outside at your site because you are so close to your neighbors. The laundry facilities and showers are a plus at Fishing Bridge and there is a convenient RV service and parts store next to the campground.
Our biggest regret was we didn't spend more time in the Tetons and Jackson, Wyoming. Three days wasn't enough. The Colter Bay full hook-up campground was nice and provided a little more space than Fishing Bridge. They also have a good laundry facility and showers. The restaurants are nice and there is Wi-Fi in the area.
The language on the websites appears they strictly enforce the size limits of their campsites. If you are in doubt about the size of your rig fitting, make your reservations over the phone. I did that to make sure we fit and wouldn't be turned around when we showed up. It was an easy process and they answered our questions.
Have a great trip!
