yellowstone we are a coming

Some general information about YNP (some general items apply to GTNP also)

YNP is about 45 miles E/W and about 65 miles N/S (2.2 mil. Acres total). The figure 8 loop road inside the park is about 140 miles around. The lower loop is 96 miles and the upper loop is 70 miles around and yes, it is bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Whatever time that you think you will need to see YNP you better double it, or to say it another way is that you will see one half as much as you planned on in the allotted time. The Bison think that they own the road (they do!) and will slow down the traffic to walking speed or all stop for 1/4 mile or more blocking both directions of travel, the thermal attractions also tie up traffic and with a 5 month long summer tourist season that coincides with a 5 month long road construction season and a 45 MPH radar controlled speed limit it will take about a full day to see each loop and then you will only see the main attractions. In addition to the occasional construction delays they will also sometimes close whole sections of road (for uninterrupted night construction) between 10 PM and 8 AM in the morning, if you are running late and get caught at night in the wrong area it CAN be a LONG way around to your CG! (The entrance stations will have current construction information or go on line to check it out)

Then there is the elevation- YNP ranges from a low at Mammoth- 6239 ft to 7784 ft at Fishing Bridge or higher if you go hiking and there are passes on the grand loop road that are close to 8000 ft or so! Drink plenty of liquids and pace yourself when walking.

I recommend that you get up EARLY, leave the CG and be back by 4 or 6 PM have dinner and be sitting in your recliner drinking a cool one when your neighbor drags himself back to the CG at 8-10 PM. Remember that from mid May to mid July in YNP the sun doesn't set until about 9:30- 9:45 PM then there is a long twilight.

Cell Phone Service- Only at the major visitor centers, otherwise non-existent!

Clothing- Especially in the early or late season it is not unusual to have a 30 or even the occasional 40 degree temperature change throughout the day. Dress with easily shed layers of clothing. Also dress in bright easily seen clothing. I am sure that we all have been to a sporting event, parade or Disney World etc. and we blink our eyes and our partner/child has disappeared. My DIL was born and raised in HI, you guessed it, every Xmas, b-day or Father's Day I receive a Hawaiian shirt. One of them is shiny black with 4-5 inch dia. bright flowers. Not many of them in Wyoming and in YSNP, that is what I wear. If your partner has on a Violet blouse and a Orange scarf with a Pink hat I guarantee that she will be the only one within the boundaries of either NP. It can save you a few anxious moments.

Water- Now I will have to contradict myself, at the altitude of YNP yes, drink lots of water! HOWEVER, be aware that the flush toilet restrooms are are in the major tourist areas- Mammoth, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Lake Hotel, Bridge Bay, Grant Village, Old Faithful, Madison Junction etc. The geyser basins and other thermal attractions areas have only pit toilets. I have seen the pit toilet line at the lower Geyser Basin (2 holes) 25 or more feet long (bless the tour buses) So be smart about drinking your water and use the major tourist area R/Rs before leaving the area!

Sun- At YSNP altitude the Sun is intense (uv)have and apply sunscreen, wear that old floppy wide brim sun hat, wear Sunglasses!

If your luck is like mine Old Faithful will have just erupted when you get there and you will have up to a hour and 10 to 15 minutes wait for the next one. Tour tour the O/F Geyser basin while waiting. O/F INN is a must see, reportedly the largest LOG building in the U.S. (Meals in the O/F dinning room are “OK” also.

We have lived about 110 miles from West Yellowstone, MT since 1964, go to YSNP 3-4 times a summer (normally before Memorial Day and after Labor Day) and haven't seen it all yet! So don’t be discouraged that you didn’t have the time to see all of it. Just plan on coming back another time!

I honestly don’t mean to scare or discourage you but to give you a heads up as to what to expect! After all there was 4.1 million visitors in 2015! As far as I know we didn’t lose one of them. Except those who by their own stupidity step off the board walks into BOILING HOT water and ignoring the warnings about the WILD ANIMALS! That is called purifying the gene pool!

Note I have seen on this blog and others about folks “day tripping” from YSNP to GTNP, it is done all the time (myself included) however remember this is BIG country and with the speed limits, animals and thermal attractions you will be doing a LOT of driving. From Grant Village Visitor Center (extreme S/E corner of the lower loop road) to Jackson, WY is about 80 miles with Coulter Bay being about 1/2 way then from Grant Village you have to add the distance to your CG it will be a Long days trip! A point of clarification- there are two (2) CG’s at Coulter Bay, sorry I have forgotten their names! One a full service “RV Park” with FHU’S that takes reservations. T he other “CG” has no hookups and doesn’t take reservations. They are basically across the road from each other.

When in the Jackson area I highly recommend seeing the Bar J Chuckwagon dinner show! If you go, MAKE RESERVATIONS and BE THERE EARLY TO PICK UP YOUR MEAL TICKETS/ TABLE SEATING ASSIGNMENTS! They seat you by when you show up to get your tickets NOT by your reservation number. Tim, their fiddle player has won the "Idaho state old time fiddle contest 7 times and the US open fiddle championship twice". If you decide to go you will sit at picnic type of bench seats/table, they get pretty hard, I recommend that you take along a blanket/pads to sit on. We day trip it there 2-4 times every summer just to see them! Disclaimer- We have no financial or other interest in the Bar J only that it will be the best $$ value for your money for your trip! Check out their website.
Also in Jackson check out the “COWBOY” bar, the bar stools are saddles and the # of Silver Dollars in the bar.

http://www.barjchuckwagon.com.

Your going to LOVE it. Was out there last year 2nd week of Sept at Grant Campground. Sept 15 was last day campground was open before closing for the winter. Best trip we ever took. Make sure you have reservations. We had scores of people without reservations coming up to the ranger station trying to find campsites. Everything was full. Fishing Bridge has full hookups but its more like camping in a parking lot. Grant was much nicer but no electric, water or sewer. They do have a dump station and water though. Generator use is limited. We had 2 inches of snow last few days we were there.

Horse Thief campground was nice near Mt. Rushmore. Highly recommend taking a scenic drive on the needles Hwy.

We live fairly close to YNP and TGT that it's our favorite place to visit and we plan to go again this September, our favorite and usual time to visit. We've even visited in October seeing a dusting of snow when we woke up! We dry camp a lot as we are self contained and tow with a diesel. Diesel is available as a previous poster stated. Yes, some campgrounds in the park and some outside close mid September, but you will always find one available. Outside of West Yellowstone is Baker's Hole, a FS CG with electric sites and they stay open as long as weather permits. They are right on the Madison River and you can hear elk bugling and wolves howling at night from there. A little further outside of West Yellowstone into Idaho is Henry's Lake State Park and numerous private RV parks too. Red Rock is a little further out, but nice if you prefer that. Within West Yellowstone are others, including Grizzly which is a favorite and late in the year, it's not as busy and they offer discounts, plus free coffee and cocoa every morning! Your view will fit in Madison, our fifth wheel will not, but we have a lot of options, including dry camping or boondocking which is what we prefer. There's also Colter Bay RV Park and Campground on Jackson Lake. Super nice too. We've even stayed off the Togwotee Pass at Falls CG several times (electric sites in one loop) and driven in to the parks. So, there's a lot of options, but Falls can close too depending on the weather since it is a 8000 + in elevation. Last time we were there in 2015, we left early because our weather band warned of a snow storm and we didn't want to be driving down that pass on snow. Check numerous campground links for information:
Campsitephotos.com
Campgroundviews.com
National Forest Camping Guide
Campendium
Yellowstone Park Camping
Grand Teton National Park Camping

I use all of these to plan our camping. Campendium is my favorite because previous campers post reviews and photos, plus Google Maps displays the exact location for you to view.

Good luck and enjoy.

We live west of Reading,Pa and were there in May 2016. May and September are the best months.Nice weather and fewer people.Yes, you will have fewer choices for campsites,but that's ok. We stayed at Madison. No hookups but you can run your generator during certain hours. If you don;t have 2 batteries,I would add another one. Madison is centrally located. We were there 4 days,but should have had 2 more. Some highlights were the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,seeing a grizzly mom with 3 cubs and eating in the Inn at Old Faithful. The lobby is beautiful.If you want more info on routes and campgrounds along the way,message me.

Sept. is a good time to visit Yellowstone. Elk are bugling, less people(normally) great fall colors.
Campgrounds should have vacancies,but make reservations if trying for Fishing bridge or Madison.
Long trip not to have your own toad.
Weather can be anything, come prepared. Don't forget your tire chains! Never used mine, but required to have them.
Fuel is available, however try to get it before getting into park as price goes up. Some park stations will be starting to close.
Construction in some parts of the park will be continueing. Traffic delays are possible not counting animals traffic delays.

jgkeeto wrote:
........

we live near philadelphia and will be heading west from there,

route 80 or the turnpike, haven't decided. but leaving from pennsylvania and can be making stops along the way.

last year we left from florida in november across country and went to california and up to oregon and then back to PA via 70, staying below the freezing, we got back in march.

we have our own business and work remotely so we have no timeline that's why we can be gone from a month to 6 months,

we don't know or care,

just trying to get some good ideas of where to go before the freeze hits,

cause we can head south then no problem.

thanks again

That helps,

IMHO, Your travel time is GREAT.

Only thing I recommend is if at all Possible, try to be In Colorado in Late September - the Aspen are just Amazing. - But - if the weather is RIGHT - then Glacier might just be the place for YOU.

One thing to Remember is Altitude is the Key to Early SNOW. So if things begin to look Bad just get out of the Mountains and ride it out for a few days - Another thing I'd recommend on this trip is to try to catch a few days/Nights in the Yellowstone Inn - or for that matter any of the Historic Hotels in the National Parks.

Having done this RV thing for over 50 years - and going from a Modified 49' Packard to the Travel Supreme today you might feel the need for a little Space - the Hotel Lobby's provide a great spot to just stretch out. We have done it with all sizes and used the Lobbies to our Advantage - plus always fun to just watch the People after a long Hike in the Woods;-)

INHO weather will be the determining factor in your trip - you are able to Boondock? You have a generator? If you are running a Home Based Business likely you need to Have Internet?

OK. Logic would say get to Custer First - then check out Devils Tower on the Way to Cody - They have a Wal*Mart in Cody so stock Up before going into YNP - Chief Joseph Highway and Beartooth are booth early drives - so maybe up to Red Lodge and check them out before getting into YNP - There are places to stay if you can self support - just ask the rangers - YNP again time will be dictated by the Weather - don't let a little snow scare you off - it snows in every month of the year there, but it also melts - when you do YNP be sure to do GTNP - again the Inn/Lodge/Hotel will be your friend - Check the weather to see if Glacier is still good - if yes go - if No - head to Colorado - out through Jackson/Alpine to Flaming Gorge RNA - to Dinosaur NM - then to the Bells in/outside Aspen for the Color.

If you need more I'll chime in later or just search my posts on Colorado/Second home.

Hope this is of some help,

thank you for the response.
we live near philadelphia and will be heading west from there, route 80 or the turnpike, haven't decided. but leaving from pennsylvania and can be making stops along the way.
last year we left from florida in november across country and went to california and up to oregon and then back to PA via 70, staying below the freezing, we got back in march.
we have our own business and work remotely so we have no timeline that's why we can be gone from a month to 6 months, we don't know or care, just trying to get some good ideas of where to go before the freeze hits, cause we can head south then no problem.

thanks again

jgkeeto wrote:


.. we made a perfect purchase of a used 2015 winnebago view and we LOVE it.

... made plans to go to yellowstone, we couldn't make it this summer but

plan on getting on the road, very

late august early september and was hoping for some input from those that have gone.

..............**************.Best trip We ever took to YNP was late October early November - watch the Weather as it will be your friend, and dictate where and How Long you will go to the places you want to see

is it going to be too late in september to camp in yellowstone?

.................************.NO!

i saw a few of the campgrounds close like the 2nd week in sept? ...

................***********.Yes that is true - find the one that works for you - Madison is usually open late Remember that most of the supplies are sold out in YNP so you will need to bring most everything with you. Wal*Mart is your friend - stock up before you get in - might be good to have 5 Gallons of diesel just in case.

, is it going to be less crowded?

................*************. Yes, but if the weather is good people will be there so you still need to be flexible. Click on the webcams to see what it's like.

.... planning on hitting montana area as well afterwards,

......................************.That works - Glacier is also Weather dependent, so just keep and Eye/Ear open.

....wondering if the snow hits early or if we will be ok.

......................**************.Generally speaking the early Snow melts quickly, so just be smart.

... plan on going to mount rushmore so any advice is helpful.

........................***************. More advice - where are you coming from? - Montana or South Dakota? Need a little more info to work the plan.

we were thinking of buying a toad to bring along, but thought it may be easier if we just rent a car, has anyone done this and any suggestions?

........................***************.Figure that out as you go - your are in a fairly small, all purpose vehicle, so after a little travel you will know what works for you, We've met many who just use rentals, not as easy but doable.

also, our MH is a diesel so how is the gas station situation in yellowstone in trying to find diesel?

......................***************.The only reason you think diesel is hard to find is because you have always used Gas - Cowboys and Farmer all have Diesel TRUCKS - so yes diesel is everywhere out west.

we are just trying to get everything in order before heading out and looking for some good helpful tips, plus if you can recommend the best scenic campgrounds to stay at.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,****************,In so much as you have not really given us much info we need to know more of your Plan/Mission - otherwise we are just telling you what we would do.

our trip can last anywhere from a month to 6 months so we are open on anything.

......................*****************.Yes or if you really like it, it could last for YEARS!

thanks all for your help ahead of time.

Give us more REAL info and we can INPUT more to the solution you are seeking,

Hope this is of some help will follow this thread and try to help fill in the Blanks.

Best of Luck, sounds like the beginning of a GREAT ADVENTURE -

You will need Good BOOTs - a GOOD CAMERA - not big just good - Fleece - Really Good Rain Gear.