Help with trip out West

You don't state whether you have a toad or not. You will need one as most of the parks you want to visit are not conducive to driving a 40'DP around the roads once you park in a site. We live in the West and have done these parks many, many times. most campgrounds in the parks you want to visit are not all that suitable for a 40 footer. Most do not have hooks ups and Arches does not have water available in the campgrounds. Go into all of these parks with empty black and grey tanks and full fresh water!!! Most allow generators for only a limited number of hours during the day. You will encounter very hot days and will be running your A/C for the allowed generator hours. YOU MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE PARKS!!!! ENJOY BUT PREPARE.

Here's an idea, have your wife fly into Las Vegas, or Flagstaff area. From Flagstaff you can take in the Grand Canyon. It's a drive from Flagstaff, or find something closer. Then drive up to Kanab, UT. From here you can take in Zion, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Then to take in Bryce Canyon I'd go to Bryce, UT and stay at Ruby's Inn & RV Park, it's right outside the main gate. For Capital Reef you drive over to Torrey, UT it's just north of the park. Or do a day trip, it's a beautiful drive too.

But in the months of June & July, your going to need reservations just about everywhere. And it's going to be a little on the warm side. So your going to need the A/C unit.

Rolltider,

First off, A 600 mile day is a 12 hour road day.
Unless you have multiple drivers and your coach is pleasant enough for one to sleep underway, be aware that a 600 mile day is tough. And you are betting on three in a row.

We have done this. We don't when we can avoid it.
Train both kids to be navigators, that takes a lot of load off the driver.

There is no longer any good stand-alone planning software that can be used to navigate underway. But grab up the demo package of RV TripWizard and fight it to your plan. It will be pretty good, but it will also be an eye-opener.

Matt

If you pass through Amarillo, you need to go just a bit south of Amarillo and go to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It's beautiful. Also Coyote Bluff cafe in Amarillo if you like awesome greasy food.

Go for it. It is doable, as we did a very similar trip in 2 weeks. Outbound stops from VA in Little Rock, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, then North Rim, Zion, north on 15 to Idaho Falls, Tetons, Yellowstone, then home. We only did a few days in each, but that was plenty and met my compressed schedule. Life is short...Enjoy.

CharlesinGA wrote:
12 Campgrounds in the Park

Xanterra Parks and Resorts operates 5 reservation campgrounds (1,700+ sites) including Madison, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Bridge Bay, Canyon, and Grant Village. You can make reservations online or by calling or writing (numbers and address are located at the bottom of the page).

The National Park Service operates 7 first-come, first-served campgrounds (450+ sites) including Mammoth, Norris, Tower Fall, Indian Creek, Pebble Creek, Slough Creek, and Lewis Lake. Campgrounds usually fill by early morning; plan ahead to obtain a site!

For images of the campgrounds, check out our photo galleries or visit the Xanterra Parks and Resorts website.

Campground photos and links to each campground.

I believe there are size restrictions. I looked for a site in the park for a 40' 5th wheel and they were booked.

12 Campgrounds in the Park

Xanterra Parks and Resorts operates 5 reservation campgrounds (1,700+ sites) including Madison, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Bridge Bay, Canyon, and Grant Village. You can make reservations online or by calling or writing (numbers and address are located at the bottom of the page).

The National Park Service operates 7 first-come, first-served campgrounds (450+ sites) including Mammoth, Norris, Tower Fall, Indian Creek, Pebble Creek, Slough Creek, and Lewis Lake. Campgrounds usually fill by early morning; plan ahead to obtain a site!

For images of the campgrounds, check out our photo galleries or visit the Xanterra Parks and Resorts website.

Campground photos and links to each campground.

Yellowstone probably should be a trip unto itself. Way too much to cover in a couple of days I'm sure.

This link will help you with opening and closing dates of various park campgrounds, facilities and other features.

Plan your visit

The park is open for a very short time during the year, with some areas not opening till June 15 and virtually everything closed by September 15. Not much of a window to cram a zillion people into.

The park has a number of campgrounds that are first come first serve, operated by the NPS, and others operated by a contractor, Xanterra, who require reservations.

Here is a slightly different list, with the same info you will find several different places on the net.

Sorry, I am not able to get the links to carry over when I copy this. Will try to do so as it is a lot of info in one place.

GATEWAY COMMUNITIES
Cody, Wyoming (east entrance)
Cooke City, Montana (northeast entrance)
Gardiner, Montana (north entrance)
Jackson Hole, Wyoming (via Grand Teton National Park) (south entrance)
West Yellowstone, Montana (west entrance)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Facilities in Yellowstone open and close on a staggered basis. The dates listed are always subject to change due to weather conditions. Links are provided whenever possible to give you more information and to double check on the opening or closing date.
Lodging inside Yellowstone is handled by Xanterra. Many find it cheapest to make reservations directly with them, through their website or by calling directly (307-344-3711).

OPEN YEAR ROUND
Albright Visitor Center in Mammoth – this link also takes you to information on the other visitor centers in Yellowstone.
Mammoth Campground – First come, first served – no reservations – Live view of what’s available.
The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through the park to Cooke City, Montana, via Tower Junction is open twenty-four hours a day, all year to auto travel, but is closed to the east of Cooke City.
SUMMER 2017
OPENING DAY April 21:
ROADS – Mammoth to Old Faithful; Madison to West Entrance; Norris to Canyon.
Geyser Grill (in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge) opens at 11 am.
Bear Den Gift Store (in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge) opens at 11 am.
APRIL 28:
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and cabins opens at 11 am.
Terrace Grill (in Mammoth) opens at 11 am.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge opens at 11 am.
Madison Campground opens.
MAY 5:
ROADS – Canyon Junction to Lake; Lake to East Entrance (Sylvan Pass).
Old Faithful Inn opens at 11 am.
Fishing Bridge RV Park estimated opening day. Takes reservations.
MAY 12:
ROADS – Lake to South Entrance; Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins open at 11 am.
Lake Hotel Deli opens at 11 am.
May 19:
Norris Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Tower Fall Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Bridge Bay Campground estimated opening day. Takes reservations.
Old Faithful Lodge opens at 11 am.
Bake Shop & Gift Store (in the Old Faithful Lodge) opens at 11 am.
Grant Village opens at 11 am.
MAY 26:
ROADS – Tower Fall to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass); Beartooth Highway.
Lake House restaurant (at Grant) opens at 11 am.
Canyon Campground estimated opening day. Takes reservations.
JUNE 2:
Canyon Lodge and Cabins open at 11 am.
Canyon Cafeteria, Dining Room and Gift Store open at 11 am.
JUNE 9:
Roosevelt Lodge and Cabins open at 11 am.
Indian Creek Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Grant Village Campground estimated opening day. Takes reservations.
JUNE 10:
Lake Lodge and Cabins open at 11 am.
Lake Lodge Cafeteria opens at 11 am.
JUNE 15:
Pebble Creek Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Slough Creek Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Lewis Lake Campground opens. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.

JUNE 15 – SEPTEMBER 4: ALL FACILITIES OPEN
SEPT 4:
Roosevelt Lodge and Cabins closes at 11 am.
SEPT 11:
Bridge Bay Campground closes at 11 am. Takes reservations.
Indian Creek Campground closes. First come, first served. No reservations. Live view of openings.
SEPT 17:
Grant Village Campground closes at 11 am. Takes reservations.
Fishing Bridge RV Park closes at 11 am. Takes reservations.
SEPT 24:
Canyon Campground closes at 11 am. Takes reservations.
Lake House restaurant (at Grant) closes at 11 am.
Lake Lodge and Cabins close at 11 am.
Lake Lodge Cafeteria closes at 11 am.
SEPT 25:
Norris Campground closes. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Tower Fall Campground closes. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Pebble Creek Campground closes. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
OCT 1:
Grant Village closes at 11 am.
Old Faithful Lodge Cabins closes at 11 am.
Bake Shop & Gift Store (in the Old Faithful Lodge) close at 11 am.
OCT 8:
Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins close at 11 am.
Lake Hotel Deli closes at 11 am.
Old Faithful Inn closes at 11 am.
Canyon Lodge and Cabins close at 11 am.
Canyon Deli and Gift Store closes at 11 am.
OCT 9:
Mammoth Hotel and Cabins close at 11 am.
OCT 15:
Madison Campground closes at 11 am. Takes reservations.
Terrace Grill (at Mammoth) closes at 11 am.
OCT 22:
Old Faithful Snow Lodge closes at 11 am.
NOV 5:
Lewis Lake Campground closes. First come, first served – no reservations. Live view of openings.
Geyser Grill (in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge) closes at 11 am.
Bear Den Gift Store (in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge) closes at 11 am.

Awesome replies! Thank you all so much. More info, I am 47, wife 48, daughter 19, son 15, all pretty active.

Our family is flying to Las Vegas in April. Renting a Cruise America. Doing:
Hoover Dam
Zion
Bryce
Grand Canyon South Rim
Sedona
flying out of Phoenix

Will let you know how it goes after.