camping

With that size of trailer I would have reservations for Yellowstone.

In Grand Teton the Gros Ventre CG doesn't usually fill up but lot's of the sites are only big enough for a tent camper.

The other campgrounds in both parks fill up frequently from Memorial day - Labor day.

In May Yellowstone may not be fully open yet and for sure will be cool and could be downright wintery.

Did it one time and will NEVER do it again.

If your just going to one spot it's not bad. If you park and move, park and move like us it flat out sucks.

I was in like 8 different national parks this summer and never had a problem getting a spot.

Things happen on the road. Blown tires or small problems that will throw you off your schedule. When that happens it can be a nightmare to get to the park you have a reservation at on time.

In May, the Oregon and Washington coasts can be cool and misty, but still pretty interesting. As "stickdog" says, it's quieter before schools are out for the summer. That's also the case after they've gone back in the fall. We've cut way back on trips between late June and Labor Day. If we go during that time-frame, we leave home Sunday and head home again Friday, leaving weekend space for those who have to work 5 days a week.

BTW, out west, particularly Washington and Oregon there are hundreds of State Parks which are all excellent places to stay.

we have a 30 foot chateau citation 3 slides
have always been weekend campers and retired now and want to do a tour of the west
thanks for all the great suggestions and links!!!

If you're going to Yellowstone (or any other high country out West) in May, bring some winter clothing. Seasonal weather in Yellowstone

If you're retired and are on no timeframe, just go and have a relaxing trip. I can't imagine leaving Florida and having reservations for your whole trip out West. You'll miss seeing many neat things along the way if you're so scheduled. Especially that early in the season, if you stay just outside the national parks the previous night and drive into them early morning, you'll get a site. If you come into them late afternoon, then, no, you probably won't get a site. The key is getting there early when folks are leaving. Even in the campgrounds that accept reservations, there are always cancellations if you're there in person. With our 40' motorhome we always find sites in the national parks of the West. Have a good trip!

It depends; I don’t know what sort of rig you have. I’ve been to Yellowstone numerous times and have never made reservations. Only twice have I not gotten a spot, even in prime time. Once I boondocked outside the park and got a site in the morning. The other time I had to take a spot in Fishing Bridge for a night, a real downer to me. But I have a 16’ TT and can get into almost every cg in the park; a large unit wouldn’t have that flexibility.

I almost never make reservations; it’s incompatible with my wandering type of travel. Only if I’m near an urban area and there’s no public land will I do that. When I know where I’ll be in the evening the DW calls ahead and finds a spot and we’ve never failed to get one.

There’s a lot of public land in the west and if you’re amiable to boondocking you’ll have a lot of options there. Then there are parking lots, something I’ve never done but it might work in a pinch. gbopp’s links for free camping would be another good source and there are a couple of books out that list free campgrounds across the country that would be a good resource. There are 2 volumes, one for the east and one for the west and I’d guess they’re probably $15-$20 apiece. Sorry I can’t recall the titles but it shouldn’t be hard to track them down.

If you’re uneasy about not having a reserved spot and maybe having to wing it, or if you have a bigger rig, reservations may be the best idea for the parks. I think, though, that on the trip itself you’ll do fine just calling ahead to various cg’s when you know about where you’ll be. Not having reservations is unnerving to some, but I think the freedom of not having your day dictated by a schedule far outweighs any downside. Have a great trip.

Bucky Badger wrote:
Is May a little early to go?

May is a good time to go, school is not out in most places so not many families. College kids but they're mostly tenters.

We generally travel in May and never had a problem, we do stop before 3:00 PM set up then cocktails.

In '11 & '12, we traveled west and made reservations all the way, going for 3-4 days of travel, then a 2-3 day layover, then 2-3 days travel. Try to stay under the 300 a day rule. On the road around 9ish, hopefully in a campground by 3. Had a destination(s) in Washington state so that was not a problem. Enroute back east, made fewer reservations, as school was back in and we knew it would be easier to stop for a night or 2.

Veebyes wrote:
No reservations here. Not even for Grand Teton National Park over the July 4th holiday last month.

The trick is to get where you are going by mid afternoon. Get someplace for the weekend on Friday & sit tight till Sunday. Oh yeah, be flexible. If plan A falls through, have a plan B. If that fails too there is always something, even if it is Walmart.

We have rolled into the Grand Canyon south rim with no reservations too. Also Yellowstone Bridge Bay CG, no reservation.

The FHU & pull through sites go first, then the W/E. If you can survive a few days dry camping & know how to reverse, getting a no reservation site becomes much easier.

Ditto. Very seldom have we gotten reservations. Like to be more flexible & travel at our own pace.

Been to Yellowstone 4 times, never with a reservation. Have had to wait a couple of times before going in, but have always found a place.

What I have on Yellowstone & Tetons.

We've gone by Thermopolis, WY twice to do a soak in the hot spring water at the State Bath House. Very neat.

We overnighted in the Wind River Canyon in Aug '09 & at one of the Boysen State Park campgrounds by the lake some years ago. Hot Springs

Cody Walmart was our neatest Walmart Overnight Site yet:


Cody is a neat place. In Cody, try to see the Buffalo Bill Historical Center with Five Museums Under One Roof. http://www.bbhc.org/

The Cody Chamber of Commerce has a nice Visitor Center (full of information) & with a really nice art gallery.
http://codychamber.org/visitorcenter.html

Never been to it, but they have a Cody Night Rodeo with rodeo performances every night June 1st through August 31st. Gates open at 7:00 p.m. with rodeo action starting at 8:00 p.m. http://www.codynightrodeo.com/ And a Cody Stampede Rodeo July 1 to 4, http://www.codystampederodeo.com/

Likely to be too out of your way, but just in case:

East of Billings on I-94, we drove by Pompey's Pillar not knowing what it was in 2009, about 25 miles east of Billings, Montana, on our way to Yellowstone. "It bears the only remaining physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which appears on the trail today as it did 200 years ago. On the face of the 150-foot butte, Captain William Clark carved his name on July 25, 1806, during his return to the United States through the beautiful Yellowstone Valley." Might be worth a stop, if time allows.

On 1-90 between Billings & Sheridan, Little Bighorn Battlefield Nat'l Mon't has a special place in history. Not far from Sheridan.

Also off I-90 in WY, The Site of the Fetterman Fight and Fort Phil Kearny.

We like to find places like these to see & to spend time on the road. Overnighting Sites & Sights in the Douglas & Wheatland Area. Includes Guernsey & Fort Laramie Area.

Guernsey State Park ------- Fort Laramie National Historic Site ------ Oregon Trail Ruts and Register Cliff

What I have on Colorado.

A smattering of Sights & Sites: New Mexico, Arizona & TX.

Taos :::::::: NM ByWays

A detour off I-25, after entering New Mexico, just off I-25, Sugarite Canyon State Park by Raton is a neat area. And a short drive from Raton is the Capulin Volcano Nat'l Mon't.
A Neat Place. ------ But no Camping

Between Raton & Las Vegas, Not far S of Springer, just off I-25 is Fort Union Nat'l Mon't.

At Las Vegas (older place than the one in NV) Storrie Lake State Park, but we have used the Walmart there to do a few overnights.

Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit. Somewhat off the beaten path. However, one can use NM 3 to cut down to the I-40 from Villanueva. We did that one visit.

There is much to see & do in the Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't area of New Mexico -A Trip Report last summer.

Bandelier Nat'l Mon't is off US 285. We were there in August last year. Not too hot at all. Cools off quickly after sundown each evening. I believe we were there years ago in July. Warmer during the day, but cool nights.

Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/
http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.

More on the Sante Fe Area Plus. And Campgrounds in Santa Fe.

From Santa Fe head east (Northbound on I-25) to take US 285 S to I-40. I-40 E toward Amarillo. Near Santa Rosa on this route just Off I-40, Santa Rosa Lake State Park would be another nice place to overnight. Never been there myself.

There is Conchas Lake State Park NorthEast of Tucumcari as well. Somewhat of a detour to get to it.

Near Amarillo: Never been to the state park either, but have read about it & would like to make it over there someday. Palo Duro Canyon State Park as well as Caprock Canyons State Park, from what I have read, seem like very neat areas to see.

Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway would make a neat place to check out. One I would like to see. For perhaps a neat experience, Copper Breaks State Park near Quanah sounds pretty cool.

Starting in May, stay more south alone I-10 first then work your way north as the weather warms up. Such as San Antonio/TX Hill Country, Big Bend Area in TX, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands & many other sites in Southern New Mexico.