Yellowstone

It would be helpful for you to know what kind of camper you are. We like TV and internet, so we look for accommodations accordingly. We stayed at Grizzly in W. Yellowstone - very nice, BTW. We would not be happy staying in Yellowstone. We had reservations at Colter Bay until we realized we would not be able to get TV or use our cell phone hotspot for internet. We cancelled and stayed in Jackson.
It's a matter of knowing yourself and what would make you happy. If those things are not important to you and you want to be in the middle of nature and the parks, then you will probably like Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone & Colter Bay in Grand Teton. They are both FHU....another thing that is important to us.

We had a great time, only one day of rain. I would have gone in Sept (not as many people) if our schedule allowed. We have camped with lows in the 20's many times. At night I cover my low point drains, unhook the water hose, open the cabinets under the sinks and where the water pump is located. Haven't had any problems. Go through a lot of propane though so keep an eye on that.

Stop along the Oregon Trail through WY. Get a book that explains each site. Fascinating. It didn't know there was so much to enjoy on the way up.

Enjoy the trip getting there.

Not to scare you! Just let you know that some of the areas are high and could have surprising weather at any time.
Early snows can come and then go in a couple to a few hours.

Oh good mercy.. didn't even think about that..ugh

It can get cool any time during the year due to elevation. It can also snow at nearly anytime during the year.
Don't forget to check when some of the roads close.
You may want to think about what tires you have on your rig and whether you want to "carry" tire chains. We carry them but will avoid having to put them on. Some states require you to carry them, normally Oct-Apr.

lbrjet wrote:
We just left Yellowstone yesterday (stayed a week in West Yellowstone) and our nighttime temps ranged from 30-39. No doubt the nights will be cold in September. Be prepared and have fun.

YIKES.. already.. well we will make sure to take warm clothes..
Thanks..and hope you had a good time..

We just left Yellowstone yesterday (stayed a week in West Yellowstone) and our nighttime temps ranged from 30-39. No doubt the nights will be cold in September. Be prepared and have fun.

Roo Camper wrote:
Some great advice/info.. thank you.. We will be leaving here on the 8th of Sept..purposely to miss all the "tourist" since by then school will be back in..
So hopefully the crowds won't be so bad..

Since the camping scene is all new to us, we are thinking that hook ups for us is the best way to go for now..

that's about the time we went to Yellowstone with our Roo.
it was busy but tolerable. not anywhere as busy as July is though. more are visiting there after school starts, than in previous years, so the secret is out.

if you want hookups, then if you want to use the tent ends, your best choice would be Grizzly in W. Yellowstone.
if you don't mind turtling, then Fishing Bridge would be good, except that all the sites are probably already reserved for that time.

We just return from that trip with 10 year old GS. Sept will be less crowds than July. Saw a lot of animals in the Badlands, Big horned Sheep, Mtn Goats, Buffalo, prairie dogs. Stayed inside NP cg. Stayed in Wind Cave NP CG for 4 days visited cave as well as Jewell cave and Custer state park also worth the trip. Lots of elk, buffalo, and one moose. Devils tower was worth the stop as well as the CG there. Wall Drug was the same as it was 30 years ago you would't miss anything if you skip it. Mt Rushmore was nice. Save your parking pass and return at night especially if your a veteran. During the day at yellow stone it was crowded and could not find parking in popular spots, could stay inside the park for only one night the other 5 days stayed in west Yellowstone and drove into park. Latter in the after noon the crowds were less and saw 9 bears from 4 pm to 8 pm. Lots of buffalo, elk, etc also. Tetons were nice and Jackson Hole worth a day. No problems with CG's inside the NP. Flaming Gorge area was very nice and very remote. The water is very clean at the southern end and well worth the trip. Came back through Rocky Mtn NP and hiked to 12,700 ft to snow, it was difficult to breath for me but GS made it with ease. We had an accident in Ohio and ended up staying there for 5 days waiting for repairs to get done, but the Hocking Hills area was very interesting with caves and unique rock formations. Sept should be a nice time to go. Don't be afraid to stay at the NP or NFS cg's for a few days with out FHU's you can go 3 or 4 days without water and electric and it will add to your enjoyment of the NP's. Check your brakes to make sure calipers are not hanging up and change your brake fluid if you have not done so recently. The Mtns are steep and the down hills long. Have a good trip.