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bedpan's avatar
bedpan
Explorer
Jun 22, 2015

Toronto to BC and Back again. Hints on Yellowstone area?

Hey Folks,
Family and I have a wedding to attend out in Revelstoke BC this August. We looked into flying but decided to make a bit family trip out of it. Long story short we leave on 24 July from the Toronto area for Revelstoke BC and have to be back about 30 days later. We are spending 3 days at the wedding venue. The family for reference sake is Wife and I, and kids are 9 and 7.

We are driving a 2013 F150 with a 18’ Starcraft 18BH behind us. We are planning about 4 – 6 hours driving a day. Planning on sleeping campsites most nights but parking lots or rest stops the rest. I have plotted out our routes using Roadtrippers.

Westbound Route (Through Canada): https://roadtrippers.com/trips/bc-wedding-trip/7219881
Eastbound Route (Through USA): https://roadtrippers.com/trips/7609305

The only thing I have booked at this point is Dinosaur Provincial Park on our way West. The rest of it we plan on calling day of or day before to book sites.
The trip back is where I really need some help (although I will gladly take ideas and suggestions on the whole thing). We plan on stopping at Yellowstone. Having never been before (or camped really either) wondering what people recommend for Yellowstone? Any other thoughts on this route, place we should spend nights, or things we should stop or detour to see?

Really appreciate thought and suggestion!

Mike
Roads and Routes
  • JoeH's avatar
    JoeH
    Explorer III
    Jul 02, 2015
    bedpan wrote:
    Awesome Article! Many thanks... Digesting now..

    Article: http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails.aspx?articleID=2260009

    About to book 2 nights at Yellowstone.

    As planned right now 2 nights at Glacier, 2 nights at Yellowstone and 2 nights at Badlands.

    Would you steal a night from Glacier or Badlands for extra at Yellowstone?

    joeculver2 wrote:
    I have been to Yellowstone twice and both times spent 4 days in the park. I plan on spending another 4 days in the latter part of August. I just read an article on Woodalls.com titled Insider's Guide to Yellowstone by Jim Berry. I agree with everything he said. If you have never been to Yellowstone you don't know what you are missing. Try to spend more time there. Have a good trip.


    I haven't been to Glacier, but while I enjoy the Badlands, I'd rather spend more time at Yellowstone and give up one of the Badlands days.
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    Should not be passing through Sturgis until the 18th or so. 10 days after events are over. Hopefully that will provide enough time for traffic to clear. Would love to goto Sturgis... Not this trip though.

    johnwalkerpa1 wrote:
    Unless you are really, really fond of motorcycles, you may want to avoid western South Dakota or eastern Wyoming in early August....Action from Sturgis can stretch out for quite a ways...
  • johnwalkerpa1's avatar
    johnwalkerpa1
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    Unless you are really, really fond of motorcycles, you may want to avoid western South Dakota or eastern Wyoming in early August....Action from Sturgis can stretch out for quite a ways...
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    Awesome Article! Many thanks... Digesting now..

    Article: http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails.aspx?articleID=2260009

    About to book 2 nights at Yellowstone.

    As planned right now 2 nights at Glacier, 2 nights at Yellowstone and 2 nights at Badlands.

    Would you steal a night from Glacier or Badlands for extra at Yellowstone?

    joeculver2 wrote:
    I have been to Yellowstone twice and both times spent 4 days in the park. I plan on spending another 4 days in the latter part of August. I just read an article on Woodalls.com titled Insider's Guide to Yellowstone by Jim Berry. I agree with everything he said. If you have never been to Yellowstone you don't know what you are missing. Try to spend more time there. Have a good trip.
  • joeculver2's avatar
    joeculver2
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2015
    I have been to Yellowstone twice and both times spent 4 days in the park. I plan on spending another 4 days in the latter part of August. I just read an article on Woodalls.com titled Insider's Guide to Yellowstone by Jim Berry. I agree with everything he said. If you have never been to Yellowstone you don't know what you are missing. Try to spend more time there. Have a good trip.
  • joeculver2's avatar
    joeculver2
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2015
    I have not studied your trip and other comments in detail but I saw that you planned a Yellowstone to Devils Tower the same time I am going. I just checked Fishing Bridge campground in Yellowstone and they are busy before Aug 15th (your date) but available after the 15th. I have driven from Canyon to Lamar Valley on the route you show but it is narrow, winding, and no guard rails. My wife freaked. Might not be good for towing a trailer. Perhaps leaving the trailer at Fishing Bridge, tour the park in the tow vehicle and leave (towing the trailer) via Canyon, Norris, Mammoth, and North out to I-90. I heard the Lamar Valley to Red Lodge route, north-east out of Yellowstone, is scenic but looks like a lot of twisties. I would like to hear from anyone who has done this route in motorhome or pulling a trailer. Charles Kauralt did it in a motorhome years ago and reported on his Sunday Morning show. In those days RVs were smaller and he had a professional driver. Do visit Lamar Valley to see herds of Bison that time of year.
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer
    Jun 24, 2015
    Hey CloudDriver,

    Been looking at this time wise. We talked a bit about cutting the Coast off the trip. So from Revelstoke head straight down to Glacier and Yellowstone. This would save us a couple of days. That said we are leaning towards still hitting the coast. This year we are doing a West Coast trip. Next year we are going to go to the East Coast and the far reaches of Newfoundland. I think at this point we are keeping things "open". If the pace goes well going out then we will continue to the coast. If we are struggling then cut some days and drive time.

    CloudDriver wrote:
    Driving only 4-6 hours/day doesn't leave much time for sightseeing at Yellowstone, Glacier or Grand Teton. Your two Roadtrippers routes indicate a total 121 hours of driving to get to the wedding and back again. At 6 hours/day, that's 20 days of travel with perhaps short stops for sightseeing along the way. With three days for the wedding, you have seven days to divide between Glacier and Yellowstone. Two days for Glacier, three for Yellowstone and a day trip to Grand Teton would be reasonable. Of Course, if your "about 30 days" could become 35 days you can have a much more relaxing trip.



    Greatly appreciate the ideas Blackwater... I have added Beartooth to the route. I had some concerns about towing but I have looked into things and I am confident we will be ok. Take our time and enjoy the view. I have added most of the other locations to roadtrippers as well. Again many thanks!

    OldBlackWater wrote:
    I second the recommendation for the Beartooth Highway out the northeast entrance of Yellowstone. Within Yellowstone, don't miss these things:

    Canyon area (Lower Falls)
    Lamar Valley
    Hayden Valley
    Norris Geyser Basin
    Old Faithful area
    Grand Prismatic Spring and other hot springs pools

    Also, you'll be really close to Grand Teton National Park, which is worth the short trip to the south if you're not already sick of looking at beautiful mountain ranges.



    Thank for the idea's Karen. As mentioned above we have added Beartooth, Red Lodge route. We have a few of the post rushmore destinations on the list but will keep these in the back pocket once we get in the area. See how everyone is feeling!

    KarenS144 wrote:
    Yellowstone will be crowded so if you want to stay in the park, you should make reservations ASAP. Fishing Bridge is centrally located but YS is huge and traffic can be....errrr.. a bear. ;)

    Cody, WY is a great town to visit. Eat at Irma's, see a rodeo, take in Buffalo Bill Museum and make a day trip to Red Lodge, MT. From Red Lodge, take the Beartooth Hwy west to Chief Joseph Hwy. Beartooth has been rated as one of the most scenic highways in the USA and we agree. Absolutely breathtaking!

    You might double check your route from Cody to Devil's Tower. Going over the Big Horns can be a challenge. You can drop south out of Cody to Thermopolis to Casper & to Gillette then to Devil's Tower if you want. Beautiful drive through Wind River Canyon on RT 20.

    After Rushmore and the Black Hills, there is a lot... Wall Drug, Badlands NP, Minuteman Missile, Pioneer Auto Museum (worth the stop) at Murdo, SD & the Corn Palace at Mitchell is worth a look.

    Have fun!
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer
    Jun 24, 2015
    Wife and I did fly out to Calgary a few years back and spent a week in Banff, Lake Louise area. When we are in Revelstoke for three days we will have a couple days to explore some more in that area. This will probably include some trips to Banff area as well.



    donkeydew wrote:
    if this is your first time to western canada you might consider banff,jasper and waterton parks. all are wonderful and you could save yellowstone for when you have more time.
    with the exception of buffalo we have seen more wildlife in these parks and along the icefield parkway than in yellowstone
  • donkeydew's avatar
    donkeydew
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2015
    if this is your first time to western canada you might consider banff,jasper and waterton parks. all are wonderful and you could save yellowstone for when you have more time.
    with the exception of buffalo we have seen more wildlife in these parks and along the icefield parkway than in yellowstone
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2015
    For booking Yellowstone, any issues concerns with Fishing Bridge? Basic planning looks like we will be there over a weekend, shows some availability. Would there be a prefered site for us as first timers?

    No problem or concerns on our end boondocking, although hydro would be nice :-)

    Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

    Mike

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