Longhorn Ranch RV Resort

[choudrantpd]

Planning a trip in May to Yellowstone and looking for RV parks with full hookups in the area. I found Longhorn Ranch RV Resort which is about 1 1/2 hr. away in Dubois, WY, but it has full hookups and is a lot cheaper than those near the park.

I was curious if anyone has ever stayed there and could give a recommendation or review. I will be towing a 42' 5th wheel and staying 5-7 days.

[RGar974417]

Yes,we stayed there in 2016. Tt is very nice.Right on the Wind River. We stayed there when we left Yellowstone. As others have said,it is generally too far to commute. If you can do without hookups,get a site in the park. We stayed at Madison for 4 nights.It is centrally located. Yellowstone is as big as Rhode Island so it can take longer than you think especially when it's crowded or there is a bear or buffalo traffic jam.

[padredw]

Dubois, WY is a good place to stop for the night BEFORE going on in to the Grand Tetons and/or Yellowstone. We did that several years ago and I believe it was in the park which has become since then "Longhorn Ranch."

It was a great place to spend the night before going on to Yellowstone, but I would never consider it to be a base camp for a visit there.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

choudrantpd wrote:
I found Longhorn Ranch RV Resort which is about 1 1/2 hr. away in Dubois, WY

That is over 100 miles each way to the Grants Village Visitor Center. Much closer to 3 hours each way, especially because you have to drive through a busy part of Grand Tetons NP.

Once inside Yellowstone NP, if you can average 25 mph, it will be an exceptionally uncrowded day. And you won't see any of those in May, if all the roads are open yet.

You will have a lot of daylight in May. The charts show about 14 hours of daylight on May 1, 15 hours on May 20. Yellowstone NP Daylight

The 'Grand Loop' from the South Entrance up past Old Faithful, Madison, up to Mammoth Hot Springs, back down via Tower Falls, Yellowstone Canyon and the lake and Grants Village back to the South Entrance is about 190 miles.

That is a seven to eight hour drive - if you do not get out of your vehicle to really look at any of the wonders of the park.

We stayed at a USFS dry campground on Earthquake Lake during our last visit on Labor Day weekend 2017. The crowds were very light according to the rangers and people working the shops and restaurants in the park.

The Grand Loop was too long for us to make in a single day. We did three days and split the loop in half. A full day and a half on the south loop and another very long day on the north loop. 12 to 14 hour days.

Staying in Dubois you will be over 80 miles from the park entrance.

I'd suggest you look for reservations in West Yellowstone, or Gardiner, MT.

We left via the East entrance to Cody, Wy. It took almost 4 1/2 hours to cross the park. Towing my rig is 62' long. The size wasn't a problem.

Just the stop and go traffic for 30 minutes near Madison for an Elk Jam, then at least an hour and a half for two Buffalo Jams between the Canyon and the Lake.

West Yellowstone also has plenty of other services such as small stores and restaurants. May will be before the busiest season.

I assume you are looking at staying in Dubois partially because you will be arriving from the east/ south of the park. The 150 or so miles towing through the park each way on arrival and departure probably looks like wasted fuel and time. It isn't. You will spend as much or more fuel and time on the 'daily' commute to and from the park.

We were on our way from a summer on the Oregon and Washington coasts and had to make a firm arrival date in Texas. I would vastly have preferred to stop near West Yellowstone, and then a couple days in Grand Tetons. Maybe this summer.

Also, make sure you have a park pass of some type. Even on Labor Day with low attendance because of few school age children, the pass line at the entrance station moved much more quickly than the other four or five lines to get into the park.

Have fun, especially if it is your first trip to Yellowstone. It's going to cost more than you planned, but it will be worth it.

Took me 64 years to get there, and even though smoke from some fires obscured some of the views, every minute, every hour and every penny was worth the chance to see such an incredible amazing place.

[azdryheat]

We stayed in West Yellowstone at Grizzly RV Park just outside the west gate to the park. Real nice park. Funny that we had more fun exploring the small town of West Yellowstone than fighting the crowds in the park.

[garyp4951]

We stayed at Colter Bay on the south end, and then moved the Grizzly RV in West YS.
Colter Bay is very good for seeing the Teton NP, Jackson, and the southern part of YS.

[stripit]

I agree with others as we spent a week in Gardner right outside the gate and still added almost 1,000 miles driving all throughout the park every day. Adding the 1.5 hour drive everyday one way to just get to the park is not using your time wisely. Spend the few extra bucks and enjoy the experiance in the park. Plus, if your parked close to the entrance you could run back to the rv for a lunch or a nap and then head back in.

[Lwiddis]

Ditto. Except for getting close to YS on arrival, I’d never stay outside the park.

[agesilaus]

Even if you are camping right outside the park gate you can depend on driving 30 mins to an hour inside the park to get to where you are going. Adding 90 mins on top of that will mean you are going to spend 4 to 5 hours a day just driving. How much is your time at YNP worth? You probably aren't going to get that many hours in your lifetime at the park.

[Two_Hands]

The park is huge! It takes time to see and do everything. So don’t waste three hours a day driving to and from the park. Stay in or next to the park to enjoy one of our greatest treasures.