planning a trip to yellowstone, road driving help needed

[jgkeeto]

hey all,
we are planning on a trip to yellowstone for however long it takes us to see and have a great time.
here's our question, we are buying a class c winnebage view that is 25' long, we don't want to tow a vehicle with us but instead want to drive around in the view and see the sights plus be able to pull over and enjoy the sights. so, is the view small enough that we can drive around in the roads and be able to park along the roadside or at attractions do they have parking for larger vehicles in the parking lots.
also, has anyone just pulled over somewhere and spent the night drycamping or is that not allowed?
i guess we are asking if driving a 25 footer is going to be too big or are we going to be ok. any help or advice you all have is appreciated.
the width is 7'6"

[RGar974417]

It all depends when you go. Spring or fall you will be fine. Summer could be a problem.

[wxtoad]

We visited Yellowstone in a 27' Class C in September and had no problem parking at the various attractions. It was a bit annoying to pull into a parking lot and find the longer RV designated spots filled with automobiles, but we always managed to squeeze in somewhere.

[jalichty]

I see no reason that you can't use the View. My crew-cab pickup is over 22' long and we have never had a real problem finding a place to park it when sightseeing in Yellowstone, even during the busy parts of the summer like July. Go for it. But, you simply cannot boondock.

[Busskipper]

jgkeeto wrote:
hey all,
we are planning on a trip to yellowstone for however long it takes us to see and have a great time.
here's our question, we are buying a class c winnebage view that is 25' long, we don't want to tow a vehicle with us but instead want to drive around in the view and see the sights plus be able to pull over and enjoy the sights. so, is the view small enough that we can drive around in the roads and be able to park along the roadside or at attractions do they have parking for larger vehicles in the parking lots.
also, has anyone just pulled over somewhere and spent the night drycamping or is that not allowed?
i guess we are asking if driving a 25 footer is going to be too big or are we going to be ok. any help or advice you all have is appreciated.
the width is 7'6"

IMHO, your View will be fine.

Think about it a Crew cab is at least 22-23' so ........... And that is the Vehicle of Choice in YNP if I recall.......... unless you hit it during Indian Summer.



So IMHO, your 25' View will be a great Vehicle to travel in and see the USA.

Best of Luck,

[richardcoxid]

Some general information about YNP (some general items apply to GTNP also)

YNP is about 45 miles E/W and about 65 miles N/S (2.2 mil. Acres total). The figure 8 loop road inside the park is about 140 miles around. The lower loop is 96 miles and the upper loop is 70 miles around and yes, it is bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Whatever time that you think you will need to see YNP you better double it, or to say it another way is that you will see one half as much in the allotted time. The Bison think that they own the road (they do!) and will slow down the traffic to walking speed or all stop for 1/4 mile or more blocking both directions, the thermal attractions also tie up traffic and with a 5 month long summer tourist season that coincides with a 5 month long road construction season and a 45 mph radar controlled speed limit it will take about a full day to see each loop and then you will only see the main attractions. In addition to the occasional construction delays they will also sometimes close whole sections of road (for uninterrupted night construction) between 10 PM and 8 AM in the morning, if you are running late and get caught at night in the wrong area it CAN be a LONG way around to your CG! (The entrance stations will have current construction information or go on line to check it out)

Note- I have seen on this blog and others about somebody "day tripping" from YNP to GTNP. It is done all the time however, remember this is BIG country, you will be doing a LOT of driving. From the Grant Village visitor center (extreme S/E corner of the lower loop road) to Jackson, WY is about 80 miles with Coulter Bay being about 1/2 way or 40 miles. Then from Grant Village add the distance to your CG it will be a LONG days trip.

Then there is the elevation- YNP ranges from a low at Mammoth- 6239 ft to 7784 ft at Fishing Bridge or higher if you go hiking! Drink plenty of liquids and pace yourself when walking.

I recommend that you get up EARLY, leave the CG and be back by 4 or 6 PM have dinner and be sitting in your recliner drinking a cool one when your neighbor drags himself back to the CG at 8-10 PM. Remember that from mid May to mid July in YNP the sun doesn't set until shortly before 10 PM then there is a long twilight.

Cell Phone Service- Only at the major visitor centers, otherwise spotty.

Clothing- Especially in the early or late season it is not unusual to have a 30 or even the occasional 40 degree temperature change throughout the day. Dress with easily shed layers of clothing. Also dress in bright easily seen clothing. I am sure that we all have been to a sporting event, parade or Disney World etc. and we blink our eyes and our partner/child has disappeared. My DIL was born and raised in HI, you guessed it, every Xmas, b-day or Father's Day I receive a Hawaiian shirt. One of them is black with 4-5 inch dia. bright flowers. Not many of them in Wyoming and in YSNP, that is what I wear. If your partner has on a Violet blouse and a Orange scarf with a Pink hat I guarantee that she will be the only one within the boundaries of either NP. It can save you a few anxious moments.

Water- Now I will have to contradict myself, at the altitude of YNP yes, drink lots of water!HOWEVER, be aware that the flush toilet restrooms are are in the major tourist areas- Mammoth, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Lake Hotel, Bridge Bay, Grant Village, Old Faithful, Madison Junction etc. The geyser basins and other thermal attractions areas have only pit toilets. I have seen the pit toilet line at the lower Geyser Basin 25 or more feet long (bless the tour busses) So be smart about drinking your water and use the major tourist area R/Rs before leaving the area!

Sun- At YSNPs altitude the sun is intense (uv) have and apply sun screen, wear that old floppy wide brim sun hat, wear sun glasses!

If your luck is like mine Old Faithful will have just erupted when you get there and you will have up to a hour and 10-20 minutes wait for the next one. Tour the O/F geyser basin while waiting for the next eruption. Old Faithful INN is a must see (meals are "OK" also).

We have lived about 110 miles (4739' elevation) from W. Yellowstone, MT since 1964, go there 3-4 times a summer (normally before Memorial Day and after Labor Day) and haven't seen it all of it yet! So don't be discouraged that you didn't have the time to see all of YSNP. Just plan on coming back another time!

I don't mean to scare or discourage you but to give you a heads up as to what to expect! After all there was 4.1 Million visitors in 2015!

When in the Jackson area I highly recommend seeing the Bar J Chuckwagon dinner show! If you go, MAKE RESERVATIONS and BE THERE EARLY TO PICK UP YOUR MEAL TICKETS/SEATING TABLE ASSIGNMENTS! They seat you by when you show up to get your tickets NOT by your reservation number. Tim, their fiddle player has won the "Idaho state old time fiddle contest 7 times and the US open fiddle championship twice". If you decide to go you will sit at picnic type of bench seats/table, they get pretty hard, I recommend that you take along a blanket/pad to fold up to sit on. We day trip it there 2-4 times every summer just to see them! Disclaimer- We have no financial or other interest in the Bar J only that it will be the best $$ value for your money for your trip! Check out their website.

http://www.barjchuckwagon.com

[trailertraveler]

Bumpyroad wrote:
if it is first come, first served at some of these campgrounds, if you don't have a toad and leave your spot in the am, can somebody else take it then?
bumpy

The ones I have stayed at all had a post where you left a portion of the pay envelop that shows that the site is paid for. I and most people leave something like a chair, table cloth on the picnic table, etc. on the site to show that it is taken. Did this many times over the decades at numerous National, State, County and COE parks when I had a truck camper and Class C and never had a problem.

[Bumpyroad]

if it is first come, first served at some of these campgrounds, if you don't have a toad and leave your spot in the am, can somebody else take it then?
bumpy

[NCWriter]

I remember a large-space, RV-designed lot by some of the major thermal features but it was more than halfway filled with cars, too, since the car section of the lot was already completely full. (That was after Labor Day in September.)

It's good to get an early start every day before things get so crowded.

Xantera has some tours that leave from campgrounds (and other locations) and we took two - Circle of Fire was a good overview of the park, and another one left at late afternoon for wildlife viewing. Driving/parking was the bus driver's problem while we just hopped off and saw the sights.

Tours

I don't love bus tours as a rule but those worked out pretty well for a first visit orientation to the park. Then we spent the rest of our week driving around to fill in the gaps.

It's worth downloading the Experience Planner brochure on that web page - tells about some free tours available, too, like one of the Old Faithful Inn.

[Durb]

We were in yellowstone in the Fall and it seemed like a quarter of the RVs were Cruise America Class C rentals without toads. They were parked in the parking lots a plenty. My dually is wider than your unit and I had no problems finding spots to park. It appeared like Yellowstone had made accommodations for people like yourself. Can't say about summertime.

[BB_TX]

25' may not be a problem. But at some stops it very well could. You can use google satellite view and zoom in on the roads thru Yellowstone and see the pull offs and parking lots for the various sights. And some of those are tight and have few if any spots for larger vehicles. And likely as not the longer spots will be occupied by compact cars.

[CA_Traveler]

You should be fine for seeing the sights. Yes parking can be a problem but you are flexible, just park when you can and come back to those that you can't or ask if someone is going to leave. Just be flexible.

[trailertraveler]

jgkeeto wrote:
...also, has anyone just pulled over somewhere and spent the night drycamping or is that not allowed?
i guess we are asking if driving a 25 footer is going to be too big or are we going to be ok...

Camping in Yellowstone is restricted to designated campgrounds only. There are a number of Park Service operated campgrounds that are first come first serve. All of the campgrounds in Yellowstone are drycamping except for The RV Village at Fishing Bridge.

You will have lots of company in rental Class Cs that are not towing a second vehicle.

[nickthehunter]

There is some parking for larger vehicles. However, there will be times when you will not be able to find a parking spot large enough. Mostly it will depend on time of day and time of year. You will not be able to park along the side the road, although stopping in the middle of the road is a frequent occurrence. They are not going to let you overnight in a parking lot although you may find out of the way parking spots they don't check at night.

[horizon36]

It's very busy in YNP in the summer and parking will be a challenge no matter what type of vehicle you are driving. The bigger the vehicle the more difficult it will be to park at the many thermal features. No problem at Grant, Old Faithful or Mammoth.

As far as roadside camping, that is not allowed inside the park. Do you have reservations at a campground in or out of the park? If not you should make some ASAP and consider yourself lucky to get a space. There are a number of first come first served CG's in the park but all CG's report full by 8 to 8:30 AM. I think the idea of renting a car in W. Yellowstone is a good one. There are many CG's in town and if you don't mind an additional 15 minute drive you can stay at Valley View RV park in Island Park ID.