Cody, Wyoming
When we decided to leave Tetons, we still had 2 nights left before our reservations at Fishing Bridge began. We thought we may just stay and rest in another Yellowstone campground. However, upon our arrival, we saw the dreaded "FULL" sign for everything in the area. My wife came up with a plan B that was a more efficient use of our time. We drove through the park and straight over to Cody. We had planned to make that a day trip, but this way it would keep us seeing new things and free up that day at Fishing Bridge to use in the park. Probably better than the original plan.
The quick drive entering the southern Yellowstone entrance and going around the lake and out the south eastern gate towards Cody was enough to wet our appetite for MORE Yellowstone! But that would wait a few more days. Just before we exited the park, we spotted the next moose. We were concerned we might not see one on the trip, but we were still in the first week and a half and have already seen several!
After exiting the park, the scenery remained just as good. The road followed a river with red rock cliffs that looked very much like scenes from your favorite westerns.
We decided to stay at Buffalo Bill SP just before you enter Cody. It was a beautiful setting, but as we arrived, there was a terrible rain/wind storm that we thought might blow us into the lake! There's nothing like trying to setup in violent weather. But we were tired and I wasn't going to sit in the truck waiting it out. Here I am looking all kinds of happy.
We did only what was necessary for us to get inside the trailer and came out when the weather broke to do the rest. I want to say how proud I am of my boys. They were a tremendous help throughout this trip. Everyone had a job at setup and teardown, and after the first few stops, we were a well oiled machine. Setup was most often under 10 minutes total. That's a lot better than the 2014 trip when I did it all. Here's part of the pit crew, his job was stabilizers and then water hookup.
Our trailer is in this picture, and it doesn't do the panorama justice. The campground is just a sliver between the highway and the lake. No large trees and fully exposed to the fierce winds. The winds on this entire trip were the real deal. We were SICK of wind by the end. But this park had potential in nice weather.
Just wanted to throw this shot in. Some of you may have spotted this rock before. I wonder, did the tree catch the rock? or grow around it? If that rock was tumbling, I don't believe the tree could have stopped it.
We enjoyed walking downtown Cody. Although we wouldn't need to return. We walked through the Irma Hotel.
We then went on to the Buffalo Bill museum.
My take on the museum is slightly different than many that I hear on this forum. It is a great museum, priced a little higher than I felt the value was. We aren't into firearms, and the art portion was also not our thing (although we enjoyed a quick walk through of each). The other sections were nice, but we have been through so many visitors centers and other displays, that we felt most of it was redundant for us. Now, before anyone is offended...IF you know this is your thing, you could spend days! But my recommendation, if you have children and time is limited, would be to skip it. We had our fill in about 3-4 hours, and entry was nearly $100 for us.
Now, the flip side of my above opinion is that sometimes you skip things to save a buck and then return home regretting your decision. The rodeo in Cody is that for us. The rodeo was also going to be about $100, and after the museum left me underwhelmed, I wasn't in the mood to risk it again. I should have.
We had only 2 nights and a day and a half in Cody. We enjoyed it, but wouldn't make a point of returning. However, if we pass through again, we'll stay long enough to catch that rodeo!
From here, we headed west back into Yellowstone and Fishing Bridge.
When we decided to leave Tetons, we still had 2 nights left before our reservations at Fishing Bridge began. We thought we may just stay and rest in another Yellowstone campground. However, upon our arrival, we saw the dreaded "FULL" sign for everything in the area. My wife came up with a plan B that was a more efficient use of our time. We drove through the park and straight over to Cody. We had planned to make that a day trip, but this way it would keep us seeing new things and free up that day at Fishing Bridge to use in the park. Probably better than the original plan.
The quick drive entering the southern Yellowstone entrance and going around the lake and out the south eastern gate towards Cody was enough to wet our appetite for MORE Yellowstone! But that would wait a few more days. Just before we exited the park, we spotted the next moose. We were concerned we might not see one on the trip, but we were still in the first week and a half and have already seen several!
After exiting the park, the scenery remained just as good. The road followed a river with red rock cliffs that looked very much like scenes from your favorite westerns.
We decided to stay at Buffalo Bill SP just before you enter Cody. It was a beautiful setting, but as we arrived, there was a terrible rain/wind storm that we thought might blow us into the lake! There's nothing like trying to setup in violent weather. But we were tired and I wasn't going to sit in the truck waiting it out. Here I am looking all kinds of happy.
We did only what was necessary for us to get inside the trailer and came out when the weather broke to do the rest. I want to say how proud I am of my boys. They were a tremendous help throughout this trip. Everyone had a job at setup and teardown, and after the first few stops, we were a well oiled machine. Setup was most often under 10 minutes total. That's a lot better than the 2014 trip when I did it all. Here's part of the pit crew, his job was stabilizers and then water hookup.
Our trailer is in this picture, and it doesn't do the panorama justice. The campground is just a sliver between the highway and the lake. No large trees and fully exposed to the fierce winds. The winds on this entire trip were the real deal. We were SICK of wind by the end. But this park had potential in nice weather.
Just wanted to throw this shot in. Some of you may have spotted this rock before. I wonder, did the tree catch the rock? or grow around it? If that rock was tumbling, I don't believe the tree could have stopped it.
We enjoyed walking downtown Cody. Although we wouldn't need to return. We walked through the Irma Hotel.
We then went on to the Buffalo Bill museum.
My take on the museum is slightly different than many that I hear on this forum. It is a great museum, priced a little higher than I felt the value was. We aren't into firearms, and the art portion was also not our thing (although we enjoyed a quick walk through of each). The other sections were nice, but we have been through so many visitors centers and other displays, that we felt most of it was redundant for us. Now, before anyone is offended...IF you know this is your thing, you could spend days! But my recommendation, if you have children and time is limited, would be to skip it. We had our fill in about 3-4 hours, and entry was nearly $100 for us.
Now, the flip side of my above opinion is that sometimes you skip things to save a buck and then return home regretting your decision. The rodeo in Cody is that for us. The rodeo was also going to be about $100, and after the museum left me underwhelmed, I wasn't in the mood to risk it again. I should have.
We had only 2 nights and a day and a half in Cody. We enjoyed it, but wouldn't make a point of returning. However, if we pass through again, we'll stay long enough to catch that rodeo!
From here, we headed west back into Yellowstone and Fishing Bridge.
