Yellowstone/GTNP: move or stay put?

[texasAUtiger]

We are planning a summer 2016 Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP for a family of four with kids 10 and 7. This would be our first trip to these parks.

Our understanding is that these parks are huge, so were wondering if it would be best to pick maybe 1 campground for GTNP and 2 for YNP, spending 3-4 days at each one so we get to spend our time exploring the surrounding park rather than simply driving to get back to base. Is this wise? If so, what spots/campgrounds/areas/cities would you pair up to use as bases of operations?

I have of course heard about Colter Bay and Gros Ventre for GTNP so we could pick one of those and do everything for GT out of there. But for Yellowstone, I have much less info.

Looking at the map, there's the Yellowstone Lake area kind of in the center or south of center. Then there's West Yellowstone, MT over on the upper west side, Gardiner and Cooke City-Silver Gate on the north end, and then Wapiti and (further out) Cody on the east side.

We'd be approaching GTNP and YNP from the south (coming from western CO).

In case it matters, we have a 30' travel trailer. We are not opposed to doing some spurts of boondocking (like Gros Ventre) but my wife would not want a steady diet of it, so we'd need some access to hookups interspersed in there.

I appreciate your willingness to help us based on your experiences.

[ReneeG]

John - All really good points. We recently dry camped with our son, daughter in law and three grandkids for six days and had water and tank space left over, and no problem with power in the rig. As for "we all want to go back tomorrow", I agree. We've been to YNP and GTNP seven times now and I'm ready to go back right now!

[AH64ID]

We have done Yellowstone 3 times with 3 kids and have never stayed at Fishing Bridge. We did drive thru Fishing Bridge once and don't ever want to stay there. I'll caveat that we find campground camping to not really be camping, but a destination like Yellowstone is the kind of trip we use campgrounds for since we are visiting the park and not "camping".

The first year we went we stayed at Madison for a few nights then moved to Canyon for a few more. The day we moved petty much wasted the day so the next year we stayed the entire trip in Madison and even thou some of the places are a little more of a drive we preferred the single campground. Our last trip we stayed at Canyon for the duration and think its location is more central to the areas of the park we prefer.

If you are smart with water and grey water you should be fine for multiple days without moving, dumping, etc. Generators are allowed for certain times of day and we would often start ours as we headed out in the morning with a 1/2 tank of fuel. One of the blue grey water totes isn't a bad idea if you use a lot of water. As a family of 5 we are able to stay for 5 or 6 nights on a 40 gal grey tank by using the showers/cleaning room at the campground.

I do highly recommend using the campgrounds within the park as the increased driving from a campground outside the park is more than we want to deal with. On our first trips my folks stayed in a condo in West Yellowstone and we stayed in the park. They were not excited about the additional 2 hours of driving each day and actually bought a camper the week after the trip and have stayed in the park since.

Canyon says they can accommodate 40' combined max but I have never had in issue in their 40' spot with my 50' setup. YMMV. Madison has larger sites.

Our kids (4,5,7 on the last trip) love the park campgrounds, nature walks, Junior Ranger program, etc.

You will probably spend very little time at the campground. We typically leave in the morning and don't return until late afternoon. Some days we are gone before daylight and others we don't come back until dark, or go out for a drive until dark. Finding the animals is what the kids really enjoy.

As for GTNP we have spent the day there twice on the way into Yellowstone for some short hikes, etc and enjoy it. They don't take reservations and we don't want to deal with first come/first serve with the kids and a 30' TT. One of these years we will just deal with the potential issues and go for it.

We aren't going again until next year and the family isn't sure they like our every other year thing... We all want to go back tomorrow.

[kknowlton]

If you can get into Fishing Bridge for YNP, stay there. If not try West Yellowstone KOA or Grizzly RV also in W. Yellowstone. Colter Bay works very well for GTNP.

With the kids, I'd suggest this as well. The KOA will have more for the kids if you want to spend a day not touring around; sounds like you plan to spend a lot of time in the parks, so you could mix it up a little with a couple of nights in a no-hookups CG inside the park. Bridge Bay or Madison CGs might work for you, but do let them know the size of your trailer when you make reservations, as not all sites will accommodate a 30-footer. (Sites in Canyon CG will probably be too small.)

[jalichty]

He's coming from Colorado to GTNP, then Yellowstone, no reason to get a campground at Yellowstone and then GTNP. Colter Bay has an RV park along with the campground. The RV park has always had a "Full" sign out during the 45+ years we have been going to the park. However, if you get hold of them now you might be able to get a reservation for next year. And, Colter Bay is, in my opinion, a little closer to most of the neat things in GTNP than is Gros Ventre, so that's one of the reasons we stay there, plus launching the boat for fishing. Lots to see in GTNP, but three to four days will sure cover a good portion of it. Cruise on Jackson Lake from Colter Bay, perhaps a lunch or dinner cruise one day. Go to Jenny Lake, take the boat over to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, then drop down to the Moose Wilson Road and look for wildlife while going to the LSRockfeller Reserve, the newest part of GTNP and take a hike to Phelps Lake, a very beautiful place that has been returned to nature so nicely it is almost impossible to see signs of the 30+ buildings that were there when the Rockefellers used it. Go over to Slide Lake in the Gros Ventre area and drive Antelope Flats Road to see a bunch of Bison. Then come back in the Moran entrance and take the road to Two Ocean Lake, we saw a sow Grizzly and two cubs there about three weeks ago and they we about 25' from our truck while we took a video. Then, stop at Oxbow Bend and take a bunch of pictures at one of the most photographed places in the world.

As you can tell, we love GTNP, not only for the fishing but for the sightseeing and wonderful wildlife that's there. There is also a paved bike path from Jenny Lake visitor center to the Moose entrance and it hooks into an additional bake path clear into Jackson, if you are so inclined to take a long ride. Whatever you do, enjoy your trip and don't get in a big hurry, take your time, look around and enjoy what nature has given us.

[2gypsies1]

ReneeG wrote:
With four kids, I'd try to get a place with hookups. Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone and Colter Bay (the RV hookup side) for GTNP would be my choice.

This would be my suggestion.

For Yellowstone, just choose a loop each day and explore that thoroughly.

There was another post yesterday stating that West Yellowstone had 2-hour waits to get through the entrance gate in the morning. I sure wouldn't want to deal with that to begin the day.

If you want to poke around in West Yellowstone or surrounding area, head out the gate in the morning - there would be no traffic in that direction, then return into the park late afternoon or after dinner.

There are two large groceries just south of entering the town of Jackson. Smith's on the west and Albertson's on the right. Stock up as W. Yellowstone just has a couple small mom & pop stores. There's also a liquor store next to Smith's and a good fuel station. Also a laundry if needing that.

Have fun planning this trip. You'll all enjoy it.

Make sure you scour each park's official web site for lots of good information on what to do, road construction areas, etc.

Yellowstone

Grand Teton National Park

[rr2254545]

Actually I would try for Fishing Bridge and West Yellowstone

Then Colter Bay

We stayed at Fishing Bridge last fall and really liked it

[Rangerman40]

We are staying at Fishing Bridge and then moving to Colter Bay for GTNP.

[texasAUtiger]

We will be approaching GTNP and YNP from the south and intend to continue on north to Glacier NP.

Would that affect your decision to stay put in one spot vs hot one campground in the south and then move to another more in the north?

So far, it sounds like people are saying to make one stop for GTNP and then just one for YNP.

[Campfire_Time]

They are big parks, but YNP is not so big that I'd want to burn a half a day each time making moves to different CGs. Better to spend that time exploring. We stayed at Grizzly RV in West Yellowstone twice. We essentially planned each day the night before and drove directly to the section of YNP that we wanted to spend the day in.

For Grand Teton, I would recommend staying somewhere close. It's a couple of hours to get to any real attractions from West Yellowstone. So you'd on;y be making one CG change instead of several.

[ReneeG]

With four kids, I'd try to get a place with hookups. Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone and Colter Bay (the RV hookup side) for GTNP would be my choice.

[texasAUtiger]

Mr. Camper wrote:
If you can get into Fishing Bridge for YNP, stay there. If not try West Yellowstone KOA or Grizzly RV also in W. Yellowstone. Colter Bay works very well for GTNP. Enjoy your trip

Does that mean you think moving *within* YNP is not necessary/beneficial?

[Mr__Camper]

If you can get into Fishing Bridge for YNP, stay there. If not try West Yellowstone KOA or Grizzly RV also in W. Yellowstone. Colter Bay works very well for GTNP. Enjoy your trip