Yellowstone

[Rowdy3803]

Hello I would like to take my family out to Yellowstone this summer. I have been searching to find information on camping with our travel trailer. We will be traveling from Iowa. Just hoping to get some tips and recommendations for things to do. Thank you.

[katleman]

Veebyes wrote:
You can stay at a private CG with FHUs anytime anywhere. Nothing special about that at all. Yellowstone is a special place. Don't know what you have but we have done Yellowstone & Grand Teton a few times. Each time was inside the park & each time was dry camping.

There is something very special when the sun goes down, the generators are shut off & all that is left is the light from campfires & the stars. You can't get that experience in a CG in a town outside of the parks.

+1

I have visited Yellowstone 5 times over my life

Once from West Yellowstone in my youth

Once at Fishing Bridge under my then misguided belief that I needed hook ups.

Remaining three visits were dry camping all over the park, and all with children.

The experience at Fishing Bridge is superior to West Yellowstone, but neither compare to the other campsites in park. All my future visits will be dry, for reasons others have mentioned (traffic, waking up and evenings in the park). I have full hook ups every where else in my life, I can do without for a few days.

Please do stay at Fishing Bridge or outside the park if you need power, rather than running your generator most of the hours its allowed at the dry camps 🙂

I and others here already know the advantages of staying in park. I will not attempt to convert FHU folks who want to stay outside, as it leaves more space inside for the folks who love staying in the park,

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Rex Hale CG - ShoShone National Forest - 6 15Amp/W campsites available - all 6 listed as 40 ft back in sites - available for reservations from Recreation.gov

Rex Hale Reservations

Rex Hale Info

[mikemcmanigal]

My wife & I spent 10 days in a National Forest campground about 10 miles east of YS. had elec. & water. Sewer dump was a few miles east. Sewer supposed to be a fee. No one manning gate. We drove into YS from CG at least 5 or 6 times. Plenty of time to explore. Forget name of CG (Rex something) but named for crew leader whose whole crew died in a forest fire. $10 nightly with Golden Age. Grizzly walked through CG one morning.

[Jimbow-USAF_Ret]

We camped at Fishing Bridge in June 2006 and had a great experience. Staff was helpful and friendly. Sites were spacious and well maintained. Some rules about leaving food out overnight due to wild animals, especially bears. Two hints: bring some warmer clothing as it was sleeting when we entered from the East and the temp dropped at night. If you see a group of cars along the road, be sure to stop as there will likely be a wild animal nearby. If memory serves, you can only fish in Yellowstone Lake and you will need a license. Hope you have a great time, as we did.

[kedanie]

Yes, Yellowstone can be a bit much for the first time visitor. Most who visit make plans for multiple returns. However, if this is to be your one and only visit, don't waste your time commuting in and out of the park every day. Jus trembler that Yellowstone itself is the amenities that folks pay commercial park for in the surrounding tourist traps.

By all means find a way to stay inside the park and truly enjoy the Yellowstone experience.

Keith

[Sue_Bee]

Jim Shoe wrote:
So after three pages of replies and opinions, there are a few things we can probably all agree on.
1. You can't see and do it all in one visit. Brain overload. But you'll be back.

While the rest of your post is valid, this is a massive assumption. Some people will only be able to make the trip once, and wasting some of that precious time sitting in line waiting to get in is something that can be avoided by staying in the park.

I understand that not everyone wants to do that, or some folks want to have amenities which aren't offered at the campgrounds in the park, or have kids who might want a pool, or whatever. But even so, there can be a middle ground as well, just to have the most broad experience.

[Veebyes]

You can stay at a private CG with FHUs anytime anywhere. Nothing special about that at all. Yellowstone is a special place. Don't know what you have but we have done Yellowstone & Grand Teton a few times. Each time was inside the park & each time was dry camping.

There is something very special when the sun goes down, the generators are shut off & all that is left is the light from campfires & the stars. You can't get that experience in a CG in a town outside of the parks.

[rolling_rhoda]

Hi, here are a few things I didn't see mentioned above. Bring winter clothes just in case. Mittens will feel good if it's 50 degrees and you're enjoying a stroll. If you enjoy some of the hiking trails, and you should :), make sure the whole family wears sturdy shoes. Trails vary from boardwalks to gravelly paths, and we saw many grumpy people and crying kids in flip flops, crocs and ballet flats.
Lastly, be aware of altitude as it can cause headaches, fatigue and insomnia in people of all ages. Spending the night at an intermediate altitude on the way out might help. Drinking extra water helps too. Here are some elevations:
Des Moines. 960 feet
Cody, Wy. 5000 feet
West Yellowstone. 6667 feet
Madison campground. 6800 feet
Fishing Bridge, Grant and Bridge Bay campgrounds. 7800 feet

[bigdogger]

kedanie wrote:

bigdogger wrote:
Because for most vacationing families, a trip to Yellowstone means taking the shortest route there, tour the park and take the shortest route back home. Personally, after a long day in the park the last thing I want to do is cook anything. Bring on the full service restaurant. And having cell service "nearby" doesn't help when I need to call or log in to the office.

The shortest route from Iowa would take them through the east entrance. Check your maps, It's a much longer drive around to get to West Yellowstone. Now, if there was a East Yellowstone?!!! Oh, I forgot that would be Cody. There is a big Walmart in Cody to stock up at just before entering the park.

Keith

Nearly 50% of all visitors to Yellowstone enter from West Yellowstone, so I used that as my example. Of course if you lived in Cody, Fishing Bridge would be closer than West Yellowstone. However, Cody and the big Walmart are a bit out of the way for someone coming from LA for a couple of weeks. One of the nice things about Yellowstone is there are several equally good options depending upon people's wants and desires.

[Jim_Shoe]

So after three pages of replies and opinions, there are a few things we can probably all agree on.
1. You can't see and do it all in one visit. Brain overload. But you'll be back.
2. One lap of the Grand Loop is about 140 miles. You don't want to do it in one day. With buffalo jams and traffic, you can't do it in one day, so relax.
3. Spring is different than summer which is different than fall. And you can't do winter without a snow machine and permission.
4. In any season, you can go from cold to chilly to hot and back in the same day, so dress in layers and comfortable shoes.
5. Camping options inside and outside the park range from no amenities to FHU with cable and WIFI.
6. The animals are wild. Yellowstone isn't a petting zoo, so don't try. Other than a field mouse, every animal can hurt or kill you if provoked.
7. If you're 62 or older, you can buy a Senior National Parks Pass for $10. The best bargain you'll ever find. Its good for life, and you can buy it at any National Park. Good for the car load or up to four people at a walk in.
Go to "www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm" to find a place close to home to buy one.

[noe-place]

We've been there a number of times and always stay at Grizzly RV Resort. We usually stay about two weeks and take day trips in our car through the park, down to the Tetons and into Jackson and over into Idaho. Grizzly makes a good basecamp to start.

[kedanie]

bigdogger wrote:
Because for most vacationing families, a trip to Yellowstone means taking the shortest route there, tour the park and take the shortest route back home. Personally, after a long day in the park the last thing I want to do is cook anything. Bring on the full service restaurant. And having cell service "nearby" doesn't help when I need to call or log in to the office.

The shortest route from Iowa would take them through the east entrance. Check your maps, It's a much longer drive around to get to West Yellowstone. Now, if there was a East Yellowstone?!!! Oh, I forgot that would be Cody. There is a big Walmart in Cody to stock up at just before entering the park.

Keith

[kedanie]

In addition, on July 23rd 2013, the park service singed off on a Verizon Cell tower in the Lake/Fishing Bridge area. I don't know if it has been built yet, but that would eliminate your lack of cell service complaint. There was already service at Old Faithful, West Thumb area and Canyon.

Keith

[bigdogger]

2gypsies wrote:
Why would you have a 112 mi. round trip getting to Fishing Bridge? Go in from one direction and exit another. Cell service is available near Fishing Bridge - we've used it. Stock up on supplies before entering the park. They can easily last 1-2 weeks except for milk or bread. Take a side trip outside the park to West Yellowstone for a day of siteseeing that area and fueling up before going back to Fishing Bridge. Also, fuel in West Yellowstone is much higher than in Jackson. Do the West Yellowstone folks drive down to Jackson for fuel?

Because for most vacationing families, a trip to Yellowstone means taking the shortest route there, tour the park and take the shortest route back home. Personally, after a long day in the park the last thing I want to do is cook anything. Bring on the full service restaurant. And having cell service "nearby" doesn't help when I need to call or log in to the office.