Yellowstones Fishing Bridge Camp Ground

We just booked out 2014 summer trip to Yellowstone. We have always stayed at Grizzly and traveled by car into the park each day to see the sites. Let me tell you…it’s a lot of driving and very draining. This year we decided to do things differently now that we have the Class C. We have elected to stay in the non-hookup campgrounds inside the park. These four locations accept reservations and only run $25-$29 a night; tax included. I was able to secure 40ft sites for our Class C. We will travel in to the park via West Yellowstone and then spend a night at Grant Village, Bridge Bay, Canyon Village, and Madison in that order. Although there are no hookups, they all have dump stations and fresh water available. There are also showers near all of these (except Madison and Bridge Bay) that we can use to conserve resources. We figured we would drive a little, see the sites, then spend the afternoon in our campground to let Yellowstone come to us rather than us go to Yellowstone. We have been there about 5 times in the last 10 years and don’t need to see every inch of the park. For this trip, we feel this will be very nice way to see the things. We will stay in Grizzly RV the day before we enter the park and the day we exit to stock up the rig, empty the tanks, etc.

johnm1 wrote:
I'm confused ... when I called to make reservations, I was told that my entire rig (camper and truck) MUST fit on the specified parking pad. If not, the ranger would make you leave.

Was I given the wrong info?

At Fishing Bridge, there is a space next to where you park your RV for your tow vehicle.

Keith

I'm confused ... when I called to make reservations, I was told that my entire rig (camper and truck) MUST fit on the specified parking pad. If not, the ranger would make you leave.

Was I given the wrong info?

I guess to each his own.

Granted, Fishing Bridge isn't what one would call a resort RV Park. However, for those who go to YNP for extended stays, the full hookups are important and that is the only place inside the park it is available. I'll be darned if I'd drive in from outside the park on a daily basis.

Yellowstone is the attraction here, not the RV park. We tend to leave the RV park early in the morning and spent the majority of the day out seeing the sights. When we return, it is time for dinner and then back out for evening animal viewing or ranger presentations at the nightly campfire programs at the ranger stations. The majority of the time we spend in the RV park is sleeping and getting ready for the next day's adventure somewhere in the vast area's of Yellowstone.

If you don't care for it, then OK for you. Thanks for leaving a space for someone else who does.

Keith

Itching2go wrote:
As for Fishing Bridge, it's expensive, tight, with no fire pits or picnic tables. Some sites have enough room outside your door to put up your own table and chairs, but on others, there are pine shrubs that have overgrown to the point that you cannot. Our neighbor, in fact, had to prune back some branches so he could get out of his rig. Advantage is FHU and proximity to the eastern areas of the park, and on the route to the east entrance. Disadvantages are site sizes and high cost. Everyone has their own preferences of course, but for us, it's not the type of camping experience we value.

I couldn't agree more. Fishing Bridge is the ugliest and most unpleasant CG in any national park we have visited. The only thing it has going for it is the hook-ups and the location. It is expensive, $46.50/night + tax with no discounts offered, vs $10-$13/night with Senior Pass for the other CGs in the park that will accommodate 40' rigs. We are currently at Mammoth CG in YNP (6 nights) and were previously at Gros Ventre CG in Grand Teton NP for 9 nights, Grant Village YNP for 4 nights and Bridge Bay YNP for 3 nights, all without hook-ups. All those CGs were beautiful and extremely pleasant. I can't understand why anyone with a self-contained RV and a generator would pay almost $50/night to stay at FB when he could stay at any one of the other great CGs in the park for 1/4 of the cost.

Obviously we all have different opinions and values.

Just left Yellowstone last Sunday after spending 3 nights at the Madison Campground followed by 2 nights a Fishing Bridge. While the locations worked great for seeing the park... Madison for the western sections of the Grand Loop and FB for the Easter sections, most notably the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, had we to do it over again, we would have stayed in Madison the whole time. Our rig is a 32 ft fiver, and there are a limited number of sites at Madison that will fit a rig of this size, so if going that way, make your reservations early and over the phone, not via the web.

As for Fishing Bridge, it's expensive, tight, with no fire pits or picnic tables. Some sites have enough room outside your door to put up your own table and chairs, but on others, there are pine shrubs that have overgrown to the point that you cannot. Our neighbor, in fact, had to prune back some branches so he could get out of his rig. Advantage is FHU and proximity to the eastern areas of the park, and on the route to the east entrance. Disadvantages are site sizes and high cost. Everyone has their own preferences of course, but for us, it's not the type of camping experience we value.

When I made reservations for camping in YNP I was told the only place that my truck & camper would fit was in Fishing Bridge (I have a 4 door truck and 34" 5er). She said that the vehicle and camper MUST fit completely on the site and no off site vehicle parking. Also, the website says that "Rates for this campground include 2 showers per night." ... whoo Hoo! Good thing we use our camper shower!

Rather than east to west we go from south to north. Not mentioned here and usually left out is the scenery and wildlife in the Tetons. Oxbow bend is rated as one of the 10 best viewing spots for wildlife in the U.S. In the afternoon there is a ranger with a spotting scope answering any questions. Teton Village R V is just a couple of miles outside the park. Pricey, but nice park. We than take a easy half day pull up through the park and set up just outside Gardner Mt. From the camp office you can see the arch. Lamar Valley has the wolves and Mammoth has the bull elk in town controlling their herds that we love to watch.

One approach to the park is break it up into 1/4's. Cover the West side of the park from Grizzly and the East side of the park from Fishing Bridge. I allowed 5 days at each location and then spent more or less time in the section that I liked the most. Both Grizzly and Fishing Bridge are good places for a home base.


Here is a video of Grizzly, very nice place;

Grizzly RV


Fishing Bridge is a good place to park your RV with water, sewer and power.

Yes, I would think you'd use your own shower if you have a full hookup site. :)