Yellowstone

[llewis27]

How long would be a good stay at West Yellowstone to drive into the park each day and view the sights? Once I leave Yellowstone heading down to the Grand Canyon, near Flagstaff to see the canyon. I appreciate all the ideas and tips from people that have already been there done that.

[randco]

What in the world has winter got to do with the OP's question. He asked, "How long would be a good stay at West Yellowstone to drive into the park each day and view the sights?"

I believe that the OP plans to stay in a campground in West Yellowstone, Montana. If that is the case I think you need to plan on at least 3 days and hopefully you are pulling a vehicle for sightseeing.

To me Yellowstone has two major loops. The Grand Loop - North and the Grand Loop - South. Driving from West Yellowstone, Montana and taking either loop will be about 125 miles round trip.

If you happen to decide to go to Grand Teton National Park I would suggest staying at Coulter Bay Village RV Park. Reservation are required. From Coulter Bay you can make a day trip to Teton Village which is a 104 mile round trip and you can also make another day trip of about 55 miles by driving from Coulter Bay by taking John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway south about 5 miles then getting onto Teton Park Road. Follow Teton Park Road until it re-joins Rockefeller Parkway and return to Coulter Bay.

Whatever you do, have a great trip.

[rgatijnet1]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
westernrvparkowner
Kirkwood Resort and Marina in West Yellowstone is open year round. I am sure that he is waiting for your compliment to make his day. If you go to their website, reservations, you can book a an RV pull thru site for the end of December or January for $38.50 a night. They can also fix you up with ice fishing.

If he can keep RV sites open in the dead of a West Yellowstone winter, he is a much better man than me. I just sent them an E-mail praising their hardiness. Still doesn't mean you can enter Yellowstone with anything other than a snow machine on a guided trip through the West Entrance in the winter. I iced fished at Hebgen Lake in the winter 5 years ago. It was actually two trips, my first and my last. 20 below when we started, it had warmed to nearly zero by the time I gave up. Some people love it, I don't see the attraction. Now a float tube during "gulper" season, that is a different story.

Since we travel mostly during the Winter, it is not unusual for us to see the park owners using a front loader to clear the snow at their RV parking sites as needed. We have stayed in the Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon NP in January, with a lot of snow, and they used a front loader to clear the RV parking sites. That RV Park is also open all year long.
A few feet of snow doesn't shut down everything during the Winter and the RV Parks that stay open all Winter have the equipment to handle it. The ones we have stayed at do not clear all parking places each day. They only clear the sites that will be used, as a reservation dictates, or if someone shows up and needs a place to park.

[RayChez]

It would be a hassle doing that. I have stayed inside the park at Fishing Bridge and there was still a lot of driving on the toad inside the park. So if you can get inside, I sure would recommend it.

[westernrvparkow]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
westernrvparkowner
Kirkwood Resort and Marina in West Yellowstone is open year round. I am sure that he is waiting for your compliment to make his day. If you go to their website, reservations, you can book a an RV pull thru site for the end of December or January for $38.50 a night. They can also fix you up with ice fishing.

If he can keep RV sites open in the dead of a West Yellowstone winter, he is a much better man than me. I just sent them an E-mail praising their hardiness. Still doesn't mean you can enter Yellowstone with anything other than a snow machine on a guided trip through the West Entrance in the winter. I iced fished at Hebgen Lake in the winter 5 years ago. It was actually two trips, my first and my last. 20 below when we started, it had warmed to nearly zero by the time I gave up. Some people love it, I don't see the attraction. Now a float tube during "gulper" season, that is a different story.

[Executive45]

We spent a week at Grizzly in West Yellowstone and toured the park each day. It depends on what you like to do. We hit every side road and pull out. Saw Moose, Elk, Bear, Beaver, Wolves, Owls, everything but a Bald Eagle....if you like getting out of your car and ENJOYING the park, best plan on a week. If you simply want to say you've been there, then one day on the south loop and another on the north loop will git r done!.....Dennis

@jbob..when you're 45' long, staying INSIDE the park is OUT....just sayin'...:B..D

[rgatijnet1]

westernrvparkowner
Kirkwood Resort and Marina in West Yellowstone is open year round. I am sure that he is waiting for your compliment to make his day. If you go to their website, reservations, you can book a an RV pull thru site for the end of December or January for $38.50 a night. They can also fix you up with ice fishing.

[Ivylog]

I'd stay four days at West Y (Baker's Hole USFS CG) and then move south to Flagg Ranch and spend two days there and then further south for another two days in the Tetons.

[RCtime]

If you staying at West Yellowstone the Grizzly rv park is top notch.
Is about a 1/2 mile or so to Yellowstone nat. park.
Stayed their 5 days and was happy with sightseeing every day, but never did get to explore all that I could have.
I am heading there again this year, be there around the 1st half of July.

[westernrvparkow]

rgatijnet1 wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
You didn't say when you will be there. We have traveled there in the Winter and the crowds are not to bad so there are no traffic delays. We also get up early to be at the gates when they open. This is the best time to see wild life from our experience. Without crowds, we spent three days in West Yellowstone. This gave us plenty of time to explorer all of Yellowstone.
If you plan on going there at a time when it is crowded, I would add at least one more and maybe two days to be able to see everything. There will be times when you are just stuck in traffic and can't go anywhere. If there happens to be an animal near the road, you can sit for a long time before you move again.

In the winter only the road from the North Entrance to the Northeast entrance is even open. In the winter, the Northeast entrance is a dead end, you must go in and out of it via Yellowstone. In the dead of winter, the park receives an average of 200 inches of snow, that's about 16 feet, so you won't be hiking too far off the one plowed road. You really don't need more than a day to see all of Yellowstone that can be toured in a car or RV in the winter. Not sure of your point, since this thread opened in June. And the OP said they were staying in West Yellowstone, which doesn't have a single RV park open in the winter. Don't really think the OP is planning a winter trip.

Winter is a long season and there were RV parks open in West Yellowstone when we were there with light snow on the ground. Since we were the ones that actually took the trip, not you, the roads we traveled were exactly as I said.

Winter, by definition, is from December 21 or 22, depending upon the year thru March 19th or 20th, again depending upon the year. The only road in Yellowstone open those dates is the road from the North Gate to Mammoth Hot Springs to Roosevelt Junction to Silvergate/Cooke City. There is no wheeled traffic on any other park road and no individual touring of any kind (though this year the winter plan is to allow a very small number of unguided snowmobiles). Those road closures are absolute to anyone who does not have administrative authorization which is given for necessary and emergency travel only. They don't open them if it is a low snow year. You could not have driven your car, your RV or any other wheeled vehicle into Yellowstone or traveled any other road in the park, (except on a guided tour in a snowcoach or as a member of a guided snowmobile tour) other than the northern Road during your visit in the winter. Just because it snowed, doesn't make it winter. Heck it has often snowed on the Forth of July in Yellowstone. Surely you don't want to argue that July is winter. And by the way, exactly what RV park in West Yellowstone is open in December, January or February? I would love to send that park owner my compliments, keeping sites clear when there is 10 feet of snow on the ground is quite a feat. When I snowmobile over there, the businesses have enough trouble keeping a parking lot cleared and people spend a lot of time digging their 4 wheel drive rigs out of snowdrifts in the morning after a snow squall. I wouldn't know how it would be possible to clear an RV site to allow a rig to leave if 2 feet of snow fell overnight, which is a very common occurrence.

[rgatijnet1]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
You didn't say when you will be there. We have traveled there in the Winter and the crowds are not to bad so there are no traffic delays. We also get up early to be at the gates when they open. This is the best time to see wild life from our experience. Without crowds, we spent three days in West Yellowstone. This gave us plenty of time to explorer all of Yellowstone.
If you plan on going there at a time when it is crowded, I would add at least one more and maybe two days to be able to see everything. There will be times when you are just stuck in traffic and can't go anywhere. If there happens to be an animal near the road, you can sit for a long time before you move again.

In the winter only the road from the North Entrance to the Northeast entrance is even open. In the winter, the Northeast entrance is a dead end, you must go in and out of it via Yellowstone. In the dead of winter, the park receives an average of 200 inches of snow, that's about 16 feet, so you won't be hiking too far off the one plowed road. You really don't need more than a day to see all of Yellowstone that can be toured in a car or RV in the winter. Not sure of your point, since this thread opened in June. And the OP said they were staying in West Yellowstone, which doesn't have a single RV park open in the winter. Don't really think the OP is planning a winter trip.

Winter is a long season and there is at least one RV park open in West Yellowstone during the colder months when we were there with light snow on the ground. Actually the park we stayed at is open all year long in West Yellowstone. The OP DID NOT say that they were staying in West Yellowstone right now. He is asking how long that he should plan to stay there.

[Sully2]

Devonm2012 wrote:
We stayed 10 days at Grizzly RV Resort and did not see everything. Can't wait to go back!! We fulltime though and are in no hurry, as I like down days once in a while, etc.

Very Easy...places such as the Grizzly commercial part are so far superior to ANYTHING within the borders of YNP...ya cant even make a comparison...added in the Grizzly is a whopping 1 1/2 miles outside the border of YNP...and a great big 15 miles from Madison...one of the busyiest road junctions inside Yellowstone....and its not much of a question.

[Sully2]

llewis27 wrote:
How long would be a good stay at West Yellowstone to drive into the park each day and view the sights? Once I leave Yellowstone heading down to the Grand Canyon, near Flagstaff to see the canyon. I appreciate all the ideas and tips from people that have already been there done that.

If you dont intend on spending AT LEAST 4 days in YNP....then dont bother going!

[JaBob]

I always question why campers want to stay outside the park. Some folks complain that Fishing Bridge is tight, it is. When you visit Yellowstone, the park and sights are the reason for the trip. I'm sure we can all find very nice RV parks within 50 miles from home. When we were there we talked with people making the drive in every day, a pain. You will leave your camper after an early breakfast and return at 8PM.

Bob

[Devonm2012]

We stayed 10 days at Grizzly RV Resort and did not see everything. Can't wait to go back!! We fulltime though and are in no hurry, as I like down days once in a while, etc.