Yellowstone

[Roo_Camper]

I will be leaving on my first BIG camping adventure the first of Sept. I'm excited to be traveling from Virginia .. westward.. eventually landing at yellowstone for a bit..

Anyone have suggestions? Best places to go or stay?

[enblethen]

I would wait until you get closer. Maybe a day or two out.

[TragedyTrousers]

We will be in Yellowstone Mid Sept. I was wondering if I should make reservations or not. Sounds like more people are camping there latter in the year from the posts I have read. Since we are making a lot of other stops along the way I hate making reservations unless I have to. Also considering I cant run generator at night I was wondering how long I can expect to run my MH furnace on battery alone. My Class A 31' has 2 27 series marine deep cycle batteries. Just bought a third series 31 850amp deep cycle battery to take along as well.

[Jim_Shoe]

Roo,
Since you're a new kid on the block, you might want to add Weatherbase to your favorites. It won't tell you what the weather will be like when you get there, but it will tell you what the weather was like, by month, over a number of years. In Yellowstone's case, 107 years. Its amazing, at least to me, how altitude affects the weather, especially temperatures and whether the precipitation is rain or snow. BTW, it defaults to Centigrade, but you can click on Fahrenheit, it will calculate for you.
FWIW, coastal Virginia is at zero feet altitude, and Yellowstone is at 8,000 feet. BIG difference.

[enblethen]

Taking federal highways such as US 36 or US 50 do not take any longer and you will see a lot more of the country. Interstates are good for those that are in a big hurry.
You could use US 36/50 west bound and maybe US 26 eastbound.
Big thing is to print out or mark down the closure and restriction dates for Yellowstone roads.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

consider heading straight to YNP and then meander on the return trip to have time in the park before facilities start to close. No comparison to Virginia weather. We were cold at night in July last year.

[Roo_Camper]

That's what we were thinking, and also not sure if we decide to stay somewhere for 2 days instead of just over night on the way out.. we aren't in any rush, and want to enjoy all we can on the way.. 🙂

[enblethen]

You should be able to wait until you get closer. We normally call two to three days before arriving.
We normally do not make reservations anywhere. Reservations can put you on a tight schedule if you are delayed for any reason, weather or rig issues.

[Roo_Camper]

That's what we thought also.. will look into Buffalo Crossing.. do you think prior reservations would be a must? We know the day we are leaving here, but not exactly when we will be arriving there, makes it tough..

[enblethen]

You will need to stay outside the park.
We stayed at Grizzly once, but prefer Buffalo Crossing. Both have internet and full hook ups. Easier to select spot at Buffalo Crossing.

[Roo_Camper]

Dance Chick wrote:
It would be helpful for you to know what kind of camper you are. We like TV and internet, so we look for accommodations accordingly. We stayed at Grizzly in W. Yellowstone - very nice, BTW. We would not be happy staying in Yellowstone. We had reservations at Colter Bay until we realized we would not be able to get TV or use our cell phone hotspot for internet. We cancelled and stayed in Jackson.
It's a matter of knowing yourself and what would make you happy. If those things are not important to you and you want to be in the middle of nature and the parks, then you will probably like Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone & Colter Bay in Grand Teton. They are both FHU....another thing that is important to us.

Internet is a must.. my bff will be working while we are gone, so she will need to have internet access. TV..is nice for those rainy nights or afternoons when we can't get out. Then to add to it, we are 2 females, traveling alone, (not that we aren't more than capable to handle ourselves mind you).. our hubby's rather us stay somewhere not so secluded, safer.. Even though we would like a little more privacy, away from children enjoying themselves..and party animals ( and don't get me wrong btdt and everyone deserves their fun). LOL
Its going to be all about relaxation, sight seeing, picture taking..

[Dance_Chick]

It would be helpful for you to know what kind of camper you are. We like TV and internet, so we look for accommodations accordingly. We stayed at Grizzly in W. Yellowstone - very nice, BTW. We would not be happy staying in Yellowstone. We had reservations at Colter Bay until we realized we would not be able to get TV or use our cell phone hotspot for internet. We cancelled and stayed in Jackson.
It's a matter of knowing yourself and what would make you happy. If those things are not important to you and you want to be in the middle of nature and the parks, then you will probably like Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone & Colter Bay in Grand Teton. They are both FHU....another thing that is important to us.

[lbrjet]

We had a great time, only one day of rain. I would have gone in Sept (not as many people) if our schedule allowed. We have camped with lows in the 20's many times. At night I cover my low point drains, unhook the water hose, open the cabinets under the sinks and where the water pump is located. Haven't had any problems. Go through a lot of propane though so keep an eye on that.

[campn4walleye]

Stop along the Oregon Trail through WY. Get a book that explains each site. Fascinating. It didn't know there was so much to enjoy on the way up.

Enjoy the trip getting there.

[enblethen]

Not to scare you! Just let you know that some of the areas are high and could have surprising weather at any time.
Early snows can come and then go in a couple to a few hours.