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?

[Roo_Camper]

Oh good mercy.. didn't even think about that..ugh

[enblethen]

It can get cool any time during the year due to elevation. It can also snow at nearly anytime during the year.
Don't forget to check when some of the roads close.
You may want to think about what tires you have on your rig and whether you want to "carry" tire chains. We carry them but will avoid having to put them on. Some states require you to carry them, normally Oct-Apr.

[Roo_Camper]

lbrjet wrote:
We just left Yellowstone yesterday (stayed a week in West Yellowstone) and our nighttime temps ranged from 30-39. No doubt the nights will be cold in September. Be prepared and have fun.

YIKES.. already.. well we will make sure to take warm clothes..
Thanks..and hope you had a good time..

[lbrjet]

We just left Yellowstone yesterday (stayed a week in West Yellowstone) and our nighttime temps ranged from 30-39. No doubt the nights will be cold in September. Be prepared and have fun.

[bikendan]

Roo Camper wrote:
Some great advice/info.. thank you.. We will be leaving here on the 8th of Sept..purposely to miss all the "tourist" since by then school will be back in..
So hopefully the crowds won't be so bad..

Since the camping scene is all new to us, we are thinking that hook ups for us is the best way to go for now..

that's about the time we went to Yellowstone with our Roo.
it was busy but tolerable. not anywhere as busy as July is though. more are visiting there after school starts, than in previous years, so the secret is out.

if you want hookups, then if you want to use the tent ends, your best choice would be Grizzly in W. Yellowstone.
if you don't mind turtling, then Fishing Bridge would be good, except that all the sites are probably already reserved for that time.

[Gjac]

We just return from that trip with 10 year old GS. Sept will be less crowds than July. Saw a lot of animals in the Badlands, Big horned Sheep, Mtn Goats, Buffalo, prairie dogs. Stayed inside NP cg. Stayed in Wind Cave NP CG for 4 days visited cave as well as Jewell cave and Custer state park also worth the trip. Lots of elk, buffalo, and one moose. Devils tower was worth the stop as well as the CG there. Wall Drug was the same as it was 30 years ago you would't miss anything if you skip it. Mt Rushmore was nice. Save your parking pass and return at night especially if your a veteran. During the day at yellow stone it was crowded and could not find parking in popular spots, could stay inside the park for only one night the other 5 days stayed in west Yellowstone and drove into park. Latter in the after noon the crowds were less and saw 9 bears from 4 pm to 8 pm. Lots of buffalo, elk, etc also. Tetons were nice and Jackson Hole worth a day. No problems with CG's inside the NP. Flaming Gorge area was very nice and very remote. The water is very clean at the southern end and well worth the trip. Came back through Rocky Mtn NP and hiked to 12,700 ft to snow, it was difficult to breath for me but GS made it with ease. We had an accident in Ohio and ended up staying there for 5 days waiting for repairs to get done, but the Hocking Hills area was very interesting with caves and unique rock formations. Sept should be a nice time to go. Don't be afraid to stay at the NP or NFS cg's for a few days with out FHU's you can go 3 or 4 days without water and electric and it will add to your enjoyment of the NP's. Check your brakes to make sure calipers are not hanging up and change your brake fluid if you have not done so recently. The Mtns are steep and the down hills long. Have a good trip.

[Roo_Camper]

Some great advice/info.. thank you.. We will be leaving here on the 8th of Sept..purposely to miss all the "tourist" since by then school will be back in..
So hopefully the crowds won't be so bad..

Since the camping scene is all new to us, we are thinking that hook ups for us is the best way to go for now..

[scbwr]

We were just out to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. We stayed at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone and I wouldn't do it again due to such small sites and mosquitos that made it impossible to sit outside at the campground. If I were to do it again, I'd camp outside the park near the south entrance and then head to the north and/or west entrances and camp near the entrances. Yellowstone is big and you have to do a lot of driving if you camp in only one spot. We left via the north entrance, and that area looks really interesting but it was so busy that we couldn't pull over with the trailer in tow. Yellowstone is great for the wildlife, but we actually enjoyed the Grand Tetons and Glacier more. If you have time, go to the Tetons as they are just south of Yellowstone. Coulter Bay (in the park) is a nice campground and a good base for seeing the Tetons. Taking the tram to the top of the mountain at Jackson Hole was amazing!

And, the South Dakota Badlands are still one of my favorite spots....been there twice and I'd go again.

[2gypsies1]

Here's Yellowstone's official site. Click on every inch of it because it gives a LOT of good information and gives all the campground closing dates.

Yellowstone

All national parks have an excellent site like this so take advantage of it. Definitely work in Grand Teton Nat'l Park which is right next door to Yellowstone. They are both completely different.

Grand Teton Nat'l Park

We always stay IN the parks for the best overall experiences.

I might suggest you leave the 3rd or 4th week of August to get a head start and plan for at least a month for your trip. You have a long drive ahead of you and a lot of possibilities on what to see.

[bikendan]

Are you going to need hookups?
As was said, FB is the only CG inside the Park with hookups and you can't camp there if you deploy the tent ends. No soft sided RVS are allowed there but you can stay there if you "turtle" in the Roo.

You can camp at all the other major CGs in the park but you'll have to be setup to dry camp.
We stayed at Madison and Grant for 10 days but we're experienced dry campers and have the extra stuff to do it.

[kknowlton]

September is also a lovely time to be in the park. Usually weather is good, though overnight temps can be at or below freezing by Labor Day (even by late August some years). September has also been "discovered," so if you arrive without reservations, you may have some difficulty finding campsites where you want. That said, you may get lucky, especially toward the middle of the month, just before closing. Try to camp in the park if you can: Fishing Bridge if you need hookups, other CGs (Madison & Bridge Bay your best bets) if you don't. If you want the peace of mind of advance reservations (I always do) and can't get a site inside the park, Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone is a very nice CG, should still be open that time of year, and is only a couple blocks from the park boundary.

Be sure to allow AT LEAST 3 full days to see the park, and if possible make sure to spend another day - or route yourself either going or coming via Grand Teton National Park, which is next door (literally - its northern boundary is about 5 miles from YNP's south boundary). One day in Yellowstone is definitely NOT sufficient.

[rr2254545]

Yellowstone starts shutting down in September - Fishing Bridge and Grant campgrounds close 9/20 - Madison closes Oct 18

By the middle of October much of the park retail shops will be closed

2015 Fall Closing Dates

•October 5: Beartooth Pass closes
•October 13: Dunraven Pass closes
•November 2: All roads except the road between the North Entrance and the Northeast entrance close at 8:00 am

[Roo_Camper]

mikim wrote:
Depends which route you are going. Rushmore, Wall Drug, Cody, WY, Grand Tetons, WY, Mall of America, Field of Dreams, etc., How much time do you have? Check out the enhanced version of www.rvparkreviews.com.

off topic for a sec.. how do you get the map on your posts?..locations you have visited?

and thank you everyone that have posted so far.. I'm making notes..

and we don't have a time table.. thinking about 3 weeks..

[csamayfield55x]

we stayed 10 days in Island Park a couple years ago. Had to drive to the park but got to be away from all the tourists when we wanted to be. we also brought our Bikes and ATV's so we could ride right out of the park and had many miles of trails

Chris

[mikim]

Depends which route you are going. Rushmore, Wall Drug, Cody, WY, Grand Tetons, WY, Mall of America, Field of Dreams, etc., How much time do you have? Check out the enhanced version of www.rvparkreviews.com.