Hybrid camping in Yellowstone....which is your fav CG?

[AuntEthel]

I know this is better suited for the National Parks forum, but since I have been on this forum and have become familiar with you all, I thought I would start here.
Us Chicago folk are heading west, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and anyplace else in between. This will be our first trip west and our second trip with our camper. I checked the rvreview site and found 11 campgrounds located in Yellowstone. Do you have a preference? I know reservations are tough but we are flexible during the month of July. I am going to try Colter Bay or Lizard creek for the tetons, but not sure about Yellowstone.

I noticed many people said they used a generator. Do you recommend one?
Again, we're rookies! 🙂

[pakdhypbrid]

We camped in Canyon in June 2010 and found it to be a great location. We used 2 batteries and a small solar panel. Then we went on to Grand Teton. Just from our experience I would recommend to allow plenty of time in Grand Teton. The 4 days we had there were not enough to do all of the exploring, hiking etc. The Lonely Planet has a great guide book to the area. (They recommend a cold local brew at the patio at Jackson Lake Lodge--we highly endorse this recommendation--watch a variety of wildlife overlooking the lake with the Tetons in the background)

[AuntEthel]

Ejonny, we must have been posting at the same time. Thank you for recommendation of Lewis Lake. We would definitely prefer a more private spot. I will also look into some campgrounds outside of the park on the east end. Again, our trip is july and we don't have reservations, I should be thankful for what we get!

[AuntEthel]

Well, it looks like we need to make some decisions....
First, can we even get a reservation in any of the NP campgrounds?
Do we want to stay in the NP without hookups and dependent on a generator? And of course I have no idea how to use a generator.
They can get snow in July?? After the spring we had, we should be traveling south instead!
Who knows when and if we will get back there so I would really like to be in the NP instead of crammed in an outside CG.
But, that goes back to my question above, can we even get a reservation? I'm calling tomorrow and will ask about Madison.
Thanks for listening to me talk out loud. 🙂

[ejonny]

We've been there a number of times. We've always felt that some of the bigger campgrounds, such as Madison or Grant tended to have a "refuge camp" feel about them that just was too packed together for us. Just a personal preference thing though. Canyon is a larger camp and does have lots of fairly private sites.

Our preference has usually been Norris, which is centrally located, and Lewis lake, but Lewis is positioned more to the South. Some of the sites in these camps just seemed more private than the bigger camps. If you're coming from the Teton direction you could check out Lewis lake on the way into Yellowstone.

Last trip we stayed at Lake Hebgen but that is well outside the Western boundary of the park. Very nice and private sites though. There are quite a few camps just outside the Eastern boundary as well.

If ya go the generator route? Just try and be considerate! There was one camper at Norris that ran his loud generator so often and for so long that whenever he turned it off the whole campground would cheer! Literally! We boondock quite often -- I've got two batteries and a small solar panel and make it a week off the grid easy, but granted, no TV running or anything. Water pump and furnace fan are the big power consumers but we easily make a week.

Have fun ... it is gorgeous!

[TK421]

Not sure what you are used to but the sites in the three campgrounds we stayed at (Canyon, Madison, Bridge Bay) were all very short on space. They sure pile everybody in tight. Next time we go we will be staying at National Forest campgrounds near the NE or W entrances. We stayed in a popup w/o heat in July and woke to snow, frost and temps below freezing most nights in 2010. You can do it w/o heat as we did but we went to sleep clenching our sleeping bags hoping the nights went super fast.

If you have never been to Yellowstone be prepared to do lots of driving. Budget lots of time to get around and keep that daily list on the short side. Time flies. The roads are narrow and the speed limit is 45 and you will be driving slower than that most of the time too.

[skipnchar]

Madison is probably the most centrally located inside of Yellowstone. The most popular attractions are quite close by and all others in the park are still within reach of a days travel (includes both directions).
Good luck / Skip

[Bearhawk]

AuntEthel wrote:

I noticed many people said they used a generator. Do you recommend one?
Again, we're rookies! 🙂

Yup, You will use more battery than expected in Yellowstone due to heat and lights. I ran for a couple of hours every day, but that was only for four nights. A fellow down the way had a quiet generator and it was really noticeable versus my not so quiet one.

[bikendan]

AuntEthel wrote:
I know this is better suited for the National Parks forum, but since I have been on this forum and have become familiar with you all, I thought I would start here.
Us Chicago folk are heading west, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and anyplace else in between. This will be our first trip west and our second trip with our camper. I checked the rvreview site and found 11 campgrounds located in Yellowstone. Do you have a preference? I know reservations are tough but we are flexible during the month of July. I am going to try Colter Bay or Lizard creek for the tetons, but not sure about Yellowstone.

I noticed many people said they used a generator. Do you recommend one?
Again, we're rookies! 🙂

first, Fishing Bridge bans soft-sided campers but they are fine in all the other YNP campgrounds. but you can "turtle" in your hybrid and that will let you stay at Fishing Bridge.

July is the highest attendance month of the year, so be prepared to be frustrated in finding a campsite, since you don't have reservations. personally, i wouldn't go in July without a reservation.
you might be able to get a site outside the park.

we like Madison for the west side of the loop and Canyon for the other side. Bridge Bay would be fine for the east side.

since i recommend staying at least 7 days, a generator is going to be necessary, unless you have solar. having a two batteries setup is a good idea, unless you have the generator.
since it always gets cool/cold overnite, you're going to need the furnace and that will suck a battery dry in a nite or two.