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Rockies 2016 in a TC

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
Just got back from our Rockies Trip in our TC which was from May 30 to June 7. We traveled a lot of miles both in and out of National Parks. Funny enough, we brought too much clothes, and too much food! I guess thatโ€™s good. ๐Ÿ˜‰ As usual, the stops along the way were a breeze with the relatively short length of our TC/truck combination. We saw a lot of normal wildlife even though Iโ€™m not posting the pics here. We were about 3 weeks early compared to last year which meant cooler temperatures and less people which was great!

Overall, a great trip and even got to meet bka0721 on his job as a Ranger. It was great to meet him and have a short visit. Unfortunately, he had to educate a couple of people about not having dogs on trails while we walked. Public service announcement โ€ฆ if you bring your dogs to a National Park, be sure to read up on the regulations regarding pets in the parks you visit.

Our plan to start was to go two days there, and two days back which is what we did. I was happy that I planned out or first night stop in Fairmont near Anaconda MT. Dry camping was an option and was all we needed. A fellow TCโ€™er was here as well in the dry camp area. Unfortunately, I didnโ€™t get to speak with him or his family, but did capture him in the photo below.



The next day, we drove to the West Gate of Yellowstone, and took a few Elk pictures. It was a relatively uneventful trip to Bridge Bay where we camped each night. We used 2 levels of blocks in driver rear, 4 levels of blocks in the driver front, and 3 levels of blocks in the passenger front. On the plus side, we were able to use the same setup each of the 5 nights. The campground was nicer than the pictures shows, and we had a good view of the woods just off to the slide side of the TC. We were visited by a squirrel on our ladder one morning, and got to see a Blue Grouse, and a Mule Deer in the campground.



My Brittany enjoyed the walks through the campground each AM and PM. The bathrooms were great and nice and warm. A bear visited the campground the night before we were there, and there were several elk and deer in the area. Here she is relaxed. ๐Ÿ˜‰



We got to visit all gates this trip and even Cody outside the East Gate. The Buffalo Bill State Park lake was beautiful. I did replace my batteries while at the North gate. The charge was enough to make it through the night, but the NAPA just outside the gate had a very good price, so I replaced them. It was good to take wiring picture, so I did which made the change out go faster.



The Elk near the North Gate are calm and like to pose for pictures, and some would say they have moved in.



The Tetons were great as well. Our TC rig made stopping at the overlooks very easy. Hereโ€™s a few sample pics including a picture from Colton Bay.





Here are a few of the places we stopped to give you an idea of what itโ€™s like parking in the areas.





Driving out of the campground the last day we got a sendoff from an Elk.



We drove out of South gate and stopped back by the Tetons for the great views and out by Jackson, WY. The drive over the mountain was intense at 10%. I was glad to have good brakes and canโ€™t imagine that drive with a long fiver. Hereโ€™s a pic from the mountain looking back at Jackson below.



We stopped at a few rest areas including one with a great view of the Snake River ... technically a lake at this spot.



Our final night, we fired up the Coleman Mach 8 Cub since it was near 100 when we stopped for the night. We left early and were on our way back. Here's a sunrise pic.



If you get a chance, stop by the Rockies. The views are awesome. If you made it this far, I hope you enjoy this picture of Yellowstone lake at sunset one night!


'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member
15 REPLIES 15

_DJ_1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Tetons are gorgeous. thanks of taking us along.,
'17 Class C 22' Conquest on Ford E 450 with V 10. 4000 Onan, Quad 6 volt AGMs, 515 watts solar.
'12 Northstar Liberty on a '16 Super Duty 6.2. Twin 6 volt AGMs with 300 watts solar.

nomadictxn
Explorer
Explorer
Nice Trip Report Jim! Thanks for posting.
nomadictxn
2013 RAM 1500 QC 5.7, 3.92 4x4 6 sp.
2021 Flagstaff E Pro 19FBS

Camper_Jeff___K
Nomad II
Nomad II
Reminds me, I'm falling behind on the amount of camping we've been doing this year.

dakonthemountai
Explorer
Explorer
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your trip with us! The Rockies are a beautiful place to visit! Cheers!

Dak
2018 GMC Denali "Extreme" and 23' EVO 2050T Travel Trailer
Escapee member #224325-Since 1992

d3500ram
Explorer III
Explorer III
Very nice!
Sold the TC, previous owner of 2 NorthStar pop-ups & 2 Northstar Arrows...still have the truck:

2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the tour. What I like about 'our' trip reports is the P.O.V. from each author. The variety can't be beat on any forum.
jefe
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
realter wrote:
How many miles did you cover in 8 days?


We drove about 2500 miles. Of course, we did drive to all of the gates, Cody, and back to the campground each night as well as to Grand Teton and back one day.

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

Ranger_Tim
Explorer
Explorer
I like the campgrounds south and west of Jackson on the Snake. They are in the canyon between Jackson and Alpine and are usually not crowded. It's an hour or two to the gate of Yellowstone, but the park is jammed from now until mid September. I live 3 hours from Yellowstone but avoid it most of the summer because of the crowding. Lots of tour buses and pushy people that like to get too close to the wildlife. Last week a couple of guys put a bison calf in their minivan because it looked cold. This week a guy fell into a hot spring and hasn't been seen since. Last year a woman went airborne while taking a selfie with a bison bull. It's always something!

I plan on taking lots of trips in my new camper and will post any good finds promptly. I will say right now that a trip to Stanley, Idaho is something that everyone should consider. The Sawtooths are awesome and every bit as scenic as the Tetons. Lots of great camping and boondocking opportunities there. Several lakes that mirror the mountains and all have campgrounds. Camping right on the Salmon River is where I'll be this weekend slaying the trout.

Yellowstone is a wonder, but can be a traffic jam. Be sure to plan a few days in central Idaho if you can. It is the Rockies without the press of humanity. If you need a quick overnighter near Pocatello PM me and I'll detail a few spots. Lots of great places to stay right off I-15 on the way from Salt Lake to Yellowstone. And take US30 and ID34 going through Soda Springs to the south end of Jackson -- it's just gorgeous!
Ranger Tim
2006 F-350 Super Crew King Ranch SRW Bulletproofed
2016 Wolf Creek 840
Upper and Lower StableLoads

exhaustipated
Explorer
Explorer
Very nice trip report and the photos were great. Thanks for sharing. I'll be out there around the middle of August on my way to attend NATCOA's Glacier National Park Rally at West Glacier, MT.
2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD LT1 Ext Cab Z71 Long Bed Vortec 6.0L V8 SFI gas.
2012 Travel Lite 960RX
Torklift frame mounted tie downs with FastGun turnbuckles and a Lock and Load maximum security cargo tray.
Timbren SES
Curt front mount hitch receiver

H2oSprt
Explorer
Explorer
Nice pictures! I'll be there in about two weeks,can't wait!
15 expedition El ecoboost

2008 Jayco 12hw

billyray50
Explorer
Explorer
Great trip report! Thanks for sharing.

realter
Explorer
Explorer
I'd love to take that trip. Your pictures are so pretty.

How many miles did you cover in 8 days?

So many pretty places to see in the USA.


Thanks

GeoBoy
Explorer
Explorer
Nice trip, too short. Man I love those Tetons.

Vinsil
Explorer
Explorer
Very nice! We are going next year I can't wait!!!

Thank you for sharing.
2017 Ford F-350, crewcab, 4x4, 6.7 diesel.
2016 Thunderjet Luxor 21' limited edition, Yamaha powered.
2016 Wolf Creek 840-SOLD, Arctic Fox 990 ordered.