Aug 13, 2019
Yellowstone input please
I have never been there but Colin has, long ago. So we are planning to take the RV there next June for a few weeks. Before I start doing any research I thought that I should start with you my readers. I would appreciate some input from you such as how long we should stay? Where should we stay in the RV, how far in advance should I book? What were your favourite experiences? Actually anything you care to share would be of great value to me and likely to others as well. Those of you who have been there are the pros and I would truly appreciate any input on any aspect of Yellowstone.
Looking forward to reading your comments.
Photos from online Yellowstone.
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Carol and Bill have just visited Yellowstone – look at her recent blogs, lots of pictures and information. We visited a long time ago but still remember how beautiful and powerful the water falls were in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
🙂
Carol and Bill have just visited Yellowstone – check her recent blogs – lots of pictures and information.
We visited years ago and still remember how beautiful and powerful the water falls were in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Thank you so very much Sandy.
I visited when I worked in Washington state. My trips were motel based instead of RV. The place is beautiful. Beartooth Pass near the park is fantastic but do not take an rv up there. Just drive a car or truck up and enjoy the view.
I was last in Yellowstone in summer of 2006 and the crowds were unreal to me. I had to just accept it and do what I could find time for. I do recommend going there.
I am adding Beartooth Pass to the must visit list. Thanks for taking the tine to comment. We know about the crowds and hop to do the best we can under the conditions.
Beartooth Mountain is spectacular – we have “done” it twice – once late September and got caught in a blizzard at the top and the dark, too. The second time in the daylight and we shuddered to think we came over that mountain in the dark and in the snow – we were in an F150 diesel with a Lance camper on the back. Oh the things that you do………
Gracias amiga!
Yellowstone requires lots of driving in order to see anything. The upside to that is that every mile has something interesting to see.
There is a full service RV Park in the town of West Yellowstone. It is perfectly suitable for your rig, but staying outside the park adds to the driving each day. There are parks inside Yellowstone itself, but there is limited availability for bigger rigs and utility hookups will be limited in some of the park campgrounds. Some of them may even require you running your generator a few hours a day for power. Our generators never get enough use, so that is no problem. I am sure someone with better knowledge will comment with more specific campgrounds in the park that might be able to accommodate your RV.
We love Yellowstone and have never been disappointed there. We like to visit all the popular places like Old Faithful, the mud pots and paint pots, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and all of the opportunity to see wildlife. Isa Lake is a nice place to stop for a while though most go zooming by. It is a natural lake that straddles the Continental Divide and drains into two oceans.
Davy your input is fabulous. I will research all that you say. Great info on Isa Lake, almost sounds like our winer home, the Isla.
I am enjoying all of the tips. Isa Lake is very small, more like a pond really. But it is a neat spot and we always stop. If I remember correctly, the east side drains into the Pacific and the west side drains into the Atlantic, exactly opposite of what you would expect.
Good to know that this is helping others as well as us. Isa Lake is intriguing.
While in the Yellowstone area, from the east entrance of the park take a 50 mile trip over to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody Wyoming. It is a wonderful and worthwhile place to visit and allow lots of time.
Also, depending on your route the beautiful and scenic Gallatin highway (Big Sky country) from Bozeman MT to the Yellowstone area is spectacular.
Thank you so very much for this input. I will be sure to check it all out.
Good luck with your research sounds like a fun trip.
🙂
Go before school is out to avoid huge crowds and backed up traffic of people watching animals. Campgrounds require very advanced reservations. If you go, I would also drive on down to the Grand Tetons as well. Tour Jenny Lake by boat at the Grand Tetons.
Nice to hear from you. That is why we are going in June, before school is out. For certain we will look into the Tetons.
Just a heads up about when the school year ends in the U.S. In Wyoming and all the surrounding states except Montana, school is out by the end of May, generally before Memorial Day. In Montana school ends around June 9-11, depending on the district. June is prime travel time for families in the States.
Thank you for this info. I wonder when they start school, August???
Yes, back to school is in August.
Thank you.
We have been to Yellowstone many times. Most of the campgrounds in the park are not suitable for large rigs. The full hookup RV park inside the park has very tight spaces and some cannot deploy their slides. In recent years we have stayed outside the park, either West Yellowstone, Cody WY or Livingston MT. A drive into the park is required each time. West Yellowstone is the closest to the park however make reservations early as you can. On another note there can be “bear/buffalo” traffic jams that last a long time. All that being said it is worth seeing.
Thank you for the RV parking input, much appreciated.
Best advice is to park the RV and explore in the toad. You can do a surprising amount in just a day. I basically started at one end of the road through, stopped at everything, and took in Old Faithful.
http://www.raecrothers.ca/blog/a-day-at-yellowstone-national-park/
Gracias amiga.
Oh, my.. it is great!! I remember roads being very narrow n winding, not sure of huge motor home… Last time I was there was 10 years ago n we stayed/camped at koa in West Yellowstone then drove in each morning… It was beautiful at sunrise along Madison River and the valley with the geysers… Am sure there is rv parking in park tho.. u basically have two huge circles of the park n have to decide how u want to navigate it… We did south to geyers one day, then north to Mammoth the next then, the Eastern part when we headed to the Eastern gate n Cody then Mt Rushmore… Oh we did take a day n stayed in Jackson Hole to see Tetons too, must have came back thru eastern side then to Cody when left Tetons…
Oh, remember a guy in Jackson park was MAD as had big rv n space they put him in was so small could not put out slides!!! Oops
It is a great wonderful place to see tho!!!! And have heard u have to reserve way in advance if staying IN park!!
We can live in the RV with our slides in but prefer to at least put the bedroom out. Sunrise along the Madison river and and the Tetons, on the list. Thanks.
I will have to get my map books out, but there are a few NFS campgrounds close to West Yellowstone, with electricity..
We stayed at Mammoth Hot Springs on one trip, but that was with a 19′ TT and pick-up truck..
I think the closest campground from the west with elec. was at Hebgen Lake. It was a beauty for sure.
I can’t stand K.O.A.’s or campgrounds without room to stretch out, the one’s inside the park are quite limited as far as space..
There was plenty of room at the camp next to the lake, we had a great time in the motor home and the Samurai for exploring the park…
I’ll try and recall some other hints..
Upriverdavid
David, how wonderful of you to give me some input. Hope that you come up with a few other of those hints.
We stayed in West Yellowstone for a week. There are 2 KOAs to the west of town. We stayed in Mountainside KOA, which is the furthest west of the two and we liked it a lot. It even has a small pizza restaurant. They deliver to your rig.
We drove into Yellowstone almost every day. We toured a different section of the park each day. We took picnics with us which worked out well due to the crowds.
We also spent one day in the town of West Yellowstone itself. There is a Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Center in town which turned out to be a wonderful surprise. The town retains the feel of its early days.
DO NOT MISS the Buffalo Bill Cody museum in Cody, Wy. They sell 2-day passes for a reason and it’s not due to crowds. There is just a lot to see. Barely saw 3/4 of it in 2 days. Cody is out the east entrance to Yellowstone. To the south is Grand Teton Nat Park. It’s more of a long, thinnish park. Lots to see there, too.
Welcome to the comment section of my blog. Your input means a lot to us. I will be sure to check all of who you wrote out.