Yellowstone National Park

[Rango]

Wanting to travel to Yellowstone in the future. We have a 5th wheel RV. Recommend RV campgrounds around Yellowstone?

[SeaDog]

Range the Yellowstone area can be very seasonal, you might get more responses if you say when you are going to travel and what direction you are coming from. If I could give you a recommendation I would, but can't

[lytlej]

SeaDog is right. Time frame and direction is big also size of your rig. Yellowstone being the oldest National Park was mostly designed with the old smaller campers in mind. But there are some bigger campsites, but aren't as scenic IMHO.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by Rango

Wanting to travel to Yellowstone in the future. We have a 5th wheel RV. Recommend RV campgrounds around Yellowstone?

The first thing I tell everyone about Yellowstone NP is Grand Teton NP is just 4 miles from the south entrance of Yellowstone and is a “must see.”

The only campground in Yellowstone NP that has full hookups is Fishing Bridge. If you stay here be sure to tell the reservationist how big your rig is so you get a site you can fit into. All other campgrounds within the park don’t have any hookups at all.

If you plan to stay outside the park I always recommend staying as close to the park’s entrance as you can.

If you come in from the south Colter Bay RV Park in Grand Teton NP has full hookups. Also Flagg Ranch has full hookups and is just 2 miles from the south entrance. When we stayed at Flagg Ranch many years ago they only had 20 amp service but it’s my understanding they have since upgraded electric service. You might want to check on this if you plan to use Flagg Ranch.

The west entrance of Yellowstone is right in the town of West Yellowstone, MT. There are a number of campgrounds in the area. We always stay at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park which is 3 blocks from the park’s entrance. Also just as close is Buffalo Crossing RV park but it is a gravel parking lot that was turned into an RV park with full hookups.

The north entrance of Yellowstone is in Gardiner, MT and this is where the iconic Roosevelt Arch is located. There are two RV parks in town, Rocky Mountain RV Park and Yellowstone RV Park. IMO, it’s six of one half dozen of another. Yellowstone RV Park has some sites right along the Yellowstone River while Rocky Mountain RV Park has some great views.

There’s nothing close to the northeast or east entrance of Yellowstone with full hookups.

That’s about all I can offer.

[Jim34RL]

We traveled to Yellowstone several years ago. We used the east entrance out of Cody about half between Cody and Yellowstone is a Campground with full- hooks called Yellowstone Valley inn, if I remember correctly.

[f5moab]

Yellowstone valley Inn has to be over 28 miles from the East Entrance. I visit that area often and camp at Wapiti (NFS) campground that is almost exactly 28 miles from the east entrance, and Yellowstone valley Inn is east of Wapiti, just west of the reservoir. So, I would guess 30 miles?

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Yellowstone valley Inn has to be over 28 miles from the East Entrance. I visit that area often and camp at Wapiti (NFS) campground that is almost exactly 28 miles from the east entrance, and Yellowstone valley Inn is east of Wapiti, just west of the reservoir. So, I would guess 30 miles?

This may be true but when you have a large 5th wheel and want full hook- ups, you can't fit in to national parks very easy. So I choose private parks that will except larger vehicles and will drive the distance. Also I was coming from the east, I live in IL so why would I want to camp in at the west entrance.

[AquaMan]

Left Yellowstone on Friday and spent the week in Cody. 38' GTown with a toad. Stayed at Ponderosa campground in Cody. My choice for this was I wanted to travel Beartooth and Chief Joseph highways and visit family in Cooke City. Cody has lots to do also. It's very crowded now, and if you're caught in a bear jam, you could be there for an hour or more, as people will stop in middle of road and get out of their cars. Also be mindful of the thousand or so who rent RVs and have no idea how to drive them! 2 class C rentals are now missing mirrors!


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[f5moab]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

This may be true but when you have a large 5th wheel and want full hook- ups, you can't fit in to national parks very easy. So I choose private parks that will except larger vehicles and will drive the distance. Also I was coming from the east, I live in IL so why would I want to camp in at the west entrance.

I was not commenting on the fit of a trailer into a campsite, nor was I commenting on east vs. west. I was just noting the approximate distance of Yellowstone Valley Inn to the east entrance of the park. I did not say your estimate was incorrect; in fact, it is close; considering 52 miles from Cody to the entrance and the campground is 32 miles from the entrance. So halfway is close. All I was doing was giving the estimated distance to the campground from the entrance.

Have a nice day in IL!

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

We traveled to Yellowstone several years ago. We used the east entrance out of Cody about half between Cody and Yellowstone is a Campground with full- hooks called Yellowstone Valley inn, if I remember correctly.

Staying that far from YNP was always unacceptable for us. Too much time lost driving to and from the park.

Coming from MO I prefer to take the southern route going through Lander and Dubois, WY. We usually stop for a couple of days at Colter Bay Village RV Park to enjoy GTNP. Then we move up to West Yellowstone, MT to explore YNP.