Trip planning for next spring (Yellowstone)

[troyt]

I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone in May. Looking to get some tips and tricks from some seasoned campers. I'm going to travel from the Kansas City area with 5 or 6 adults. No problem accommodating all in the camper but will need two vehicles. We have about 8 days total. I'm assuming 4 of those days will be travel days to and from.

Here's where I need help.

-Travel tips from the east side? I’m assuming Hwy 20 though Cody? Or possibly I-90 to?

-A good campground to stay with water, electric and sewer. In a location the is somewhat central of most attractions.


Any tips to make this trip awesome without wasting valuable family time and of course $$$

[Oakman]

Fishing Bridge campground is the only campground in Yellowstone with full hookups. I’m not sure, but I believe that the campground doesn’t open until mid-May.

Eight days isn’t a lot of time for a trip to Yellowstone. Grand Teton National Park, which is just a few miles from the South entrance to Yellowstone is a must see too.

Iggy started a thread in Nov 2011 about his plans for a Yellowstone trip that has a lot of info about Yellowstone. It’s worth reading, here a clickable link to that thread. http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ons-18141.html

[bikendan]

spending only 4 days/nites in YNP, isn't worth the trip, unless you live local.
we were there a week and only saw the lower half of the park.

to spend 4 days driving and then only staying 4 days, to me isn't worth it.
plus you have no time to visit Grand Tetons.

as was said, Fishing Bridge is the only place in the whole park, with hookups.

[WEMig]

Wow, alot of discouragement here. We spent 2 days in the park last year and had a blast. You won't be able to see everything, but if you're expecting that, have a plan for your 4 days in the park. As far as camp grounds, the town of West Yellowstone has a couple of campgrounds with full hookups and is located conveniently next to the west entrance.

[Oakman]

I certainly wasn’t trying to be negative. It’s just that when I do a 2100 mile round trip I want to have enough time to see and enjoy most of the park. Many people don’t realize how huge Yellowstone NP is.

There are full hookup options outside the park. Flagg Ranch is just outside the south entrance between Yellowstone and Grand Tetons NP. Just outside the west entrance is Grizzly RV park and the new Buffalo Crossing RV park in West Yellowstone, Montana. There are also two RV parks just outside the north entrance in Gardiner, Montana.

If you decide to stay at Fishing Bridge inside Yellowstone NP then make your reservations as early as possible because this campground fills quickly.

[Len & Cheri]

Originally Posted by troyt

I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone in May. Looking to get some tips and tricks from some seasoned campers. I'm going to travel from the Kansas City area with 5 or 6 adults. No problem accommodating all in the camper but will need two vehicles. We have about 8 days total. I'm assuming 4 of those days will be travel days to and from.

Here's where I need help.

-Travel tips from the east side? I’m assuming Hwy 20 though Cody? Or possibly I-90 to?

-A good campground to stay with water, electric and sewer. In a location the is somewhat central of most attractions.


Any tips to make this trip awesome without wasting valuable family time and of course $$$

Sorry, no help on your trip, but I love your avatar

[camper_Lucy]

Originally Posted by troyt

I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone in May. Looking to get some tips and tricks from some seasoned campers. I'm going to travel from the Kansas City area with 5 or 6 adults. No problem accommodating all in the camper but will need two vehicles. We have about 8 days total. I'm assuming 4 of those days will be travel days to and from.

Here's where I need help.

-Travel tips from the east side? I’m assuming Hwy 20 though Cody? Or possibly I-90 to?

-A good campground to stay with water, electric and sewer. In a location the is somewhat central of most attractions.


Any tips to make this trip awesome without wasting valuable family time and of course $$$

You may be a tad early going in May, depending on when the campgrounds actually open, if they get a big snow year that delays some openings until June.
As for travel, you are looking at slightly over a 1,000 miles each way, and you best option IMO is upto 80W, jump off at Rawlins and take 287/26 through Dubois.

Enjoy yourself the scenery is awesome no matter when you go.

[F.R.O.G.]

Going in mid-May, you might still hit some snow. Keep in mind that coming in from the east, through Buffalo or Cody, you'll have a mountain crossing and two-lane roads. By far the easiest way in is to go west on I-90 and then south into West Yellowstone, but it's also longer since you have to go northwest of the park, the side farthest from KC.

Fishing Bridge, as someone mentioned, is the only CG in the park with hookups, and is centrally located, but call NOW to see if it will be open when you want to go. Grizzly Park in West Yellowstone is excellent, although a little pricey, and I've heard good things about the new Buffalo Run (?) park as well.

Rand-McNall.com shows the distance from KC to West Yellowstone as 1128 miles, so that's a pretty tough drive in two days, given terrain and possible weather.

[Whisky]

Originally Posted by Oakman

..when I do a 2100 mile round trip I want to have enough time to see and enjoy..

different strokes I guess, but..

my Wife and I drove from Conroe, Tx to Durango, Co - 2 day drive - then spent 2 days there, seeing the town and riding the Durango/Silverton narrow gage RR

from there, drove 1 day to Canyon, Tx (near Amarillo) to attend a performance of the outdoors play "Texas" - spent 2 days in the area

then drove 1 day to get back home (a little over 2100 miles r/t)

4 days driving, 4 days sightseeing and we had a blast - can imagine that traveling with other adults (like the OP'r) would only add to the fun

my opinion is that the journey can be as "good" as the destination (with the exception being on a Interstate 10 uh, punishment )

so, to the OP'r - go for it and besides the destination, enjoy the journey.....Bill

[accumack]

My wife and I stayed at Grizzly rv park in West Yellowstone for 4 nights in september and highly recomend it.

[Oakman]

The route we take from the St Louis, MO area to Yellowstone is I-70, I-435, I-29, in Iowa we connect to Hwy 2 and take that to I-80 and exit to Hwy 287 near Rawlins, WY 287 to Hwy 26 and then hwy 191 north at Moran Junction. Hwy 191 takes you through part of the Grand Tetons and into the south entrance of Yellowstone.

BTW, regardless of which entrance you use the fee you pay to enter is good for both Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

Back in Sep 2004 we were departing the Madison campground and heading to the east entrance/exit when it started to snowing lightly. I hate towing in snow.

That year the road to the east entrance was under reconstruction and it had been taken down to the hard-packed mud. That road is a steep grade and I was puckered up going down the long, narrow, two-lane, and wet hard-packed mud during a light snow. As we descended, Joyce could be heard alternating between saying prayers and screaming her “silent” scream. I still tease her about being able to hear her “silent” screams.

Headed down to the east entrance.


We made it to the bottom without incident but I pulled over at the first opportunity so I could pry my fingers from the steering wheel.

[4kmprs]

the east entrance from cody was beautiful. we stayed two nights at the koa on the west side of the park. we drove all of the paved roads throughout the park and saw the major sights. although we missed taking longer hikes to more isolated areas of the park die to our short visit, we saw enough to enjoy and appreciate this magnificent part of the country. the 2100 mile round trip to see it is part of the adventure. slow down and enjoy the scenery along the way.

if your do go through cody, please search for the new world war II japanese interment camp interpretive center. this center is just over a year old and it was such an educational experience. i never learned how we treated some americans in our own country during the war. it was a very moving exhibit about a very dark period in history.

[RVFamily5]

Last summer, we stayed in our motorhome in Canyon Village Camprground. True no hookups, but we were right next to the restroom, so it worked. It is where the North and South loop come together. So, pretty centralized in YNP. If you go through Cody, I would suggest to stay there a night and see the Cody Nightly Rodeo. From there you can come into YNP through the East entrance, which is a beautiful drive. I also agree with going to see the Grand Tetons. If you come in through Cody through the East entrance , then leave through the South. Well worth the drive and scenery. If you get a chance you can even camp a night down there. If you do not camp at least stop for lunch at the lodge and view the mountains out the large back windows.