Yellowstone Park Trip

Otegoans · 12-31-2017, 09:06 PM

OK, It's 5 below zero here at the house, Wendy and I are planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park, this coming fall. What else do you do when it's this cold and it's the dead of winter! Anyone who has been there, that can offer some insight, please let us know. Thanks and God Bless.

CedarCreekWoody · 12-31-2017, 09:29 PM

Lots of Yellowstone info, advice, and opinions on this forum. A word search will bring lots of info.

znate80 · 01-01-2018, 12:40 AM

My family and I just did a trip to Yellowstone this last summer. We stayed in Island Park,ID about 20 mins from the West Yellowstone entrance. We drove into the park several times from there. Wish we could have stayed in the park or even closer but we waited to long to book it. The park is huge. Expect lots of traffic and slow going. Don't be in a hurry and be patient. The earlier you go the better and will see lots of wildlife especially early or in the evening.

Wandering · 01-01-2018, 06:53 PM

Reserve early! Maybe Now if you can. We where there the prior September without reservations and found all the campgrounds were full. Even the ones that did have spots filled early and private campgrounds nearby were also full. Ended up driving 20 miles back to a fabulous Idaho State Park, Henry's Lake. Store clerk mentioned Yellowstone is more and more crowded after Labor Day, seems all us retired boomers are have the same idea.

Still a great trip! You will have a great time.

If routing and weather allow, drive the Beartooth Pass. It's amazing.

moff34 · 01-01-2018, 07:12 PM

We stayed in West Yellowstone in late Sept / early October, 2017. It got down to high teens at night and we got snow on two different occasions.

We have tank heaters so those stayed on. For heat in the trailer we used the furnace, the fireplace, and a small, portable, electric heater in the bedroom. I ran a separate, heavy duty, extension cord from the portable bedroom heater past the slide seal to the park pedestal to avoid overloading my circuit breakers. (Only 30 amp service)

For a ten day stay we began with two full 30# propane tanks and ended up with a bit less than 1/2 tank.

Autumn is a great time to visit as the crowds are gone. The cold doesn't seem to bother the bison.

dbledan · 01-02-2018, 12:13 AM

We are going in July. Only one site has full hook ups...fishing bridge. They will want your total rig length including your tow vehicle to know if you will fit. If your trailer is over 30' they say they cannot accommodate on the site but it is best to call to make sure. They also will say it may not accommodate you if lengths are different than stated so make sure they are correct.

There are also unreserved sites but not sure how those work.

We stayed outside the park in a ski cabin in big sky Last time. Sucked because it was 3hrs to get into the park and then another hour or two to where you wanted to be but closest DW would stay without the trailer.

Plan your route in and out. Don't take the NE entrance 112. East is fine but you may want to consider avoiding 14 or 16 depending on your comfort level. I am skipping them until I get a diesel...more for the engine braking than the power to climb. West entrance is easy if you can get to it. Not sure about south with tetons. North is good if you stick to 90.

Check in is 11am as is checkout. If you plan to get there early or stsy late may be better to pay for the extra day before and/or after as I think it's worth it.

There is a map of the park online that the park service publishes. It shows drivetimes that represented our times fairly well on average. Plan on slow going in the park with people stopping in the middle of the road for wildlife. Just stop and enjoy when you can.

Book now and you can modify your reservation later as it fills fast in summer. Not sure about fall and watch the weather because the roads close.

lbirdie123 · 01-16-2018, 02:20 PM

Do you think 14/16 coming from Cody into Yellowstone is too steep for a Gas Motorhome that is 35 feet and has the Ford V10 engine, no towing?

timfromma · 01-16-2018, 02:27 PM

Not at all.

Chief T · 01-16-2018, 02:40 PM

Be prepared for the weather; can change in an instant.

Last time there, snowed on my birthday... August 9th.

First time there, east entrance closed due to snow right after Labor Day. Had to double-back to Cody.

If you could, I'd squeeze in the Teton's as well.

Safe and happy travels.

lbirdie123 · 01-16-2018, 02:44 PM

thanks for info. We hope to rent a car in Cody and wife will follow me into Yellowstone, staying at Fishing Bridge. Will make a 1 day trip down to Grand Tetons. Hope to be at Yellowstone for about 6 days.

timfromma · 01-17-2018, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief T

Be prepared for the weather; can change in an instant.

Last time there, snowed on my birthday... August 9th.

First time there, east entrance closed due to snow right after Labor Day. Had to double-back to Cody.

If you could, I'd squeeze in the Teton's as well.

Safe and happy travels.

Prepare to pay a separate entrance fee for both vehicles.

jandd · 02-09-2018, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by znate80

My family and I just did a trip to Yellowstone this last summer. We stayed in Island Park,ID about 20 mins from the West Yellowstone entrance. We drove into the park several times from there. Wish we could have stayed in the park or even closer but we waited to long to book it. The park is huge. Expect lots of traffic and slow going. Don't be in a hurry and be patient. The earlier you go the better and will see lots of wildlife especially early or in the evening.

We also stayed in island park and commuted to Yellowstone through West Yellowstone in July because the campgrounds were all full. We were traveling and could not make reservations way ahead. Got to the park late one day and traffic was backed up for at least a mile so we decided to spend the day in West Yellowstone. Lots to see there also. Check out the museum in town- very informative. We spent 3 days in Yellowstone. One day for upper circle and one day for lower circle. We were there for the re-dedication of Albright visitors center in 2015. Saw lots of mounted rangers. Very nice. Take your time and please follow all of the rules that are in place. They are there for your protection and preservation of our natural resources.

BandJCarm · 02-09-2018, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timfromma

Prepare to pay a separate entrance fee for both vehicles.

Old people don't pay such fees!!! We're special! LOL

Otegoans · 03-02-2018, 09:41 AM

OK, now it's 32 degrees in Otego NY and we're getting at least a foot of snow today. So we're tuning up the trip. We've already booked a site at Mountainside KOA near the west gate. We are there for five nights then staying in Cody for two. After that we head to the Black Hills for at least three nights. Thanks to all for the replies, hadn't thought about snow in August!
God Bless, Ken

bigdaddy · 03-02-2018, 09:52 AM

Do you think 14/16 coming from Cody into Yellowstone is too steep for a Gas Motorhome that is 35 feet and has the Ford V10 engine, no towing?

I did the trip last summer in a 32 foot gas v-10 class c. Traveled 16 through the big horns to Cody and up into Yellowstone. We had no issues. Great drive!! Have fun and safe travels.

lbrjet · 03-03-2018, 10:24 AM

Plan on leaving no later than 8:00 am or you will spend a lot of time getting into the park. The Mountainside KOA is in a beautiful area and is about 15 minutes to the gate. Pick one or two main things to do in the morning then meander around in the afternoon. The afternoons are very crowded.

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