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Yellowstone Trip 2021

Wades_76_cj7

Wades_76_cj7

RZR guy, NO I am not gay..
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
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1987
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KC MO
Looking to take the wife and camper to Yellowstone next year. We have a 32' bumper pull toy hauler that I will be pulling. Looks like the only campground with full hookups in the park is Fishing Bridge. It is closed now for renovations but hopefully will be open for next season. We will be going for a week so I would prefer full hookups. Any must see things? Wife has back and hip problems and can't do a lot of walking. It's getting worse every year so I want to take her before she can't get around at all.

What is the best month of the year to go? We don't have kids so no issue with going before school lets out or after school starts. Looks like most of the campgrounds shut down mid September.
 
I was there late April early May and had the park to myself.
 
You will be best to avoid the park during summer months when schools traditionally are out for the summer. I would suggest a late August/Early September trip.

Right now, this website is showing Fishing Bridge is CLOSED through 2021: https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/lodgings/camping/fishing-bridge-rv-park/

Also, I have seen varying information regarding camping unit length limitations. Some places I have researched say 40 foot maximum (tow vehicle AND camper), others just say 40 foot maximum. This is the 'warning' included on the www.nps.gov website for the Canyon Campground:
RV & Trailer Information - Campground sites that will accommodate a maximum combined length of 40-feet or more are limited. Most campsites in Yellowstone will not accommodate oversized units. Call Yellowstone National Park Lodges at 307-344-7311 (307-344-5395 for TDD services) for more information. When calling to make a reservation, be prepared to give the size of your tent (in feet) or the combined length of your RV and any other vehicles or towed vehicles.
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It would be good to know which one is accurate, although I suspect you could park the trailer, then move the tow rig and park it in a nearby parking lot ?!?!? :D
 
Wheelin66bronco said:
Beartooth pass.
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32' bumperpull and beartooth would suck. Hella fun dragging pegs on the GS though.

We had a blast up there last Sept.
2k miles in a week.

Click image for larger version Name: Capture.JPG Views: 0 Size: 124.6 KB ID: 308757
 
Sceep said:
32' bumperpull and beartooth would suck. Hella fun dragging pegs on the GS though.

We had a blast up there last Sept.
2k miles in a week.
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I'm planning a trip for late June from Denver to Glacier, via Cody and Beartooth Pass with a couple buddies. Also an extended day in Yellowstone on the way back. 2,800 miles. Should be a great time. :grinpimp:
 
I'd look into parking the camper by an entrance, not inside the park. That whole place can turn into a shit show. I've pulled a 25' goose with a mini-ex through there and had to stop traffic to make corners. It's a constant stress checking mirrors and trying to not run down Asians.



It's not that large, and if you stay at West, or Gardiner, you can drive the whole park in a few hours. It usually takes 2-3 to cross from Mammoth to Lake.
Go see a few things one day, take another loop the next, and so on. September or early spring is best time to go for lowest traffic. There will probably still be snow, or just starting to snow.:flipoff2:
 
Just did a September trip, Stayed outside the parks West gate. Get up early, Park gate was open 24/7, hit all the geysers in the lower basin, hit most of the lower waterfall. If we get back up there again I would do the stuff in the north part of the park.
Most of the pools and geysers require walking a nice wide trex boardwalk and parking at each spot can bring the suck. By early afternoon we were headed back to town. Each day we probably walked 3-5 miles. The walk down to the brink of the lower falls will get you warmed up, same for the brink of the upper falls. Or you can see them from a distance easily.
The geysers stink. If you go too early all you will see is steam and heavy stinkiness.
There were no white buses full of chinamen. None of the Parks hotels were open, snack bar at old faithful was open for samiches.
They will close a road at a moments notice, need supplies in the car just in case.
Ditch the bumper pull, stay at clean motel outside the west entrance.
Pics from trip here
https://irate4x4.com/suzuki/472-cb-s-place/page2
 
Beartooths might not be open in April/May, might be open early September.

I'd agree with all the above.
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
Looking to take the wife and camper to Yellowstone next year. We have a 32' bumper pull toy hauler that I will be pulling. Looks like the only campground with full hookups in the park is Fishing Bridge. It is closed now for renovations but hopefully will be open for next season. We will be going for a week so I would prefer full hookups. Any must see things? Wife has back and hip problems and can't do a lot of walking. It's getting worse every year so I want to take her before she can't get around at all.

What is the best month of the year to go? We don't have kids so no issue with going before school lets out or after school starts. Looks like most of the campgrounds shut down mid September.
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IIRC Fishing Bridge only had 30 amp power and the max site length was 30". Maybe that'll be upgraded. We stayed outside the park at the KOA west of West Yellowstone, Mont.

West Yellowstone, Montana Campground | Yellowstone Park / West Gate KOA
 
Summer solstice is when I went last year. Fathers Day weekend. Saw Old Faithful and the lodge there was closed. Supposed to be beautiful. Just north of it is Grand Prismatic Spring.
mudpits aren’t much to see.
while area is a giant Forrest with a 25 mph zone. The ‘screaming’ mountain or whatever in the northwest corner is not worth stopping for.

upper Yellowstone falls was cool. Maybe it was lower. Can’t remember but it was pretty bitching and out near the Mudpits.
 
July is nice, but be prepared for elbow to elbow crowds. Get reservations early, shit might already be booked up around the park. Glacier park had 10 mile long traffic jams last summer, it was nuts.
 
We will be coming from Missouri so would prefer to stay on the east side or south if we stay outside the park and drive in every day.
 
I was there in August and it was packed. All the libtards running around in masks kind of ruined it.
 
Make sure to take at least a half day to check out grand Teton, thats one of my favorite vistas on the whole country.

Second all the above.
 
any issue with staying in one of the campgrounds in the Shoshone NF to the east? Looks like it would be dry camping though. camper has 120 gal fresh water tank so would have to conserve water to last a week. Looks like there is water available here if we did run out.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/shos...a/?recid=36235

A cabin like these just outside the entrance would be fine as well. no way to cook though.

https://creeksidelodgeyellowstone.com/
 
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I don't think you want to pull a camper up and over beartooth pass. They were doing construction on the Wyoming side. It was in a curve, appeared the ground washed out.

The upper road in Yellowstone was closed for paving last August.

Take a good spotting scope and spend some time in the slough creek area. It is in Hayden valley, you should see some wolves.
 
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Roktoy829 said:
I don't think you want to pull a camper up and over beartooth pass. They were doing construction on the Wyoming side. It was in a curve, appeared the ground washed out.

The upper road in Yellowstone was closed for paving last August.

Take a good spotting scope and spend some time in the slough creek area. It is in Hayden valley, you should see some wolves.
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I am leaning towards getting a cabin outside the park entrance and just "commuting" into the park each day. If I am not pulling my camper I could drive a smaller vehicle for better fuel economy and easier parking.
 
Also from KCMO, we tent camped our first trip, camped and came in from the east entrance after hitting Rushmore/Sturgis/Spearfish Canyon. We stayed mostly at the camping area outside the south entrance - I think it was here https://yellowstonerv.com/ so it was convenient to hit Grand Teton and Jackson Hole for hiking/day trip with the kids. We went with another couple in 2018 and just rented a place in Jackson - this was April-May so the park wasn't fully open. We hiked all over Yellowstone and Grand Teton on both trips there is so much to see and beautiful.
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
I am leaning towards getting a cabin outside the park entrance and just "commuting" into the park each day. If I am not pulling my camper I could drive a smaller vehicle for better fuel economy and easier parking.
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We stayed in a bnb in island park Id.
 
We got an air bnb 10min outside the park on the west side in early June. I went in with our group of 4-5 cars for a day and it was cool. Saw a moose, bunch of elk, a few blackbear and one grizzly. The asian traffic jams were insane.... they love the buffalo. To me once you see one- just move on.
the two following days i told my wife she could hop in another truck... mine was staying outside the park. Tons of usfs property to explore.... checked out a few rivers, went swimming, talked to a ranger who reccomended a great shooting spot- hit that up and shot guns with locals. Yellowstone is fun to check off the bucket list but theres a bunch of dirt roads surrounding with nobody on them.

X100000 stay outside the park and drive in as you want...
 
Roktoy829 said:
I don't think you want to pull a camper up and over beartooth pass. They were doing construction on the Wyoming side. It was in a curve, appeared the ground washed out.

The upper road in Yellowstone was closed for paving last August.

Take a good spotting scope and spend some time in the slough creek area. It is in Hayden valley, you should see some wolves.
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We drove the Beartooth recently and I agree, towing a 32' trailer would majorly suck.
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
I am leaning towards getting a cabin outside the park entrance and just "commuting" into the park each day. If I am not pulling my camper I could drive a smaller vehicle for better fuel economy and easier parking.
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This is the way. There is a lot of land in Shoshone, the Tetons, etc to explore. Earthquake Lake, BLM land, West Yellowstone.
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
I am leaning towards getting a cabin outside the park entrance and just "commuting" into the park each day. If I am not pulling my camper I could drive a smaller vehicle for better fuel economy and easier parking.
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Good idea. Parking around all the main attractions is very hard to come by. A smaller vehicle makes it much easier to find a spot.
 
Most likely we will be staying either at the Cody entrance or somewhere around Dubois WY area. I am open to suggestions to either one. VRBO is our first choice but will need something with cooking facilities for sure.
 
Make sure to check out the Buffalo bill center of the west in Cody. It isn't too much of adrive from Cody to the park each day.

You definitely don't want to be towing a 32' camper around the Park or over the beartooth.

Last time we went was early may before schools let out. Crowds weren't too crazy, still a bunch of rude annoying asains though.
Weather the roads are open will depend on the snow fall in the spring.

Things not to miss:
Rosevelt falls
Grand canyon of the Yellowstone, upper and lower falls.
Mamoth hot springs
Old faithful
Grand prismatic pool
Norris geyser basin
Grand teton

Official Yellowstone National Park Map PDF - My Yellowstone Park
 
Roktoy829 said:
Take a good spotting scope and spend some time in the slough creek area. It is in Hayden valley, you should see some wolves.
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Spent a couple days there backpacking 18 years ago. Incredible location and great fishing!
 
My opinion is you are on the right track ditching the camper. Don't lock yourself into staying in one place, the best way to see it is to hotel hop. Yellowstone is huge and its easier to move around, take a day and do the upper loop, take another and do the south, stay an night in Jackson Hole and visit the Tetons. There is just so much to see, be willing to move around.

We took a trip the week before memorial day a few years ago and it was great, All the roads might not be open but there were no crowds.
 
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