Yellowstone Trip From Iowa

[jmpollpeter]

We are in the planning stages for a trip to Yellowstone from central Iowa in
early to mid June 2019. Planning on camping for 7-10 days in or just outside the park in our 24ft. travel trailer. Not looking to boondock so wanting rv parks that have some hookups.
Would appreciate any suggestions on where to stay, routes, and any other helpful information. Ok with moving from one rv park to another.

Thanks for your help.

[BFlinn181]

West Yellowstone is one of the more popular places just outside the park boundary. Gardner, MT, to the north has fewer campgrounds, but for a great burger, The Corral (used to be Helen's) I especially recommend the buffalo burger. Helen has moved on but used to out-intimidate the Soup Nazi in her treatment of customers.
To the East, Cody, WY has campgrounds, but you are still many miles outside YNP. You could spend a night there on the way into the park, a day at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is worth the time.

To the South is Grand Teton National Park, there are a few full hook up campgrounds in the Park and in Jackson Hole.

In YNP, the only full hook up campground (Fishing Bridge) is closed for the 2019 season. The other campgrounds are first come first claimed, If you wait at the campground office at about 8-9 am you can claim the next open site as folks move on.

The park is large, speed is limited to 45 mph and the charismatic megafauna cause BHM (Big Hairy Mammal) jams on the roads when in sight.

[richardcoxid]

Some general information about YNP (some general items apply to GTNP also)

YNP is about 45 miles E/W and about 65 miles N/S (2.2 mil. Acres total). The figure 8 loop road inside the park is about 140 miles around. The lower loop is 96 miles and the upper loop is 70 miles around and yes, it is bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Whatever time that you think you will need to see YNP you better double it, or to say it another way is that you will see one half as much as you planned on in the allotted time. The Bison think that they own the road (they do!) and will slow down the traffic to walking speed or all stop for 1/4 mile or more blocking both directions of travel, the thermal attractions also tie up traffic and with a 5 month long summer tourist season that coincides with a 5 month long road construction season and a 45 MPH radar controlled speed limit it will take about a full day to see each loop and then you will only see the main attractions. In addition to the occasional construction delays they will also sometimes close whole sections of road (for uninterrupted night construction) between 10 PM and 8 AM in the morning, if you are running late and get caught at night in the wrong area it CAN be a LONG way around to your CG! (The entrance stations will have current construction information or go on line to check it out)

Then there is the elevation- YNP ranges from a low at Mammoth- 6239 ft to 7784 ft at Fishing Bridge or higher if you go hiking and there are passes on the grand loop road that are close to 8000 ft or so! Drink plenty of liquids and pace yourself when walking.

I recommend that you get up EARLY, leave the CG and be back by 4 or 6 PM have dinner and be sitting in your recliner drinking a cool one when your neighbor drags himself back to the CG at 8-10 PM. Remember that from mid May to mid July in YNP the sun doesn't set until about 9:30- 9:45 PM then there is a long twilight.

Cell Phone Service- Only at the major visitor centers, otherwise non-existent!

Clothing- Especially in the early or late season it is not unusual to have a 30 or even the occasional 40 degree temperature change throughout the day. Dress with easily shed layers of clothing. Also dress in bright easily seen clothing. I am sure that we all have been to a sporting event, parade or Disney World etc. and we blink our eyes and our partner/child has disappeared. My DIL was born and raised in HI, you guessed it, every Xmas, b-day or Father's Day I receive a Hawaiian shirt. One of them is shiny black with 4-5 inch dia. bright flowers. Not many of them in Wyoming and in YSNP, that is what I wear. If your partner has on a Violet blouse and a Orange scarf with a Pink hat I guarantee that she will be the only one within the boundaries of either NP. It can save you a few anxious moments.

Water- Now I will have to contradict myself, at the altitude of YNP yes, drink lots of water! HOWEVER, be aware that the flush toilet restrooms are are in the major tourist areas- Mammoth, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Lake Hotel, Bridge Bay, Grant Village, Old Faithful, Madison Junction etc. The geyser basins and other thermal attractions areas only have pit toilets. I have seen the pit toilet line at the lower Geyser Basin (2 holes) 25 or more feet long (bless the tour buses) So be smart about drinking your water and use the major tourist area R/Rs before leaving the area! I.e. “Never pass up a flush toilet!”

Sun- At YSNP altitude the Sun is intense (uv)have and apply sunscreen, wear that old floppy wide brim sun hat, wear Sunglasses!

If your luck is like mine Old Faithful will have just erupted when you get there and you will have up to a hour and 10 to 15 minutes wait for the next one. Tour tour the O/F Geyser basin while waiting. O/F INN is a must see, reportedly the largest LOG building in the U.S. (Meals in the O/F dinning room are “OK” also.

We have lived about 110 miles from West Yellowstone, MT since 1964, go to YSNP 3-4 times a summer (normally before Memorial Day and after Labor Day) and haven't seen it all yet! So don’t be discouraged that you didn’t have the time to see all of it. Just plan on coming back another time!

I honestly don’t mean to scare or discourage you but to give you a heads up as to what to expect! After all there was 4.1 million visitors in 2015! As far as I know we didn’t lose one of them. Except those who by their own stupidity step off the board walks into BOILING HOT water and ignoring the warnings about the WILD ANIMALS! That is called purifying the gene pool!

Note I have seen on this blog and others about folks “day tripping” from YSNP to GTNP, it is done all the time (myself included) however remember this is BIG country and with the speed limits, animals and thermal attractions you will be doing a LOT of driving. From Grant Village Visitor Center (extreme S/E corner of the lower loop road) to Jackson, WY is about 80 miles with Coulter Bay being about 1/2 way then from Grant Village you have to add the distance to your CG it will be a Long days trip!

A point of CoulterBay clarification- there are two (2) CG’s at Coulter Bay, One the “Coulter Bay RV Park” a full service “RV Park” with FHU’S that takes reservations. The other is the “Coulter Bay Campground “ has no hookups and doesn’t take reservations. Both have about 300 sites and are basically across the road from each other.

When in the Jackson area I highly recommend seeing the Bar J Chuckwagon dinner show! If you go, MAKE RESERVATIONS and BE THERE EARLY TO PICK UP YOUR MEAL TICKETS/ TABLE SEATING ASSIGNMENTS! They seat you by when you show up to get your tickets NOT by your reservation number. Tim, their fiddle player has won the "Idaho state old time fiddle contest 7 times and the US open fiddle championship twice". If you decide to go you will sit at picnic type of bench seats/table, they get pretty hard, I recommend that you take along a blanket/pads to sit on. We day trip it there 2-4 times every summer just to see them! Disclaimer- We have no financial or other interest in the Bar J only that it will be the best $$ value for your money for your trip! Check out their website.

Bar J Chuckwagon

Also in Jackson check out the “COWBOY” bar, the bar stools are saddles and the # of Silver Dollars in the bar. The Wort Hotel Bar (just around the corner from the Cowboy Bar) also has Silver Dollars imbedded in the Bar

[jmpollpeter]

Considering staying at the Westgate KOA as our home base for Yellowstone visit, any thoughts on this park or other recommendations?

[BFlinn181]

In general, I'm not a fan of KOA. Too much money for amenities I don't use or want to pay for. I like Grizzly RV Park because it's in town and you can walk to shops and restaurants.

[Pepper2]

We stayed at Henry's Lake SP last spring. It's approx. 15 miles from the west entrance. Beautiful!!! I would suggest booking now.

[Yosemite77]

We stayed at the Westgate KOA last summer. I actually like it better than Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, which is a nice place as well. I will definitely be staying at the Westgate KOA again.
The downside of staying near West Yellowstone is the daily traffic jam at the West Entrance. Once you’re through the entrance you’ll still have a long line of traffic to navigate. You have to either get up early or be patient. FYI, most of the traffic heads in the direction of Old Faithful.

[Papa Foxtrot]

Good read on getting there:
Road to Yellowstone

[Superslif]

Just remember staying outside the park, means an extra 30-60 minutes to get to where you want to be in the park, throw in a Bison blockade and the western entrance road becomes 2-4 mile of grid-lock. There is a herd of Bison that transverse that valley, and when they get near the road, you have grid-lock. We stayed a week at Madison and another at Bridge Bay inside the park.

[UTTransplant]

The key to Yellowstone in the summer is to get up early. Be at an entrance gate by 7:00 am or earlier. The lines will be short and there will still be parking available at the popular vistas. Besides, all the animals are more active early in the day. We generally try to leave by 5:30 or 6:00 am. Well worth having an early night and a bit of bleary eye in the morning.

[CWSWine]

This is some great advice. We stayed at Grizzly RV Park West Yellowstone and the 14-mile drive from the gate to the Madison loop on some days would take as long 4 hours. Parking was terrible and some the sites had 10-foot walkways and they dump 5 or 6 bus loads of people off. I think everyone should visit Yellowstone because it's one of our national treasures but I will never go back and fight those crowds again.

Originally Posted by UTTransplant

The key to Yellowstone in the summer is to get up early. Be at an entrance gate by 7:00 am or earlier. The lines will be short and there will still be parking available at the popular vistas. Besides, all the animals are more active early in the day. We generally try to leave by 5:30 or 6:00 am. Well worth having an early night and a bit of bleary eye in the morning.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

This is some great advice. We stayed at Grizzly RV Park West Yellowstone and the 14-mile drive from the gate to the Madison loop on some days would take as long 4 hours. Parking was terrible and some the sites had 10-foot walkways and they dump 5 or 6 bus loads of people off. I think everyone should visit Yellowstone because it's one of our national treasures but I will never go back and fight those crowds again.

I've been visiting YNP for over 30 years, I taught graduate classes for 20 years that visited and stayed in the park each July and/or August. Yes, crowds can be an issue at the big name attractions, but I've observed an interesting phenomenon, most visitors seldom get out of sight of their vehicles! At Old Faithful, while the boardwalks surrounding the geyser will be packed near the predicted eruption time, that tends to empty the other boardwalks in the geyser basin. You'll see OF from most every area, but it's the time to see other hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, etc. Take the trail up geyser hill to the OF overlook. I've been up there in late July, when the boardwalks are packed, with less than 6 people to view the eruption from a spectacular vantage point.

In the canyon area, at Artist's Point, the macadam trail will be crowded with folks taking selfies with the Lower Falls over their shoulder, but a short walk on the dirt path will take you to a beautiful view of the canyon and the Yellowstone River with very few people around.

Take a hike on about any trail and you'll have a great experience with few if any other visitors to intrude on your wilderness experience. One of my favorite hikes is up Mt. Washburn. The parking lot at Dunraven Pass will be crowded, but go to Chittenden Road and you'll find a larger parking lot and a trail up to the top that is just as easy as going up from Dunraven Pass. Another nice spot is up Bunsen Peak or the bike trail around the base.

There is no official or advertised swimming or hot tubbing spots in YNP, but at the 45º parallel sign on the road between Mammoth and Gardiner, there is a parking lot on the north side (river side) of the road. Walk about 800' along the river and you'll come to the 'Boiling River', a hot-tubbing spot where the Mammoth Hot Springs runoff joins the Gardiner River. A historic old soaking spot, only closed when the river is too high, then the gates to the lot will be closed. If you want to swim, drive the Firehole Canyon Drive just south of Madison Junction. You'll come upon a parking area and restrooms near the end of the one-way road. This is a maintained swimming spot where you can wade in the Firehole River whose normally cold temperatures are tempered by runoff from geysers and hot springs upriver. (Google 'Firehole swimming' or 'Boiling River' for more details)

[Superslif]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I've been visiting YNP for over 30 years, I taught graduate classes for 20 years that visited and stayed in the park each July and/or August. Yes, crowds can be an issue at the big name attractions, but I've observed an interesting phenomenon, most visitors seldom get out of sight of their vehicles! At Old Faithful, while the boardwalks surrounding the geyser will be packed near the predicted eruption time, that tends to empty the other boardwalks in the geyser basin. You'll see OF from most every area, but it's the time to see other hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, etc. Take the trail up geyser hill to the OF overlook. I've been up there in late July, when the boardwalks are packed, with less than 6 people to view the eruption from a spectacular vantage point.

In the canyon area, at Artist's Point, the macadam trail will be crowded with folks taking selfies with the Lower Falls over their shoulder, but a short walk on the dirt path will take you to a beautiful view of the canyon and the Yellowstone River with very few people around.

Take a hike on about any trail and you'll have a great experience with few if any other visitors to intrude on your wilderness experience. One of my favorite hikes is up Mt. Washburn. The parking lot at Dunraven Pass will be crowded, but go to Chittenden Road and you'll find a larger parking lot and a trail up to the top that is just as easy as going up from Dunraven Pass. Another nice spot is up Bunsen Peak or the bike trail around the base.

There is no official or advertised swimming or hot tubbing spots in YNP, but at the 45º parallel sign on the road between Mammoth and Gardiner, there is a parking lot on the north side (river side) of the road. Walk about 800' along the river and you'll come to the 'Boiling River', a hot-tubbing spot where the Mammoth Hot Springs runoff joins the Gardiner River. A historic old soaking spot, only closed when the river is too high, then the gates to the lot will be closed. If you want to swim, drive the Firehole Canyon Drive just south of Madison Junction. You'll come upon a parking area and restrooms near the end of the one-way road. This is a maintained swimming spot where you can wade in the Firehole River whose normally cold temperatures are tempered by runoff from geysers and hot springs upriver. (Google 'Firehole swimming' or 'Boiling River' for more details)

All good points. So much to see.

Even staying inside YS the first two weeks of June our daily game plan was to be on the road by 8am, hit one areas parking lot such as : Biscuit Basin, Norris Geyser Basin or the Mud Volcano. Hike whatever we felt that day. Then head for a picnic lunch at the Old Faithful parking lot because that one is huge. In the rear of the parking lot there are a few picnic tables in the woods OR the covered veranda of the Old Faithful Lodge ( SW side) has a bunch of seating with tables. Most of the days we were back at our campsite by 3-4 in the afternoon.

[Coarsegold]

Did not see if you had kids with you but I have found that many of the KOA are geared to a kid environment so many of the goodies kids want you will pay for it as part of cost. I also find that as I get older and my kids are gone that I really don't want to hear all the screaming and constant kid toys going up and down the access roads. Not all but a number I have stayed at are that way. If I remember these near West Yellowstone are that way.