Tetons, Cody, Teddy Roose, D tower, Custer...

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

In Wapiti, Mountain View & Yellowstone Valley Inn & RV (excellent restaurant) are both good. They're a bit closer to the entrance than Cody and have nice views and are a lot less hectic than Cody.

However, in Cody be sure to spend time in the Museum. It's huge and can take hours depending on your interests.

Thanks, I emailed him and if dates are available we are making reservations with mountain view. Looks great.

We are definitely going to the museum in Cody, and the antique firearms museum, and rodeo one night. We're also going to the mountain Man museum in Pinedale, while boondocking along the Green River.

[burgmark]

Originally Posted by groveln

I just made Resos's for July 18th thru the 25th (www.recreation.gov) this past Wednesday at Headwaters Flagg Ranch in Yellowstone. Dates open up exactly 6 months from the day you want to check in & they go VERY FAST! I literally had everything set-up & ready to go on my laptop the night before waiting for their online access to open up at 8am MST Sharp! I wanted a 45' pull through with full service & when the lines opened up there were so many gone already because of my dates overlapping into dates booked days before my July 18th check in! It's a hustle for sure...if you snooze you lose but I got my dates.

Some neighbors stayed there a couple of years ago, its a bit of a drive to get to any of the main areas in Yellowstone.

[Danattherock]

We're going to spend our first couple nights on the Green River boondocking then head up to Buffalo fireside in Moran to visit the Teton area but not enter the south Yellowstone entrance because of some road construction issues I heard about on the long long honeymoon channel.

Then we're going to be heading over to the East entrance staying at mountain view in Wapiti for a week, and all of our trips to Yellowstone will be from there into the East entrance.

Except for one day we're going to drive up to Red Lodge and then take the bear tooth pass and go through the Northeast entrance and visit Lamar valley in the evening for wildlife then down the loop and back out the east entrance to mountain view.

They have this ALPS system, alternating license plate entry, so our license tag number will decide which days we get to enter the park at Yellowstone, odd days and even days type system. So that means we can only go into Yellowstone 3 days that week.

But I still need to find out if we can enter the park prior to 6:00 a.m. without being subject to the ALPS entry system.

After the week that Yellowstone we're going to head over to nomads bluff for 3 days and visit the Badlands and Custer State Park, wildlife loops etc prior to heading back home to North Carolina.

Really appreciate all the great information you guys and gals have shared here. It has helped my wife and I out tremendously. Now we're watching some YouTube videos with the kids in the evenings and they're getting super excited, time to get the fly rods ready for Green River...

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

They have this ALPS system, alternating license plate entry, so our license tag number will decide which days we get to enter the park at Yellowstone, odd days and even days type system. So that means we can only go into Yellowstone 3 days that week.

But I still need to find out if we can enter the park prior to 6:00 a.m. without being subject to the ALPS entry system.

When does Yellowstone have the ALPS in place? Last year, right after the flooding, it was in place. But on July 2nd it was opened to all vehicles, the license plate number ended. We were up there during this time period. If they put it back in place, I did not see it on the NPS website.
Also last year at that time, the gates opened at 8am.

[twogypsies]

The very best place to get updates on road closures, planned construction and entrance issues in the national park's web site.

The site won't have that information until later in spring.

[ChrisDParise]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

When does Yellowstone have the ALPS in place? Last year, right after the flooding, it was in place. But on July 2nd it was opened to all vehicles, the license plate number ended. We were up there during this time period. If they put it back in place, I did not see it on the NPS website.
Also last year at that time, the gates opened at 8am.

Just checked on the NPS website, no mention of an alternating license plate plan for the coming season.

I suppose things could change. That would upend many folks plans for the 2023 season, including mine.

[Danattherock]

What I heard was in the YouTube video on the channel long long honeymoon about Yellowstone, but perhaps I mistakenly thought that was the new rule and they were only talking about rules for 2022. I'll have to look into that further but perhaps that was just the case last summer.

[m.elliott63]

When going to Teddy R NP, the north unit is less popular and less crowded. Therefore, more wildlife to see. We stayed there 1 night in the park campground (cottonwood campground) tight on the Missouri river. No hookups but the sites were very private and quiet.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

What I heard was in the YouTube video on the channel long long honeymoon about Yellowstone, but perhaps I mistakenly thought that was the new rule and they were only talking about rules for 2022. I'll have to look into that further but perhaps that was just the case last summer.

June 2022 there were some terrible floods in Yellowstone, roads were destroyed. So, at that time their plan was ALPS, even/odd days to help control the number of visitors coming into the park.
We got there 2 days prior to the reopening under the ALPS. Then we were allowed in, every other day on the Spyder. Then July 2nd, the Park was opened back to normal entry. But you still could not go to the Northeast Entrance or the North Entrance at Gardiner. You could not even go from Mammoth Hot Springs area to Gardiner, road was blocked with concrete barriers.
All of this was in the summer 2022.
Look at the NPS website for updates for the Park for this summer, 2023.
When are you going to be in Yellowstone?

[ShelleyManes]

https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/s...s=1&children=0

If you use Hipcamp.com to find camping spots, this one is extra special, a working farm/ranch with lots for the kiddos to do and remember.
Super nice hosts, goats to milk, llama and horses to admire (feed), also sheep, fowl of all sorts, and the facilities are just memorable. check it out.

[Ktaylorr1]

We stayed in the Grizzly RV park at the North entrance to Yellowstone. Best park we have stayed and a lot to do and see there, especially with kids. Make reservations soon as it fills up quickly.

[GIjoe]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

We are taking our 8 and 10 year olds out to Wyoming, ND, and SD in August for 21 days, 4 days there and back. Went to Custer two years ago when we got our first TT, had a ball, eager to get back to the area

However, have no insight on tetons or Yellowstone, we will have 9-10 days total in the area. Plan as of now is to spend 4 in tetons and 5 in Cody. Curious of any suggestions for what amount of time to spend at each, campground suggestions, or any other things of interest besides tetons and Yellowstone themselves. Bridger Teton wilderness? Anything close by in Idaho a good day trip from Moran area, near Tetons?

After tetons and Yellowstone, heading to Teddy Roosevelt's park for 2 days, then dropping by devil's tower on 5 hour trip down to Rafter J Bar Ranch near Custer SP. Spending 3 nights there, needles, wildlife loop, Rushmore at night, the main plan. Then one night at Nomads bluff in Badlands on way back to NC

Would appreciate any campground suggestions for tetons, Yellowstone, and Teddy Roosevelt's park. Also trying to find some off road, fishing, or just interesting 1/2 day trips in those areas. Ghost towns. Anything the kids might remember. Have tundra TRD pro and comfortable on forest service roads and such. We would like to see some places that few people would visit.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Dan
NC

We stayed at the West Yellowstone KOA, great park and at the KOA at Devils Tower, great park as well! have fun.

[bpcannan]

A few thoughts having been to several of those spots this past summer...
1) TR National Park
- Great visitor Center worth an hour or so right on I-90 before you get to Medora. Good views, good shot hike for younger ones.
- TRNP South Unit, a stay in the National Park campground was much nicer than what it looked like it would be in town. But no hookups, however, more likely to see buffalo in later afternoon and close to some neat kid-friendly hikes. Walking thru the prairie dog down to the original entrance is something kids might like because the prairie dogs keep popping up and down and scurrying around. We stayed 2 nights
- Like other mentioned the North unit is 60-70 miles north but is very very scenic. Cottonwood is a no hookup campground shaped like an oval and we had buffalo grazing in the center oval at breakfast both mornings there.

2) Black Hills & Custer SP
- Rafter J is a nice campground with a pool and spacious sites. We stayed in the 'back unit' and the sites each had a nice fire ring and patio with chairs.
- Helicopter Tours are very close
- Crazy Horse memorial is interesting with all the Indian history and the display/history of how it got started and the tools used
- Wind Cave is worth a stop if the kids want to remember being down in the cave when the guide turns ALL THE LIGHTS OUT. It gets as dark as dark can get and not being able to see the hand touching your nose is pretty dark
- Custer State Park loop and the buffalo museum kids might find interesting and the loop is where you might find animals. We did. Looked like a neat campground in the park as well.

3) The Tetons
- My favorite park.. everything is a drive tho...
We have stayed the Colter Bay RV park with full hookups twice now. As you enter the Colter Bay campground area a right turn take you into the Colter Bay campground which have some water but no electricity as I recall. Nice sites as we toured it but as timing would have we stayed at the Buffalo Fireside RV park just east of the Moran entrance about 20 miles. Nice place but not much to do for little kids.
- Signal mountain was cool for the view of the valley and seeing elk. My wife held her phone out the window and played some youtube soundbites of elk bugling and got replies from the woods and even saw two coming down the hill.
- If the water level is decent in the river then a guided raft trip/raft float down the Snake River is something we enjoyed and little kids might.
- There are some things to do in Jackson, but it can be pricey.

Good luck. BTW we were out that way from mid-August to late September - with being in the Tetons over Labor Day weekend.

Brian

Originally Posted by Danattherock

We are taking our 8 and 10 year olds out to Wyoming, ND, and SD in August for 21 days, 4 days there and back. Went to Custer two years ago when we got our first TT, had a ball, eager to get back to the area

However, have no insight on tetons or Yellowstone, we will have 9-10 days total in the area. Plan as of now is to spend 4 in tetons and 5 in Cody. Curious of any suggestions for what amount of time to spend at each, campground suggestions, or any other things of interest besides tetons and Yellowstone themselves. Bridger Teton wilderness? Anything close by in Idaho a good day trip from Moran area, near Tetons?

After tetons and Yellowstone, heading to Teddy Roosevelt's park for 2 days, then dropping by devil's tower on 5 hour trip down to Rafter J Bar Ranch near Custer SP. Spending 3 nights there, needles, wildlife loop, Rushmore at night, the main plan. Then one night at Nomads bluff in Badlands on way back to NC

Would appreciate any campground suggestions for tetons, Yellowstone, and Teddy Roosevelt's park. Also trying to find some off road, fishing, or just interesting 1/2 day trips in those areas. Ghost towns. Anything the kids might remember. Have tundra TRD pro and comfortable on forest service roads and such. We would like to see some places that few people would visit.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Dan
NC

[NeverGrowUp]

Stay at the KOA at Devils Tower and take the dusk hay ride, you will be amazed at the huge numbers of deer you will see.