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Old 10-02-2018, 03:05 PM   #1
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Yellowstone bound, Floridian w/Gasser in Rockies?

This flatlander is looking for advice/recommendations for traversing the Rockies in a 38' Winne gasser pulling a CRV, in Sept of 2019. We'll be W bound after visiting the Winne factory in Iowa thru the Badlands, with West Yellowstone as base before heading south thru Grand Tetons, Jackson, Utah, AZ, etc.
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Old 10-02-2018, 03:25 PM   #2
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You'll do just fine. I run all over the west and climb mountains on every trip, can't get out of California without going over a mountain.

I weigh in at about 25,000lb with my toad connected.

The main problem is not climbing the mountains, the problem is going down. Go slow. I start down mountains at 45 mph and use the stab method to control speed.
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Old 10-02-2018, 04:09 PM   #3
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You should be able to handle any of the main routes if you gear down ahead of time and take it easy on the downhill grades. Uphill, just be patient. The one route you might want to consider avoiding is Teton Pass. That's highway 22 between Jackson and Victor, ID. 8-10% grades. We take it routinely, but it is steep and we have engine brakes to help.
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Old 10-02-2018, 04:16 PM   #4
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Are you aware it starts getting cold early at Yellowstone?
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Old 10-02-2018, 04:33 PM   #5
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Thank you all

Most appreciated!! I think we’re routed down 191, 89, toward I-80 (Provo). Hoping to see Kodachrome Basin SP, Grand Staircase, on our way thru AZ, Caton de Chelly, NM and heading back home.

Yes on colder weather but trying to balance lesser crowds and be back down south before it’s really cold.
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Old 10-02-2018, 04:35 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WYRon View Post
You should be able to handle any of the main routes if you gear down ahead of time and take it easy on the downhill grades. Uphill, just be patient. The one route you might want to consider avoiding is Teton Pass. That's highway 22 between Jackson and Victor, ID. 8-10% grades. We take it routinely, but it is steep and we have engine brakes to help.
We went that way in the first of June of this year-- Got out and had a snowball fight!! I will not drive it in a motorhome!
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Old 10-02-2018, 05:16 PM   #7
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Well great!......

If not recommended for a MH, any suggestions for going south from Tetons?
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Old 10-02-2018, 07:09 PM   #8
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89 to Alpine then 26 to Idaho falls and camped at Juniper Campground this side of Idaho Falls full hookup 50Amp 25.00 a night
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Old 10-02-2018, 07:22 PM   #9
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Also went to the winne tour we camped at Pilot Knob State Park for 15.00 a night if I remember correctly----30 amp about 3 miles from town
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Old 10-02-2018, 08:12 PM   #10
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89 to Alpine then 26 to Idaho falls and camped at Juniper Campground this side of Idaho Falls full hookup 50Amp 25.00 a night


Excellent—these are what I need.
Thank you all.
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Old 10-05-2018, 11:55 AM   #11
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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
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Old 10-05-2018, 12:02 PM   #12
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Have fun, but buy your beer before you hit Utah ( 3.2 beer )
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Old 10-05-2018, 12:12 PM   #13
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THANKYOU Richard. Excellent review!
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:16 PM   #14
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As another Florida native with a gasser I second the advice you've been given. We've been all over the place around and through the Rockies on multiple trips. If you can get your speed up a little before the upgrades, great. And like others here said, slow down before you start down. Took us awhile to remember to always engage the tow/haul feature on our Vista. It does make a difference. If there's an overlook we can access on a long downhill, we'll stop. Good for us and the RV. We try to never stop on an uphill. Getting going again from a dead stop is harder on our nerves than on the RV. Takes so long to gain any real speed and my husband hates to feel like he's holding up traffic. You are going to be in some of our favorite places. Enjoy and safe travels.
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