The Beauty of RVing
Through Yellowstone National Park
If you’ve always
dreamed of going to Yellowstone but you’ve never had the opportunity
and you’re thinking of going through this adventure with a
recreational vehicle, you’re in the right place. We made a list of
tips and tricks that will help you if you want to avoid mountain
roads, store your food away from the bears, and know where you need
to ‘go to the bathroom’.
Why does the RV size
matter?
If you want to go to
Yellowstone with your motorhome or recreational vehicle, you have to
be aware of the combined length of your RV and any other towed
vehicles. Know the length of your truck in addition to that of the
trailer when it is fully open. Some sites accommodate a maximum
combined length of 40 feet, but others are usually more limited.
Most campsites in Yellowstone do not accommodate oversized units.
If you get to
Yellowstone with any equipment that’s different from the specs from
your reservation, the campground staff will not be able to help and
accommodate you.
Consider avoiding
these RV routes
Driving an RV can be
challenging, without a doubt, so it is crucial to research your
route to and from Yellowstone National Park before going on the
trip. This can help you avoid driving steep grades and harrowing
various hairpin turns. Avoid the Bighorn Mountains east of Cody,
Wyoming (East Entrance) and the Beartooth Highway which links Red
Lodge, Montana, to the Northern Entrance. There are plenty of other
safer roads that can get you wherever you need to go.
Know your RV camping
grounds
What’s great about
Yellowstone is that recreational vehicles are allowed on all
campgrounds here. Size restrictions could apply, though, and five of
the campgrounds in the park require reservations. These are Madison,
Grant, Fishing Ridge RV, Canyon, as well as Bridge Bay. At Fishing
Bridge, there aren’t any tents allowed and all sites are double
vehicle width wide. You are not allowed to use picnic tables or fire
grates. Also, RVs that are up 40 feet or less and towed or towing
vehicles of 25 feet or less are allowed here.
At Bridge Bay, RVs
and vehicles up to 40 feet or less are allowed, but no hookups. One
tent is allowed here.
At Canyon, the same
rules from Bridge Bay apply, and they do at Madison and Grant, too.
Yellowstone entrances
The best entrances to
park your RV are the West and North Entrances as they give you the
fastest access to the park’s iconic attractions such as Old Faithful
and Mammoth Hot Springs. You have the least amount of hill climbing
and driving if you choose these entrances, and you will be able to
spend a little more time outdoors and enjoy the park’s amazing
sights.
Both Gardiner,
Montana, at the North Entrance, and West Yellowstone, Montana, at
the West Entrance are home to an array of full-service, privately
owned recreational vehicle parks. You also have the possibility to
drive to miles to Headwaters Campground from the South entrance.
This campground has hook-ups, a dump station, as well as
pull-through sites. It is located in the proximity of the Grand
Teton National Park.
You also have the
Soda Butte Campground near the Northeast Entrance available, and
keep in mind that it is just 1 mile from Cooke City along US-212. It
has 20 RV spaces, but no hookups are allowed. If you’d like to take
the East Entrance, we recommend that you drive for 29 miles to Green
Creek Inn and RV Park, located about halfway from Yellowstone to
Cody, Wyoming. Back-in sites and pull-through sites are allowed
here, and you also have access to electricity, water, and sewer.
Storing food and
other smelly things in Yellowstone
Everyone knows that
bears have big appetites, and they love the calorie-dense food that
humans take with them on their trips. Sharing your dinner with a
bear is a bad idea both because, let’s face it, bears aren’t
genetically engineered to eat human food, and because that will mean
that the bear will get accustomed to ‘begging’ for food from other
Yellowstone visitors. Bears can become aggressive toward people for
one reason or the other and they will have to be put down, as a
result.
It is recommended
that you do not leave food in the open back of a pickup truck. If
you can, avoid storing food in your vehicle in the evening and make
sure that you clear the inside of wrappers and garbage, too. You can
store food in your automobile if it is out of sight and the car is
locked and all of the windows are up.
Avoid packing foods
that are very fragrant as they are likely to pique bears’ and other
critters’ interest. If you even have the suspicion that the campsite
you’re looking to set up your tent at was recently visited by a
bear, just choose another place. When you get there, make sure that
you check that there are no wrappers or garbage left by other
campers. Keep your camp as clean as possible and make sure that you
set up a so-called kitchen area where all things with a smell will
remain. Set up your tent at a distance of at least 100 yards from
that.