Hi I am Mark with CampgroundViews.com Here to give you some tips on
how to plan your next trip or your first trip to
Yellowstone National Park Yoru first destination should be CampgroundViews.com
Get here and start out looking for Yellowstone National Park
It is as the name suggests in Wyoming I don't know why Yellowstone suggests that
but it is in Wyoming none-the-less Located in the Northwestern quadrant of Wyoming
the park is a destination for campers why is that?
because there are no towns in Yellowstone National park
meaning that for you me and everyone else tent and RV camping is a great option
First thing I am going to do is widen my radius here a little bit
and give you an idea of just how great this place is to camp.
Within a 100 mile radius of Yellowstone there are 162 campgrounds and RV parks.
You have the National Park Service campgrounds located within the park, Fishing Bridge is
a full hookup RV park, there is also Bridge Bay which is both tent and RV, Grand Village
is tent and RV, Lewis Lake tent and RV and Madison the same thing.
Most of the ones outside of Fishing Bridge are best suited to smaller RVs and tents and
truck campers.
The nice thing about these campgrounds is they are located long the loop road with about
30 miles between each one.
Allow you to sleep, travel and sleep while taking a nice loop around the park.
Just south of Yellowstone National Park is Grand Teton National Park, specifically in
the Moran region.
This area is a must visit if you are coming here for the first time and maybe the only
time it allows you to see some amazing sights looking west towards the Teton.
the Grand Tetons are a majestic series of mountains and there are National Park campgrounds
in Grand Teton National Park.
The most famous and probably one of the most scenic campgrounds in the entire area is Jenny
Lake.
This one is accessible to tents and small RVs... we are talking class B, truck campers.
This photo should give you an idea of just how and why this campground is a must stay...
look at that view.
As you can see this Suburban in the site to give you an idea of the depth and width.
We have a video of this campground so you can just pull it up and see more of the location.
Overall the National Park campgrounds are pretty nice... the trick are the forest service
campgrounds.
Those are a unique option that allows you to discover the National Park without dealing
with the heavy crowds.
This Atherton Creek campground is in a very scenic location and also overlooks a lake.
It is accessible again to RVs and tent campers and its in the National Forest versus the
National Park, fees are a little bit lower, there tends to be less park ranger roaming
around in that area so it just ends up being a little bit more of a rustic feel.
So you do have forest service campgrounds surrounding the National Park.
So the question is where do we go where do we stay when going to Yellowstone.
You really have a few choices.
Jackson also known as Jackson Hole, West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Red lodge, Cody, and Dubois.
The two more popular locations, maybe three, but the two most popular for RVers and tent
campers are West Yellowstone and Cody. Jackson is a popular area to visit because
a lot of folks stay in hotels and such head to Jackson and Jackson Hole but the smart
RVers try to avoid that region there is actually not a lot of choices in Jackson for RVing.
The main choice is The Virginian Lodge which is a nice location.
The Kudar Motel offers locations for long term stays and the Fireside Resort which is
a newer park; it is nice and it is located a little bit outside of Jackson.
Otherwise you are kind of in a rural area; the KOA is south by about 20 miles and then
you have the National Forest and National Park campgrounds.
For that reason Jackson is not really a big destination for tent and RVers... but if you
go over to West Yellowstone this map will kind of give you an idea of why West Yellowstone
is such a popular spot for RVers and tent campers and it is simply choice.
West Yellowstone itself there are 8 RV parks within the small little city here.
There is Verizon coverage here, grocery shopping, all sorts of stuff plus you are right next
to the entrance to Yellowstone.
If you go a little bit outside of West Yellowstone you have forest service campgrounds the two
KOAs are to the west of town, you have some private RV parks north of the lake and then
Island Park Idaho.
I mention Island Park Idaho because this is another option for folks, especially if you
are on a budget and you want to stay for a long period of time you can stay out in Island
Park.
It is significantly less expensive than West Yellowstone and you are only 20 miles away.
Google centers Island Park down here but technically this entire region here is considered Island
Park.
So you have got Red Rock RV Resort which is a nice place you have a state park at Henry's
Lake State Park with full hookups and you have another full hookup RV park right next
to the road at Valley View RV Park.
All of those offer a budget conscious way to visit the national park from West Yellowstone
side.
From West Yellowstone you are 30 minutes from the loop road and do a nice little loop around
the park road.
Up to Gardiner.
Gardiner is in Montana and this is accessible through Livingston.
In fact Livingston is the better known location here.
there are some full hookup RV parks up in Livingston.
It is a ways from here down into Yellowstone.
Gardiner itself there are some RV parks here.
There are also some forest service campgrounds and the two I want to talk about real quickly
are this Bear Creek and Timber Campground.
The reason I mention both of those is that they are free to camp at.
They are accessible for tents and small truck campers and small Class Bs.
It is a 9 mile dirt road climb.
What makes those unique is they are pretty much deserted; there is not a lot of traffic
up there and they are advantageous because it is 9 miles from Gardiner which is a mile
from the park.
So you are 10 miles away from the National Park, free camping at 9,000 feet elevation.
So when it is hot it is nice and cool up there it is a great spot if you are looking to save
some money and stay in a unique location near Yellowstone.
Next up is Red Lodge as an access point into Yellowstone.
Red Lodge is an interesting city that basically had a road built into Yellowstone National
Park because they knew they were in the middle of nowhere and it was the only way to get
people in there.
The road that was built is called Beartooth Highway.
It is a must drive and you see these switchbacks here on the map that is the side of a cliff
that the road is going up.
It is majestic it is beautiful and there is all of these forest service campgrounds right
along the base here including a dispersed campsite back here off the road 2005.
There is also a private RV park right here outside of Red Lodge which is a nice place
to get sites that back up to the water.
and then you can drive this whole loop 212 all the way up though Cooke Silver Gate there
are forest service campgrounds all along here and then down into Yellowstone.
The only caveat about that location is this is a day drive right here.
You don't want to be staying here and driving to Yellowstone, seeing everything, cause it
is really a long ways from the geysers and everything else but for a destination just
to see that in a day or two it is a great spot to be.
Next up is the other popular area to discover Yellowstone thru and that is Cody Wyoming.
Cody Wyoming is the major access point for folks coming from the East Coast of the US
and it offers private RV parks in town, lots of museums, shopping gas, this one of the
more reasonably priced locations outside of the park for all those options...
food fuel and stays.
You also have the state park campgrounds at the reservoir both accessible for all size
RVs and tents.
There are some private campgrounds heading up US 14 into the park and then you have a
number of forest service campgrounds all along the route leading up into Yellowstone.
And I as I mentioned this is a constant climb all the way up to the top of the ridge and
this valley here tends to channel weather so you get a lot of scenic clouds over the
peaks it is a very very pretty drive and then you drop down to the lake into Yellowstone.
The next lesser known access point in to Yellowstone is the small town of Dubois.
The reason why this is less known is it is a bit harder to get to; it is not as quick
of a route.
As you can see to access here you come through the 80 into Rawlins and then climb up it just
ends up being a long drive but it is worth it.
There is two great RV parks right here in Dubois.
This Longhorn Ranch and the KOA plus this town is like a mini-Jackson.
It has an old west feel but does not have all the people so it is a cool stay.
From here you climb up this US 26 to the top of a ridge and then drop down into Moran which
gives you access to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park.
The great thing about this drive is as you come over this ridge and drop down into the
valley you are presented with a majestic view of the Tetons Mountains as you are looking
towards the west... it is very pretty.
Our tip along here is this falls campground which is a forest service campground, no hookups.
It is accessible for any size RV and there is hiking trails over to the waterfall and
this is the view from the campground looking up towards the mountains it is a very very
pretty campground.
So there you have it.
That is your access points in to Yellowstone National Park.
Again Jackson, West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Red Lodge, Cody, and Dubois.
I have given you a brief little overview on what to do in those different areas and our
tips.
they offer you access to the park and if you have driven 500 miles from LA to get here.
Obviously if you can stay at some of the campgrounds in the National Park and in the Forest Service
but also there are some great RV parks around.
Enjoy your trip to Yellowstone National Park feel free to ask us any questions over at
CampgroundViews.com and use our resources.
If you noticed as I was flipping through these campgrounds all of these have pictures and
video.
We are the great resource that you have been looking for.
Plan your next trip here and go and have fun.
Thank you and Goodbye.