Editor’s note: A familiar name to many RVers, Sue Bray has worked in the RV industry for 35+ years. Over the summer, Sue, her husband Mel, and their boxer Harley took off to tour the country in their 31’ fifth wheel, with no exact plans except to have an adventure. She’ll be chronicling their trip as well as sharing lessons learned along the way in this new ongoing blog series.
There are many publications and websites out there touting the glories of Yellowstone National Park, many with probably much more authoritative information than I can provide in this blog. But we spent a glorious week camped just outside of Yellowstone this summer, and I can share with you just some of the discoveries we made.
1. Size
At 3,472 square miles, it’s huge! The Park itself is located in three states – mostly in Wyoming with a fraction in Montana and Idaho, and is 63 air miles north to south and 54 air miles east to west. It took a week to do a lot of exploring.
2. Campgrounds
There are 12 campgrounds in the Park – Fishing Bridge RV Park is concessionaire operated and geared for RVs, offering full hookups. Smaller RVs can access some of the other park campgrounds, but it is dry camp only. Reservations are necessary during summer months, and should be booked as early as possible. As we had not done this (and because of the pet policy described below) we opted to stay at private campgrounds just outside the west entrance and again at the north entrance. An RVing friend recently stayed just outside the south entrance at a campground located in Grand Teton National Park, which is also just a few miles from Jackson Hole.
3. Pets
Understandably, pets are prohibited from the Park’s back country, the trails, and boardwalks throughout Yellowstone. They can travel in a vehicle, and walk on a leash within 100 feet of roads, parking lots, and campgrounds. Wildlife roam free here, and a loose dog could be an excellent food source for a hungry bear.
4. Natural Features
Throughout the Park, the varieties of geography and geology are astounding. Wide open prairies, mountain streams and waterfalls, enormous lakes abound. Old Faithful and the majority of the world’s geysers are preserved here. They are the main reason the Park was established in 1872 as America’s first national park – an idea that spread worldwide. A mountain wilderness, home to grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of bison and elk, the Park is the core of one of the last nearly intact ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone.
5. Entrances
There are five entrance stations in and out of the Park, and we managed to hit them all. A friendly ranger informed us that the West and South entrances are the most popular during summer months. We got to the West entrance before 8 am and only experienced a short line; when we approached from the North entrance at about noon, the lines of traffic were long and we had about a 45 minute wait. If you aren’t staying in the Park, entry planning is important.
6. Road Access
It’s a short summer season in northwestern Wyoming, and this is the only time the Park can repair or construct new roads. There were major traffic delays (over an hour for us) where long stretches of roads had been torn up and visitors were forced to drive on gravel or dirt surfaces. The Park website and newsletter update these closures or delays on an ongoing basis, so be sure to check first… we learned the hard way!
7. Seasonality
The Park is open year round, but most roads are closed (depending on weather) from early November to mid-April. The only road likely to remain open during the winter is between the North entrance and the Northeast entrance. From December through March, certain areas of the Park open up to oversnow (snowmobiles or snow coaches) vehicles. Yellowstone in winter must be magical!
8. Wildlife
Yellowstone’s wildlife wanders throughout the Park. There are very strict restrictions on feeding wild animals – basically, they cannot be fed at all, and all garbage must be placed in the bear-proof dumpsters conveniently located throughout the Park. We saw many bison, elk, a moose, but not a bear. However, we saw several at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, just outside the Park. This nonprofit foundation takes bears and other animals that have become nuisance bears or orphaned cubs of a nuisance bear. These bears learned to obtain food from people, damaged property in search of food, or became aggressive toward people. Instead of being destroyed, the eight bears that reside at the Center were rescued and are ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild.
9. Passes
Realizing that it takes several days just to explore the tip of Yellowstone, the Park sells a 7-day pass for $30 per vehicle. But that wonderful America the Beautiful Senior Pass works here – for as many days as you want to enjoy the natural beauty that is Yellowstone.
Despite its popularity and notoriety, Yellowstone is large enough and has the facilities to provide tremendous outdoor experiences for a large number of people. And everyone should get to experience it at least once. It’s a magical place.
Until next time…
Related Blog: RVing Basics for Visiting National Parks
How long suggested time to see everything? Is it best to stay in one park and drive around or maybe two different parks? Suggestions of parks that allow dogs please.
Thanks for the article, particularly the heads up on the planning for the entrances and road construction. My husband and I (and our Aussie) are planning to go at the end of next month. We are also booked to stay in a park just outside due to bringing our dog. We are also planning to see Mt Rushmore. Both are firsts for us, so we're excited.
since i bought my rv (new) the emergency brake lever has been really (too) easy to engage.However, I didn't know it wasn't working at all!I had it aligned the other day (was wearing on the inside treads) and asked them to check the emergency brake.They said it was gone , metal to metal,and it was because someone had driven it with the emergency brake on! Well, that has never happened-I don't think you could drive it with the emergency brake on.So,$1908 later I'm at a loss on who to contact Mercedes? Winnebago?RV Corral?
Live in Calgary, Canada. Have not seen Yellowstone Park, mostly kept to summer touring of Canada, as 80 yrs. old, single, and apprehensive about American health care system from previous experience on Florida Keys many years ago.
Are there off road cycling trails to ride
I can’t find much information about the lithium battery
Like the blog area on the web page. Lots of useful information. Thanks
very good info
Hi we are traveling by rv 24' leaving Ca on Sept 17 in SF. And headed eventually to mt Rushmore seeing as many sights as we can. We also are bringing 2 kayaks for fun and fishing. Dan and Renee. We hope to return to SF by Oct 3
I must warn you that when traveling through Jackson Hole WY have plenty of cash because it is a Tourist Trap town and very expensive to visit! I lived here as a young boy and couldn't wait to bring my wife back here to see the wonders of Yellowstone where we would come almost every weekend for picnics and exploration. Wow, what a difference 45 years makes on a place! But it is so Beautiful here, you won't think of the cost until after your visit is over and even though it is summer here you may want to bring along a pair of long pants, long sleeve shirt and a jacket because you never know when a storm will blow in. While we were here in the summer of 2015 we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt on a nice warm and sunny day when a storm blew in and we in our shorts and tank tops sat there freezing our little tush it's off, because you know when you travel all that way from down south you are not going to miss that eruption show! When it was over we practically ran back to the truck and we had even stopped and bought a sweatshirt and all the gloves that were left as everyone else was caught off guard too so nearly everything to keep you warm was sold out, even the hot chocolate and coffee! It was a trip I wouldn't have missed for anything though, just be prepared for anything!