Driving through Yellowstone in an RV

[DenMig]

Hello, looking for advice. We will be driving an RV out to Yellowstone this summer. We are booked in a campground in Cody WY, and then another in West Yellowstone, Montana. We will be driving a car and taking a bus tour through Yellowstone during our stay. My question is the best way to drive the RV from Cody to West Yellowstone. Can I go through the park or do I have to go around it like google maps suggests ? If I go around it is it mountain driving ? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[bcla]

The park roads are narrow and there are areas with drop offs. Some areas might get tight with cars parked on both sides - some possibly blocking traffic. An RV might be tough, especially finding a place to park if you need to take a break.

You can certainly do it, but it's not going to be a breeze. Be careful with speed and tight turns. Once I saw a full size RV in Yosemite that tipped over.

 

[Kona65]

The first item I would purchase is a really good tour book. You need actual facts, not just opinions.

 

[momz]

you are pulling an RV with a car? Through the mountains? I must be misunderstanding something.

 

[DenMig]

you are pulling an RV with a car? Through the mountains? I must be misunderstanding something.

We are driving the RV and pulling the car. When we explore Yellowstone we will use the car. We also booked a bus tour. My question is relocating the RV from point A (Cody) to point B (West Yellowstone). Basically the easiest, not necessarily shortest route. The RV will remain parked at the camp sites.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

This is not going to be very helpful because I remember almost nothing of it, but I know my parents drove a 32' RV (not towing a car) through Yellowstone back in the 90's. So unless they've made the roads worse since then... I remember my dad refusing to drive after dark and I think there were a few nervous moments, but for the most part it was fine. Yosemite, on the other hand, was the terror-inducing white-knuckle drive that he swore he would never do again.

 

[indygirl99]

Hello, looking for advice. We will be driving an RV out to Yellowstone this summer. We are booked in a campground in Cody WY, and then another in West Yellowstone, Montana. We will be driving a car and taking a bus tour through Yellowstone during our stay. My question is the best way to drive the RV from Cody to West Yellowstone. Can I go through the park or do I have to go around it like google maps suggests ? If I go around it is it mountain driving ? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Drive through the park. If the buses can get through with no problems then the RV will be no problem.

And just think of the view and the things you will see with you higher up view.

Enjoy Yellowstone.

 

[bcla]

you are pulling an RV with a car? Through the mountains? I must be misunderstanding something.

I'm pretty sure the reference is to the RV towing the car. There are ways to tow a car with an RV. There's dinghy towing:

There's towing with a tow bar:

Or a full trailer:

 

[bcla]

This is not going to be very helpful because I remember almost nothing of it, but I know my parents drove a 32' RV (not towing a car) through Yellowstone back in the 90's. So unless they've made the roads worse since then... I remember my dad refusing to drive after dark and I think there were a few nervous moments, but for the most part it was fine. Yosemite, on the other hand, was the terror-inducing white-knuckle drive that he swore he would never do again.

It still gets narrow, and can get tricky around bear jams and where vehicles are parked everywhere.

That being said, I noted that I was in Yosemite when there was a jam after an RV tipped over. They were working of getting it upright, but in the meantime rangers were setting up one-way traffic controls as well as stopping everything when the equipment needed to take up the entire road.

As for whether or not to do it, I'd like to see it in Google Maps, but right now I can't get past the seasonal closures. It's giving me about a 5.5 hour route through Bozeman. Part of it is freeway though. It's a lot more direct through Yellowstone, but the limits are 45 MPH and there are often slowdowns when someone sees a large animal. It might take less than four hours through the park, but it's up to the OP to figure if it's worth it. Some of the roads outside the park can be hairy too.

 

[jdb in AZ]

When I was a teen my dad drove through Yellowstone in a station wagon pulling a 24-ft travel trailer. We also went through Glacier National Park and up to Calgary. But dad was an expert driver. Definitely not something for a novice to attempt.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I would avoid Bear Tooth Pass (northeast entrance).

 

[Jaya]

I'll give you my personal opinion. We drove through Yellowstone several times, leaving our trailer in Cody. I would not have been easy in my mind pulling the fifth wheel through Yellowstone. The traffic can be brutal at times. When the wildlife is abundant, people will pull over on the side of the road to get out and take pictures.....on both sides of the road and that leaves about a lane-and-a-half for two-way traffic to get through, sort of like threading a tiny-eyed needle with a piece of twine. If you wanted/needed to stop for any reason, it'd be the devil to find a parking place for an RV/car combo.

My recommendation is to go north on 310, west on 90 and south on 356. The mileage through the park from Cody to West Yellowstone is approx. 135 miles. The alternate route is 356 miles, but you can go faster. At the best conditions, it takes about 3 hours to go through the park (and if you're there in tourist season, there are seldom "best" conditions) or 6 hours on my recommended route. If there is a major "snag" in the park, you're pretty much stuck there.

We've been north on 310...no problems. West on 90 is absolutely no problems. I've never been south on 356, so I can't give a personal recommendation, but it is the main route from 90 into West Yellowstone, so it can't be too bad. Going south on 191 from 90 is an alternative, but I don't think it's as good a road as 356 and the time works out about the same. You can also take 89 south from 90 to 191 west (it cuts through a corner of the park) but I think it's a pretty narrow road, too.

Hope this helps. Have a great time, however you go! Where are you camping in Cody? We stay at the Ponderosa - great location.

 

[DenMig]

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone, it's very helpful.

 

[DenMig]

I'll give you my personal opinion. We drove through Yellowstone several times, leaving our trailer in Cody. I would not have been easy in my mind pulling the fifth wheel through Yellowstone. The traffic can be brutal at times. When the wildlife is abundant, people will pull over on the side of the road to get out and take pictures.....on both sides of the road and that leaves about a lane-and-a-half for two-way traffic to get through, sort of like threading a tiny-eyed needle with a piece of twine. If you wanted/needed to stop for any reason, it'd be the devil to find a parking place for an RV/car combo.

My recommendation is to go north on 310, west on 90 and south on 356. The mileage through the park from Cody to West Yellowstone is approx. 135 miles. The alternate route is 356 miles, but you can go faster. At the best conditions, it takes about 3 hours to go through the park (and if you're there in tourist season, there are seldom "best" conditions) or 6 hours on my recommended route. If there is a major "snag" in the park, you're pretty much stuck there.

We've been north on 310...no problems. West on 90 is absolutely no problems. I've never been south on 356, so I can't give a personal recommendation, but it is the main route from 90 into West Yellowstone, so it can't be too bad. Going south on 191 from 90 is an alternative, but I don't think it's as good a road as 356 and the time works out about the same. You can also take 89 south from 90 to 191 west (it cuts through a corner of the park) but I think it's a pretty narrow road, too.

Hope this helps. Have a great time, however you go! Where are you camping in Cody? We stay at the Ponderosa - great location.

Thanks. Makes sense. We are allowing for a travel day, so if it takes six hours that's not a big deal at all. I was leaning towards doing that but I wanted opinions of people who have made the drive, whether in an rv or not. Appreciate the feedback. As far as where to stay we booked the KOA. We are in Cody over the 4th of July and are looking to go to the parade, fireworks, rodeo, and enjoy the holiday there so we aren't too concerned about being at the campground. I'll have to check out Ponderosa though, you peaked my curiosity.

 

[bcla]

Thanks. Makes sense. We are allowing for a travel day, so if it takes six hours that's not a big deal at all. I was leaning towards doing that but I wanted opinions of people who have made the drive, whether in an rv or not. Appreciate the feedback. As far as where to stay we booked the KOA. We are in Cody over the 4th of July and are looking to go to the parade, fireworks, rodeo, and enjoy the holiday there so we aren't too concerned about being at the campground. I'll have to check out Ponderosa though, you peaked my curiosity.

Camping in Yellowstone would be a lot more convenient, but I'm guessing you already looked into it.

 

[rajak73]

Don't know how helpful this will be but, If I remember when we were at Yellowstone, we stayed in Yellowstone and then left for Cody through the east entrance and on to Cody on Hwy 14. Pretty drive but mountainous. We were pulling a fifth wheel at the time. You wouldn't have much trouble with the roads in Yellowstone, other than what's been said about people pulling over, etc. I would probably go the north route if just driving to West Yellowstone, might not be quite as rough driving.

 

[cabanafrau]

Trip Advisor has a discussion forum for Yellowstone trip planning. It was very helpful when I was trying to plan a visit a few years back.

 

[mom2rtk]

The first item I would purchase is a really good tour book. You need actual facts, not just opinions.

Kona65, I love your avatar photo! I really want to see Mesa Arch at sunrise one day!

 

[Kona65]

Kona65, I love your avatar photo! I really want to see Mesa Arch at sunrise one day!

The sun setting over Monument Valley is also beautiful. My retirement starts in Southern Utah.

 

[mom2rtk]

The sun setting over Monument Valley is also beautiful. My retirement starts in Southern Utah.

Can't think of a better way to retire!