Yellowstone

[Hidden_Mickey]

Most RVs have toilets and showers, albeit small ones. If you've ever been to Europe you've seen an RV bathroom.

Given that neither of you have ever driven a motorhome I would I would encourage you to rent an RV and stay at a state park closer to home, see how you like it. If you rent an RV in NY it's going to take you almost a week of driving just to get to YNP. Do you want to travel that way? Also, with an RV you can't go as fast as you would with a car. Most people find that 300-400 miles a day is max and it's hard to drive more than 3 days in a row at max. We traveled a couple days, then stopped a day or so. This way we didn't get worn out driving so hard

Personally, I love RV trips. We took our kids on a 2-month trip around the country when they were 12 & 14. We had a blast and came home closer than ever. That's not to say that it's easy. If you want to know what it's like, spend an entire weekend in your bedroom with the kids, some board games and a cooler. Do not leave the bedroom except to go outside to play, drive the car or build a campfire. If you have to use the stove and microwave, go downstairs and cook, then bring all the food and drink back up to the bedroom. We spent 2 months in our 19-foot trailer. Very, very cozy. Let's just say we know more about each other's "habits" than you'd ever want to know. But we can't wait to do it again.

We would fly to WY, then rent it there. There is NO WAY I would drive from here I'm thinking it might be nice when we retire. We had a tough time with the kids staying in the small room at the All Stars, thank goodness we weren't in the room much!

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

More questions - where do you pick up supplies, like water, snacks, etc? I assume there is no SuperWalmart inside the park?

What about laundry facilities? Not that I want to do laundry on vacation, but I think I would rest easier knowing that I could do a load or 2 of wash if I had to. Traveling with kids is always an adventure .

 

[minkydog]

Thank you because your comment about driving the RV through the pass got him to admit he is not too keen in actually driving the "rolling terd", lol, just thought it would be fun. I think he wants to go camping instead of staying in a hotel. Are there places to stay in a tent or cabin, but you are not totally roughing it on your own? I can see this turning into City Slickers

Sure, there are good campgrounds inside Yellowstone. Some of them have pit toilets and no showers. None of the campgrounds inside YNP have electricity or water, but there is water available.Bring your empty containers. you'll need some way to cook food. and understand that ALL your food, deodorant, lip gloss, cold drinks, cooking utensils, etc, have to be locked up in the bear boxes provided. You CANNOT leave out any food stuffs, no coolers, no grills, no candy or snacks. And definitely none of that stuff in your tent. some of the campgrounds do have restrooms, but only a few have showers and laundry. You probably have to be very okay with roughing it a bit.

If you're really not the camping type there are cabins inside and outside the park. There are advantages to both. We thoroughly enjoyed roughing it at Yellowstone, but then we've been a camping family for generations.

 

[ringaswan]

More questions - where do you pick up supplies, like water, snacks, etc? I assume there is no SuperWalmart inside the park?

What about laundry facilities? Not that I want to do laundry on vacation, but I think I would rest easier knowing that I could do a load or 2 of wash if I had to. Traveling with kids is always an adventure .

visit this site: http://www.travelyellowstone.com/ and you can find some of the answers to your questions.

there are small stores in each of the major 'hubs' (Mammoth, Canyon, Lake, Old Faithful) in Yellowstone ... they sell all sorts of goods. Gas stations too. Expect to pay more $$ for stuff.

Definitely no SuperWalMart there. Thankfully.

 

[minkydog]

More questions - where do you pick up supplies, like water, snacks, etc? I assume there is no SuperWalmart inside the park?

What about laundry facilities? Not that I want to do laundry on vacation, but I think I would rest easier knowing that I could do a load or 2 of wash if I had to. Traveling with kids is always an adventure .

There are very limited groceries & other supplies within the park. We ran out of diapers and gerbil food*don't ask* while we were there and would have been up a creek if my sister hadn't been about 5hours away and near a Walmart. If you want any variety or need something special you'd be better off going up to Gardiner or West Yellowstone to one of their grocery stores. I wouldn't know where to find a Walmart--Bozeman??

There are big laundry facilities at the Fishing Bridge campground. That's where the pay-showers are too, if you're camping at a site that does not have showers you can go there and get cleaned up nice for about $3. We put our clothes in , go get a shower and a snack, put clothes in dryer, go get some ice cream at the General Store on site there, come back and everything is ready to fold & go.

The other thing you might need to know is there is very little cell phone coverage in Yellowstone. We could occasionally get some bars when we were near Old Faithful or Canyon, and in the neighboring towns, but they don't have cell towers within the park. They also don't have TV or internet access in the cabins and hotel rooms on-site. So if that's a necessity, you'd be better to stay in Gardiner or West Yellowstone.

I know some people have suggested staying in Cody, but really it's pretty far, a good long hour's drive over a pass. You can be in Yellowstone within 15 minutes if you stay at either Gardiner or West Yellowstone.

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

OK, I've read a few books and we are now in the beginning stages of planning... OMG it's overwhelming! We think we may want to fly into Billings, drive through Yellowstone & the Tetons, then fly out of Jackson Hole. I'm trying to research flights for all the airports (one way/RT, whatever) for July 2010 to see what the options and prices are, but the airlines' schedules only go through May 2010! I can see the flights on Expedia but not the prices, which, duh, is the most important factor in the decision. So, until I can decide on what airports we are going to use, how can I make hotel reservations? I looked at July 2009 flights for comparison, but can I be sure that the prices will translate to next year? When should we book flights? Way early? Or closer to when we leave? How many months ahead? How are y'all dealing with this issue? The airports we use will determine what route we will take, which will dictate which hotels we need on certain dates... Ugh....TIA!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

We are staying at Fishing Bridge campground, how far away from there is the Roosevelt Cookout?

 

[Simba's Mom]

We are staying at Fishing Bridge campground, how far away from there is the Roosevelt Cookout?

Fishing bridge campground is about 37 miles from Roosevelt. However allow time for this to happen-

We just got back from Yellowstone last week and I have a map with distances. BTW, the fishing bridge campground looks really nice. We stayed near there. Don't hesitate to ask questions about Yellowstone. However, we didn't go to the Roosevelt Cookout.

It IS overwhelming to plan a trip.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Fishing bridge campground is about 37 miles from Roosevelt. However allow time for this to happen-

We just got back from Yellowstone last week and I have a map with distances. BTW, the fishing bridge campground looks really nice. We stayed near there. Don't hesitate to ask questions about Yellowstone. However, we didn't go to the Roosevelt Cookout.

It IS overwhelming to plan a trip.

Thank you so much. We leave soon (as you can see on my countdown ticker). My DH and I are going with my parents in their 5th Wheel so I wanted to try and surprise them with something nice while we are there.

 

[minkydog]

OK, I've read a few books and we are now in the beginning stages of planning... OMG it's overwhelming! We think we may want to fly into Billings, drive through Yellowstone & the Tetons, then fly out of Jackson Hole. I'm trying to research flights for all the airports (one way/RT, whatever) for July 2010 to see what the options and prices are, but the airlines' schedules only go through May 2010! I can see the flights on Expedia but not the prices, which, duh, is the most important factor in the decision. So, until I can decide on what airports we are going to use, how can I make hotel reservations? I looked at July 2009 flights for comparison, but can I be sure that the prices will translate to next year? When should we book flights? Way early? Or closer to when we leave? How many months ahead? How are y'all dealing with this issue? The airports we use will determine what route we will take, which will dictate which hotels we need on certain dates... Ugh....TIA!

What my family did was make their hotel reservations first, then watch & wait for good airfare. They found that Cody & Jackson had the highest fares. Billings and Bozeman weren't too bad. But if you really want a great price, fly into Salt Lake City. It's about a 6hr drive, not too bad.

We stayed in the Yellowstone & Grand Tetons area for 10 days. We didn't fly, we had our camper. Breaking the trip into three "legs" helped us to manage our time better. We spent 3 days using West Yellowstone as our home base. It's not at all hard to drive in and out from the West entrance. You can see the Madison, Norris, and Old Faithful areas easily from there.

Then we drove to the Grand Tetons NP and stayed in some really cute old cabins at Colter Bay for 2 days. GTNP is totally different from YNP. Totally. You will be amazed at how different the geography is. DBro got a fishing guide in Jackson who took him fly fishing up on the Snake River. He said that just made the whole trip for him. Plus he got so see several moose and mooselings.

Then we drove *back* to Yellowstone for 5 days, but stayed on the east side in the Bridge Bay area. That way we could see Grant, Lake Yellowstone, Hayden Valley(bison, bison,bison!) and were able to make some forays up to Canyon, Tower, Roosevelt, and Mammoth. Take a picnic so you can stop and smell the sulfur

Distances are deceiving at Yellowstone. Everything takes longer than you think. That's why we divided our trip so that we were staying on different sides of the park. The map might say something is 37 miles away, but it doesn't say you're going to be navigating switchbacks at 15mph down a pass or sitting at a dead stop for 40 minutes because you've got a bull bison laying in the middle of the road. That 37 miles can easily turn into a 2hr+ drive.

That said, you have to have a go with the flow attitude. Relax and let it happen to you. Yellowstone is the most marvelous, curious, unknowable place on earth. Don't try to see and do it all--you can't. Think of this as your FIRST trip to Yellowstone, because I guarantee once the bug bites you'll be counting the time until you get to go back.

...mmmm, next trip: 2011

 

[Philagoofy]

I haven't read all of the replies so I apologize if I'm repeating anything. There is so much to see and do in Yellowstone NP that it would be best to stay in the park. We flew into Cody, rented a car & spent the day there, although it was about a 2 hour drive to the place we stayed in the park. There was a good restaurant with a wild west type show out front. I'm sorry, I don't have names of things right now.

We spent two weeks in the park & filled every day. There's more than just Old Faithful as you'll see when you read up about the park. We took a day trip to the Grand Tetons but you could easily spend several days there.

I would say definitely don't miss Artists Point for a most spectaclular view of lower Yellowstone Falls, but then I have to say, don't miss so many other areas because there are many unique, awe-inspiring, natural, beautiful scenic areas to explore.

Hope you have a grand vacation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm gonna bump this thread up because I just made reservations for Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful Snow Lodge for Christmas. Right now we have one night at Mammoth, three nights at Old Faithful and then three more nights at Mammoth. We've mading dining reservations for all seven nights and reserved the snow coach to get from Mammoth to Old Faithful and back again. We'll probably fly to Billings and drive to Mammoth.

We did this 17 years ago when I was pregnant and now our son is 16. We have wanted to do this again, so we are doing it this year. I was watching a program about bears in Yellowstone on TV this afternoon and we just went from there.

Hot dog.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm gonna bump this thread up because I just made reservations for Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful Snow Lodge for Christmas. Right now we have one night at Mammoth, three nights at Old Faithful and then three more nights at Mammoth. We've mading dining reservations for all seven nights and reserved the snow coach to get from Mammoth to Old Faithful and back again. We'll probably fly to Billings and drive to Mammoth.

We did this 17 years ago when I was pregnant and now our son is 16. We have wanted to do this again, so we are doing it this year. I was watching a program about bears in Yellowstone on TV this afternoon and we just went from there.

Hot dog.

That is so cool to stay in Yellowstone at Christmas. DH has talked about it, but we don't even know how to do it. Is there a bus to take you from outside to Mammoth or can you drive? We stayed in the Mammoth Cabins last June and it was our favorite place so far, what with the little deck on the cabin where you can sit.

Can you see much wildlife in the wintertime? In our 3 trips, all in June, we still haven't seen a wolf yet. I read that you might have better luck in the winter.

 

[Deb & Bill]

That is so cool to stay in Yellowstone at Christmas. DH has talked about it, but we don't even know how to do it. Is there a bus to take you from outside to Mammoth or can you drive? We stayed in the Mammoth Cabins last June and it was our favorite place so far, what with the little deck on the cabin where you can sit.

Can you see much wildlife in the wintertime? In our 3 trips, all in June, we still haven't seen a wolf yet. I read that you might have better luck in the winter.

They have snow coaches (last time they were minivans with snow treads on them) to take you from Mammoth to Old Faithful and from Old Faithful to Mammoth. There is also a snow coach that takes you from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful and back. We're still waiting to see what that will cost, but we have reservations for the ride. It's basically a four hour tour down and four hour back. They take your luggage in another vehicle. No cars in the park except from Mammoth to Cooke City which would be locked in if they didn't open the road.

When we were there 17 years ago, we had elk right outside our bedroom window at Mammoth. And they were wandering all over the Mammoth area. And at Old Faithful there were lots of hooved animals in the geyer areas - elk, bison, deer, etc.

There are lots of guided tours to the various areas, one into the Lamar Valley area where you should be able to see wolves.