Yellowstone National Park

dmpdmp · 01-02-2019, 11:42 AM

Looking for information, has anyone had and experience driving their Winnebago View motorhome through Yellowstone or Aches National Parks. Interested if it was difficult driving the roads and finding parking spaces. Thanks

armullis · 01-02-2019, 11:56 AM

Check this web page for details on camping in an RV in Yellowstone NP. There is only one campground that has full hookups for RV's and that is at Fishing Bridge RV Park and it is closed for all of 2019.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

Outside the park are several RV parks that can accommodate your RV.

rarebear.nm · 01-02-2019, 12:34 PM

I do not have a View, but have been through both NPs with a Crew cab, long bed pickup that is close to the length of a View. No problems driving the roads or parking. At both parks you'll see many of the smaller rental Class Cs all over the place.

Just go and enjoy yourself.

DariusB · 01-02-2019, 01:10 PM

i saw several Class C Sprinter chassis rigs at the far parking lot in Arches last Fall. Easy drive through that park to any trail head or drive right up and look attraction.

AJMike · 01-02-2019, 02:14 PM

I have been to both national parks, but to Arches more frequently and more recently than Yellowstone.

The initial drive into Arches is up a long, steep and winding inclined road, but that is more of a problem leaving than entering as you need to keep your speed down. Once past that there is no problem and many of the more popular spots have special RV parking places. That does not mean that you will find any places to park as the place is very busy and very popular, but there are no road issues past the entrance drive.

We camped at Bay Bridge Campground in Yellowstone and they can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet. We were using a TT at the time so I do not remember if there were RV parking places at the more popular spots, and since we are now using a Class C I am interested in hearing what others say about that.

**creativepart** · 01-02-2019, 02:38 PM

Traffic will be your only problem in Yellowstone.

**ThomB** · 01-02-2019, 02:49 PM

We came in the West entrance last year at Yellowstone with our 33' ClassA and a toad behind it and went over to the East entrance from there to get to Fishing Bridge. The roads in the park are fine for a Class C. As Creativepart said the traffic will be bad and depending on the time of the year parking at some of the attractions may be difficult but getting around shouldn't be a problem (well, the lookie-lou's may block the road a bit in some places if there are bears and other animals close enough to try to get a picture)

When we were in Arches a few weeks later we did not drive into the park and we didn't see too many RV's (nor people for that matter) in Arches so I can't answer from that aspect.

Ramjet · 01-02-2019, 04:48 PM

Drove in Yellowstone from south entrance to West Yellowstone, but drove toad into sites, as it’s tight and hard to park much else.

Tour 42 QD

RJ2 · 01-07-2019, 08:19 AM

Access is very easy in all areas with the View , in September .. we would never even consider any other time of year . Heard to many stories was wasted trips
and waiting in the convoy line only to not get a double space.

AJMike · 01-07-2019, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armullis

Check this web page for details on camping in an RV in Yellowstone NP. There is only one campground that has full hookups for RV's and that is at Fishing Bridge RV Park and it is closed for all of 2019.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

Outside the park are several RV parks that can accommodate your RV.

Thanks for posting that. We have a trip planned for late Spring and had expected to stop there and camp.

DGundy · 01-09-2019, 06:50 PM

We were there this past spring. Arches is easy to drive with a Class A around 30 feet. We had views that others could not see because of our height. When we visited Yellowstone, there were many Class C's and a few A's in the designated parking lot for RV's. The Visitor's Center has bus transportation in the park to get you to the look-out points.

AJMike · 01-10-2019, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGundy

The Visitor's Center has bus transportation in the park to get you to the look-out points.

Do the buses stop at the in-park campgrounds?

We want to stop there on our Spring trip but I have been concerned that our Class C is too big to use for general around-the-park transportation and too difficult to find parking for. I thought we might go to one of the in-park campgrounds and take the bus to go to the interesting places, but I do not know how good or frequent the bus service is, or where they stop. Do you know?

Uncle Albert · 01-10-2019, 07:50 AM

We took our 2015 Winnie/Itasca Reyo (Sprinter chassis, approx. 26 feet long) to Yellowstone in May of 2017, camped at Fishing Bridge and drove everywhere and had no problems parking...yes, bear and bison jams reduced the two-lane roads to a single, tight center lane with cars lining both sides of the road...we went early in the season so that helped with crowds and parking...but don't hesitate and make sure y’all do the Beartooth Pass...out of all our RV adventures over the past 30,000 miles, Beartooth Pass remains one of our most spectacular and memorable drives ever

old_engineer · 01-10-2019, 07:56 AM

We were in Yellowstone in the spring of 2017 towing a travel trailer with an F-150. Some of the older, smaller sites had smaller parking lots and spaces. At a couple of these attractions that were busy I had to fold in the mirrors to get enough clearance to open doors. I'm not sure I could have fit a Class C into those spaces. The larger attractions such as Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs have more parking with RV and larger regular spaces where it would be easier to park. I can't speak to the peak season but seeing what I have on the TV and talking to local family members it will be very crowded. So I think you will be ok at the bigger attractions but might have problems at some of the sites with smaller parking lots.

Just a side note. We stayed at Fishing Bridge campground being our first time. We arrived opening week in May and still had 6 feet of snow in the campground making an already tight area even tighter. Adding to that folks with larger rigs did not have room to park on their site with the snow so parallel parked along the road. It didn't affect us much as we had a smaller trailer at the time. It would have been a lot more work with our current 21 ft Micro Minnie or a larger trailer. We don't regret staying in the park but we have decided our next trip we will likely stay at a campground in West Yellowstone. With the longer distances to everything in the park having to drive in really doesn't add much to the day. Also keep in mind in the park cell service is sketchy, there is no cable and over the air TV reception non-existent.

Not to scare you with the snow. All of the various thermal attractions were open, snow free and made for nice walking. The daytime temps were comfortable and the most we needed was a light jacket on one windy day. Nighttime was below freezing so we always disconnected and ran off the fresh water tank.

Uncle Albert · 01-10-2019, 08:16 AM

Old_engineer:
We might have been neighbors since we arrived on May 12, 2017 at Fishing Bridge and yes, there was snow and low temps at Fishing Bridge but we were ready for both and yes, we did unhook the freshwater at night due to low overnight temps...one day, during that first week, we unhooked (no toad) and drove to Jackson Hole and a snowstorm prevented us from returning to Fishing Bridge so we hooked around and camped at West Yellowstone until we could return to our campsite at Fishing Bridge...all in all, going early in the season was a mondo good decision that we commented on repeatedly...later, dude

Husqvarna · 01-10-2019, 09:32 AM

We have a 2005 40' VECTRA bus. We drove most of the main roads in the park in 2017. We did not have our car hauler with us. First of all most of the roads do not have sloping sides. Most of the time it is a drop off and if one dropped wheels off there could be a roll-over or immediate stuck. Some of the roads had thermal vents coming through the asphalt, making me wonder about structural integrity. (Go around.) Almost any wild life sightings defined parked vehicles both sides making driving 2 way traffic tricky. Carefully scout small parking lots before entering to ensure maneuverability. For the most part a very enjoyable trip around the park. Plan at least four days for a drive through stopping along the way. We stayed in the towns just outside the park entrances. Make reservations early as these parks fill up quickly early in the respective seasons.

Brian & Mia

PS I'm not good with heights and there were times where I created traffic jams going slow due to extreme drop offs/cliffs, etc.

wd4kaq · 01-10-2019, 10:45 AM

I echo uncle alberts post reccomending to not miss Beartooth.Pass. The most beautiful and spectacular drives we’ve encountered on our many trips out west.

old_engineer · 01-10-2019, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Albert

Old_engineer:
We might have been neighbors since we arrived on May 12, 2017 at Fishing Bridge and yes, there was snow and low temps at Fishing Bridge but we were ready for both and yes, we did unhook the freshwater at night due to low overnight temps...one day, during that first week, we unhooked (no toad) and drove to Jackson Hole and a snowstorm prevented us from returning to Fishing Bridge so we hooked around and camped at West Yellowstone until we could return to our campsite at Fishing Bridge...all in all, going early in the season was a mondo good decision that we commented on repeatedly...later, dude

We left on the 12th and headed up to Bozeman to visit with family. We had snow in Bozeman and hit some when we were were at Custer State Park. Of course snow isn't strange up there. My sister has had measurable snow on her birthday more than once and her birthday is in August. Custer State Park is another place I would recommend. The state campgrounds are electric only but nicely laid out sites with clean bathhouses.

Unfortunately we are limited for time as the DW has a few more years before she can retire. We had three full days in the park which allowed us to see a lot of the main attractions but we did feel rushed. Our plan is once my wife retires is to go back up to that area and spend a month doing it rather than 8 days of marathon driving there and back with the park in the middle.

brican · 01-30-2019, 10:41 PM

We drove our 2016 Via (26') to Arches, Grand Teton, Yellowstone then on to Canada. We camped in Moab and drove the TOAD (Mini Cooper) through Arches. We probably could have driven the Via but parking is easier with the Mini. Same in Yellowstone, we drove the Mini to see the sights. We entered the south entrance of Yellowstone and left through the north entrance. We camped at Fishing Bridge for two nights. We could have driven the Via in Yellowstone okay but some of the parking areas are very tight.

It is a good thing that the Fishing Bridge campsite is closed as it needs to be remodeled. It was in very bad shape. The road in front of the campsite was under construction last summer and should be finished this year if it is not done now.

We now need to go back and see Beartooth Pass.

Diesel-Lover · 02-06-2019, 10:21 PM

The view is small enough for every paved road as long as you can navigate well ie.. don't get spooked by some narrow spots. If you havent been to southern Utah, I highly recommend the circle of fire route, kodachrome valley is so aptly names. monument valley, elephants etc etc, Brice and Zion too are great. As mentioned above nothing like going for a morning hike returning to the rig at the trail head, having a quick shower and a lunch perhaps a nap and after the sun has waned a bit go back out for a second hike! Also do stop in Mesa Verde its an awesome place. As to number of camping stop, the number of possible spots available to your RV increase as the length goes down! Though this is changing as more parks are upgrading their facilities to accommodate 35 plus ft RVs, though that will take some times in the government parks. BTW always ask if they have an overflow area, you can boon dock there if the rangers are in a good mood!