We will be travelling from South Dakota to the Yellowstone area in mid-July. As the Fishing Bridge RV park is full we have now decided to stay at a campsite in West Yellowstone, before moving on to the Grand Teton area and then to Estes Park. We will be pulling a 35' trailer with a F250 diesel. Will we be okay driving through the park to avoid going round it? Can anyone recommend the best route for us to take with a rig this size? Any help will be much appreciated!
Hi again Britmom, This time I won't hesitate answering you question waiting for others to do so. The simplest answer is that thousands of RVers drive the park roads every summer with rigs as big or bigger than yours. I am not saying it is easy, just that with concentration and care is can be done. I don't see going around the park as a viable option. The added hours and miles are not worth it on a one week trip. Since you are coming from South Dakota, I would guess that you are entering the park from the east. This would involve driving through a significant portion of the park just getting to West Yellowstone. Even if you are entering from the north or northeast, you will be driving through the park to get to West Yellowstone. From West Yellowstone to the Tetons involves driving through the southern part of Yellowstone, along the JDRockafeller Pkwy, and into Tetons NP. If you go west from West Yellowstone, south through Idaho, and then back east to the Tetons, you've added hours and lots of miles. Again, have a great trip.
Britmom: We just did part of the Yellowstone drive you mention. We stayed at Bridge Bay near Fishing Bridge. The highway from West Yellowstone to West Thumb is in good condition, with lots of very large RVs on it. The road from West Thumb on down to the Grand Tetons is pretty good, with a narrow segment as a descent down to the park's south entrance. We are 42 feet with the truck and 5th wheel and didn't have any problem. Be forewarned that there is a major highway construction project just as you enter the Rockefeller Parkway section. The signs warn of a 45 to 60 minute delay on the one-lane gravel road through the construction. On the way into the park from the Tetons, we hit this section wrong and waited about 50 minutes for the Lead Vehicle to take us through. On our way out of the park, we were lucky in this section and only had to wait about 5 minutes. The construction comprises a rough gravel segment of about 10 miles. You are led through and so everyone is driving very slowly. There is also construction (on a smaller scale) along the highway in the Tetons. Have fun. We loved both parks.
Thanks guys for the advice..and the reassurance! The info re Rockafeller Parkway construction is useful - hopefully this won't cause us too much of a problem as we can't check into the site in Grand Teton until 4pm so we should be able to take our time on the journey there.
Just got back from that part of the country. You will have no trouble with the roads you mentioned. Just take it easy-- there will be people stopping all along the road to see wildlife-- so keep your speed down. The construction mentioned is bad and the road is all gravel-- just take it easy and be patient. Hope you are staying at Grizzly in W Yellowstone. It is the best campground there.
Thanks for this Bud and also for the reassuring comments re Colter Bay RV Park. We are stayng at Lionshead RV in W Yellowstone - hope it's ok, will post a review!
