Yellowstone 2019

**B_and_D** · 05-02-2018, 10:11 PM

I'm glad to hear that you found somewhere else to stay.

I feel really lucky; tried to make reservations where we usually go for the summer and got skunked, so we decided to go to Yellowstone instead. It's been on the bucket list for a long time.

We managed to get a spot in Fishing Bridge for 8 nights right before they will be shutting down for construction in early September. I didn't know that they were going to be closed in 2019, too.

Really looking forward to it!

scrubjaysnest · 05-06-2018, 12:48 PM

One of the reasons I don't like the reservation system, folks book over a year in advance at many places during the same time frame then don't bother to cancle the one they decide not to use. NPS as a general rule won't release the site when no one shows up.

Enjoy the trip Bill

**B_and_D** · 05-20-2018, 07:56 PM

If anyone is interested, when I checked yesterday, there are still 30' and under sites available in Fishing Bridge late August/September 2018.

**B_and_D** · 01-26-2020, 10:13 AM

We had to cancel the Yellowstone reservations, but want to go see it while we still can, and have the kids stay with us within a week (they live in CO now, we are sadly stuck in CA). I'm debating taking the trailer (about $80 for the whole camping fees vs driving the Prius and just getting a room for like $120 a night. I'm thinking that the gas and stress of taking the trailer so far away (tires are 4 years old with about less than 2000 miles on them) would make the cabin the best option, but we need to buy new tires anyways. The main reason that I'm afraid to take the TM is that they have campsites that we could fit into, but they mandate that you have to be under 40' combined truck and trailer fully expanded. I measured the TM and truck and combined they are is like 44' fully expanded, but the combination is 39' towing. If anyone has to been to Yellowstone and camped there in your TM, I would like to hear from you about how strict they are on this policy if you've ever stayed there. We could bring a couple of tents and leave the TM down, but I just don't want to stress out about going there. I would be much more comfortable staying in the TM vs the room.

**Bill** · 01-26-2020, 12:39 PM

Quote:

The main reason that I'm afraid to take the TM is that they have campsites that we could fit into, but they mandate that you have to be under 40' combined truck and trailer fully expanded. I measured the TM and truck and combined they are is like 44' fully expanded, but the combination is 39' towing. If anyone has to been to Yellowstone and camped there in your TM, I would like to hear from you about how strict they are on this policy

B and D -

I can comment only on Fishing Bridge, and only before the 2019 rebuild.

My experience is that in Fishing Bridge, all the sites require backing in from a tight loop road, so each site backs up against the site on the other half of the loop road. The sites are narrow, but each site is wide enough (barely) to park your tow vehicle beside your camper, if you are careful about how you position your camper. As I recall, the back end of each site was backed up by a log or big rocks as a stopper, so when you open the TM, the rear shell can hang out over the stopper. This reduces your effective length. And sites that backed up to each other are offset, which helps. Each time I was there, there were some HUGE fifth wheels in some of the sites, some of them protruding out into the access road a couple feet. No one seemed to do anything about it.

Fishing Bridge is not a fun campground because it is so tightly packed. But it is centrally located within the park (which is very large), and has hookups. Since we planned to spend all of our time exploring the park, and none of it sitting outside the camper, we put up with it. Your tolerance may be different.

I think it would be a good idea to call up Google Maps or Google Earth, and use the satellite view to see what the sites look like today. I just did, and you can see how the sites are arranged, how close they are, the parking for the tow vehicles in each site, and how many sites contain big fifth-wheels. I do not know if the 2019 rebuild was intended to space the sites out a bit, but it doesn't look like it. However, I don't think the TM would be a problem.

Bill

**Kidkraz** · 01-26-2020, 04:52 PM

honestly don't remember how strict they were when I stayed in 2017. I did mention my size and I had no issues getting two sites at the Madison camp ground. I went with a friend who towed a Rockwood who rig is 19 ft. We both had a good amount of room at both sites with our different rigs. There was also room for tents at the site.

I will stress they are VERY strict when it comes to leaving any food out. My friend set up his grill and stove at his site and got a warning from the rangers. He could set it up when it came time to cook, but it had to be broken down and stowed in the bear locker right after we had eaten. NO waivers or leeway. We ended up cooking inside the rig and left his stove and grill locked up till we left.
I do hope you get to see the park, I've been there 5 times and I would go back again. Its always evolving and is worth it. On our way home on this last trip, we cruised thru the Grand Tetons and spent the night.

Good luck and safe travels

**B_and_D** · 01-28-2020, 09:25 PM

Thanks for your replies. I got reservations at the Grants Village campground and we should be fine.

We're used to camping in Yosemite and the bear box issues. Apparently PAM nonstick spray is "food" and it got confiscated when we stayed there one time in a tent, but the ranger in the kiosk heard me looking for it and questioning DH about misplacing it, and he came over and gave it back after telling me that it was "food". Good to know. We won't have to worry about keeping stuff in the TM. We've never been bothered by bears in the TM, there are too many other "easy pickings" around to choose from.

What I didn't know is that Yellowstone is about 950 miles from Denver, CO! I was really surprised.

I was going to book one of the explorer cabins, but apparently they took them off the reservation site for later 2019 to do "renovations" and it was going to cost like $900 for 7 nights in the next cheapest place and you can't reheat or cook food in your room. So that wasn't going to work for us.

Hoping to have a great trip, thanks again!