Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Hello, I am a newbie and I am trying to plan a trip to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone for the last week of August.  I will be driving up from Boulder CO in my 39 ft. Class A diesel rig.  Any recommendations on where to stay while visiting the parks would be greatly appreciated. 

Also - I am thinking of towing or trailering either a Jeep Wrangler 4x4 or GMC Yukon XL 4x4.  Any recommendations on which hitch/brake set up to go with? Or is it a better way to go by trailering a car?

Last Question - I have seen the hard copy of the Woodall's Good Sam RV campsite book, is there an online RV campsite resource that is available, either paid or free service that offers similar information?

Thanks!
Steve

Where you stay at those parks depends on what kind of sites you are looking for.  We stayed at Colter Bay which is inside Grand Teton NP and has full hookups, although there also is a no-hookup park there as well.  The equivalent FHU park in Yellowstone is Fishing Bridge.  There are plenty of commercial parks in Jackson WY and West Yellowstone.  You may not be able to get reservations at the places inside the national parks this late in the season.  They are usually 100% full.

As for online resources for finding campgrounds, it sounds as if you've never used http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ which is the largest peeer review campground site on the web with over 180,000 reviews posted online.  You can also access the Woodalls directory online.  We tend to rely almost exclusively on RVParkReviews; usually the average opinion people have of a particular CG is pretty accurate even though some of the individual reviews may be a bit off the mark.

If you want hookups then I would recommend Colter Bay Village RV Park. It is centrally located in the Tetons and a very nice facility. If you don't want hookups then I recommend the Colter Bay Campground right next door.

In Yellowstone I would recommend Fishing Bridge if you want hookups. If you don't want hookups then I would recommend Madison, Canyon or Mammoth.

We have been in Island Park, ID all summer, 20 miles from the West Yellowstone gate. There are a number of places between here and West Yellowstone, but you can expect some interesting prices and have to wrestle for dates. RV Park Reviews will help you choose and is our personal preference.

Grizzly in West Yellowstone would probably be the best and then it runs the gamut. You do need to make your choices and get on the books this late in the season. We don't stay on the south side in the Tetons so we cannot help you there.

If you are not averse to driving, we have been back and forth from West Yellowstone to the Tetons to Jackson and back a number of times. The more time you have the easier it is.

We also rented a van in West Yellowstone to tour family earlier and that's an option (van or anything else) if you don't want to rig to tow. I think your Jeep may suit you better pulling all the way up from Colorado, but that's a personal preference. You will pull more than one or two grades coming up. We are quite satisfied with three years and over 25,000 miles on our Roadmaster All-Terrain setup with SMI Air Force One brakes.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the info! All is helpful.

For Tetons, look up Teton Valley, in Idaho 30 min ride to Jackson Hole, West Yellowstone look up Grizzley Campground.  I believe they still have openings we are booked for early August.

Jim

Steve, you need to understand that Yellowstone is huge and you will do a lot of driving.  Think of it as having two loops in a figure 8, the north loop and the south loop.  If you can stay at a couple places that might lessen some driving in increase sightseeing time.  For example, Old Faithful Geyser and the Yellowstone River falls are on the south loop.  The north loop has the Mammoth Hot Springs and the northeastern loop tends to have a lot of animals.  We stayed at West Yellowstone and had to drive 40-50 miles each day to start doing our adventures.

ArdraF

For the Tetons I would definitely recommend Colter Bay either the campground (dry) or the RV Park (FHU). The campground is first come and rarely fills during the week. Weekends may be different, but should be fine if you get the early (350 sites).

As mentioned previously the Jeep would be easier to tow because it weighs less. We use Roadmaster's Sterling All terrain tow bar and their Brakemaster braking system. That said Blue OX products are also great.

ken

Thanks for the great info.  I was able to reserve a place at Colter Bay Village RV Park for the Grand Teton portion.  Now working on the Yellowstone reservations.  Everyone's comments were a big help! 
Much appreciated!
Steve

Ken & Sheila said:

For the Tetons I would definitely recommend Colter Bay either the campground (dry) or the RV Park (FHU). The campground is first come and rarely fills during the week. Weekends may be different, but should be fine if you get the early (350 sites).

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I have never seen Colter Campground close to being full. Even on weekends during the middle of summer. The Tetons just are not crowded. Most people drive right through without stopping on their way to Yellowstone.

At sunset the best place in the Tetons is Oxbow Bend. It turns into a zoo without bars as all the critters come out to drink.

I just bought a used travel trailer. I know this may sound stupid but do i need to treat the black water tank If i am at a full hook=up facility with sewer?

wedoloco33 said:

I just bought a used travel trailer. I know this may sound stupid but do i need to treat the black water tank If i am at a full hook=up facility with sewer?

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No it is not a stupid question. You don't ever need to use the chemicals with black water.  Most of us just use lots of water whether hooked up or not. In the future you should start a new thread to ask a question. You will get more replies.

thanks for the response, but is that a going green response or is water all you need? what about the smell and stuff sticking to the sides of the tank etc....

wedoloco33 said:

thanks for the response, but is that a going green response or is water all you need? what about the smell and stuff sticking to the sides of the tank etc....

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Water is all I use. There is no smell if you use plenty of water. Toss in a little bit of Dawn to keep the sides slick.

wedoloco33 said:

thanks for the response, but is that a going green response or is water all you need? what about the smell and stuff sticking to the sides of the tank etc....

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It's not "going green." If you search this site on the subject, you'll find most (not all) folks here recommend water only, but plenty of it. Properly done, there shouldn't be a problem with odor, and if you don't stint on the water sticking isn't much of a problem, though often (chemical or not) the capacity indicators will get clogged and indicate full when it's not.

After a short time the tank collects its own bacteria to break down its contents. Again, a search here can turn up a lot of discussion on this subject, probably more than you'll want to read.

Pluss, this works whether you are going to the Tetons or Yellowstone.  Or anywhere else.

SMT,

We have been in the Yellowstone area for two weeks. We divided the park in half, east and west. For the east side, we stayed at Yellowstone View Inn and RV park about 20 miles west of Cody, and 30 miles from the east entrance. For the west side, we stayed at Yellowstone Holiday RV Park & Marina, on Lake Hebgen, about 14 miles outside of West Yellowstone, and 14 miles from the west entrance. Today, we are leaving for Teton Valley RV Park in Victor, ID for 5 days to see the Tetons, and Snake River Canyon.

The east side has the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the lower and upper falls. Not to be missed. The east side also has the Lamar River Valley. We saw stretches of up to 1500 bison over 2 miles on that road of the loops, in the late afternoon and evening.

You will be there during the elk rut. Don't miss seeing the elk in town at Mammoth Hot Springs.

You will see various numbers of bison in all loops. A good place to see elk is just east of the Madison River bridge on West Entrance Rd. There are elk in the elk park between Norris and Madison Junctions.

We saw a grizzly between Fishing Bridge and Canyon up on a hill about 300 yards from the road.

The last time we were here was in the fall. This time we came in the spring and this place is alive with green grass and rapidly flowing rivers with cascades and water falls. The wild flowers are spectacular. Purple is my favorite color so the purple lupine that is everywhere is a joy to see!

Yesterday, we drove from Grant Village to Colter Bay in the Tetons to get a sneak preview. Just breathtaking!

Seilerbird, thanks for the tip about Oxbow Bend.

Enjoy enjoy enjoy one of the most beautiful places on earth!!

P.S. We were delighted to meet Bill and Jolene at the Visitor Center at Old Faithful. Wonderful people!

P.S.S. And I didn't even mention the hundreds of geysers and thermals! Now I did, don't miss them.

Stan

wedoloco33 welcome to the forum.
Just don't make the mestake some people do when hooked up to a sewer line. Never leave your black tank valve open. You can leave the Gray valve open but NEVER the black water valve. Use plenty of water and let it get 3/4 full before you dump and you should have no problems.
Bill

parttymer said:

Seilerbird, thanks for the tip about Oxbow Bend.

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You are welcome Stan. One of my favorite places on the planet. I get goosebumps just thinking about the place.

There's a good chance we will have to cancel our Yellowstone/Grand Teton plans we have scheduled for August. I made reservations in January/February 2013 and as life happens, we might have to reschedule for next year.