Our Yellowstone trip... FINALLY... Need suggestions

[jackiemac]

Hey everyone, so looking at the map has posed me to consider changing my reservations in West Yellowstone. I am currently scheduled to stay at Holiday RV Park in West Yellowstone on Hegben Lake. Looking at Grizzly RV Park although not as nice as it has no lake/boats/swimming I am wondering if that is the better location for us. We plan on Renting a car for the 5 night stay from Big Skye so we can simply park the R.V.... we do not own a "TOAD" Does anyone think that I should do this? I am torn. Thanks everyone.

Mike

Google says it is 30 minutes drive out of town and it is obviously a bit more "in the country".  Having never camped there I cannot give you much advice about that park.  However, being on the lake will be nice.  I am not sure if there are issues with bugs at any time of the year.

Grizzly is a typical RV park and you are parked fairly close to your neighbor.  It is a 5-10 minute walk into the main part of town and there are plenty or restaurants/shops etc. and obviously a couple of attractions.

If the lake is cheaper I would be tempted to stay there as you can pop into town at any point on your way in or out of the park, or indeed spend a morning, afternoon or evening there... 

We don't tend to do much shopping/eating out as we like nature more.

So that is my 2c worth but it is really dependent on what you like to do.....

 

[Isaac-1]

One side comment here regarding Buffalo Bill State park, the lake is not a pretty lake in the traditional sense, it is surrounded mostly by bare rock, and the water is generally mud brown.    Also the lake was built as an irrigation lake so the lake level varies considerably throughout the seasons, cresting in the summer after all the snow melt.

 

[CDN_Taxman]

We went out there a few years ago.

We stayed at the Rafter Bar J Campground in Hill City, SD and it was gorgeous.

In Cody, we stayed at Ponderosa Campground which was little more than a parking lot, but it did have all hookups.

I agree with all who posted about temps. It was really hot when we were in Chicago that year, but the whole way out west and back was never really all that bad.

Enjoy....it's beautiful country.

 

[John Stephens]

That is a very hard question to answer as speed through Yellowstone can be anything from 45 mph in the park on down to a snails pace depending on wildlife on the roads, also you will be crossing multiple mountain passes on this route with the associated traffic slow downs.  Driving distance is going to be around 145 -150 miles from Buffalo Bill State Park to Gros Ventre Campground.  Best case 3.5 hours, realistically plan on 4.5 - 5 hours, maybe more.

I figured it would be no less than 4-5 hours and depending on wildlife on the road, possibly as much as 6 or 7 hours. I'm trying to determine if it will be feasible to leave Buffalo Bill State Park early enough in the morning to make it to Gros Ventre before noon, as Jackie suggested. I'm now thinking it might be a better idea to take a day to see Cody and then head south, staying somewhere closer to GT outside the parks, such as Dubois, or possibly skipping Cody altogether and simply driving from Ten Sleep to around Dubois for one night. That would get us a lot closer to GT and would allow us to break camp later in the morning and still make it there before noon.

Jackie, you suggested Cody to me. Do you think it is worth the drive to Cody if I have to backtrack to get to Gros Ventre and spend another day on the road? We have the time, so that's not going to be an issue; but how easy is it to get reasonably priced gas on those lesser traveled roads? Right now, I'm open to either idea of going to Cody or skipping it and heading south from Ten Sleep because I don't know what I'll miss if I don't go.

 

[jackiemac]

I figured it would be no less than 4-5 hours and depending on wildlife on the road, possibly as much as 6 or 7 hours. I'm trying to determine if it will be feasible to leave Buffalo Bill State Park early enough in the morning to make it to Gros Ventre before noon, as Jackie suggested. I'm now thinking it might be a better idea to take a day to see Cody and then head south, staying somewhere closer to GT outside the parks, such as Dubois, or possibly skipping Cody altogether and simply driving from Ten Sleep to around Dubois for one night. That would get us a lot closer to GT and would allow us to break camp later in the morning and still make it there before noon.

Jackie, you suggested Cody to me. Do you think it is worth the drive to Cody if I have to backtrack to get to Gros Ventre and spend another day on the road? We have the time, so that's not going to be an issue; but how easy is it to get reasonably priced gas on those lesser traveled roads? Right now, I'm open to either idea of going to Cody or skipping it and heading south from Ten Sleep because I don't know what I'll miss if I don't go.

Most of the animal jams we have seen are not on the route you would come through Yellowstone (Fishing Bridge).  That is not to say that there will not be any.

I can't remember the route we discussed, do you want to email me your proposed route and I will get Steve to have a look!  ;D ;D

 

[John Stephens]

As soon as I walk my very disruptive Collie. You had suggested that we go from Ten Sleep to Cody through Meeteetsie on 421 and 120. I had originally thought of taking 20 to 26 and come up from the south. Your idea appealed to me because you mentioned there was a lot to see in Cody and traveling through the east part of Yellowstone would be nice. My only concern at this point is being able to get to Gros Ventre early enough to get a site and if it looks like that might be difficult, I would rather head south.

That having been said, if traveling through YP isn't going to be as slow as others have said, I'm not opposed to seeing Cody. But what is being said makes good sense to me and I don't want to chance getting to the campground too late to get a spot for that night. I originally thought stopping somewhere around Dubois would get me close enough that I could break camp around 7 or 8 AM and still make it to GV by 10 or 11.

 

[Isaac-1]

When we did Yellowstone just before the big solar eclipse in 2017, we made a loop spending nights in Laramie, up to Dubois for 2 nights, then into Yellowstone from the south, 3 different campgrounds in Yellowstone (Grant, Canyon, and Fishing Bridge), then exited through Cody, and down to Thermopolis before heading to Douglas for the Eclipse.  As a result we have driven many of the roads, though not all of the roads you are considering.

Now for a few random tidbits:

1, We stayed at the Longhorn RV ranch on the south side of Dubois, this is a nice commercial RV park with some motel rooms, there is a small river that passes by, we had one of the rv sites that was on the river.  I also seem to recall they had good laundry rooms.

2, Hwy 120 from Cody to Thermopolis is a good road, just very little on, so have a full tank of gas.  There are a couple of reasonably accessible gas stations in Dubois, and as I recall one just before you get to Grand Tetons National park on the west side of the pass,near Moran, just not much else.  There is a (very) small grocery store in Dubious, but don't expect much selection there, and not much / any RV parking, gravel parking lot, etc. (I dragged my trailer hitch trying to pull into it).  So my advice is to do your grocery and supply shopping in Cody, or maybe Thermopolis.

3, The drive down Hwy 20 south of Thermopolis is one of the most scenics drives I have ever seen outside of a naitonal park

4, Gas prices between Shoshoni and Dubois are some of the highest I saw in the region (make that by far the highest)

5, as a staging area to try to grab a site inside the park, you might want to try one of the campgrounds closer to Moran west of the pass, these would put you much closer to Gros Ventre campground

 

[coxid]

ditsjets7

Your idea on renting a car is a good one! In many of the thermal areas the parking will be tight, some cars double up and park two in a large RV spot! Also some folks park on the Grand Loop Road (illegality) and walk to the attraction. So driving your MH is doable but it is more convenient to be in a car..

For the Yellowstone Holiday go North of West Y/stone on hwy 191 about 8 miles turn left (East)(T intersection) on 287 for 3-4 miles it is on your left between the hwy and the Lake.

 

[Isaac-1]

As mentioned above, lots of people improvise parking spaces, park in ditches, etc. due to lack of parking in the parking lots at the thermal attractions in Yellowstone,  Therefore you may want to try to rent something like an SUV or at least a crossover that may have a little more ground clearance.

 

[ditsjets7]

As mentioned above, lots of people improvise parking spaces, park in ditches, etc. due to lack of parking in the parking lots at the thermal attractions in Yellowstone,  Therefore you may want to try to rent something like an SUV or at least a crossover that may have a little more ground clearance.

Great to know! Thank you!!!!

 

[CharlesinGA]

I made a brief trip to the Black Hills and Badlands in August 2017. You need a couple of weeks to see the Black Hills. Rushmore will take you about two hours, and the Badlands will also be two hours or so.

I used the A/C very little on this trip, both when driving and when parked or camped.

I posted a trip report, http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,110023.0.html and you may find some of the info or links helpful in your travels in the area. A reminder about the Spearfish City Campground. DO NOT follow your GPS, use the directions on their web site. GPS will lead you to a closed road with no turnaround.

If you stop at Devils Tower (worth the visit) the parking sucks, for cars and even worse for larger motorhomes, just so you know. I am glad I did it with the car and not the MH.

Charles

 

[docj]

Rushmore will take you about two hours, and the Badlands will also be two hours or so.

To each his own.  I can't imagine doing Badlands NP in "two hours or so".  At Rushmore, the story of how the sculptures were carved was, IMO, more interesting that simply looking at them.

 

[John Stephens]

I'm staying a week in the Black Hills, making Deadwood my base of operations. I plan on spending an entire day in the Badlands and possibly longer if necessary, another day seeing Devil's Tower, a day to visit Mt. Rushmore, another to see Custer and Wind Cave, another just driving through the Black Hills and that leaves a couple more to see other sites or just kick back and rest. Rushmore will take the better part of a day since we are interested in doing more than just viewing the sculpture.

One question for anyone who knows: are dogs allowed in parts of Mt. Rushmore, and if so, where are they not allowed? We want to include our three 4 legged kids with us whenever possible.

 

[CharlesinGA]

To each his own.  I can't imagine doing Badlands NP in "two hours or so".  At Rushmore, the story of how the sculptures were carved was, IMO, more interesting that simply looking at them.

Its a matter of attention span and interests. I drove thru the Badlands, slowly, stopping at several overlooks. The colors were nice, as it had rained that morning a little and that brings out the colors. At each overlook I took pics and video, went "yep, more erosion" and moved on. Its pretty, in a way, scenic, but in the end, I had spent about two hours and needed to continue my travels and could not find reason to linger.

At Rushmore I took pics, watched the movie, walked around and read everything they had on the displays, watched an Indian dance performance and again, in about two hours had seen it all. When I got to the car, most of the cars around me (which had arrived about the same time I did), were gone. When I arrived at Crazy Horse, I saw all of those people again.

I spent a LONG time at Crazy Horse. Looked at and read everything in the museums .... twice...............

If you go to my trip report, and scroll to the bottom, you will find a pic I took in the Badlands. The report was originally a series of daily posts to the Winnebago View/Navion discussion forum on Yahoo, and I rolled them all into one and posted that here (and a couple of other places also) That is why it may read kinda strange.

One thing about the area no one should miss, and it really needs to be one of the first things you do, is to see the Journey Museum in Rapid City. After going thru there you will emerge with a much better understanding of the history of the area and the geologic development (I was taking graduate level courses in plate tectonics in the mid '70's when everyone was going "huh, what's that?"). When you visit things in the Black Hills, after visiting the Journey, you will be going "now, it all comes together..... "

Mine was a hurried trip and i really want to go back when I have enough time to really focus on stuff.

I spent a good bit of time at Devils Tower, walked completely around it on the pathway (leaves us old lowlanders a little short on breath at 4400 ft elevation) and took pics from all sides and different lighting angles.

Some things need to be done at certain times of the day, or you will miss out. Driving the wildlife loop in Custer SP in the mid afternoon is a bad time to do so. Drive it in the evening just before dark, that is when the wildlife come out. Needless to say, I drove it in the afternoon and saw very little as a result.

Same goes for driving the Iron Mountain Highway. The Rushmore carving faces South East, and if you drive the Iron Mt in the afternoon, you just about cannot see the faces as you pass thru the tunnel that is aligned with the carving (ask me how I know). In this case, the best time is morning, when the sun is on the faces and behind you, not coming across the outlet of the tunnel blinding you.

One question for anyone who knows: are dogs allowed in parts of Mt. Rushmore, and if so, where are they not allowed? We want to include our three 4 legged kids with us whenever possible.

Straight off the National Park Rushmore website............. "Pets... Service dogs are allowed at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Other pets are only allowed in the designated area at the parking structure."

Charles

 

[Boonieman]

To answer John Stephens,
Deadwood is a cool place, but not conducive to dogs. We have three labs ourselves and take them everywhere. Deadwood is in a steep gulley and mostly concrete and asphalt and hard to find a place for dogs to do their ?business?. Maybe you are staying in a campground outside of Deadwood, you didn?t say. Parking is at a premium in town, similar to a Gatlinburg Tenn kind of place.
I grew up out there and you can?t possibly see everything in a week, but I would check out Hill City, the Wild Mustang Ranch in Hot Springs, Devils Tower, the museum at the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, Sylvan Lake at Custer, Spearfish Canyon, etc. we always detour 30 miles into Pierre on the way out and back to the Corp of Engineers campground below the impressive Oahe Dam. Beautiful campground with huge cottonwood trees. Very quiet and our dogs love it there. Plenty of cactus in South Dakota. Our dogs know what to avoid there by now, but if yours are from other parts of the country they may not recognize those sharp needles. Have fun!!!

 

[CharlesinGA]

we always detour 30 miles into Pierre on the way out and back to the Corp of Engineers campground below the impressive Oahe Dam. Beautiful campground with huge cottonwood trees. Very quiet and our dogs love it there.

Looked at it on Google Maps, but ended up doing an overnight at Left Tailrace COE Campground below the Big Bend Dam and Lake Sharpe, at Ft Thompson. They look similar and If I am ever back in the area, this will be a night (or two) stop for me again.

Charles

 

[John Stephens]

To answer John Stephens,
Deadwood is a cool place, but not conducive to dogs. We have three labs ourselves and take them everywhere. Deadwood is in a steep gulley and mostly concrete and asphalt and hard to find a place for dogs to do their ?business?. Maybe you are staying in a campground outside of Deadwood, you didn?t say. Parking is at a premium in town, similar to a Gatlinburg Tenn kind of place.
I grew up out there and you can?t possibly see everything in a week, but I would check out Hill City, the Wild Mustang Ranch in Hot Springs, Devils Tower, the museum at the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, Sylvan Lake at Custer, Spearfish Canyon, etc. we always detour 30 miles into Pierre on the way out and back to the Corp of Engineers campground below the impressive Oahe Dam. Beautiful campground with huge cottonwood trees. Very quiet and our dogs love it there. Plenty of cactus in South Dakota. Our dogs know what to avoid there by now, but if yours are from other parts of the country they may not recognize those sharp needles. Have fun!!!

Thanks for the info. We will be staying at Fish N Fry Campground, about 5 miles southeast of Deadwood in the Black Hills. I  Considered staying in Spearfish but wanted a more centralized location to see the entire Black Hills and knew I would be looking at doing a lot in the southern region of the park. If you know anything good or bad about that campground, please share. I got the impression that Deadwood is more about casinos than anything else nowadays, so we won't spend much time there other than to see the sites one time. I was in the casino industry for two decades and lived in Vegas for 13 years, so casinos don't do anything for me anymore. Drawing a comparison between Deadwood and Gatlinburg hit home for me. The day we go to town, we will leave the dogs in the coach. If I can take them to Devil's Tower, I will, since that will be a hike they will like if they're allowed. Same with Custer, Crazy Horse and Wind Cave. I plan on taking them with us when we backtrack to the Badlands.

Your thoughts about the Oahe Dam and its campground were good, but too late, since I already have planned out the one night in Chamberlain on my way out. Maybe next time.

Your advice about dogs and cactus was good to know and I thank you. It might save my dogs some pain since having been raised in Florida, they know nothing about the plant.

 

[Boonieman]

The Fish and Fry Campground is nice, and you will enjoy it. We aren?t casino people either, but a quick stop to the Mt Moriah Cemetary in Deadwood is worth it. It?s really old and you can see the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and other historical figures if you like history. I will repeat that Hill City and Keystone are good stops for souvineers and several good places to eat. We drove down to Hot Springs to the Wild Mustang Ranch thru Wind Cave National Park last summer and saw a lot more buffalo and wildlife than we did thru the Custer wildlife loop. It is a pretty drive and a good road. We usually go out to South Dakota at least a couple times a year. We are going the last week of April to fish for Northern pike (we take pics and release) and hopefully again in the summer for Sturgis Bike rally. We are building a house, and terribly over budget, so I might have to give up something this year, but it won?t be the fishing trip. ? Have fun and safe travels!

 

[Boonieman]

And I forgot to mention porcupines. Fairly common in the Black Hills. Keep a close eye on your babies running around in the woods.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Pick up the tourist map of the Black Hills. It has virtually everything on it. Every campground, attraction, hotel, etc, has pads of them on the counters. I got mine at Rushmore. Google maps quit functioning that morning and I was glad to get the map.

https://www.blackhillsvacations.com/application/files/6315/4212/6940/Black_Hills_Map.pdf

At Hill City (or Keystone) you can ride the 1880 train. Its an hour each way, very much fun, do not ride the first trip of the day as that is a Diesel loco, after that it is steam loco all day. SD Railroad museum is at Hill City next to the station. Civilian Conservation Corp museum is on highway 385 just as you are entering Hill City. Mining Museum in Lead, High Plains Western Heritage Center on the east side of Spearfish. D.C. Booth Historic Nat?l Fish Hatchery at Spearfish at the Campground is neat also. Still in operation, they produce the fish the creeks and lakes in the Black Hills are stocked with.

Don't miss the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, be sure to use the guided tour with headsets, its worth it.

Charles