Seattle to Yellowstone with kids

[Pillar]

Hello! We will be taking our first RV trip late June, planning to go from Seattle to Yellowstone and back (preferably Glacier national park too) in 21 days. We our a family of 4 with girls aged 9 and 5. We will be renting a Solis 59PX van. We're total novices and would appreciate ANY tips, but especially planning the route- recommended stops and RV parks. TIA!

 

[Laura & Charles]

Welcome to the forums! Plenty of friendly and knowledgeable folks here!

I think you’ve planned the right amount of time. People commonly come here planning to see a dozen major parks in tree weeks. ITT sounds like you don’t have reservations yet. June will already well booked. I’ll let others more knowledgeable address route and campsite info.

Do you have ideas about how long you want to spend in one campsite? You’ll likely want parks that have nice shower/bathroom facilities. That camper van’s tank capacity’s aren’t going to support four for very long.

Best of luck and I hope you keep us updated on your adventure.

 

[Pillar]

Thank you so much for replying! The one thing I thought to book ASAP was nights at Yellowstone, especially Fishing bridge, since it's the only site at Yellowstone with full RV hookup. It only had 1 night available! So I booked that, it's 10 days in to when I booked the RV for.
We were thinking 4-5 nights at Yellowstone, maybe a couple of nights in Glacier park, so that probably means 1 night each in other stops.
We're heading out late June (24th) so hopefully some sites will still have space.
Showers would be nice now and then, but we would be okay with roughing it, even skipping a shower every once in a while.
Thanks again!

 

[Skookum]

I've made the trips many times. It depends on what you might want to see along the way. Since the Northwest is our Jam, when we go to see Yellowstone, we've kind of seen most of the stuff along the way so we tend to drive to arrive, not smell the flowers along the way.

You are right to want to book your stay at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. The park is massive and distances between either end of the park, and between attractions is massive. Staying at FB will greatly reduce your drive time compared to having to drive into the park every day from somewhere else. As you've experienced, it books up well in advance and spots in there are hard to come by. That said, West Yellowstone is a charming little town with places to stay. But, you'll be in line with everyone trying to enter the park every morning and driving in traffic to the attractions.

You obviously need transportation inside of Yellowstone. If your camper/van is your primary means of transport, you will need to pack up every morning so you can sightsee and then re-deploy every night when you return. Remember to add extra wiggle room if you're planning full-day agendas inside the park! As well as traffic. Bison (and the people who stop in the middle of the road to gawk) really can cause jams!!

Don't forget the evening ranger talks and tours that the park does. The ranger staff are magnificent and we've cherished our time interacting with them while on our stay.

If you're stopping between Seattle and Yellowstone, we like the Liberty Lake RV park The Best Liberty Lake RV Campground just outside of Spokane.

In Montana, we like Jim and Mary's RV Park in Missoula

Jim & Mary's RV Park

www.jimandmarys.com

If stopping relatively close to Seattle (~2 hrs away) we like staying at Wanapum State Park

Home | Washington State Parks

parks.wa.gov

If you are planning to also see Glacier, we have really enjoyed the Glacier KOA

West Glacier, Montana Campground | West Glacier KOA Resort

West Glacier KOA Resort is located in West Glacier, Montana and offers great camping sites! Click here to find out more information or to book a reservation.

koa.com

If you're looking for a destination for the kids along the way, Silverwood in Idaho. Although I have not been in decades, it still looks wildly popular in the summer months (they also have RV sites there).

Theme Park | Silverwood Theme Park

Discover the ultimate family-friendly destination at Silverwood Theme Park! With over 70 rides, attractions and shows, there's something for everyone. From thrilling roller coasters to water park fun, our park offers a day of excitement and adventure for all ages.

www.silverwoodthemepark.com

Those are just a few ideas...good luck with your planning!

 

[LarsMac]

Welcome.
As for routing, simple is best, IMHO.
I-90 Straight east to Livingston, and then South on US-89 into the north entrance. That has been our favorite entrance.
While in the neighborhood, you might want to take a day or 2 to head South from Yellowstone Park, down toward Jackson, and take look at the Tetons. They're pretty awe inspiring.

 

[Larry N.]

That said, West Yellowstone is a charming little town with places to stay. But, you'll be in line with everyone trying to enter the park every morning and driving in traffic to the attractions.

West Yellowstone is where we stayed most times, and getting rolling very early (before 8 AM) usually got us to the gate before the lines built up very much. We did stay in Gardiner (north entrance) once at the Rocky Mountain RV Park, and the gate is at the south edge of that small town. Not a bad RV park, and a good place for seeing the northern part of Yellowstone.

We also have stayed at Colter Bay and Gros Vente campgrounds more or less between Yellowstone and the Tetons, though with no hookups at either place.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You will want (need) more than one night at Yellowstone, so plan on using a park at West Yellowstone or Gardiner, both of which have multiple nice FHU campgrounds. Just plan on early starts for the extra drive time, but it's not wasted time. You will encounter wildlife and scenery along the way in & out.

Driving the van around Yellowstone means the nuisance of breaking camp each day, but you will have conveniences during your day trip, so it's both pro & con.

Excellent suggestions from Skookum, if those places are along your chosen route,

 

[RRR]

Take a day or two each week to just do nothing. With the kids in van they are going to get board very quick. Or at least a tourist trap stuff that the kids will like preferably something active. We stayed in West Yellowstone a few years ago with the three oldest grandkids and took one day off. The youngest, then 7 just hung with us and her two older brothers took off on a walk for several hours. We also took them to the Grizzly and Wolf Center HOME that day so they wouldn't be in the car again. We all enjoyed it.

Also the Wife decided to get the app Just Ahead for the park. It was well worth it for us first timers. We hooked the phone to the radio, and when something came up we let the kids vote on it. Couple of times we overrode their vote but had fun each stop. plus they got to run out some P&V.

Someone mentioned Silverwood Theme Park. Just Do it!

Theme Park | Silverwood Theme Park

Discover the ultimate family-friendly destination at Silverwood Theme Park! With over 70 rides, attractions and shows, there's something for everyone. From thrilling roller coasters to water park fun, our park offers a day of excitement and adventure for all ages.

www.silverwoodthemepark.com

Several years ago we did it with the older grandsons. I think they were 11 & 13. We had a blast. It was a last minute trip and I managed to snag a space in the park. The weather was cool for August and they really didn't want to do the water park and freeze. The forecast finally changed so we managed to stay one more day and spent the day in the water park. Food in the park was very good and very reasonable cost. With a 5 YO there is a section for younger kids but we didn't really check it out.

​

 

[jackiemac]

I'd suggest booking a couple of spots without hookups in Yellowstone if available. It will save you some extra driving if you're happy with that. Also keep checking Fishing Bridge as they often have cancellations.

If you can't get a site with hook ups in the Tetons the there are showers and a laundry at Colter Bay. There is a full hookup campground there but it may be full and it's actually not as nice I think. Spots much closer together.

 

[Marpel]

We drive to/from Van BC/Denver, Co quite often and have done I90 quite a few times. Also took our 10 yr old g-daughter along last year.

When pulling the trailer, we usually stop at Wolf Lodge Campground, just east of Coeur d Lene. Adjacent to a small river (creek?) and they have canoe/paddle boat/float tube rentals. Nice facility (store/showers/two playgrounds etc).

Have usually stayed at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone. Very nice place, just on the perimeter of town and only a few minutes to the Park entrance.

Stopped at Lewis and Clark Caverns, just off I90, near Whitehall, Mo. G-daughter loved it.

Marv

 

[Oldgator73]

We tent camped all over the U.S. and Japan with our kids ( retired military) and RV’ed with the grandkids, including a one month trip that included historically black sites. Don’t get too caught up in schedules. Just have fun and make sure the kids have kids stuff to do.

 

[Pillar]

I've made the trips many times. It depends on what you might want to see along the way. Since the Northwest is our Jam, when we go to see Yellowstone, we've kind of seen most of the stuff along the way so we tend to drive to arrive, not smell the flowers along the way.

You are right to want to book your stay at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. The park is massive and distances between either end of the park, and between attractions is massive. Staying at FB will greatly reduce your drive time compared to having to drive into the park every day from somewhere else. As you've experienced, it books up well in advance and spots in there are hard to come by. That said, West Yellowstone is a charming little town with places to stay. But, you'll be in line with everyone trying to enter the park every morning and driving in traffic to the attractions.

You obviously need transportation inside of Yellowstone. If your camper/van is your primary means of transport, you will need to pack up every morning so you can sightsee and then re-deploy every night when you return. Remember to add extra wiggle room if you're planning full-day agendas inside the park! As well as traffic. Bison (and the people who stop in the middle of the road to gawk) really can cause jams!!

Don't forget the evening ranger talks and tours that the park does. The ranger staff are magnificent and we've cherished our time interacting with them while on our stay.

If you're stopping between Seattle and Yellowstone, we like the Liberty Lake RV park The Best Liberty Lake RV Campground just outside of Spokane.

In Montana, we like Jim and Mary's RV Park in Missoula

Jim & Mary's RV Park

www.jimandmarys.com

If stopping relatively close to Seattle (~2 hrs away) we like staying at Wanapum State Park

Home | Washington State Parks

parks.wa.gov

If you are planning to also see Glacier, we have really enjoyed the Glacier KOA

West Glacier, Montana Campground | West Glacier KOA Resort

West Glacier KOA Resort is located in West Glacier, Montana and offers great camping sites! Click here to find out more information or to book a reservation.

koa.com

If you're looking for a destination for the kids along the way, Silverwood in Idaho. Although I have not been in decades, it still looks wildly popular in the summer months (they also have RV sites there).

Theme Park | Silverwood Theme Park

Discover the ultimate family-friendly destination at Silverwood Theme Park! With over 70 rides, attractions and shows, there's something for everyone. From thrilling roller coasters to water park fun, our park offers a day of excitement and adventure for all ages.

www.silverwoodthemepark.com

Those are just a few ideas...good luck with your planning!

Thanks so much for the elaborate response! Super helpful!!

 

[Pillar]

I really appreciate all the responses! You're making a world of difference, thanks!!