Planning our first couple of Trips May Have Run Into a Problem….

[B-Lake]

We are starting to plan our first couple of trips to some of our favorite places with Yellowstone being at or close to the top of the list. We started searching for parks and found that only one park inside YNP would accommodate the size of trailer we have 41.5’.

Is a unit over 40’ going to be a problem when searching for places to stay? Did we mess this up lol?

 

[TonyL]

Not necessarily, but it won't be as easy as our 34ft. and sometimes that's too big.
A lot will depend on the type of camping you intend to do.
Most "resort" campgrounds shouldn't be an issue but you'll pay the price. Older campgrounds still seem to cater for when 30ft was big.
Some usfs campgrounds will have a few larger spaces, and from our experience, they're normally occupied by a teardrop or similar!
Yellowstone, wherever you are in the park, is going to be expensive.
You just have to do a little more research than smaller units.

 

[Bearcatrp]

Suggest you lie about your rv length. Learned a long time ago to do this after getting put in tight spots. Had one place where my front end was stick out a foot into the road. Larger campers can be harder to find spots. You have to book early before long spots are taken up.

 

[Derby6]

Is a unit over 40’ going to be a problem when searching for places to stay?

Short answer is yes. Many places can't accommodate units over 40'. Many can, but like Tony said, you will have to do some research and due diligence.
You stated in another thread you want full hook ups. Thats probably good as I think alot of federal and state camps don't have full hook-ups and aren't as 'big rig' friendly. Older campgrounds will also be an issue--but with some research and due diligence you should be fine.

Not wanting to have to have a dually truck and your issue is why we went with smaller Montana vice the bigger ones.

 

[TonyL]

Where we are at the moment, our site on the campground map is shown as 21ft, but we're in and not overhanging the road. We're backed up to the concrete kerbing as our rear supports are just behind the wheels so a good 6ft is beyond the stop.
You can't always rely on rec.gov either to give you accurate information.
The site might be long enough, but they never allow for the tow vehicles turning space. That's why I hate pre-booking, I only know if I'm going to fit when I see the actual site.
Google maps satellite view can help, but again, not totally reliable.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

When it comes to Yellowstone,, do yourself a favor and choose an RV park outside the park.. I went thru Yellow one month ago,, and when leaving out the west gate ( West Yellowstone) the incoming traffic was three rows in width and 1.7 miles long bumper to bumper,, ...The good old days are gone..>>>Dan ( Last year I stopped in wesr yellow for the night,, The Grizzly RV park,, the rate after negotiation was $194.00 per night,,,YIKESSS>>>Dan

 

[B-Lake]

Not necessarily, but it won't be as easy as our 34ft. and sometimes that's too big.
A lot will depend on the type of camping you intend to do.
Most "resort" campgrounds shouldn't be an issue but you'll pay the price. Older campgrounds still seem to cater for when 30ft was big.
Some usfs campgrounds will have a few larger spaces, and from our experience, they're normally occupied by a teardrop or similar!
Yellowstone, wherever you are in the park, is going to be expensive.
You just have to do a little more research than smaller units.

Thanks for the info!

 

[B-Lake]

Suggest you lie about your rv length. Learned a long time ago to do this after getting put in tight spots. Had one place where my front end was stick out a foot into the road. Larger campers can be harder to find spots. You have to book early before long spots are taken up.

lol, noted!

That seems to be going the opposite direction lol. But i definitely don’t wanna be crammed in there lol.

 

[B-Lake]

Short answer is yes. Many places can't accommodate units over 40'. Many can, but like Tony said, you will have to do some research and due diligence.
You stated in another thread you want full hook ups. Thats probably good as I think alot of federal and state camps don't have full hook-ups and aren't as 'big rig' friendly. Older campgrounds will also be an issue--but with some research and due diligence you should be fine.

Not wanting to have to have a dually truck and your issue is why we went with smaller Montana vice the bigger ones.

Thanks!

 

[B-Lake]

Where we are at the moment, our site on the campground map is shown as 21ft, but we're in and not overhanging the road. We're backed up to the concrete kerbing as our rear supports are just behind the wheels so a good 6ft is beyond the stop.
You can't always rely on rec.gov either to give you accurate information.
The site might be long enough, but they never allow for the tow vehicles turning space. That's why I hate pre-booking, I only know if I'm going to fit when I see the actual site.
Google maps satellite view can help, but again, not totally reliable.

Sounds like this is gonna be a lot of trial and error and just making sure that we plan the best we can knowing we may have to be flexible!

 

[B-Lake]

When it comes to Yellowstone,, do yourself a favor and choose an RV park outside the park.. I went thru Yellow one month ago,, and when leaving out the west gate ( West Yellowstone) the incoming traffic was three rows in width and 1.7 miles long bumper to bumper,, ...The good old days are gone..>>>Dan ( Last year I stopped in wesr yellow for the night,, The Grizzly RV park,, the rate after negotiation was $194.00 per night,,,YIKESSS>>>Dan

good lord, $194 a night!

That will get you a pretty nice hotel room in most places lol!

So does that mean if we choose a site outside of yellowstone, that I will have to sit in that traffic if we want to unhitch and go into the park? lol

 

[Derby6]

Suggest you lie about your rv length. Learned a long time ago to do this after getting put in tight spots. Had one place where my front end was stick out a foot into the road. Larger campers can be harder to find spots. You have to book early before long spots are taken up.

I wouldn’t call it lying. Telling them your rig is a bit longer makes it better and safer for everyone.
I’m 37 1/2. With rear cap and ladder I thing it’s closer to 39 1/2. I tell them I’m 40. 38 when hiring a rv washer. LOL

 

[TonyL]

So does that mean if we choose a site outside of yellowstone, that I will have to sit in that traffic if we want to unhitch and go into the park? lol

A lot will depend on what time of year, what day of the week, and what time of day.
We've only stayed in the park once on our first trip, after that we've stayed West and North and never queued more than 5 minutes.
As an example, 20 minutes West of the park is a campground where an electric site is $35 and dry camping for $26.
There's no dump, but fresh water available and if I remember correctly, there was sites big enough for your unit, but only a couple.
We spend hours looking at sites but it saves a fortune.

 

[TonyL]

And $35 against $194 buys a lot of fuel, and if you're retired, time is free!!

 

[TonyL]

I don't know if your unit has a generator or why you want hookup, but as far as I can see, the only campground in Yellowstone with electric is Fishing bridge at around $100 a night.
5 nights and you've bought a generator

 

[Oldgator73]

good lord, $194 a night!

That will get you a pretty nice hotel room in most places lol!

Not near Yellowstone, Grand Teton or Glacier. We paid $400 a night just outside Glacier and $300 a night in Jackson, WY for a hostel.

 

[rjshiflet]

We had a 41+ foot Cardinal fifth wheel and usually had no problem booking spots. Now - getting INTO spots was sometimes another challenge completely, and I've been towing and backing and parking fifth wheels for 20 years. In fact, each time we leave, I have to back our rig down a 150' curving, tree-lined driveway to get out to our road.

Some older RV parks (and state parks and national parks) weren't made for longer rigs of today. One particular RV park where we went for several years was too small/tight for even a 37' fifth wheel we got. We watched someone accidentally rip the awning off of a parked Airstream at that park trying to maneuver their fifth wheel into a spot.

You could lie about the length as was suggested, but remember - you've got to be the one to actually park t he rig on arrival.

 

[UTTransplant]

Just reiterating what others have said. With a big rig that needs hookups, you will be looking outside the parks anyway. The vast majority of National Parks don’t have any hookups in the campgrounds inside the park. However I haven’t ever seen one that doesn’t have private campgrounds just outside the park that will meet your needs. As to Yellowstone, I think it is the most visited NP in the country. The entire area is expensive, and campgrounds are just one more thing. Grizzly RV Park is just outside the park entrance, has lovely spacious sites, and goes for a premium because they can rent every spot for the prices they set. In my experience, a campsite goes for between 1/3 and 1/2 the price of an equivalent hotel room, and there are certainly rooms in West Yellowstone for $600. Note we have a 40’ MH, and we run into the same length issue. I would highly encourage you to learn how to dry camp/boondock. There are usually good opportunities for boondocking outside the western national parks.

One more piece of advice about Yellowstone. The entrance lines in summer can be truly over a mile long by mid-morning. Get there by 5:30 or 6:00 am, and you will be behind only a few cars. Enjoy the park’s most popular attractions while there is still a spot in the parking lot. There are more animals moving about then too. By late morning, find a spot to sit and doze or just go back to your campsite. By 4:00 the day trippers are all gone and the park becomes reasonable again. Stay late because the summer days are long. Repeat as many days as you have available; you will never run out of things to do in Yellowstone.

 

[TonyL]

Not wanting to cause you further consternation, but you also might need to consider your units width on site when booking.
When deployed, our 2 opposing slide outs puts us at 15ft wide.
Several times we've had to pass up a spot due to trees either side, or been unable to put out the awning fully without it going partially over the neighbors site.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are also several RV parks outside the North Entrance (Gardiner), including some nice ones that accommodate big rigs. The North Entrance usually isn't as busy as the West, but it varies with the season and time of day.