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Yellowstone Travel
Jeff Watt:
[size=14][/size]I plan to tour around Yellowstone/Teton after the Gillette rally and am wondering what other members thoughts are, i.e what roads to use/avoid. I did a search to see what others had posted about traveling around Yellowstone and Bill had posted:
--- Quote from: Bill Sprague ---
... Chief Joseph Pass at 7,000+ was an event. The Beaver did well both up and down.
The scenery was a "killer"!
I need to spend more time driving in Idaho.
Bill
--- End quote ---
I thought this road may be too much but maybe not. However if I enter Yellowstone from the East using that road what is the best place to go to - assuming i cant overnight in the park.
Is it best to avoid 14 and 16? I know 14A should be avoided as well as the beartooth pass.
I am thiniking I may go south west from Gillette and come in the bottom of Tetons then work up to West yellowstone then over east.
Thanks,
Jeff
Joel Ashley:
Chief Joseph Pass, near Lost Trail Pass between Salmon, ID, and Darby, MT, is just fine for our coaches; been there, done that many times over both passes. The roads may wind some but are wide and easily maneuvered, and the gradual grades aren't extraordinarily steep, and have passing lanes available.
All that said, those passes are a good deal northwest of Yellowstone. We've taken our old motorhome through Yellowstone, but that was 16 years ago and it was a bit smaller rig than our Beaver. Nevertheless, as long as you reserve campsites ahead of time so you have a base of operation, taking the coach on the main roads shouldn't be an issue, and do your main touring in your toad, a luxury we didn't have on that trip.
If you are still concerned, take an RV park site in Cody and toad the park to check out things ahead of time. We've also come in from Alpine, to the south, in the old coach. But I'm sure the Beaver would do fine. My issue with the area was expensive private RV parks and inadequate parking in Grand Teton NP for large RVs at some view points and visitor centers... and sans a toad we were only 30 ft long. They allowed cars to park in large vehicle spots with no enforcement. And like I mentioned, in midsummer you will want to plan ahead, and reserve camping spots in advance, especially in park campgrounds if you will use them; any sites, especially big ones, will be at a premium. Check this out with the Park Service months in advance to know what you'll be up against.
Otherwise, if you just want to stay in Cody or Jackson and then pass through without camping to West Yellowstone, the main park roads are no problem. You can stop at Old Faithful easily on the way through, as there is a super large parking lot. The only imposition might be when people stop in narrower road areas to gawk at wildlife, or if crews are working on a road section. That is often the case with the road north from Madison junction to Gardiner, but you don't sound like you need to hit that section in the coach.
Joel
Karl Welhart:
Jeff,
Did Yellowstone two years ago and we stayed in Buffalo, WY and had no problem with Powder River Pass (Hwy 16) into Cody. Then drove the MH into Yellowston to West Yellowstone, MT. I had no problems with the main roads in Yellowstone, but would not recommend staying in any of the campgrounds inside the park. Most are very tight and not designed for large MHs.
I would recommend the West Yellowstone RV Park just outside the West gate on Lake Hebgen and about 10 miles outside of town. This is the easiest place to get in and out of Yellowstone. The Grizzly RV Park is right outside the west gate and right in West Yellowstone, MT. Grizzly Campground is OK.
We left Yellowstone on September 1, 2010 and it was 28 degrees with 8 inches of snow on the ground. West and South gate were closed and we had to wait several hours before we could get from the west gate to the south gate then on to the Grand Tetons/Jackson, WY. We stayed in a little campground near Grand Teton Village. It was very nice compared to the campgrounds in Jackson, WY.
Hope this is helpful,
Karl
Mike.Way:
We have stayed at Fishing Bridge. It is full hook ups. Last in there 2 years ago driving the Marquis. If I remember correctly they were starting to remodel even more sites for 50 amp power. When we came from the east, it was typically from Cody, then out to Livingston. We have exited through West Yellowstone and then down through Island Park. Also exited through Jackson and the Tetons.
Fishing Bridge and most Yellowstone CGs need to be reserved soon, especially since the area will be super-saturated with coaches.
Mike
Edward Buker:
If you want to do a nice loop, head south and then west on 80 out of Cheyenne. Consider taking 287 north just beyond Sinclair to 26. Excellent roads, little traffic, nice rural small towns, and absolutely spectacular scenery. That route brings you in near Jackson Lake, between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.
There is a private campground near Moran Junction. We took the toad both south to Jackson and the Tetons and north to Yellowstone from this area. We stayed at one of the National Park campgrounds and it involved some very tight turns and I had to have them trim some limbs just to get into my campsite. I would opt for a private campground if I did this trip over again. The NP policy is minimal trimming which really makes no sense within an RV campground.
You will go over Togwattee Pass west of Dubois but it is not a tough climb. It peaks at 9600ft. When you leave Dubois WY you are already at 7000ft so the climb is quite reasonable. From I80 to the Yellowstone/Teton NP area is 255 miles of non interstate driving through the heart of Wyoming. It was really spectacular and memorable....
As a side note there is The National Museum Of Wildlife Art just outside of Jackson Hole to the north. Excellent sculpture and paintings dealing with nature if you like that sort of thing. Over 500 artists represented and 5000 pieces of art, all the greats from Europe and the U.S. in a very appropriate setting.
http://www.wildlifeart.org/
Later Ed
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