Yellowstone national park?

[butterflyladyof2]

Has anyone traveled to Yellowstone national park?

We live in Colorado and would like to take a road trip with the family there, but have no idea where to go for camping or lodging?

We have 3 kids, by next summer they will be 6,3, and 1yrs of age. We thought of trying a camping trip before we go up there with the lil' one, to decide whether we will have to stay in lodges or not.

Any suggestions?

THanks,
Angela

[[e-mail]]

Hi Angela,

I'm actually a park ranger at a national park, although not at Yellowstone, but I want to give you the Yellowstone web address to get you started. www.nps.gov/yell
If you go to Plan Your Visit that will direct you to all sorts of good info like where to camp, what to do, etc. etc. All National Parks have Jr. Ranger programs for the kids and Ranger Lead Activities for everyone.

There's also the Rocky Mountain National Park, in CO, if you want to give camping a trial run.

Hope this helps....Enjoy :

[Amberenergy]

Hi! I've been to Yellowstone a few times. Ok first off yes there are bears, but I've never seen any and neither have any of my friends who have camped there .
It can be very crowded in the summertime! The campsites that are first come first served fill up quick. I would suggest coming in the middle of the week for the best spots.
If you don't get a spot, there's lots of loding in W. Yellowstone, or Gardiner on the other end of the park. If you want to drive a little farther south, there's lots in the Grand Tetons (Beautiful park, or maybe you will come up through it?) Livingston is beautiful as is Bozeman, which are within two hours of the park. Also around here is the Gallatin Ntl Forest which has sooo much to do and see in.
Best of luck for a beautiful visit! There is so much to do and see in Yellowstone and the surrounding areas.

[judybean]

Lots of options around Yellowstone to stay at! We visit at least once a year (in fact, we'll be going in just a few weeks)... but really, we live just over two hours from the east entrance to Yellowstone, so it's silly NOT to go! ... The east entrance to the park is closest to Cody, WY. It's a great town that beefs up with tourism in the summer. Within Wyoming, it's called a second Jackson almost. It doesn't have the money (or even close) that Jackson does, but it's a nice little town.

I've actually only been to Yellowstone through Cody, so it's the only entrance to the park I'm familiar with And I've never actually stayed inside the park (camping or otherwise) either since we live so close.

If you are thinking of camping, I think it's a good idea to do a 'trial run' to see how camping really would go... and then if you decide that's right for you, the camps within the park really do fill up fast, so mid-week trips, or getting there quick is good.

[Super~Single~Mama]

I saw bears in Yellowstone!! 5 in one day! Two were little twin cubs - they were adorable!

That said, the snowlevel was very very low when we were there, so the bears had likely come down to lower elevations to get food. It was the first time I had seen bears there, and my parents said that they have never seen bears there either. I was there in late May of 08.

I haven't camped there since I was a kid, but the lodges we stayed in last summer were nice. The one at Mammoth HotSprings the room we were in had 2 beds and a sink, but the showers were in a communal bathroom (1 shower stall I believe, so only one person at a time was using it), and a bathroom separate from the shower. It was nice. The next night we stayed at Old Faithful, and that room was really nice, but expensive.

I second the suggestion to visit the Grand Tetons - its absolutely stunningly beautiful! I love it there, but I'm biased since I did a 16day backpacking trip there in college. Rocky Mountain Natl Park is also really pretty, although I only visited once, and only to drive through, unfortunately.

Have a really good trip!

[elanorh]

Rocky Mountain National Park might be a nice 'trial run' camp destination.

I'm more familiar with the West Yellowstone entrance to the park -- very touristy. I have not been there since they renovated Old Faithful Lodge ....

We have never camped there, since we were 'local,' but I thought you could reserve camping spots there??

If you decide that you might need lodging instead of camping, I'd also suggest looking into vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) - we have had good luck using that site to find good places to stay while traveling, and a friend used it to find a place near Yellowstone when she and her family went there a couple years ago. It may end up being more affordable than a hotel, especially since you'd be able to cook there (so less fast food!).

[zensven42]

Heya! I just returned from a vacation to Yellowstone with my children and it was wonderful! We camped in the Norris campground, but had to get there very early to stake it out. Before I left, I checked out the newest Frommer's guide to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. It had all the info we needed in it plus more. Give it a read and you should be pretty set to make your plans.

Good luck!