Glacier & Yellowstone Natl. Parks MT

[Northwoods]

We will be camping our way to Glacier and Yellowstone Parks from St. Louis. Does anyone have any experience camping at St.Mary's campground in Glacier or anywhere in Yellowstone? We had a great time at Rocky Mtn. last August in the Morraine. It was our last trip in the old Coleman, our TM arrived 3 weeks later. We plan to do some Lewis &Clark exploring, Oregon Trail and family tree researching. We leave July 26 and plan many stops on the way. We'll go up through South Dakota and back through Nebraska. We'll be towing our 2330TM with our 2000 Suburban. Thanks. Northwoods, Ken and Olga Smith

[mamabear]

HI we went to Yellowstone twice in the last 2 years. One of the campgrounds we stayed in both times is Yellowstone Valley Inn there website is as follows: www.yellowstonevalleyinn.com it is about 30 to 40 minutes east of yellowstone. It is on the road that connects Cody WY and Yellowstone. Nice people and not very busy either. We went both times on the week you are going. The road leading to Yellowstone there are moose and bear. You can usually spot them on your way in early AM or early evening when you come back out to campground. You are only 20 minutes from Cody too. So you can go and watch the rodeo or just go and walk the wood board walk in town. We have been to south dakota 3 times too but I can't remember the name of that campground. There are many nice ones around the area. Especially around Keystone SD and Custer SD. Go on the South Dakota web site and have them send you a brochure it really helped us out. We also went to Glacier National Park last year. It was during the fires we didn't see much. Are you going thru North Dakota and all the way across Montana? If you are you will definitely find out why Montana is called Big Sky country. I will look up the campgrounds in South Dakota and post again with that info. I hope I helped you.

mamabear

[camperboy]

We were in Yellowstone for almost a week in 2002. Stayed at Fishing Bridge. A little pricey (the gas too) but well worth being in the park. Some of the other campgrounds in the park are nicer, but have no hook-ups. Fishing Bridge has full hook-ups (WES). No tents or pop-ups allowed at Fishing Bridge because of close placement to prime bear habitat. I would stay there again. If you want to get a spot there for the mid-summer dates you mention reserve now. Staying inside Yellowstone is the way to go.

Way back in 92 we stayed at a campground about an hour north of the park. Too far for me, too much time wasted driving back and forth. Remember, that's an hour just to the gate. Add another 45 minutes or more to get down to other areas of the park.

Can't comment on Glacier, have not been there - yet.

Camperboy

[kempert]

8) YNP is fantabulous! I've spent a total of over a month there. Last summer it snowed, rained, and sleeted, all in one day while we were there. The thing that many people miss is the road from the NE of Yellowstone to Red Lodge, MT thru Bear Tooth Pass. Charles Kuralt said that it is the prettiest drive in the US. It is beyond description.

:) If you want to dry camp in GNP, Two Medicine Lake is a great place. You camp along a long, narrow lake with a mountain going almost straight up on the other side.

[Northwoods]

Thank you all for your input on places to camp in Glacier and Yellowstone. It definitely helped us decide to camp within the parks as we had planned to do. Still lots of planning to do, but can hardly wait. Northwoods/ Ken and Olga Smith

[bonzaibeaver]

Ken & Olga,

We live in Southern Illinois and are thinking of exploring the Lewis & Clark trail in the fall. Would you post a summary of your trip on this site when you get back? We'd love to see where you stayed, as well as your recommendations of some good places to visit.

Steve & Linda

[Northwoods]

Steve and Linda, Where in southern Illinois? We are outside of Florissant, MO and see the lights of to Alton, Ill. from our deck. We are going on 25 July. We had planned to go in September, but were warned by friends in Billings that we might get into snow, so we backtracked to an earlier date. Will be glad to share with you. We are going up through S.D. and back through NE. Olga and Ken

[Paul_Heuvelhorst]

Northwoods,
You didn't mention the time of year you plan this trip. Keep in mind that the Highway to the Sun in Glacier may not open until mid-June to mid-July, depending on the overall snowfall. There is a private campground, I think it is called Johnson's, just across the street 100 yards or so from St. Mary's Lodge, that is highly recommended.

There is also a KOA about 1/4 mile north of the Lodge.

Obviously, if the weather cooperates, camping in any of the national parks is preferred... I'm just offering a couple of "fall-back" places in the event you can't get into the park rv spaces. We were able to drive in to the point the highway was still blocked by snow (in May 2002), but none of the campgrounds were open. The Lodge was, and so were the private campgrounds.

Enjoy! ;)

[bonzaibeaver]

Ken & Olga,

We live in Chester, Illinois, which is 60 miles south of St. Louis. Chester is located on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Our claim to fame is "The Home of Popeye" - hence the picture we use.

Steve & Linda

[Pirkups]

To all of you planning to visit Glacier Nat'l Park this summer, keep in mind that there will be construction work on the Going To The Sun Road the beginning of the summer. The historic road is being rebuilt and the project will take several years to complete, as hopes are to get each segment done before the peak tourist seasons. Also, remember that there are length restrictions on this narrow winding road! Don't thing we'd want to take our TM over that road - too much traffic during the summer, with drivers that are often too much in awe of the beautiful and spectacuar scenery and glimpses of grizzlies and mountain sheep. We live in Kalispell, MT, which is just 35 miles from the west entrance to the park. Can't tell anyone much about the campgrounds on the east side, but anyone with questions about the west side can contact us. We'll try to help.

[mamabear]

Yellowstone National park??

Has anyone camped inside the park with their TM's? Can you camp in the other campgrounds beside fishing bridge or won't we fit? We own a 3326 but are going with another couple that has a popup. We are looking at canyon campground in yellowstone. I was wondering how small the sites are in yellowstone and how hard they are to get into and out of. I hope someone can help us with our plans.

mamabear

[HJKeel]

We stayed at the KOA in St Mary's while visiting Glacier. There is a tour bus that comes to the campground that takes the Going to the Sun Road over/thru the mountains. We found it worth the fare. Buy groceries before you go as there are few establishments on the east side of Glacier NP.

[Carol]

RE: Yellowstone Nat'l Park:

Last Fall, we stayed at Grant Campground near West Thumb for 1 night enroute to the Tetons from the Big Horns in our 2720SL. Many years ago, we had stayed in Yellowstone and didn't like it as much as the Tetons. This campground has trees and some space between neighbors, so it is nicer in that respect from Fishing Bridge.

Anyway, to answer your question, there is plenty of room for a TM at the Grant campground since they have pull thru sites. I would recommend a reservation. Call Xanterra (see last link below) and they will advise you if a correctly sized site is available at Canyon. Where we were, there were pull thru sites as well as some smaller back-in sites. Make sure you give them the length of your tow vehicle plus the opened trailer.


What I didn't like about staying there is that there was lots of room available, but they filled every available spot in one loop before opening up another loop. We hadn't expected such crowded conditions in September. Many other loops were entirely empty, however.


There are no hook-ups there, but they allow generators during certain hours. The rangers strictly enforce the hours, so that is good.


It was only a short walk to the lake and the campground was nice with restrooms nearby.


Since distances are great and there always seems to be construction in Yellowstone Nat. Park, so a central location is best. Canyon is a good central location for seeing the sights.

Here are some links to help you plan:

Maps of campground areas, etc.:
http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/ysam.htm

Construction schedule, etc.:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/cal.htm

campground info
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/services/campgrnd.htm

reservations
http://travelyellowstone.com/

Have fun!

[Northwoods]

Thanks for the info. We will be at St. Mary's in Glacier and at Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone. We leave on Monday, 7/25. We are really looking forward to this trip. Will update everyone when we return or maybe along the way, if something comes up. Olga and Ken, Northwoods