Yellowstone Trip Planning help needed

[mkm98584]

We went through Yellowstone last year, staying at the West Yellowstone KOA (there are 2 just west of town)(we stayed at the west most one). It is a little drive into the park get there early in the morning to beat the traffic into the park. We spent 5 days exploring the park, not enough time. Be ready for traffic to come to a standstill, any time there is any animal around. Make sure you take the side trips off the main road, there are several that loop out and back to the main road, but they are well worth it. The northeast area of the park is where we encountered the most bison at one area, they crossed the river and then the road right in front of the truck. Grand Tetons is also pretty cool and there are some nice campgrounds there.

[MooManChu]

We went through Yellowstone last year, staying at the West Yellowstone KOA (there are 2 just west of town)(we stayed at the west most one). It is a little drive into the park get there early in the morning to beat the traffic into the park. We spent 5 days exploring the park, not enough time. Be ready for traffic to come to a standstill, any time there is any animal around. Make sure you take the side trips off the main road, there are several that loop out and back to the main road, but they are well worth it. The northeast area of the park is where we encountered the most bison at one area, they crossed the river and then the road right in front of the truck. Grand Tetons is also pretty cool and there are some nice campgrounds there.

2X on West Yellowstone KOA. Great place to base your stay. We stayed there 2 weeks. Agree on the side road trips and yes NE part of the park we came across lots of bison and yes a couple bear sightings.

What’s nice about West Yellowstone is you can drive west and be in the base of Tetons in a few hours. Go north and white water rafting in an hour. Town is nice.






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[TheLexx]

We stayed at the West Yellowstone KOA and I have to sadly report that I was not impressed. We had obstructions while trying to get our trailer into our assigned spot. The location is good but the RV park is very crowded.

I recommend you instead try Grizzly RV Park if you can get in there: https://grizzlyrv.com/campsites

[FT4NOW]

We just stayed at Grizzly and got home yesterday. Very clean park, paved, sites are well maintained. We stayed in a premium back-up forest site, it has a section next to it for your tow vehicle which was nice. The best part was the proximity to the west entrance, I would say a few minutes, if that. Exit the park, turn on Yellowstone Rd and a few more blocks and you're at the gate. We chose Grizzly as a good base camp and it was nice not having to drive 20 - 30 minutes just to get to the entrance. The campground was very easy to navigate and my camper is 43 - 44' long not to mention my truck which is 21' long.

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[RoJoSo]

I have taken that route and driven most of the roads in Yellowstone and surrounding areas (not always with a trailer). The roads in Yellowstone can handle a trailer, but they are 2-lane roads with sometimes only a center line, and no room to put the outside paint lines. I assume you are a good driver and can put your tires on the edge of the pavement on a narrow road and not fall off. Adjust your mirrors so you can easily watch your trailer wheels. It is more likely to encounter some weekend yahoo or a person renting an RV who can't keep himself on the right side of the center!

I assume you will head in from Cody and around the lake and head south without wandering around the park with that rig. I doubt any of the campgrounds can take that big trailer. Those roads on your path are not over any passes, mostly following the rivers. You will have a lot of curves and some tighter than a long rig can stay in the lane. Be sure to look ahead and plan for those wide swings with the truck. A travel partner would be recommended as they can look around the corner before you can!

My real worry is that you will not see the best parts of Yellowstone. The northern area has some of the most interesting sights in Yellowstone, please don't miss it. Maybe you can unhook and see the park with your Tow Vehicle.

The wife and I are heading to Teton and YNP the last week of August into September. I also have concerns driving in YNP with our rig.
Not that I don't feel confident in driving, it's just the clearances and the ability to travel about in the park. We will be using Trip Wizard as well. Hoping to put the trust into this APP.
Recommendations and insight would be great. Trying to be the sponge.

[steve.barnett71]

Just a quick update on our trip. The pull through the park from the east entrance to the south entrance was not bad at all. We stayed at Headwaters at Flagg Ranch which is just 2 miles south of the south entrance.

[traveldawg]

The wife and I are heading to Teton and YNP the last week of August into September. I also have concerns driving in YNP with our rig.
Not that I don't feel confident in driving, it's just the clearances and the ability to travel about in the park. We will be using Trip Wizard as well. Hoping to put the trust into this APP.
Recommendations and insight would be great. Trying to be the sponge.

From Cody, through Yellowstone, to the Tetons has no hight issues. Through Yellowstone and out the west side to West Yellowstone also presents no problem hight-wise. The traffic might test your patience, tho. Enjoy the drive and the visits.

[GaryS1964]

Hi. We are also heading to Yellowstone on 6/24, staying at Headwaters at Flagg Ranch, & will be coming in from Laramie. It is our 1st time visiting Grand Tetons & YNP & we are brand new to the RV world as well as just picked up our Transcend 32BHS 3 weeks ago. We broke it in last weekend in the Texas wine country! Our tow vehicle is an Expedition Ecoboost.
We will be there for a week & then heading to South Dakata to see Badlands, & Mount Rushmore.
We are staying at the KOA/Mt. Rushmore.
Have heard wonderful things about West Yellowstone & actually found some available RV spots there today. Any advice on best location to see the most while there? We will be traveling with our 4 daughters & dog! Thank you!

A little off topic but I think there is something you need to consider. I assume that you are either still on your trip or safe back at home. I looked at your trailer and the GVWR is 9295 lbs. Since you didn't say what year your Expidition was I I looked up a 2020 and the maximum towing capacity is 9300 lbs. While searching I noticed some previous year models maximum towing capacity was 9200 lbs. The maximum towing capacity is for a specifically equipped vehicle. My F150 in the brochure has a maximum towing capacity of 13,200 lbs again for a very specifically equipped vehicle. When I dug into the numbers further I found the actual max towing capacity of my truck was around 10,500 lbs. 2700 lbs less than the prominently displayed number. Also the Gross Combined Weight Rating (tow vehicle and trailer combined) of a 2020 Expedition is 15,300 lbs for a 4x4 MAX model and less for other models. I could go on with other numbers but I think you get the point. Unless you have the specific vehicle as described in the fine print your Expedition can not tow 9300 lbs which is basically the GVWR of your trailer. It's not so much about can it pull the trailer down the road but can it do so safely.

Traveling with six people and a dog and all the stuff you need for an extended trip I'm guessing that you could be overweight in your tow vehicle, trailer or both. I also suspect that your Expedition seems to be doing just fine pulling you trailer but the real question is are you putting your family and others on the highway at risk.

I strongly suggest that you go to the Tow Vehicles section of this forum and post the specifications of your Expedition (numbers for your specific vehicle and not from the Ford literature) as well as your trailer and ask what others think of that combination.
Here are the specs for a 2020 model Expedition. https://media.ford.com/content/dam/f...Tech-Specs.pdf If yours is an earlier model you can probably find the appropriate information.

Having said all that I sincerely hope you had or are having a great time on your adventure. The above is something to think about after your trip.