Yellowstone is simply amazing, but it was not the right place for us to thoroughly enjoy.  The campground was overpriced and a bit isolated, and the park so vast that we could not explore it, limited as we are by the lack of a tow vehicle.  While we are willing to explore using the Big Kahuna if needed, it was just not practical given the crowds and lack of easy pull off parking along the main loops and roads.  During the more than 50 mile ride through the park on the way to our campground, we had to creep through several congested areas where cars had crammed up the small shoulder areas to view bison, elk or other sights.

I don’t want to take away from the park,  it is amazing, but without a transportation system like they have in Grand Canyon or Zion, we could not see all that much.  Even if we were willing to pay the prices for tours, some of the ones we were interested in would not pick us up at our campground.

Popping the bubbly in Yellowstone

Toasting our anniversary in the woods of Yellostone

We stayed in the one reservable full hook up park within the park itself, Fishing Bridge Campground, and it was fine, but the price was steep; $54 per night after taxes.  They are truly living off their location:  the spots are cramped, right up against the neighbor to the rear, and the bathroom facilities are very old and dingy.  They have a prison like feel, right down to the polished metal rather than glass mirrors. The showers were quite a distance from all but the nearest camp loops, further than in any place we have stayed, and seemed to be quite crowded, so we made do with our own shower.

Rose at the river

Morning Coffee on the Snake RIver

One bit of advice I would give to anyone planning to camp or RV in Yellowstone is avoid buying anything in the town of West Yellowstone, it is exorbitantly expensive.  If you forget to stock up before getting there, then just wait until you are in the park itself and use one of the stores there, we were amazed to see that their prices were less than the town just outside the park, especially for liquor and beer, though selection was limited.

Avoid buying anything in West Yellowstone, just outside the west entrance. Use the little stores in the park itself if you must restock.

Finally, though this has been a pretty negative review, we would love to come back to Yellowstone under different circumstances, perhaps staying in one of the more affordable and hopefully less crowded dry camping areas, and certainly with a tow vehicle so as to properly explore the park. Next year maybe…