Advice needed - Plan first time long distance extended camping trip

Playc

We plan to take our T@B mid May from Houston to Yellowstone National Park .  it's about 1,800 miles one way.  The current plan is to take 5-6 days travel each way.

We have done several 3day camping the past 12 month less than 100 miles from home.  So this Yellowstone trip is a big deal - excited yet bit scared . 

We plan to stay full service camp site along the way if possible  (we are retirees not so young any more) yet still enjoy the adventure .   Not sure we want make advance reservations as like to be flexible.

We bought our T@B in 2015 and have learned from this forum and forever very grateful . 

Your advice of any kind will be greatly appreciated . 

Nomad

Any idea about what route you want to take? - lots of interesting place between Houston and Yellowstone. How long do you expect to be, including travel? You flexible on time or need to be in Yellowstone on a specific date?

Playc

We are flexible on dates (duration 3 weeks max, preferably start mid May) and routing and for sure like to see 1 or 2 interesting places along each way.

dmerzbac

That sounds like a great trip! Hope to do something similar in another year or so.

Nomad

If you cut west and up thru AZ to Moab, UT you could hit two more National Parks enroute - Arches and Canyonlands - You could also do Monument Valley going that way.

Cyclonic

Wow, so many options.  @PXLated's suggestion is a solid one.

I am still working and so my travel is much like yours, with a destination in mind.

I would also recommend staying off the interstates as much as possible.  Sticking to the US highways will result in a better speed for you while towing, as well as just a prettier ride.  They often also provide a more direct route, saving miles and actually cutting costs because you are going at a slower speed.

I don't make reservations for the same reason you mentioned, so as to stay flexible.  The only reservations I do make are for the end points.  For instance, we are driving from VA to San Antonio for a convention in June.  I'll make the reservations for a park in San Antonio because I know what time I have to be there, those dates are not flexible, and I want the best possible location.  Everything else is up in the air.  I have never had an issue finding a spot to camp while on the road.

mash2

Another option is to catch Clayton State Park (NM),  Great sand dunes, mesa verde, grand canyon, zion and Bryce and Kodachrome Basin State Park (UT).  I did this route   a couple of years ago when coming across the country and all were beautiful locations.  

That's the southern route.  I continued up to Arches, then Gunnison before I headed north to catch Grand Tetons (an essential stop) and then hit Yellowstone.  

Nomad

As you can tell already, there's just a ton of great places between you and Wyoming.

mash2

Right Pxlated.  Best to determine general direction desired (directly north or meandering), and folks can fill in places once general direction is established...  I assumed a loop in the south running north and then southerly route on return.  

jkjenn

I would be cautious about adding extra stops to your trip. It sounds like you want a leisurely trip to and from Houston and additional stops will eat away at that pace, quickly. IF you took the fastest route, it would probably take you 3-4 days, depending on how long you drive in a day. When you use Google Maps, count on adding an hour to two your time, per day. Personally, I felt like Monument Valley was a huge disappointment because it is so commercialized. Moab is a great stop and May would be a nice time to stop, but if you are going to go out of the way, try to spend at least 3 days there to make it worth your while.

The drive along I-25 (if you go that way) along the Front Range of the Rockies, is very pretty, but it is also one of the deadliest highways in America. If you go that way, consider taking the scenic way and pickup the Peak to Peak Byway, which takes you right along the foot of the front range and is a stunning drive. I found that the County Fairgrounds in Longmont, just north of Boulder, has full hook-ups and is reasonably priced. It is right off of I-25, too. You can also find Commercial CG's readily available in Colorado Springs and Loveland. In the Denver area, try Cherry Creek State Park - a very nice park with full hook-ups.

I would look for places where you stop and walk around for an hour or so along the way. I would also consider camping at different CGs within Yellowstone, if you can get by without hooks ups. Maybe spend 3 nights at a CG in each corner of the Park. I liked Madison, a lot. Make sure you bring warm clothes and are ready to run the heat at night. If you decided you need electric hook-ups the entire time, you could also split the time between Fishing Bridge and a commercial CG in West Yellowstone. It would also be worthwhile to spend time in Grand Teton National Park, since you will be in the area. Their CGs with hook-ups, on the North Side of the park, near Yellowstone, so you could go between Yellowstone and GTNP, easily. You are not too far from the Lewis Lake and Lewis Falls area, there.

You will be there a little early for wildflowers, but you will catch a lot of baby animals in the Lamar and Hayden Valley areas.

I would be completely surprised if the pass would be open, yet, but any amount of driving you can do over the Beartooth Mountains from Red Lodge, MT to the NE Entrance of Yellowstone will be well worth it. Charles Kuralt called it, "the most beautiful roadway in America”  The scenery is among the best I have ever seen. Even if you can only drive out of the NE Entrance to the Gate Past Cook City, it is a really pretty drive and you have a decent chance of seeing Grizzly Bears. The Beartooth Highway Facebook page posts updates once they start plowing for the spring. After the pass is open, they can still experience closures, but are quick to clear the pass and re-open the road. 

May is the early severe weather season for the plains, so the front range of Colorado would be an area to jeep your eye to the sky.

Nomad

The thing I don't like about a route up 25 is once you hit Wyoming it's a long boring drive west and the winds can be unbelievable. Much more scenic route up thru Moab even if you don't have time to stop and spend a lot of time you'll know where to plan your next NP trip.

marknjudy

The drive along I-25 (if you go that way) along the Front Range of the Rockies, is very pretty, but it is also one of the deadliest highways in America

Uh oh.  That's the route I am (was?) taking. 

jkjenn

PXLated said:

The thing I don't like about a route up 25 is once you hit Wyoming it's a long boring drive west and the winds can be unbelievable. Much more scenic route up thru Moab even if you don't have time to stop and spend a lot of time you'll know where to plan your next NP tri

Not if you take 26 from Casper, through the edge of the Wind River Range and over Togwotee Pass into Moran. That is a beautiful drive. Or, you could go up through Thermopolis to Cody and stop and soak in the hot springs at Thermopolis. You could also hit Devil's Tower.

Nomad

That's somewhat the route (Casper) I took to Yellowstone last summer - Lots of open range. Few picturesque miles but a lot more not :-)
Of course that's true of the route up to Moab also.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

That's somewhat the route (Casper) I took to Yellowstone last summer - Lots of open range. Few picturesque miles but a lot more not :-)
Of course that's true of the route up to Moab also.

I found the route through Lander and Dubious very pleasant. You go through the Red Hills area, have sweeping views of the rolling hills and the Wind River of the reservation and Wind River Range, and then the drive from Dubois to Moran is splendid. I took a detour (not with the T@b) over to Brooks Lake at the top of the pass and it is stunning. I think if you went slow you could take a T@b back there (Brooks Lake), but most wouldn't want to try it. But if you go that way, stopping at the Bighorn Sheep center is a nice stop, and don't miss the world's largest Jackelope collection in town!

Nomad

Yep, the route I took, Dubois/Moran :-)

jkjenn

PXLated said:

Yep, the route I took, Dubois/Moran :-)

To each his own - I thought it was beautiful country.

Nomad

Parts of Dubois to Moran stretch were all burnt up - some fires still smoldering when I went through.
Beautiful drive from Cody to Yellowstone also but once you hit the park entrance, all burnt up to almost Fisherbridge.

Playc

Thanks you all for the great advice.  As said we are excited but scared as this is our very first long camping trip, but I know you will be with us the whole time & just a forum message away.

We plan the entire duration be 3 weeks so most likely we need to focus on Yellowstone and limit to 1 or 2 detour at most.  As such how would you route the trip, overnight locations, days and sites at Yellowstone ,  and pick 1 or 2 place to visit on the way ...

As always ,  our sincere thanks to you for the advices.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

Parts of Dubois to Moran stretch were all burnt up - some fires still smoldering when I went through.
Beautiful drive from Cody to Yellowstone also but once you hit the park entrance, all burnt up to almost Fisherbridge.

Oh, bummer. That is sad, but part of the life cycle there with summer lightning.

Nomad

Northeast Glacier from not too far down from the pass was all burnt also. Bad year for fires up that way.

abenteurer

If you're 62 or over, a National Park Senior Pass is only $10. In the areas you'll be passing through you'll have a lot of great opportunities to use it.

mash2

They are raising the senior pass to $80 (I think at the end of this year).  Get it soon to get the $10 price.

Playc

We got our senior pass in 2015 but only used one time.  Hope to put to good use this trip.

We stayed at a KOA camp one time and joined the membership.  Any experience with good KOA camp along the way (Houston to Yellowstone)?

Nomad

The Wyoming winds I mentioned I hit while traversing on I80 last year ... Brutal...
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/11/us/dash-cam-wind-slam-tractor-trailer-police-car/index.html

RollingBnB

You should plan on making reservations for Yellowstone now. They fill up quick during holidays.

Playc

jkjenn - Thanks so much for the writing.  I printed for daily reference and planning.  Called DUBOIS / WIND RIVER KOA and was told the open date is 5/20 and most activities wont start until 6/10.  So we plan to arrive there around 6/10 and may take the direct route from Houston to Yellowstone and visit at most one attaction/site enroute so we can spend more time at Yellowstone (as our total trip duration is 3 weeks.)

Not sure we can do camping w/o electricity and water (never done before).  So we may have to choose campground with full service in the area.

Again, very much appreciate your advice.

Vikings

Spent 3 nights in Yellowstone mid-May 2016...snow piles all around, and snowed a little on way out towards Cody.  Not to worry...roads were fine!  I recall the only open full hook-up sites at that time were at Fishing Bridge.  They did not appear to be full, but in June could be...make reservations asap. 
As we moved east to Badlands we relied on commercial campgrounds as Wyoming State campgrounds did not open until late May, some not until June. 
There is a lot to see in Yellowstone area,  and Western US, better start planning 2018 trip now...

drpprmt

Last year we were told all National Parks were going to reservation only status.  Don't know if they did or not. ???  Hope not.  We like to free lance also.

Nomad

They sure weren't last year - They did double their rates though.