Ohio to Yellowstone NP

ChaseTheLight

Planning a trip in the fall and looking for suggestions/experiences driving cross country- and places to camp along the way. How long should I plan for the travel ? Don’t want to do 400 miles a day. More leisurely. Roads/highways recommended?
Thanks for any help. 
Craig

Verna

I highly recommend a smart phone app like AllStays Camp & RV.  This is all I use in my 12,000+ miles of travel per year. If you search the forum for “apps”, there are a number of other apps that others use. 

In my travels, I  have found the National Highways like US 30 from Ohio or US 60 from Southern Indiana are a slower pace without the semi truck traffic.  There are plenty of county and city campgrounds, lots of Corp of Engineers campgrounds, fairgrounds and RV campgrounds if you choose. There’s lots of small towns to explore, lots of Mom and Pop restaurants to sample. 

I try to travel 300 to 350 max per day. Occasionally I drive less, sometimes more. I do “fly by the seat of my pants” by not having reservations, unless I am meeting others for a gathering. 

ChaseTheLight

Thanks Verna. Very helpful - I’ll get the app. 

SGH0004

We took a month long trip last fall.  We only made one reservation & missed it, lol.  Verna's app suggestion is a great help. We relied on the RV Park Review app & it was pretty much spot on.  We stayed at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone.  It was nice with really clean restrooms.  There are only a couple of campgrounds open in the fall in Yellowstone.  Possibly just one.  I can't remember for sure.  We were there during October & things were starting to shut down.  Grizzly closed the week after we left.  I highly recommend Signal Mountain campground in The Grand Tetons.  There is a nice restaurant & store within walking distance.  If you were to go as far over as South Dakota to see Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park was another one of our favorites.  They were having a buffalo roundup while we were there & was very interesting.  

jkjenn

I am doing this trip, this summer, albeit at not such a leisurely pace. I have also done it in the fall. I loved going the far north route via Red Lodge, MT and the Beartooth Mountains, with a stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There are some nice alternate routes you could take along that path. The Beartooth Mountains are breathtaking and you will have a good shot at seeing snow. The only real fall foliage in Yellowstone is seen as you enter from the NE entrance and best viewed from the Beartooth Mountains as you descend. The Tetons are loaded with Cottonwoods along the Snake and some Aspen, as well. If you are a photographer (assuming by your handle) Signal Mountain might not be the best campground if you want to vary your sunrise shots. It is not very centrally located. I would consider Gros Ventre for photography. It is very close to Mormon Row, Jackson, and the stops along the Snake are also easy acceas.

This summer, we will take that northern route out and return via South Dakota, where we will catch the Badlands, Black Hills, and Custer. 

One little tidbit about fall trips to National Parks: you risk a government shutdown. It happened when I was out in 2013, so I was unable to stop at the Badlands and my visit to the Tetons was cut a little short. There is plenty to see if there is a shutdown, just have plans to visit National Forest and BLM areas.

ChaseTheLight

Jkjenn- thank you for the insightful post. Yes photography is a passion. Perhaps you would consider sharing experiences as you make the summer trip? I’m new at the RV travel style therefore trying to learn from others. 

jkjenn

ChaseTheLight said:

Jkjenn- thank you for the insightful post. Yes photography is a passion. Perhaps you would consider sharing experiences as you make the summer trip? I’m new at the RV travel style therefore trying to learn from others. 

I sure will.

NCNative

I am looking to do a similar route this summer after Ucamp18 (I am going to Bozeman for a family member's wedding). I notice the Allstays app is for iphone only. I have an android, what app do you all recommend to plan this route?

jkjenn

NCNative said:

I am looking to do a similar route this summer after Ucamp18 (I am going to Bozeman for a family member's wedding). I notice the Allstays app is for iphone only. I have an android, what app do you all recommend to plan this route?

Honestly, a tablet or desktop Googke maps is the way to go for route planning. On the road, I will use Waze 

NCNative

Waze is great, I use it all the time. I am hoping to find an app that is specific to RV parks/stops when I am travelling. 

Vikings

Chase...
Many route options into or out of Yellowstone.  North from Mamouth, or West Yellowstone not so great, anything else pretty grand.  I recommend, either in or out, the East entrance that connects to Cody, Wyoming coupled with a trip across the Bighorn Mountains to/from Buffalo, Wyoming which is exceptional.  Southern route through Ten Sleep my favorite.   
Wyoming forest service campgrounds don't open until late May or June and suspect they may close early too...September should be ok, but October will be dicey.  Commercial RV parks will be open. 
Have done this with T@B but also many motorcycle trips. 
250 mile days pretty relaxing even on two lane roads. 
Have fun!

jkjenn

NCNative said:

Waze is great, I use it all the time. I am hoping to find an app that is specific to RV parks/stops when I am travelling. 

If you are looking for RV parks, RVPark is great for Android. I also use Campendium.com

NCNative

@jkjenn thank you for the tip, I was not certain which app was a good one as there are so many. This is all new to me, and I want to find some good sources so I can find routes and parks I can handle until I get more experienced.

Cowfarmer

I am from Ohio also and would recommend if time allows taking the route through the Black Hills on the way out so many great stops through that area.  I would also suggest going through the Big Horn Mountains from the Black Hills.  There are lots of NF campgrounds and it is very pretty in the Big Horns.

The northern route is good also and if you enjoy history Teddy Roosevelt NP is interesting to see with lots of Roosevelt,s personal effects to see including the shirt he was wearing when he was shot.

i love making that trip in September with the weather usually perfect for camping and crowds reasonable.

ChaseTheLight

Vikings said:

Chase...
Many route options into or out of Yellowstone.  North from Mamouth, or West Yellowstone not so great, anything else pretty grand.  I recommend, either in or out, the East entrance that connects to Cody, Wyoming coupled with a trip across the Bighorn Mountains to/from Buffalo, Wyoming which is exceptional.  Southern route through Ten Sleep my favorite.   
Wyoming forest service campgrounds don't open until late May or June and suspect they may close early too...September should be ok, but October will be dicey.  Commercial RV parks will be open. 
Have done this with T@B but also many motorcycle trips. 
250 mile days pretty relaxing even on two lane roads. 
Have fun!

Vikings - good info thanks. Considering Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park. It is on the West side just outside of the park. New to towing so wondering the best way in from an elevation perspective. Suggestions?
Thanks. 

ChaseTheLight

Cowfarmer said:

I am from Ohio also and would recommend if time allows taking the route through the Black Hills on the way out so many great stops through that area.  I would also suggest going through the Big Horn Mountains from the Black Hills.  There are lots of NF campgrounds and it is very pretty in the Big Horns.

The northern route is good also and if you enjoy history Teddy Roosevelt NP is interesting to see with lots of Roosevelt,s personal effects to see including the shirt he was wearing when he was shot.

i love making that trip in September with the weather usually perfect for camping and crowds reasonable.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Vikings

My recommended routes involve elevation changes...but they are worth it.  If T@B within your TV's tow capacity limit you will be ok.  Though you may think engine about to blow up, jt won't!  Roads are good so don't worry about those.   And if your brake controller working as designed the T@B will not be a burden to your TV's brakes.   
Someone else recommended Beartooth pass, which entails a climb from about 5000 feet to almost 11000 feet in 15-20 miles.  Again worth it and car/trailer will survive. 
Not sure what your desires are but a great route in is through Beartooth/Cooke City NE entrance  (lots of buffalo and we spotted a few grizzlies 2 years ago in May) and then out through East Entrance/Cody.  The other direction also works.  Or up through the Grand Tetons.  
Your time constraints will dictate number of freeway miles necessary to get to Yellowstone/Wyomng/Montana.  
As others have suggested get on Google maps which will provide options, really too many!   

 

jcfaber1

A couple of points, Allstays is available for android.  I aslo like UCPublic.  When traveling from Ohio through Indiana, Illinois to Wisconsin I recommend avoiding Chicago.  I would head West from Indy on 74 until you get to interstate 39 North to Rockford and from there 90 or 94.  We usually make a loop route where we head out 90 through South Dakota.  If you're interested in bicycling, the Michaelson trail is spectacular in the Black Hills. Mt. Rushmore is worth seeing if you haven't seen before.  From there you can see Devil's tower as you head West on 90.  From Sheridan, you can head through the Big Horns and descend down through Shell canyon on 14.  It is stunning red rocks and a waterfall.  From there you have choices as to how you enter either Tetons or Yellowstone.  When in Yellowstone one of our favorite campgrounds is Tower.  You are in a good position to head different directions.  There's almost always Osprey in the Yellowstone canyon accessed from the picnic area after Theodore Roosevelt lodge as you head to Lamar valley.  I also suggest the Beartooth highway.  Beartooth lake and Island lake campgrounds can be enjoyable but the weather is really unpredictable.  From there we usually head down  and go back 94 the northern route.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park is well worth the visit.  The northern unit has a nice juniper campground.  I don't have any idea how the oil and gas exploration is impacting the crowds in that area.  Have fun!

ChaseTheLight

Thanks to all for the information and experience. Very helpful in planning the journey!