Yellowstone attracts over 3 million visitors annually every year due to various reasons. This national park offers a wide range of recreational opportunities. Yellowstone National Park is a mountain wildland featuring wolves, grizzly bears, and herds of elk and bison. Also, it is said to be the world’s first national park. Besides, this Yellowstone is the center of one of the last and "nearly intact natural ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone." Above all, it allows to camp inside an active volcano, making RV camping in the Yellowstone National Park a unique experience. It is essential to have a detailed idea about the area before opting for RV camping in Yellowstone.

The checklist:

Yellowstone is located in the state of Wyoming, though it extends into Idaho and Montana as well. The park is at the headwaters of the Yellowstone River. It is accessible from Interstate-90, Highway 89 and US Route 191. The RV camping facility of Yellowstone offers easy access to several nearby communities such as Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Silver Gate and Cooke City. Those who are planning for RV camping in this area should consider the weather of Yellowstone National Park. The weather is very unpredictable here and changes quickly. Campers should be prepared for a wide range of conditions. Also, check the weather condition with the National Weather Service forecast. The RV park also provides information about its oversnow and plowed roads.

Best time to visit:

Yellowstone is open all year; however, RV camping is allowed only for few months each year. The only exception is the RV campground in Mammoth, located near the North Entrance, which allows RV camping all year round. Yellowstone’s peak camping season is during the months of July and August. Most of the RV campgrounds of this national park close at the end of October.

Yellowstone RV camping sites:

Yellowstone has 12 RV campgrounds featuring more than 2,000 RV camping sites. Though most of the RV camping sites are available on first-come, first served basis, some sites allow prior reservation. Xanterra Parks & Resorts operate the RV campgrounds of Bridge Bay, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Madison, Canyon, and Grant Village. Even with such a huge number of RV camping sites, it often becomes difficult to find available sites in this RV park during the peak season. The Yellowstone RV campgrounds at Indian Creek, Mammoth, Pebble Creek, Tower Fall, Lewis Lake, Slough Creek, and Norris provide campsite only on first-come, first serve basis. These RV parks do not allow overnight camping outside the designated areas, and their occupancy limit is 6 people per RV camping site.

Amenities offered by Yellowstone RV parks:

The Fishing Bridge Campground located at Yellowstone Lake is the only RV camping facility of Yellowstone that features electric, water, and sewer hookups. However, there are bears in the area and thus, this RV park allows only hard-sided recreational vehicles.

All the other RV campgrounds of Yellowstone allow only dry camping. The RV camping facilities of Pebble Creek, Tower Fall, Indian Creek, Slough Creek, and Lewis Lake do not allow the use of generators. Most of the RV parks provide access to dump station, potable water from hand pumps, flush toilets and vault toilets.

People driving recreational vehicles larger than 30' are recommended to make a prior reservation, as the RV parks of Yellowstone have limited number of sites that can accommodate bigger units. Most of the RV camping sites offering big rig access are located at Fishing Bridge RV Park, Gardiner, Flagg Ranch, and West Yellowstone.