Need reservation for Yellowstone in late May, early June?

[Boler family]

Hi guys,

We are a family of 4 (2 kids 5yo and 2.5 yo) and planning to go to Yellowstone end of May, beginning of June this year from Vancouver BC. Would we need reservations for the campsites at that time? Recommendations of good sites to stay at? Judging from the temperatures at night time, we probably need electricity to keep our little ones warm with a portable electric heater. I also prefer not to drive too long in between the sites in the park. Any suggested route/campsite route to visit Yellowstone?

Thanks!

[rainjer]

That time of year you there may still be snow. If you need power then you would need to stay at Fishing Bridge. That is the only campground in the park with hook-ups. It is a hard sided only campground, not tents, to tent trailer. You may want to look at campgrounds outside the part in West Yellowstone.

Jeremy

[Kevin A]

All of the driving times are quite long in the park, since most formal attraction sites are 30 miles or more apart and traffic can be congested due to construction or animals. You should plan on being in the car often up to an hour when driving around but the scenery is great and there are places to pull off.

We've stayed at Fishing Bridge in our 13' Burro and were swamped by the big rigs. We've also stayed at West Yellowstone, which is west of the western park entrance. There are several full service campgrounds there. We liked the KOA, but it's about 7 miles west of the town, adding to the drive.

In late May, you can certainly find snow somewhere in the park. Just be prepared and check ahead for road conditions. We've pulled both the 13' Burro and a 16' UHaul VT through the park and you'll see lots of rigs of all sizes. Also be aware that some of the park entrances may still be affected by heavy snow cover and be closed. The Park Service should have information on a daily basis for you.

As to a route, I imagine you would try to come down through Montana and enter at the north entrance. This was the old original entrance to the park and is beautiful! From there it is about 75 - 90 minutes to West Yellowstone, if you plan to stay there. Road speeds are not fast! When we stay, we try to cover a quadrant of the park each day over 4 days or so.

Don't wait too long to make a reservation. These places fill up fast!

[kdhanso]

We've visited YNP over 30 times. We were there in mid May last year and some roads were still closed due to snow. For example, we entered on the West side via West Yellowstone and you could go as far as Old Faithful but not much further. The road that would take you further to the South Entrance was closed. Only certain sections get plowed in winter.

There are five large campgrounds managed by Xanterra that take reservations and seven smaller campgrounds, managed by the park service, that are first come first serve. I strongly recommend getting reservations if you plan to stay at a Xanterra CG. We worked at Madison CG the summer of 2015 and were full the entire summer. We are hosting at Madison CG starting May 15 this year. Stop by and see us.

[herons]

[QUOTE=kdhanso;625557]We've visited YNP over 30 times. We were there in mid May last year and some roads were still closed due to snow....

We were there in early May last year and stayed at Fishing Bridge. I'm glad we had reservations because it was very crowded. With hookups and a heater in the trailer, we were very comfortable despite some snow on the ground. They cleared all the campsites and we each had our own pile of snowball ammunition.

The hot showers at the bathhouse were divine!