Yellowstone? RV or Car

[JCasper]

I am thinking of going to Yellowstone this summer.



I can either borrow my Father in Laws 26' or 28' Komfort Travel trailer which weighs around 9-10,000lbs or drive my wifes Honda Odyssey.



My FIL told me that I can't tow his trailer without a aftermarket hitch and he thinks I would enjoy the trip more if I drove the car.



I have towed 12,000lbs plus with my truck and think it does a good job of it. I don't mind motels for a few days, but don't really like unpacking every day for 8-9 days. Not to mention I don't like eating out that much.



I can spend the money and upgrade the hitch, not a problem.



I think I would enjoy the RV more then motels, what do you all think?



We have two kids 6 and 1. 5.

 

[AMink]

Why do you need an aftermarket hitch? You should be able to use whatever he uses when he pulls. Are you sure the trailer is that heavy? That seems high for a 26-28 footer. Just curious. I'm with you on the unloading every night. I'd rather cook on the grill and enjoy the outdoors.

 

[Grizzly]

What hitch do you have now? Do you have the trailer tow mirrors?

 

[Jumbo Jet]

I bet your FIL drives a Ford!

 

[PKozlowski]

Another thing to think about is there are a few hills up that way.

What route are you taking to get there?

 

[JHolmes]

Sounds like your father in law does not want to loan out his travel trailer. What does he use to tow it?

 

[JCasper]

He doesn't normally mind loaning his things out. He just would rather stay in a motel instead of tow something that far and he thinks everyone should feel the same way.



He has two dodges. When he bought the trailer he hooked it up to his old truck (F350) and it squatted the back end pretty good. So then he went out and bought his wife a new Dodge 3500 and then installed a Reese (I think) hitch with the 2. 5" square opening.



I don't think it needs that hitch either but he feels it does.



The trailer I believe has a GVW of 8,600lbs +- a little. It has a slide probably 12' or a little more. And he claims the tongue weighs 1,600lbs because the water tank is nere the front.



If it doesn't work out I can rent a trailer, but that is about $1,000 a week from what I have seen.



I have the factory dodge hitch and trailer tow mirrors. I have towed more weight then what this trailer weighs and had no problems.

 

[AMink]

Yep, the 2. 5" hitch won't work. That is some seriously heavy duty right there! Do any of your buddies have a 2" weight distribution hitch that you could borrow?

 

[wyosteve]

This is my thought since I live close and visit Yellowstone frequently. The motel facilities in the park are very limited and not cheap. If you want to stay in the park, you better have reservations now or it's unlikely you'll get them. Similarly, most towns around the park, i. e West Yellowstone, Bozeman, Cody and Jackson are booked well in advance of summer. Now, the roads in the park are very narrow with little or no shoulders, so pulling a camper can be challenging. Plus the few campgrounds in the park are just like staying at a WalMart parking lot in my opinion, i. e. you're parked/camping w/in a few feet of your neighbors. Not a quality experience in my opinion. If you decide to pull a camper, I'd suggest finding a Forest Service campground near one of the park entrances and then do a few day trips into the park and return to your camper outside the park boundary every night. Most of the Forest Service campgrounds have fewer people and a bit more room to stretch out so to speak. If you'd like info on specific camping areas, feel free to pm me.

 

[JCasper]

This is my thought since I live close and visit Yellowstone frequently. The motel facilities in the park are very limited and not cheap. If you want to stay in the park, you better have reservations now or it's unlikely you'll get them. Similarly, most towns around the park, i. e West Yellowstone, Bozeman, Cody and Jackson are booked well in advance of summer. Now, the roads in the park are very narrow with little or no shoulders, so pulling a camper can be challenging. Plus the few campgrounds in the park are just like staying at a WalMart parking lot in my opinion, i. e. you're parked/camping w/in a few feet of your neighbors. Not a quality experience in my opinion. If you decide to pull a camper, I'd suggest finding a Forest Service campground near one of the park entrances and then do a few day trips into the park and return to your camper outside the park boundary every night. Most of the Forest Service campgrounds have fewer people and a bit more room to stretch out so to speak. If you'd like info on specific camping areas, feel free to pm me.

I read somewhere on the website that there are like 5-6 campgrounds that have first come first serve sites. Get there early in the morning and I would think I could find something.



Staying outside wouldn't be bad either. If we decide to do this I will PM you for some site info outside.



Thanks, Joe

 

[JCasper]

Yep, the 2. 5" hitch won't work. That is some seriously heavy duty right there! Do any of your buddies have a 2" weight distribution hitch that you could borrow?

His truck has both on it. The factory 2" and the aftermarket 2. 5". I can come up with a 2" WD hitch that isn't a problem. He is trying to tell me that I need the 2. 5" aftermarket Reese to handle the weight.



The trailer has a gross of under 9,000 if I remember reading the tag correctly. The factory hitch should handle that fine as I have had 13,000 on mine without a WD setup. I know that was a bit much, but it doesn't happen often.

 

[AMink]

All due respect to your FiL, but a 2" WD hitch won't have any problems at 9000#, assuming the ball itself is rated for that weight. I know my 30' Wildcat is around 9K when loaded up for travel. I have the receiver that came with the truck and a 2" WD hitch. When pulling, that part of the equation is the very least of my worries!:-laf

 

[JThiessen]

My . 02:

Three years ago we took our trailer to Yellowstone for the first time (prior visits were in a tent). The tow from the west coast is an easy one - left early in the morning, and pulled into West around 7:30. I should say that the hills are easy - the only thing that slowed me down was driving into a 30mph wind for most of the afternoon.

We initially stayed outside the park at Henry's Lake, and this proved to be a PIA, so we moved into the Park at the first one in from West Yellowstone. We showed up around 10 am, and got a spot right away. This was the best move we made - added at least two hours of "touring time" to our day, and was much more relaxing - not to mention cheaper. The campgrounds outside the park were more$, and IMHO, not as nice. Every night there are programs at the park that proved to be very enjoyable for all of us (and your 6 year old will like the Jr Ranger program - it gets them interested in all the things they see). There are only one or two campgrounds in the park that offer hookups, and after looking at them, and where they are located, I would still dry camp it at any one of the other CG's. The one just inside at west is dry camping, but is fairly centrally located.

As far as your hitch goes: it has a rating on it, your in laws trailer has a tongue weight and a GVW. Hook up to it, go to a weigh station and weigh your axles. If your under your hitch rating, go for it (my guess is that you are). If it still makes your FIL uncomfortable, go to your insurance company, and take out a short term policy on his trailer, and tell him that if you wreck it, he's getting a new one!

One more recommendation. I see you are from ORE, so i dont know if you'd go over via I-90, or cut across south Idaho and go in through the South entrance. If its the former, make sure you allow time to stay over night at the Lewis and Clark Caverns up by Whitehall. The tour through there is fantastic - even my clausterphoic wife said it was the most incredible thing she ever saw.

Also, purchase a spotting scope if you can afford one. Definitley a great item for viewing wildlife.

 

[Grizzly]

You are always better off with your own RV, preferably a 5th wheel. Even if you can't afford a new of a super deluxe one. Buy a used inexpensive RV and do with it what you want. You can always upgrade when you can afford a newer RV. I also think your father-in-law really doesn't want to loan it to you, or he is being very picky with it and if you should do any damage to it, you may never hear the end of it.

 

[JCasper]

All due respect to your FiL, but a 2" WD hitch won't have any problems at 9000#, assuming the ball itself is rated for that weight. I know my 30' Wildcat is around 9K when loaded up for travel. I have the receiver that came with the truck and a 2" WD hitch. When pulling, that part of the equation is the very least of my worries!:-laf

I agree with you 100%.



He is the type who wants to be right. Instead of getting a new 2" WD setup the dealer was able to sell him a whole new setup and he took the bait.



I want the hitch he has, but not for this trailer. I want it for hauling hay in the summer. He probably has never taken any trailer across a scale and doesn't realize that the trailer we use in the summer hauling hay ways about 4,000lbs more and probably 500 or more on the tongue.

 

[JCasper]

My . 02:

Three years ago we took our trailer to Yellowstone for the first time (prior visits were in a tent). The tow from the west coast is an easy one - left early in the morning, and pulled into West around 7:30. I should say that the hills are easy - the only thing that slowed me down was driving into a 30mph wind for most of the afternoon.

We initially stayed outside the park at Henry's Lake, and this proved to be a PIA, so we moved into the Park at the first one in from West Yellowstone. We showed up around 10 am, and got a spot right away. This was the best move we made - added at least two hours of "touring time" to our day, and was much more relaxing - not to mention cheaper. The campgrounds outside the park were more$, and IMHO, not as nice. Every night there are programs at the park that proved to be very enjoyable for all of us (and your 6 year old will like the Jr Ranger program - it gets them interested in all the things they see). There are only one or two campgrounds in the park that offer hookups, and after looking at them, and where they are located, I would still dry camp it at any one of the other CG's. The one just inside at west is dry camping, but is fairly centrally located.

As far as your hitch goes: it has a rating on it, your in laws trailer has a tongue weight and a GVW. Hook up to it, go to a weigh station and weigh your axles. If your under your hitch rating, go for it (my guess is that you are). If it still makes your FIL uncomfortable, go to your insurance company, and take out a short term policy on his trailer, and tell him that if you wreck it, he's getting a new one!

One more recommendation. I see you are from ORE, so i dont know if you'd go over via I-90, or cut across south Idaho and go in through the South entrance. If its the former, make sure you allow time to stay over night at the Lewis and Clark Caverns up by Whitehall. The tour through there is fantastic - even my clausterphoic wife said it was the most incredible thing she ever saw.

Also, purchase a spotting scope if you can afford one. Definitley a great item for viewing wildlife.

Thanks for all the great info. I am not sure what route we will go. I would like to go a different way each direction if I can.

 

[JCasper]

You are always better off with your own RV, preferably a 5th wheel. Even if you can't afford a new of a super deluxe one. Buy a used inexpensive RV and do with it what you want. You can always upgrade when you can afford a newer RV. I also think your father-in-law really doesn't want to loan it to you, or he is being very picky with it and if you should do any damage to it, you may never hear the end of it.

You may be right. My FIL is the type of guy though that cares little about his material things. He is very well off. I think it is more that he wants to be right when he said we would enjoy the trip more taking the van and staying in motels.



I personally don't like staying in motels for that long of a stay, especially if I can stay in a campground.



Now going to Hawaii or Mexico that is a different story and a different type of vacation. Bring on the resort life. :-laf



I called a local company that rents RV's. I can rent a 25' or 27' Mallard (I think) for $695 a week plus $89 cleaning. They are all newer then 2006. I may just go that route.



I need to discuss with my wife now if this is a for sure thing we want to do so I can reserve the trailer and a camping spot. Yellowstone said they still had spots available for August. If not there are a lot of the "first come first serve" sites it sounds like.

 

[Foil Freak 1211]

Yellowstone is great. We've done the RV thing there a couple times. Stayed the first time at Fishing Bridge - full hook-ups, but a parking lot. It is very centrally located. Went last October, stayed in West Yellowstone at the Grizzly. It was empty that time of year, but would be nice even if it were full. It can get pretty chilly up there. When we went in June, we got 18" of snow. AC is nice when that happens.



I'd go with a camper - either your FILs or a rental - over the motel thing. An RV is a pretty big expense. I agree that your factory hitch would be adequate, but it's your FIL's trailer, he should be able to put requirements on using it. JMO.

 

['strokeThis_'07]

As others have said, go with the RV... the roads are narrow and typically real busy, and people pull over everywhere to look at the wildlife and geysers and such, so traffic slows to a crawl in those areas and theres people all over the place and its not uncommon for people to just stop in the middle of the road. Ive stayed in some cabins and also at Old Faithful Inn which has both an old-style section in the original Inn thats 100 some odd years old and also there are additions to it that are like a new motel. One good campground outside the park is Gros Ventre, which is south of Jackson Hole towards Kelly, usually not too packed, but if it is you still have some space to yourself and its common for wildlife like bison and even bears to go through there at night as there is a river right behind the campground. Either way you go youll enjoy the trip.

 

[jelag]

One thing... . if your going to stay in Yellowstone, there is limited space... get a reservation NOW... . and cancel if you change your plans... .



We've been there many times over the past 40 years... camped, stayed in motels, and with the trailer. . . we like the trailer best..... and its the most cost effective I believe... . during the summer months you won't find a nice motel for under 100 bucks a night.....



There is a great spot at the West entrance to the park. . as well as a bear exhibit... .