campground suggestions wyoming/south dakota

[yakinfam]

We decided to battle the high fuel cost, and take a trip to Yellowstone.
Plan to drive out I-80 from Minneapolis toward Grand Island,Ne. We stayed at the KOA there on our last trip out west to Utah, and liked the campground.
Thought the Flaming Gorge N.R.A. would be a nice area to visit, then work our way north toward Tetons.
we have reservations at Yellowstone, now just to plan the week prior to arrival.

Any suggestions to visit along the way, or campgrounds to stay at would be helpful.

Coleman pop-up, 4 kayaks, and the ol trusty Tahoe!

[backpacker3]

We decided to battle the high fuel cost, and take a trip to Yellowstone.
Plan to drive out I-80 from Minneapolis toward Grand Island,Ne. We stayed at the KOA there on our last trip out west to Utah, and liked the campground.
Thought the Flaming Gorge N.R.A. would be a nice area to visit, then work our way north toward Tetons.
we have reservations at Yellowstone, now just to plan the week prior to arrival.

Any suggestions to visit along the way, or campgrounds to stay at would be helpful.

Coleman pop-up, 4 kayaks, and the ol trusty Tahoe!

For your info in case you don't know, pop ups are not allowed in Yellowstone.
I found this out when I wanted to make campground reservations. There is a KOA 6 miles from Yellowstone that a friend of mine said was real nice. They stayed there and the KOA offers a free shuttle to and from Yellowstone so you you don't have to deal with the traffic. I have already made my res. for August.
I was told that pop ups aren't allowed because of the bears but it is ok for backpackers to use tents.............go figure.
 :U

[altozwei]

For your info in case you don't know, pop ups are not allowed in Yellowstone.
I found this out when I wanted to make campground reservations. There is a KOA 6 miles from Yellowstone that a friend of mine said was real nice. They stayed there and the KOA offers a free shuttle to and from Yellowstone so you you don't have to deal with the traffic. I have already made my res. for August.
I was told that pop ups aren't allowed because of the bears but it is ok for backpackers to use tents.............go figure.
 :U

I have to disagree. We were there last summer and Yellowstone is not closed to popups. Fishing Bridge (the only campground with hookups)  is designated "hard-side only" due to bear activity, but popups are allowed everywhere else. Fishing Bridge is also the only one that accepts advanced reservations. All others are first come, first served. We weren't feeling lucky, so we chose to stay in one of the lodges while there, but also camped for three nights at Teton Village/ Jackson West KOA while we toured Grand Teton NP. We don't generally prefer KOA but this one was nice, well-maintained, and was in an excellent location to drive into Grand Teton via the "back" entrance.

[mountainrev]

There's some nice campgrounds up in the Bridger-Teton National Forest south of Jackson, WY.  We've camped at Hoback.  I'd go there again.  And of course, there's Grand Teton NP.  Gorgeous!

And there's always tons of great camping south of I-80 in Colorado.  But unlikely you'd have the time.

[SpeakEasy]

I have to disagree. We were there last summer and Yellowstone is not closed to popups. Fishing Bridge (the only campground with hookups)  is designated "hard-side only" due to bear activity, but popups are allowed everywhere else. Fishing Bridge is also the only one that accepts advanced reservations. All others are first come, first served. We weren't feeling lucky, so we chose to stay in one of the lodges while there, but also camped for three nights at Teton Village/ Jackson West KOA while we toured Grand Teton NP. We don't generally prefer KOA but this one was nice, well-maintained, and was in an excellent location to drive into Grand Teton via the "back" entrance.

altozwei is correct.

When we camped at Yellowstone in our popup we spent one night (with a reservation) at Bridge Bay and four nights (first-come-first-served) at Norris Geyser Basin campground. Memorable experience all the way around.

-Speak

[Calstate361]

If you are going to South Dakota to do the "tourist thing" buy going to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc, I recommend staying at the Horse Theif Campground:  http://www.horsethief.com/  

Here is anoter link to most of the other campgrounds in the area:  http://www.blackhillscampgrounds.com/hillcity.htm    

We have stayed at Horse Theif  a couple of times about 8 years apart.   I found it in the AAA camping book.  It is located in Hill City, SD and is a central location for day trips.  It is only a few miles from Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore and about a 3-4 hr trip to Rapid City.  The campground gives you a great map that shows you how close you are to the sites and what roads/Hwy to take and approx. how long it takes to drive there.  There is also another campground close by called Rafter J, but I have heard that even though it is nice, it is very crowded; Horse Theif is nice and not overly crowded.  Horse Theif has a little store, where you check in, a landuary, and nice showers.  When we were there a few years ago you had to have quarters to pay for the shower, but they were talking about redoing the bathrooms.  That may have happend by now.  All in all, it's a nice place and the people who run it are also very nice; in fact, it was the same couple running it both times we were there.

We were even able to purchase some buffalo meat at the grocery store in Hill City which is only a few miles from the campground.

Hope you have fun, it's a great area for sight seeing.

Joan

[CajunCamper]

Didn't get to camp in the parks when we were there last May, but we did spend about 5 days in the parks.  Here are a few suggestions that I have, some you may want to try soime you may not.

If your coming into Grand Tetan from the south. Enter the park by going to Tetan Village and taking Moose-Wilson Rd. It's less traveled mostly paved, but you will have a section that is gravel. The road takes you through some beautiful scenery, we saw lots of deer and even a moose. I wouldn't try this road with pop-up in tow.
There are some side roads that take you higher into the mountains that really allow you to take in the beauty of the area. The Rockefellers own most of this land but it is a site to see. The road will take you to the welcome center for Grand Tetan National Park.

A short hike in GTNP that you may consider is about a 2 to 3 mile hike to Tagert and Badger Lakes. Two beautiful mountain lakes. I'm out of shape and it was managable for me.

Once you get there, you'll have lots to see and you probably already know many of the sites you want to see. My advice is to get out of your car and take some of the trails as much as possible and really enjoy the two parks. Be careful though don't bite off more than you can chew and talk to the rangers about what to be cautious of. Bring extra water and warm clothes.

Now for some fun in town, spend a day walking and checking out the local shops, saloons and restaurants in Jackson Hole. I would also encourage you to get tickets to see a show at the Jackson Hole Playhouse. It's live theatre close up and its great.

One more thing. get with one of the local outfitters and float the Snake River through Grand Tetan, we saw lots of wildlife. Ewing-Barker outfitters was the folks we went with.

My wife and I are planning to visit the area again as soon as we can.

Enjoy your trip.

CajunCamper