Here's how the National Park Service responded.

[CajunCamper]

A few days ago someone posted a question asking if pop ups were allowed in Yellowstone campgrounds. Many on the site said that yes you could camp in a pop up in all but one campground. That campground being Fishing Bridge Campground, which by the way is the only campground in the park with full hook ups.

Well I decided to contact the park and get their official word. Here's a copy of the email I sent them.

"I was curious why there are no tents or pop ups allowed in Fishing Bridge Campground. We would like to consider staying there but we have a pop up.


Thanks


Here is the response:

"Dear Kell,
Tents and pop up trailers are not allowed at Fishing Bridge because it is an RV park only.  That is the only campground that has hook ups at it, and it would be a waste to put a tent on one of those sites since there are so few of them in the park.  You can camp at any of the other campgrounds in the park with a tent or a soft sided trailer.


National Park Service
Visitor Services Office
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307) 344-2109
yell_visitor_services@nps.gov"


To that I followed up with the following:

"Teressa,

Thank you so much for responding to my questions. I do need your help in understanding your response. You said," Tents and pop up trailers are not allowed at Fishing Bridge because it is
an RV park only." Well my pop up is considered an RV by the RV Dealers and RV Manufacturers of America, the pop up may be considered entry level but never the less it is classified as an RV. You also said, " That is the only campground that has hook ups at it, and it would be a waste to put a tent on one of those sites since there are so few of them in the park." The hook ups are the very reason we are interested in this campground. My pop up has an Air Conditioner that we like to run in the summer, a heater we like to run in the winter, a refrigerator that we run all the time, lights we like to use at night and several other electrical gadgets that we use while camping. We also hook up to a water source so we can use our sink and our shower while camping. As far as I can tell these are the same reasons someone in a larger unit wants to stay in a full hook up site. I'm not sure I understand why allowing me to stay in this campground would be considered a waste, if I'm willing to pay the same price for the site as the next guy and if I'm going to be using all of the hook ups available, it's certainly not a waste to me.

Thanks for your time, I look forward to your response."


As soon as I get a response, I will post it here to let you see it.

Something smells fishy at Fishing Bridge Campground. Oh by the way last year when we were in Yellowstone, the actual bridge that they call Fishing Bridge has "NO FISHING ALLOWED" signs posted on the bridge. That cracked me up.


CajunCamper

[TheViking]

I know there are alot more Parks out there that are doing this that you may realize.  I don't have a pop-up anymore, but I've heard tales of places that I can't take my Toy Hauler either.  I even know of a couple places that if you don't have a monster motorhome you are not welcome.  Just don't go to those places.

[fritz_monroe]

I'll definately be keeping an eye on this thread.  I don't have any plans on heading that far west any time in the next 5 or more years, but this is a National Park, not a private campground.  If it was a safety issue ( heard it was because of the bears) , that would be one thing, but to discriminate against me because of the RV I choose, that's not acceptable.

I suspect that the letter was written by some flunky that has no idea what the reason is.

[MomboTN]

If you don't like the answer you get, try the KOA in West Yellowstone.  It is about 2 to 3 miles outside of the west entrance to Yellowstone.  The town is nice the campground is nice and they are happy for you to be there.  We felt comfortable leaving the pop-up there for a few days while we would just drive our vehicle into the park in the morning then back to the campsite in the evening.  We also saw a lot of wildlife driving in near dawn and back out near dusk.  
We understood that soft sides were not allowed at most campgrounds in the park because of bears.

[John McNamara]

If you don't like the answer you get, try the KOA in West Yellowstone.  It is about 2 to 3 miles outside of the west entrance to Yellowstone.  The town is nice the campground is nice and they are happy for you to be there.  We felt comfortable leaving the pop-up there for a few days while we would just drive our vehicle into the park in the morning then back to the campsite in the evening.  We also saw a lot of wildlife driving in near dawn and back out near dusk.  
 We understood that soft sides were not allowed at most campgrounds in the park because of bears.

Not liking the answer is not the issue here. It's the reason for the answer. I started looking into Yellowstone for a long trip next year (Florida to Wyoming and back), saw the restrictions and assumed it was because of bears as well. That, I can understand and agree with.

However, I have as much right to use the campground as somebody with a 40-foot diesel pusher. My pop up has an electrical, water and sewer hook-up (grey water, but you gotta dump it somewhere). Plus, this is not a private campground, it's a NATIONAL PARK!!!! Our tax dollars are going to support this place, and they are going to bar me because I don't have a hard-sided camper?

Thank you Cajun. My dad helped lead the opposition in the 1970s when they wanted to ban RVs from national parks altogether. (we had a hard-sided TT we took to the Smokies on a regular basis). Looks like its time to follow in his footsteps and start protesting (where did I put that guitar sheet music for Kumbaya? Now I'm regretting cutting my ponytail off three years ago.).

[Tim5055]

I always understood it to e because of bears also......

Well it's time to "stir the pot" so to speek

We need to start contacting our representatives regarding our feelings on this issue.  As has been said, this is a public park supported with tax dollars.  I hae jsut as much right to camp in my pop up as someone who is in a Class A coach.

Here are some suggestions to start stirring the pot:

Contact yur Senators (2)

Contact your Representative (1)

A letter to Mary A. Bomar, Director, National Park Service (sorry I can't find an e-mail address right now)

[SpeakEasy]

I always understood it to e because of bears also......

Well it's time to "stir the pot" so to speek

We need to start contacting our representatives regarding our feelings on this issue.  As has been said, this is a public park supported with tax dollars.  I hae jsut as much right to camp in my pop up as someone who is in a Class A coach.

Here are some suggestions to start stirring the pot:

Contact yur Senators (2)

Contact your Representative (1)

A letter to Mary A. Bomar, Director, National Park Service (sorry I can't find an e-mail address right now)

This might be a bit premature. Our reps and senators have bigger fish to fry, plus they're on vacation right now (lol)! I would be willing to bet that the reply Cajun got to his question was an off-the-cuff response from someone who has little authority and even less knowledge. As soon as the response gets sent to the right person - for instance the superintendent of Yellowstone - there will be a "correction" issued. There is no way official policy conforms to what Cajun was told. No way.

-Speak

Edited to add: The Superintendent of Yellowstone is Suzanne Lewis. I haven't yet been able to locate her e-mail address.

[AustinBoston]

There is no way official policy conforms to what Cajun was told. No way.

It squares with what is on the official web sites.

From the NPS web site at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/camping-in-yellowstone.htm

"Fishing Bridge RV Park is the only campground offering water, sewer, and electrical hookups, and it is for hard-sided vehicles only (no tents or tent-trailers are allowed)."

The fact that hookups and hardsides only are in the same sentence implies that hookups are the reason.  The page does not mention bears.

Xanterra is the concessionare who runs the campgrounds, and their web site says:

http://www.travelyellowstone.com/camping-250.html

"Situated by Fishing Bridge near beautiful Yellowstone Lake, this RV Park features sites with full hook-ups (30 amp electricity, water and sewer.) It's designed for hard-sided units only with a maximum length of 40'. The area also offers a coin laundry, pay showers, store, electricity, water, sewer, hook-ups and a sanitary dump station." (emphasis added).  Designed for hardsides?  Hello?  How does one "design" a campsite for a hardside?  BTW, there are all back-in sites.  The campground isn't designed for hardsides, it just has water/electric/sewer, and they think that should exclude pop-ups.

The statement is repeated at their Fishing Bridge specific page:
http://www.travelyellowstone.com/Fishing-Bridge-RV-Park-255.html

Neither the NPS nor the Xanterra web sites say anything about bear problems being an issue at Fishing Bridge campground/RV park.

Austin

[Tim5055]

There is no way official policy conforms to what Cajun was told. No way.

Sorry, but I disagree.  I already went through this a couple of years ago with the State of Florida designating campgrounds for Class A coaches only.  It took numerous e-mails to the Governor of Florida to get the park service to really understand that they were descriminating against a "class" of citizens, i.e those who like pop up campers.

[AustinBoston]

Sorry, but I disagree.  I already went through this a couple of years ago with the State of Florida designating campgrounds for Class A coaches only.  It took numerous e-mails to the Governor of Florida to get the park service to really understand that they were descriminating against a "class" of citizens, i.e those who like pop up campers.

I remember that.  It consumed a lot of posts either here or on PUX (or both).  The funny thing is, pop-uppers are probably more likely to leave their camper (and therefore go out and spend money) than Class-A'ers, so the real advantage to Florida would be the other way around.

Austin

[Tim5055]

I remember that.  It consumed a lot of posts either here or on PUX (or both).  The funny thing is, pop-uppers are probably more likely to leave their camper (and therefore go out and spend money) than Class-A'ers, so the real advantage to Florida would be the other way around.

Austin

It was here, it was actually before PUX came into existence.  It's funny because Dave & I have had conversations regarding dollars spent by pop up campers vs. Class A and he has been told exactly what you said by campground owners.  Pop up campers tend to use the store and other amenities more while Class A campers tend to stick to themselves.

[SpeakEasy]

Sorry, but I disagree.  I already went through this a couple of years ago with the State of Florida designating campgrounds for Class A coaches only.  It took numerous e-mails to the Governor of Florida to get the park service to really understand that they were descriminating against a "class" of citizens, i.e those who like pop up campers.

I hope you're wrong about the nps.

Here's the contact information for Suzanne Lewis:                
    307- 344-2002 / Suzanne_Lewis@nps.gov

Here's the contact information for Mary Bomar:
    202-208-3818 / Mary_Bomar@nps.gov


-Speak

[CajunCamper]

A few days ago someone posted a question asking if pop ups were allowed in Yellowstone campgrounds. Many on the site said that yes you could camp in a pop up in all but one campground. That campground being Fishing Bridge Campground, which by the way is the only campground in the park with full hook ups.

Well I decided to contact the park and get their official word. Here's a copy of the email I sent them.

"I was curious why there are no tents or pop ups allowed in Fishing Bridge Campground. We would like to consider staying there but we have a pop up.


Thanks


Here is the response:

"Dear Kell,
Tents and pop up trailers are not allowed at Fishing Bridge because it is an RV park only.  That is the only campground that has hook ups at it, and it would be a waste to put a tent on one of those sites since there are so few of them in the park.  You can camp at any of the other campgrounds in the park with a tent or a soft sided trailer.


National Park Service
Visitor Services Office
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307) 344-2109
yell_visitor_services@nps.gov"


To that I followed up with the following:

"Teressa,

Thank you so much for responding to my questions. I do need your help in understanding your response. You said," Tents and pop up trailers are not allowed at Fishing Bridge because it is
an RV park only." Well my pop up is considered an RV by the RV Dealers and RV Manufacturers of America, the pop up may be considered entry level but never the less it is classified as an RV. You also said, " That is the only campground that has hook ups at it, and it would be a waste to put a tent on one of those sites since there are so few of them in the park." The hook ups are the very reason we are interested in this campground. My pop up has an Air Conditioner that we like to run in the summer, a heater we like to run in the winter, a refrigerator that we run all the time, lights we like to use at night and several other electrical gadgets that we use while camping. We also hook up to a water source so we can use our sink and our shower while camping. As far as I can tell these are the same reasons someone in a larger unit wants to stay in a full hook up site. I'm not sure I understand why allowing me to stay in this campground would be considered a waste, if I'm willing to pay the same price for the site as the next guy and if I'm going to be using all of the hook ups available, it's certainly not a waste to me.

Thanks for your time, I look forward to your response."


As soon as I get a response, I will post it here to let you see it.

Something smells fishy at Fishing Bridge Campground. Oh by the way last year when we were in Yellowstone, the actual bridge that they call Fishing Bridge has "NO FISHING ALLOWED" signs posted on the bridge. That cracked me up.


CajunCamper

Okay, here's an update. I received another reponse from this person at Yellowstone and here's what she said.



"Dear Kell,
Your trailer is considered an RV, but Fishing Bridge is hard sided only, so since you have a pop up that is not completely hard sided and thus you cannot stay at Fishing Bridge.  There are probably better reasons why soft sided trailers are  not allowed at Fishing Bridge, but unfortunately I am not aware of what they are.  Sorry, but you'll have to camp somewhere beside the RV park."



That's pretty cut and dry and it doesn't seem that she is even interrested in finding out what she calls the better reasons are. I kinda have my feathers ruffled. I think it's time to contact the person in charge. I have always had the greatest respect for those that work for our National Parks, any contact that I have had with them, they have always been very helpful and very curteous. If they didn't know an answer to a question, they made sure they found the answer and got back to me.  Yep, we all deserve a better answer on this issue than the one this woman gave me. I'll keep you informed of future responses from the people in charge.


CajunCamper

[AustinBoston]

Okay, here's an update. I received another reponse from this person at Yellowstone and here's what she said.



"Dear Kell,
Your trailer is considered an RV, but Fishing Bridge is hard sided only, so since you have a pop up that is not completely hard sided and thus you cannot stay at Fishing Bridge.  There are probably better reasons why soft sided trailers are  not allowed at Fishing Bridge, but unfortunately I am not aware of what they are.  Sorry, but you'll have to camp somewhere beside the RV park."



That's pretty cut and dry and it doesn't seem that she is even interrested in finding out what she calls the better reasons are. I kinda have my feathers ruffled. I think it's time to contact the person in charge. I have always had the greatest respect for those that work for our National Parks, any contact that I have had with them, they have always been very helpful and very curteous. If they didn't know an answer to a question, they made sure they found the answer and got back to me.  Yep, we all deserve a better answer on this issue than the one this woman gave me. I'll keep you informed of future responses from the people in charge.


CajunCamper

I have to say that is really well below the quality of response I would have expected from the National Park Service.  That response is almost as bad as the policy itself.

Austin

[ScouterMom]

This would still be a dumb reason, too - but i'm wondering.....


at one time, I looked on e- bay and other places to get ideas to make my own tent camper awhile back.  I found some really interesting designs for 'home made' campers. most of which were some version of a tent on a box, or similar to the european pop-ups with canvas tops (not hardtops like most of ours are.)  These really would be 'tents on wheels' and would not have had the amenities  found in PUPs - that are available even in my 1973 PUP. (which has electric, water and furnace connections, and had a shower option even back then)

back when the national parks were first opened to camping public, say - in the 20's and 30's, you could buy a hard-sided camper - (remember Airstreams? My folks lived in one on Toledo University campus after they both got out of the Navy in 1942 and my Dad was finishing his Engineering Degree)  But at that time, I think the only 'tent campers' were truly more like tents than like campers and mostly home-made. which means they would not have been able to use 'full hook-ups' (sewer, water and electric.)  

It might be (and sounds like) a case of "We've always done it that way, and we're not going to question 'why' now, we're just going to keep to the old way even though it doesn't make sense anymore"

But times have definately changed, and it's time to give PUPpers a place to make full use of their investment on public property, too.  It's fine to let PUP's use the tent sites if they choose to dry camp - but it's not really fair to FORCE us to.  

It ISa form of discrimination.

laura