Hats off to you and your family. Our veterans and active military deserve respect and everything we can give. God bless your mission and keep banging that drum your awesome
I'm totally with you Stacy. There is no way I'm going to sit in a camp chair at the campsite marker waiting for the people to vacate. That is a horrible system. Happy Travels. Norm & Kim
2 years to the day, ( Oct 17 ) I'm hooking up my 2019 keystone hideout and heading out west, no time frame,no hurry, no obligations, no baggage, no kids, no pets, no worries, in 2 years, my job won't affect my life anymore, working kingsbay and making a good future.
There are boondocking sites just outside YNP. We stayed at one this summer for a quick visit and it was maybe 20 minutes from the North Entrance. Right on the river too. That was our maybe 6th or 7th visit and we always find more to see. Thanks for helping the vets too.
First come, first serve is a crazy system that just causes stress for travelers, especially in Yellowstone. There are better ways! Thanks for giving to the troops!
Reservations cause me stress!! They actually irk me, but they are nice to have after a long drive or getting “the site” by the water! But waiting at an campsite is beyond nutso! For both the waiting party & the leaving party! Yeah, a better way is needed for around Yellowstone.
A little tip, when you reference a campground run by the US Forest Service its a Forest Service campground not a Forestry Service Campground. A retired Forest Service Employee.
I like to have reservations! I would never sit in front of a site someone was enjoying and I would not enjoy a site knowing someone was waiting for me to leave.
Never heard of this chaotic way of claiming a site. I wouldn’t feel comfortable pulling up a chair outside of somebody’s site in their last day nor would I enjoy someone loitering outside my site pressuring me to leave. I feel for ya and give you props for doing such a great job at finding spots for your big rigs. Kudos for your charity efforts too!
I was born and raised right outside of Yellowstone. Ya'll made me home sick! I guess because I live there most of my life it never dawned on me that campers had such a struggle. Of course we never took RVs there we just grabbed a tent and the backpack and started hiking! Now that I'm an old old lady I don't know if I could do that anymore. I'm sorry you had such a struggle, it's one of the most beautiful places on this planet I wish everybody could enjoy it.
Keep doing what your doing for our veterans, those who don’t like it can watch someone else .....amazingly enough, that’s the freedom we have because of our veterans!!!! If I was camping and someone was sitting at the post when I woke up and was packing up, I would not be very happy and I might let it show 🤷♀️ Safe travels and blessings
I went to this campsite about 6 weeks ago. It was of course all full BUT the very lovely campground host sent me to another campground only 20 miles away (Beaver Creek). Great campground, well maintained, wonderful views of Hebgen and Quake lakes, awesome campground hosts. I've done first come first served for several years now. This is the first year it's been an issue. Ah well, this too shall pass.
We don't do first come first serve anymore. My husband goes on line and makes months of reservations at a time. He is a blessing. Took all the pressure of me. What a good husband....lol
First come, first serve can be a real pain! My tip: We always stop and get an envelope BEFORE entering the camping area. If we find a spot we then we pull in and fill out the form then hang the tag on the post. Then we can walk it back at our leisure to put payment in box. We love Yellowstone!
They wont let you put the tag on the post OR put out a chair until the people actually leave. The vendor that runs those parks made that rule a few years ago. 😡
Just found you all channel.....thank you for the information I will be riding along with you all even though I'm at home in bed but I am working on a van conversion and can't wait for it to be finished but no rush due to the virus. Maybe next year they will have this mess under control. I am 66 years old ....just want it over. Be safe be bless 🙏
You made me change my first “must do” location from Alaska to Yellowstone. I’ve GOT to see it!! Now, on a serious note: I am the mother of a 21 year old Military Police Officer in the Army. She is my pride and joy! She is currently stationed in Germany and I miss her so very much. Thank you for what you’re doing for our Vets. They deserve a whole hell of a lot more than what they’re getting. I have felt that way my whole life and not just because my daughter is a soldier. Don’t worry about the nay-sayers, their not worth your time. Thank you!!❤️
Lori W please thank your daughter for her service to our nation (and NATO partners). MP troops work amazingly long hours, and I am grateful to her and her MP-family.
Nothing wrong with Rustic Wagon Campground in West Yellowstone. Small, not fancy, but super clean experience. Reasonable. Walk to dinner, coffee, etc Easy & quick entry to Yellowstone close to Norris Geyser field. Not too far from Old Faithful. Go in early am & beat the crowds.
I'm sorry about your experience with camp crowding. I'm spoiled. My visit there and other parks was off my motorcycle. So no issues at all. I pretty much camp anywhere. You are very lucky Stacy as you have Phil to "take out the trash" known as troublemakers!! LOL I'm happy it turned out good for you in the end. BTW your coach is awesome. Thank you for your service Phil. I wish you and your wonderful wife Stacy many enjoyable travel days ahead. RV is not my cup of tea but I enjoy watching others. Your filming quality and editing skills are amazing.Thanks for sharing.
When we camp at FCFS campgrounds pick up pay envelope when first coming in so you dont have to go back to get it. When you find a site fill out slip and put behind current slip on the post. Ask the current campers if you can leave a camp chair so when they leave the site has something occupying it. Go drop your payment and come back later after they have left. Easy, never had a problem this way.
@@sherrystandefer You have a tag once the site is yours... they just wont let you leave one ahead of time to “save” the site. You could end up wasting one of your days waiting for the other people to leave and that stinks. The date you are leaving is on your tag on the post at your camp site. At Bakers Hole it is in black sharpie and big enough that I can see it from my truck. It wouldnt hurt to leave a chair or something as a visual sign to others and maybe set it at the entrance to the site blocking the drive. NEVER ever leave a cooler or any food or food containers out especially in grizzly bear country... not even water bottles. My table has nothing on it when I’m not using it. A grizzly can smell food from 10-15 miles away and I always wondered why all those people cooking doesnt bring them in. They try to avoid humans thank goodness. Bakers Hole is on the Madison river and Yellowstone is on the other side. Amazing views, and sometimes a Bison wanders through. Try to stay on the upper end as the sites are bigger and more private. All those sites have electricity. The best sites as far as views are the dry camping sites on the river. You probably already knew a lot of this but but a lot of people dont. I’m amazed at what I see and hear when in the park... people really need to read their park info they get at the gate. If you need more info about the area just PM me. I’ve lived in Bozeman and spent summers out there. Happy trails! 😎
@@rhondacartee4302 yep, stayed in Baker Hole this summer, no problem using the method I mentioned. Post my tag, pay, leave to go sightsee or other errands. Always be bear aware and keep a clean camp.
@@sherrystandefer I’m surprised they let you do that. Thus the standing by the post til the others leave like they are talking about in the video. You got lucky the camp hosts didnt know. You go girl! lol
My wife and I would like to thank you BOTH for your service and what you do for our veterans. We have taught our grandchildren how well our country is being protected by all of the men and women in the military and go up to them when we see them (before covid came along) and shake their hand and tell them ALL, "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ". I get tears in my eyes when we acknowledge them and they get teary eyed and tell us not MANY ppl do that and they really appreciate that. From our family to ALL VETS young and old "Thank you for your service " 🤝🤝🤝🤝. THANK YOU for sharing video and tips. Can't wait for another 3years to retire, sell the farm and hit the road too. Yellowstone is beautiful for sure. GOD BLESS you, have safe travels.
Went thru Yellowstone on the bike a couple of years ago. Made it almost 5 miles into the park before turning around and leaving in disgust. Bumper to bumper traffic, Idiots trying to feed large carnivores (Yogi is so friendly, he wont hurt me if I want a selfie), car stereos blasting and 100 foot motor mansions with their damn generators (gotta have the tv and AC). Found a nice remote spot outside of the park madness. Woke up to a herd of elk trying to figure out what this new thing in their field was. Much better than the park.
Thank you from an old USAF veteran. Don’t listen to the haters, they’re not worth your time. Blessing on your journeys! Yellowstone just seems to keep calling me back. I started going there when my Dad returned from Korea in 1952 and can’t count the times we’ve been there since. I don’t know what it will be like visiting without my wife. She loved it there and is now seeing it from Heaven. She thought the Fountain Paint Pots were the very best. ❤️
Covid caused a ton of new campers that just don't know or abide by any etiquette for a FCFS site, let alone any booked sites. With covid restrictions being lifted and people being able to make flights again this backlog of campsites should start to return to normal.
Keep up the AWESOME job!!! All of us owe our veterans more than we could ever even dream of paying back. Thank you for your service and for the wonderful videos.... God bless you!!
I agree with most of what you said about first come first served. I don't like making reservations so I often go to these type campgrounds. In the first case, with the two guys, they probably had chosen the site and went back to get the paper but found your friend there when they returned. I think they were in the right, though one of them should have stayed there while the other one left like you guys did. I do like being able to choose my own site, but in a high demand situation such as this it makes more sense to have the host assign sites. That is just crazy to think about lurking by the site until people leave!. Talk about asking for trouble. I would never ever do that.
Forrest Service land was crazy packed this year. Things were jam packed all the way down into Ashton. If you're out that way again, there are some amazing boon docking spots near Henry's lake. it's a half an hour drive, but it's worth it.
As far as mapping I highly recommend topo paper maps and compass. There are backcountry dirt roads in the park that you can take your jeep. I might be out of line, but willing to bet Phil knows how to navigate. I spent 5 days there and did not scratch the surface.
Thank you for your support and informing non-military people about the support needed for our active duty and veteran service members. And thank you for sharing your experiences, tips and tricks.
Unfortunatley good manners are in short supply these days, hats off to you for not getting dragged down to their level. First come first serve isn't something we would be comfortable with. I like knowing I have a place reserved that just eliminates one more stressor.
First come, first served ordinarily doesn’t sound so bad, but the way they work it at that park is bound to cause conflict. Just crazy. But Yellowstone? Awesome. Have only been there once about forty years ago after graduating from the Army’s flight school enroute to my first flying assignment. Barbara and I drove across these United States from Fort Rucker, Alabama, to Fort Lewis, Washington, and we stopped at Yellowstone for a couple of days. What a special place. We will have to go back one day.
Maybe truck on up to Glacier National Park. There are no showers in Yellowstone or in Glacier. We sat in line at Yellowstone and Glacier but there were always spaces. But we had a small camper. We did go to Big Bend over spring break and 800,000+ acres was full. We ended up at Fort Davis State Park. It was beautiful there.
Crazy on the 1st come 1st serve method used. Brings out the worst in people already stressed w/ COVID issues. Gros Ventre CG in Grand Tetons 1st come 1st serve has cars line up at the CG entrance. When a site becomes available for your sized rig you are assigned that site. This worked well for us. Folks were lining up starting at 6am. The CG was full for most of the summer due to COVID. On other years the CG has not filled up.
Another beautifully produced video. I especially love the snippets of soundtrack - perfect lyrics and mood-setting music. We are shopping for our first RV and your videos are most helpful, especially when you show us the level of maintenance required. We like your support of the military, too. (Retired forester so I can't help myself - but it's not "forestry service". It's Forest Service.)
You actually got VERY LUCKY. I was just there in late Sept with a Car (Car camping). Extremely difficult (if not impossible) in YS without reservations. I stayed at Headwaters at Stagg Ranch campground and it was so HORRIBLE, I will never stay there again. I actually got very lucky and got into Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons and it was WONDERFUL. I had to get in line at 7 am to secure it however. So sad about those rude guys and that is what makes it so stressful. Agreed, I would stay just outside the park. I cannot imaging what YS is like in peak season! You are right on about the food etc. Old Faithful and Mammoth Springs had cafe's (food to go and it was not great). I pulled over and picnicked mostly, so yes, have your own food and water. Also, when you explore YS, you could end up 2-3 hours away from your reserved campsite. It is a huge park. Amazing for sure but prepare for a lot of driving.. Check out the channel "We're in the Rockies". They do a great job giving you information about YS and other areas. They do not live in an RV full time, but they do provide valuable travel info.
I was to Yellow Stone 51 years and 3 months ago. No long lines of traffic. Could be right near the geyser. No long trails to get to it. Thank you for the video. Have a blessed day.
Welcome to my world. I quit going to Yellowstone years ago just because it's gotten so hard to get into, and in my opinion too commercialized. Unfortunately Glacier is now the same way, as well as most forest service camping up here as well. I can understand your excitement in seeing the park as it is worth seeing. I've been through Yellowstone almost every year until 1980. Still fun to see, but camping is difficult.
There used to be a "First come/First serve" policy at one of the Beach SPs in SC. We sat one time from 5:30 am until noon to get in. Then, we decided like you, it wasn't worth the stress and camped elsewhere until about 5 years ago when they changed their policy to allow for reservations. The only problem now is, that 3 years running, large hurricanes hit their campground and we were forced to cancel. It is frustrating...I totally get it. I probably won't do "First come/first serve" again...you're right: too stressful and wastes too much time sitting & waiting for a site. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics and music. Have a great week!❤️
We boondocked outside west entrance on forest land in a meadow. Cell tower close. And it was off a main road easy access. It was wonderful. Plenty of room and secluded flat level meadow. Will do it again.
Thanks for your service and all you do to help our vets. We're a military family, as well. This year, 2021, many of the parks are not doing FCFS which is good for some but not for those who were expecting to take a chance on a FCFS site as they've done in previous trips. Plus, many of the lodges/hotels in YNP have decided to close at the last minute (VERY short staffed) cancelling the reservations of folks who planned ahead, got airline tickets, etc. It's a mess, thanks to COVid. I feel so bad for those who were put in this position......not the kind of adventure they experienced.
We were in Yellowstone a few years back and saw all of the campers setting on the side of the drive into a Campground. We found out that it was "First Come/First Serve" so we turned and LEFT !!!! I'm with Stacy, I'm not fighting someone for a camp site.
We got the gypsy guild app. It works with no service and uses GPS and is a guild through the park. It is as if you have your own personal tour guild through the park. Great tips and good information.
We like first come first serve as it allows for spontaneity which is what we love about RV travel. I do agree however it’s best when the campground staff assigns the sites so it doesn’t turn into Mad Max rules.
Let me know next time you come to West. I live just south of there and can give you some tips to great places without all that craziness. A short little drive but it’s worth it.
I know that parking spot along the road...two nights worth. When I was there, only one campground was open in West Yellowstone. Only a couple were open in Yellowstone, one was by reservation and the other first come, first serve. I was there at 8:00 am, and I was number 35 for 10 available sites that day. This was in early October. Still enjoyed Yellowstone, even hauling my camper through there on the two days I had at Yellowstone. Had to leave because I did not want to experience temps in the mid teens and the potential for snow. Headed south through Grand Tetons, where it actually was above freezing the next night. BTW, I had issues with my propane refrigerator at the altitude in Yellowstone. Works great at lower levels. Anyone else have this issue? BTW, if you have an issue with your automobile and/or RV, go to Old Faithful Service Center. They have a tech that can help with your auto or RV issues.
Cody & Yellowstone are so super cool we're doing it again early summer next year. We spent a week at the resort between Yellowstone and Grand Tetons parks. Not nearly enough time to see everything we wanted to see. First come first served isn't our cup of tea as we prefer knowing where we will be staying and knowing we have a place to stay. We stayed during mid Sept. so I'll pass on my 2 cents of advice. Pay attention to weather reports as given by elevation. You may be at 4000 ft with bare dry road but a few miles up the road at 6000 ft, the rangers closed the road because of snow.🥶 Also, the area we stayed and many areas of Yellowstone, forget cell service. 🙃 Thank you for your service and your continued support, to those who serve.
Yeah, I wouldn't waste the time sitting in front of someone's campsite and make them feel uncomfortable all day. It sounds like Christmas shopping at a mall where you follow the person to their car,😂 Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks for what you are doing for the Vets (US Army 73-74). Enjoyed your trip. We recently spent a week in the Tetons and made a day trip to Yellowstone. Could have easily spent two weeks and would have still wanted more!
Hey the best way of waiting on a spot is to just invite yourself into the RV use the bathroom, take a shower , grab something to eat , and take a seat and watch tv or a movie. Surprisingly people will pack out quickly. Lol never do that but it would work.
Good Lordy, this is the 3rd time I’ve tried to watch - I keep falling asleep. This is not an indication of the entertainment value but the relaxed voices and the beautiful landscapes. Greetings from Oz - it’s almost midnight .... 🥱😴😴😴
We visited Yellowstone for the first time last September. For any destination vacation I will find a campsite that takes reservations. I have limited time and don't want the stress and time it takes to find a campsite. We reserved five nights at Canyon Campground. it was pretty centrally located, reserveable, and has showers included! $15.50 a night with senior pass. Lucky for us we have a small rig {27 feet car and camper) We did two first come first serve. One at Beartooth Lake on the Beartooth Highway. No problem getting a site on a Saturday afternoon. The next day, Sunday at about 11am we got the last site a Mammoth Campground! I want to go back. So much to see and do at Yellowstone!
This year is very different, and Yellowstone is a top (if not THE top camping destination), so this is not surprising. Glad you were able to get a spot. Stay healthy and have fun. Safe travels.
First come First serve is crazy, it only encourages rude people to be even more aggressive and they win not the nice people. My husband and I love your videos and how informative they are. Also, we joined RV village in preparation to be on the road someday down the road. :) FLJimandRonda Looking forward to Yellowstone one day!
I have been to Yellowstone 3 times. First time was in1987 and was there for only 4 days. Next time was in 2015 for 7 days and that was not long enough, and then again in 2018 for 14 days and still not long enough. I will be heading back many more times.
I have stayed for decades at Baker's hole and this year was like nothing I have ever seen. As the host told you in normal times as long as you got the campground before about 3 in the afternoon you almost always could get a site. You needed to be there earlier if you had to have electric. I am a big fan of having some first come first serve campgrounds or at least half of the sites the first come first serve. I am a Wanderer and cannot make plans farther out than a couple of days. This year I drove up the highway towards Bozeman stopping at each of the Five Forest service sites. They are all now 100% Advance reservations. I talked to the hosted each Campground and they told me that the sites fill up 9 to 12 months in advance and that up to 30% of them are no shows on any given night. They were turning away dozens of campers a day while one-third of the sites remained empty. This September when I was at Baker's hole I arrived at 11 in the morning and had my choice of lots of non-electric and four electric sites. It was just blind luck because I stayed for two weeks and that was the only day that there weren't long lines of people waiting in the morning. I had only planned to stay for 4 nights and ended up staying 16 days because I could not find another campground that was not fully booked with advanced reservations. My sincere hope is that the chaos of 2020 was a one-off thing. After leaving West Yellowstone I again had luck on my side and got a site in Grand Teton. I make my living now as a nature photographer and one morning I left an hour before sunrise and to my shock I saw 111 units stretching almost 5 miles down the road already in line trying to get a site. Eventually the smoke got so bad and the crowds so overwhelming that I decided to cut my trip short by about three weeks. On my way home I passed the turnoff for Moab Utah. I am extremely familiar with the area and was certain I would be able to find a boondocking spot. I was wrong. Driving 30 miles into the desert and every single flat space was taken and I even got caught in a hour and a half traffic jam to just drive through Moab. If this is the new Norm my wandering days maybe over.
That is unfortunate. I hope, like you, this will blow over soon. With people's fear of flying, coupled with many hotels and campgrounds not reopening........this may go on for awhile! We will keep looking for boondocking spots. Fingers crossed we all can find our space out there.
WOW, that is crazy camping.. "stand by the post till someone leaves" ? 1- that's kinda creepy 2- too much pressure for camping fun. Thank you for the GREAT video from YellowStone 😎
Good reason to day drink! 0530 is a bit early but hell I could do it if I must.....awesome video guys, thanks for the tips. Wallet, food check, drinks check, binos check, wallet check check! lol
We’ve never tried camping the west side and glad we haven’t after you posted the procedures. The Tetons are done differently. They have a tent set up with several rangers and hosts working the lines. You drive up and they place you in a large enough spot for your rig and we were well pleased with ours at Colter Bay. Once the campground fills, they will close registration and ours was $17 a night with access pass and had potable water at the end of the rows to fill up before parking and a dump station.
You sound like us. We hate lurking over someone for a table at a resturant (when you could go to one safely). I'm sure it would make us crazy! But if that is how it is done, the people that are leaving know what the circumstances are. I would hope the leaving guests world come out and be perfectly honest as to when they were leaving. Can't we just get along!
