Hey guys, I'm thinking of renting an RV to go to Yellowstone in August. Instead of flying we thought it'd be fun to see the country on the way up there. It would cost about the same as plane tickets but we wouldn't have to rent a cabin. I have a couple of questions for anyone who knows: I've never driven an RV. Do I need any special license and is it hard to drive? Should I pull a car behind me or will it be easy enough to get around Yellowstone without one? How long is the drive from Houston to Yellowstone in the RV? 2 days? Would it be easier to just fly and rent a car and cabin?
Do you have a place to park it at every destination you go to? Facilities to clean the septic system?
RV = Redneck Vacation 1. to my knowledge no special license required (a bit scary to think about, actually) 2. Whats another 15 feet on your adventure bus? 3. No clue. 4. It would most definitely be easier to fly up there and rent a cabin/car, but then it wouldn't be a redneck vacation.
I love the idea and that is a great destination. Dunno. let me know what you find out. Dont need a car for Yellowstone. Half the fun would be stopping at cool places along the way. Eg Tetons or Glaciar National Park. Grand Canyon and that crater in Colorado. Bryce Park in Utah or Great Salt Lake. If I drove, I'd plan extra days. yes, but that defeats the purpose. Wife n I have always wanted to do that. If I did that, I would plan for 2 days in the park so there was enough time to see other things along the way. I'd imagine 8 or 9 days total would be what it takes ...but that's a guess.
The cost of gas for the RV will be a lot. It's closer to 4 days than 2 days drive and that's not stopping very much.
We RV'd from Texas (Jacksboro) to Yellowstone when I was in HS and it took us a full two weeks. It was a truly awesome trip. With that said, do not plan on any less than two weeks because we never stayed at any place more than one night. It is a REALLY long drive and you cannot go fast with an RV. I have no idea about drivers license as both my granddad and my dad had commercial drivers licenses. I would highly suggest getting training for something that big. They are beasts.
You don't need a special license. As previous poster stated, expect to pay quite a bit in fuel. You're talking less than 10 MPG. How many people do you plan on taking? RV's get cramped fast. You don't necessarily have to rent an RV to do a trip like this. Plan it out and stay in cabins/hotels along the way.
Yeah, it seems a lot cheaper/safer to just drive and plan on camping along the way. Or just get a camper to pull behind. I'm planning a huge road trip one summer once my little one is around 7 or 8.
I took a 2 1/2 week roadtrip of the area two years back. To save time and see more sites of interest, we flew into Denver, rented a car and then made a loop. Route: - Fort Collins, CO (Rocky Mountain NP) - Wyoming (Cheyenne), - Nebraska (Scottsbluff NP, and Alliance - Carhenge), - Black Hills SD (Wind Cave NP, Jewel Cave NM, Custer SP, Badlands NP, Deadwood, Sturgis, Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore) - at least 3 Days - North Dakota (Bismarck, T. Roosevelt NP, Medora) - Montana (Billings, Bozeman, enter Yellowstone from the North) - Yellowstone (Beartooth Highway, Cody - Rodeo, Interior Park sites) - at least 4 days - Grand Tetons (Enter directly from Yellowstone, exit at Jackson Hole) - can drive through in a day, and not feel rushed, if start early - Jackson Hole, WY - Idaho (Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Craters of the Moon NP) - 1 day - Salt Lake City (We didn't have but near Pocatello) - Laramie, WY or Steamboat Springs, CO (We chose the former) - Back to Denver for flight
You do not, surprisingly. I have a 38 footer that sits in storage - got it from my dad for $1..... It is pretty neat but we never use it....and they suck up money in storage fees etc. Still, when you do use them, they are a blast. DD
You are looking at over $1000 in gas. Plus, you will have to pay for renting the RV, and RV insurance. A 3 day rental for an RV is going to be about $400. If you fly, you could probably get a flight to Bozeman for around $400. A rental car would cost around $250 a week. A hotel would be around $110 a night. It would be cheaper and more relaxing to fly.
I think teh appeal of the RV is not so much it being cheaper or more convenient, but just the bonding part of road trips and taking the longer route is fun sometimes wth the right company as you can see the ones that have taken these long journeys that noted above mention they were trips of a lifetime, etc
I drove from boulder to Houston about 3 weeks ago. It was a 2 day trip. Yellowstone is a couple hours further but it can still be made in 2 days
Yeah. Part of the appeal of RV is just hanging with family and doing a trip. I know the costs might end up being a wash. This is for two seniors, two adults, and one child.So flight is about $750 per person and then two hotel rooms are whatever they are. I was looking at 40' Class A RV and it costs about $2500 per week. Add extra mileage (they only give 700 free) and gas, like you guys said, that's another $2000. Overall I expect either RV or air/hotel to cost at least $5000. But time is a factor. My wife doesn't finish summer school until the middle of August and my son's school starts up soon after so I think we only have 10 days or so. It's beginning to sound like that might not be enough time. That's quite a shame since I think it would be a blast. We chose Yellowstone mainly because the temperature will be mild even in the summer. My mother-in-law is pretty heat adverse. Might end up having to just fly up instead. Maybe to Jackson, WY and go through the Grand Tetons up to Yellowstone. Scary thing is, I think the hotels in Yellowstone might already be fully booked by now.
If you want cool weather and great outdoors, check out Seattle, Vancouver, or even Whistler. Great summer destinations.
Well, part of it is that I've never been to a National Park. Makes me feel unAmerican to even say that
That is enough time but you just wouldn't have time to make 50 stops. Pick 2 or 3 extra stops ...no more than one per day. You can do Yellowstone in 2 days. If you don't stop at any one place for more than 30 minutes, you can see the whole park in 1 day. So if you plan for 2 full days then you can spend some quality time. You won't have time to go on big nature walks but if you have grandparents with you, that may not be your thing anyway.. Plus they have bears. Lots of bears ...and all sorts of other beasts. So unless you know what you are doing, prob best to stay on the official marked paths. Do it!
