Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park & Cabins - Campground Review

When:  Monday, June 14 to Tuesday, Jun 22, 2021 (8 nights) (booked in September 2020)
Cost:   $726.36 total (approx. $91/night) for full hook-ups
Where:  Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park & Cabins in West Yellowstone, Montana
Bucket List: Yellowstone National Park

If you are headed to Yellowstone National Park, you’ve obviously got to figure out where to stay.    We have three tips and bits of advice, but be sure and check out our 27 tips on visiting the park generally here.

Tip #1:  Stay for a Week if You Can.

There is so much to see and do that we would recommend that visitors plan on staying a week.   Yellowstone is 2,219,789 acres (3,468 square miles).  The park is larger than either of Rhode Island or Delaware.   The main roads form a figure eight such that the park is broken up into a 70-mile Upper Loop and 96-mile Lower Loop and a 142-mile Grand Loop.  While some people try to see Yellowstone in a few days, we felt like a week was about the right amount of time to spend there given the size and numerous attractions. 

Tip #2: Make Reservations Early (especially if You Want/Need Full Hook-Ups).

Unless you have a big solar bank, RVers spending a week or so there will want to splurge for full hook-ups (or at least electric) for their rig.  Of all of the camping options in the park (Bridge Bay, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Grant Village, Madison, Mammoth, Norris, Pebble Creek, Slough Creek, Indian Creek, Tower Fall, Lewis Lake), only Fishing Bridge has electric hook-ups (310 full hook-up sites).  It was closed during our stay in 2021, but the National Parks Service (“NPS”) website indicated that the rates were $79/night.  That meant that we were going to have to stay outside of the park itself. 

We booked our RV site eight months in advance, and felt like we were lucky to find something. RV options fill up quickly so book early.

Tip # 3:  Stay on the West Side if it is Your First Time Visiting (West Yellowstone).

Many of the park’s popular areas are located on the west side, and as a result, we thought it would be best to stay in that general area.  Because our plan was to spend a week visiting Yellowstone, we needed a place with full hook-ups for our RV.  With those parameters in mind, we chose Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park & Cabins located in West Yellowstone just across the state line in Montana.

The campground also has cute little cabins in case you are traveling without an RV and need more traditional accommodations.  The cabins have an all-log rustic interior.  No tent camping is permitted at the venue.

So what did we think of Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park?

Our site at the Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone

Remember the story about the Goldilocks and the three bears?  And how the little girl was in search of the porridge and bed that was “just right”?  Well, that is how we felt about Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park.

For a commercial RV park in the middle of a touristy area, Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park had site sizes that were “just right.”   We didn’t feel like we were in the mountains or a state park, but we also didn’t feel like we were crammed together either.

Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park’s amenities were also “just right” as well.   There’s a convenience store and gift shop, outdoor kid play area, conference room, four laundry rooms, and restrooms with showers.  They didn’t have things like a swimming pool or mini-golf course, but we don’t usually use those things anyway. 

West of the park is a designated pet walking area.  The land is undeveloped and filled with mature trees.  Oddly, we were treated to a man playing the bagpipes out there one evening during our nightly walk.    

The only pseudo-negative about Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park was the internet.  Wi-fi is not great, but truthfully, we haven’t found a lot of campgrounds where the internet is good.  Importantly, we don’t think that the wi-fi situation should keep anyone from staying at the park.  We just used our phone hot-spots and Pepwave router when we needed better internet.

A few campground rules to keep in mind:

·       No mats or carpets on the grass.

·       No wood fires permitted. 

·       No fireworks permitted.  (Some idiot tried to do that the week before we were there).

·       Quite hours are from 10 pm to 7 am

·       Sprinklers come around 6:00 am.  Make sure you move anything that you don’t want to get wet.

Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park — The Pet Area and Nature Trail

Of course, the location is the best part about Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park.  Sure, West Yellowstone is a very touristy area, but the reality is that everything in Yellowstone has a touristy vibe. The town’s restaurants, two main grocery stores, and numerous souvenir shops are all within a few blocks.  Likewise, the entrance to Yellowstone National Park is just four blocks away. 

If you have time during your stay, you should also check out the neighboring Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.  We liked it so much we went there TWICE, and also have a separate video and blog on it.

Lastly, the price at Grizzly RV was competitive. Most places charge at least $100/night so at $91/night, the prices at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park seemed “just right” as well.  We were able to book online months in advance so that was another reason why we liked Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park. 

We would definitely stay there again!

Looking for more tips on visiting Yellowstone National Park? WE’VE GOT 27 TIPS!

Check out our some of the videos below. Or you can read about the 27 tips for visiting Yellowstone National Park in our blog.