Badlands camping suggestions?!/Yellowstone routes?

[Brian Darflinger]

Hey guys! I'm heading to the badlands over labor day weekend, and staying out around Yellowstone for a week with 4 of my motorcycle buddies. We're looking for good camping spots.. We all have camping gear and really need your help in planning..

Thanks in advance

-Brian

 

[1911]

Make reservations a year in advance

 

[wallyo]

It would help to know where you are leaving from, the Route you're going to take, and how long you plan to ride each day. My wife and I left Minneapolis in July (3 years ago) on I90, stayed at a campground about 600 miles from home; made it to Custer state park the next day , set up camp, and base camped from there. Just a small example, but I'm sure you get the idea.

 

[MEM]

Want rustic ?? Sage Creek Campground ..... there are two (IIRC) clean pit toilets. Oh, and each site has a canopied table. The End

First-come, first-served. You pitch your tent between prairie-dog holes and buffalo poop. No electricity, no water, no fires. It's freaking awesome

If you're lucky, there'll be a buffalo or three lined up for the toilet

 

[Cyclepath]

Since you already plan to be in the vicinity, a ride through the Bear Tooth Pass should be in order.

One of the best high-altitude vistas on the continent...

 

[Pterodactyl]

Yellowstone is like a scene from the movie Soylent Green in the summer. The crowds are unbearable mid-May thru mid-September.

There are two KOA campgrounds west of West Yellowstone and one a mile or so south of the South Gate. Can't remember the name, but it is near Grassy Lake Road. All of these have decent facilities.

 

[1911]

And a KOA on the north entrance too https://koa.com/campgrounds/livingston/ that we liked.

We waited too late. A couple months before YFO we tried to make reservations at the campgrounds inside Yellowstone (that take reservations). Zilch on putting three days together. And this was while the kids were still in school. We did reserve an RV spot for two nights, but ended up not using it. I can't imagine going in counting on getting a "first come first served" site during peak season. Seems like you might end up covering a LOT of ground looking for a place to bed down if your first couple choices are full up.

Check out Wall Drugs on the west end of Badlands. Between Badlands and Yellowstone we hit Little Big Horn and Rushmore, thought about Crazy Horse, and wished we'd stopped at a Minuteman silo.

Edited to add: Found this https://www.allstays.com/ helpful

 

[SacramentoMike]

Close to half of the camp sites in Yellowstone are first come first served, but they fill up very early every day this time of year if they're available at all--I mean by 8 a.m. or something. And of course, Labor Day weekend makes it tougher. Does sound like you'll be in S. Dakota for that weekend though, so if you do Yellowstone after that it should thin out a lot. Lots of the campgrounds in the park close for the year on Sep. 15. Good luck and have fun.

 

[HelzBelz]

I recently stayed at some super sweet cabins in Cody Wyoming - behind the Holiday Inn - Buffalo Bill cabins. State of the art cabins, walking distance to lots of stuff. Kind of expensive right now, but we took two cabins (two couples) for 91 each on expedia last month, while their official website was advertising 179 per night..

from Cody , chief joseph to Beartooth to Red Lodge is a must, in my opinion. The park is going to be full of people, and slow, but if you haven't seen it you probably have to see it.

If you do get into the park, a soak in the boiling river is pretty cool. (the actual location called "the Boiling River" near Mammoth, don't jump in the boiling pots that idiots boil themselves in by accident)

And leaving the park via Gardiner, will allow you to head towards Livingston wtth the old Chico Hot Springs on the way to Livingston. EXCELLENT FOOD, Brunch on Sundays is amazing.

The Murray Hotel in Livingston, which Anthony Bourdain calls one of the 10 best in the world, is nice. (I thought it was cool, but I live in Bozeman)

Enjoy.. Look out for Solar eclipse rates anywhere near the eclipse. Go North..

 

[HelzBelz]

OH, and if you want to see some great scenery without the hassle of the Park - take the Big Horns near Sheridan WY . Awesome scenery, and if you don't mind missing the Yellowstone, a combo of the Big Horns (couple of paths through them, and then Chief Joseph scenic byway and Beartooth Pass, should give you some incredible altitude + scenery experiences. Was still snow atop Beartooth 3 weeks ago.

 

[Brian Darflinger]

Great tips- thanks! We're leaving Chicago Thursday,Aug 31.- Taking 90 west the whole way.. We dont have to be back in Chicago until the following Friday- so we have a full week to check everything out.

-So If the sites that do take reservations have been filled months in advance- and the First-come-first-serve fill up before noon,,,,then it sounds like were kinda screwed huh? Am I correct in assuming that you have to get up before sunrise, ride to the next campsite crazy early, secure the campsite, and THEN go site seeing????

 

[Brian Darflinger]

EDIT!-- we're going to stay in the Badlands all week... Any other great campsites there? or routes that we must take??

 

[SacramentoMike]

As to your question in post 11, yes, you are correct; that's how it works. If you can get a room reservation in Gardiner or West Yellowstone (just outside the park), good chance you could get up and shoot into the park early the second day to grab that spot. I think you just have to go directly to the campground and try right there. I think Madison Campground is your best bet, especially from W. Yellowstone. You can call one of the numbers on this page for specific info--I just was looking into it for a trip there at the end of Sept. They have the official poop.

I rode through the Badlands in part of a day a couple years ago, and felt like I'd seen it. Maybe there's a lot there that wasn't obvious to me, but I think there's an awful lot more to do in YNP--or the Black Hills, for that matter. See if BigJohnSD (who lives in Spearfish) can give you some tips. Good luck.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Badland s all week will get old. I recommend heading West to Spearfish, I-90 exit 12, head to the nice cool shaded city campground along Spearfish Creek. Call me and I'll show you where to ride in the Black Hills. I'll be on my KLR so we won't be going to fast but fast enough. Figure 3 days to cover the Black His thoroughly.

 

[HelzBelz]

Yeah, Badlands = 1 day, maybe 2 if you are on harleys.

Keep going west.. you won't regret it.

 

[russperry]

Me and Brodie visited Yellowstone back in '12 (was it really already 5 years ago?) - we camped near Lake Lewis for 3 days in late July without having any reservations. Like SacMike said, you need to be there early in the day but its not quite as desperate a situation as some have made it sound (at least in my very limited experience).

So what we did specifically was camp near Jackson, WY the day before, then got up early and was at the campground before 8:00 and there were several sites to choose from. Oh yeah - our first day there was a Monday or Tuesday I think so being mid-week was another advantage.

 

[flyfisher]

Devils Tower has a nice campground, no showers.....Chris's in Spearfish is good..nice shower house....Custer park is good....have fun, ride the hell out of those roads.......ff'