The main goal of this two week long road trip was Yellowstone National Park. We had already made some amazing memories on this trip, and we were excited to add Yellowstone to the mix. Yellowstone has several campgrounds, but the largest and most developed are run by Xanterra. We knew we needed showers and flushing toilets, and we wanted to be somewhere centrally located. Yellowstone is HUGE, and we knew we would have to do a fair amount of driving to see everything. I know lots of people prefer to stay in several different campgrounds during their stay, but we didn’t want to pack up the camper and set up camp each time we moved, so we opted for a centrally located campground. When we made our reservations, the only campground {with showers} open in early June was Canyon Campground, which also happened to fit all the rest of our needs, so we booked there.
When booking through Xanterra, you have to know the EXACT measurements of your camper and tow vehicle. I had actually booked this site before we even purchased a camper. Canyon has a few 40 ft. sites, but not many. They were all booked up by the time I called. We opted for a 30 ft. site, and let me tell you, it was still a tight squeeze. All vehicles must fit within that 30 ft. space and be on the pavement — that includes your tow vehicle! We had a 15 ft. vehicle and a camper. Now, I don’t know the exact length of the camper when popped up, but when closed, it is 10 ft. We were told that if you have a pop up camper, there is a little bit of wiggle room because the bunkend can extend over the pavement, but I don’t know how anyone with a larger camper would make everything fit. We had to get a little creative with our parking.
Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and a good sized grill. We used the grill quite a bit, but it was still nice to have the outdoor stove on the camper. The setup at each site was much easier for setting up a camping “kitchen,” and we didn’t have a problem at all using the outdoor stove this time. There were bathrooms {with flushing toilets} close to our site, which was nice. The areas around the geyser basins have vault toilets, and the girls were not too happy about using those. There is also an enclosed room for dish washing, although there is only one water temperature — freezing! Our site was a nice size, and we had enough room for all our camp chairs and gear.
We really enjoyed Canyon Campground. The sites were a little close together, but it still felt pretty secluded. Despite the amenities, we always felt as though we were still in touch with nature. In fact, within minutes of pulling in and setting up camp, we had a surprise visitor. We were sitting at the picnic table making lunch when an ENORMOUS grizzly walked into our camp. We were a little freaked out, but calmly directed the kids to get in the car. We quickly stashed our food in the bear box and watched while the big guy casually made his way through the campground. We weren’t able to snap a picture {too freaked out}, but we went back and found his paw prints in the snow after he’d left. That’s Mr. TypeTwoFun’s hand inside the grizzly track. He was huge!
Another great thing about Canyon Campground is that they have huge laundry facilities. When we arrived, we spent the afternoon setting up camp, washing laundry, and showering. It was so nice to feel human again. After we got all cleaned up, we headed to the Canyon Visitor Education Center. Canyon has a huge visitor center, and it is amazing. The kids spent the afternoon learning all about the Yellowstone volcano and how it affects the park. It was nice to get some of our information straight before we headed out to do our sightseeing. We visited a couple other visitor centers around the park during our stay, and Canyon was by far our favorite.
When you enter the main gates of Yellowstone, ask for a map. That was so helpful in planning our days. We sat down each night and decided what we wanted to see the next day. We also used Lonely Planet’s guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton. That was helpful in finding a lot of the sights that were off the beaten path. On our first day in the park, we stuck close to home base and visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
It was absolutely gorgeous. Yellowstone Falls is truly beautiful. We took the trail from the upper falls to Artist Point, and it was so pretty. There were few people on the trail, and we got to see the canyon up close. Once we got to Artist Point, it was like Disneyland. There were buses of tourists and people EVERYWHERE. We couldn’t even get a picture without someone stepping in. Mr. TypeTwoFun was feeling pretty claustrophobic, so we used our Lonely Planet guide to find a trail off the beaten path. We took the trail toward Sublime Point and headed past Lily Pad Lake and on to Clear Lake. We got to see some back country geothermal features and beautiful lakes and meadows without all the crowds. The trail took us right back to the parking lot, so it was perfect.
There were bear warnings everywhere, but we didn’t see any wildlife on the hike. Clear Lake was gorgeous, but a little stinky. I have to say, though, it was probably our favorite experience in all of Yellowstone. It was really very peaceful, which is nice when there is so much congestion in the rest of the park.
After Canyon Country, we headed out to Norris Geyser Basin. We were able to do both areas in one day, and we saw pretty much everything we wanted to see. Norris Geyser Basin took us a couple of hours, but it isn’t far from Canyon Campground. We spent the morning at the canyon and the afternoon at the geyser basin.
The next day, we headed to Mammoth to see the terraces. Driving through Yellowstone is an experience in and of itself, and we saw quite a bit of wildlife while we were on the road. I enjoyed the driving as much as the sightseeing.
There are SO many waterfalls in Yellowstone. We found that we really enjoyed stopping the car along the way to take small hikes to the backcountry waterfalls and geothermal features. Everyone visits the big stuff {Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone}, but few people take the time to see the little things along the way. Those moments ended up being the most magical for us. The Lonely Planet guide was invaluable in helping us find those little gems no one visits.
The kids didn’t love the terraces. It was stinky, windy, crowded, and even a little hot. Mammoth was probably our least favorite area, but we had to check it off the list. It is home of historic Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Lodge. Once had thoroughly exhausted ourselves at Mammoth, we headed back to Canyon. We had enough time to visit the Mud Volcano area, which we liked quite a bit better than Mammoth. There were some interesting geothermal features there, including Dragon’s Mouth Spring, which entranced the kids.
At this point in the trip, we noticed that Yellowstone was getting pretty crowded. We actually had two more days of sightseeing left, but we collectively decided to leave the park a day early. We spent our last day at the Upper Geyser Basin, which is the part of Yellowstone that is most iconic.
We arrived just as Old Faithful was erupting. It was pretty spectacular. Once the fanfare was over, we headed to the Old Faithful Lodge to find eruption times on the major geysers. We planned our day around Riverside Geyser, which ended up being our favorite geyser in Yellowstone. We visited the Old Faithful Inn for some amazing bison burgers and hit the visitor center, as well. We were able to watch Old Faithful erupt several times during our visit, because it erupts every 90 minutes. We were also able to explore the Upper Geyser Basin. Just before we left, we grabbed some huckleberry ice cream {so good!} at the Bear Paw Deli and took a seat to watch Old Faithful one more time. It was the perfect ending to our busy day.
We truly enjoyed our time at Yellowstone, and would love to go back some day. We didn’t experience everything the park has to offer. We drove by Yellowstone Lake on our way in, but didn’t return to fully explore it or the West Thumb area. I think the kids were spent, though, and one more day would not have been well received. It was best to end this part of the trip on a high note.
What we loved:
- Location, location, location! Canyon was central to everything. We were able to see all the sights we wanted to see and never had to drive more than an hour each way. It was a perfect base camp for our Yellowstone adventure.
- FACILITIES! The campground had wonderfully warm showers, and two free showers were included with each night’s stay. The laundry facilities were huge, and we never had to wait for a machine. The bathrooms were always clean and there was even a great dishwashing station nearby. We had a dump station and drinking water in the campground, too. The Canyon Lodge was across from the campground, and you could purchase WIFI services if you needed them. The kids loved that at the end of the day.
- Wildlife! We saw two grizzlies {one up close — yikes!}, several black bears, bison, coyotes, deer, elk, and a host of other wildlife.
What we learned:
- The battery usage was a real problem in Yellowstone because there were no hookups and we were there for such a long stay. We had no way to monitor our usage, but thankfully, that’s fixed now! 🙂
- Water storage and disposal continued to be a problem. We had to dump our gray water every night before bed {bears} so rolling that tank to dump it was pretty obnoxious. The plastic wheels woke up every sleeping camper in the campground. Oops! 🙁 We also had to refill our holding tank several times. We used a funnel made from a two liter bottle and made trips to the water spigot, but there has to be a more efficient way to do it without packing up the camper to take it to the dump station area. I smell another project coming on…
- Two weeks is a really long time for teenagers. We started to hear some grumbling at this point about missing friends and wanting to go home. The WIFI at Canyon Lodge was great for letting the kids take a few minutes to reconnect with friends on Instagram. It lightened the mood at night and made everyone happier. We wanted the kids to disconnect from technology and connect with nature, but we needed to find a happy medium… for everyone’s sanity.
We would love to visit Yellowstone again, and will definitely stay at Canyon Campground when we return. The beauty of Yellowstone is something that just has to be experienced to be believed. We made some amazing memories that the kids will have all their lives. Thank goodness for that little pop up! She’s taken us some amazing places already, and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us.
New to The Pop Up Princess? Would you like to catch up on our road trip adventures from the past five years? You can find those links here:
POP UP ROAD TRIP 2018
POP UP ROAD TRIP 2017
POP UP ROAD TRIP 2016
POP UP ROAD TRIP 2015
POP UP ROAD TRIP 2014
Happy Camping!
Hi Larissa- Love your blog! I’m in Arizona, too. 🙂 My husband and I are in the market for a small trailer that we can tow with our 6-cylinder 4 Runner. I’m somewhat interested in pop ups, but the soft sides scare me. I’m super afraid of bears and other wildlife and think that I might not sleep if in an area where there were bears. We also camp with our 4 dogs and think that the soft sides may not shield the noise of their barking like hard sides might. We have been looking at Aliner type trailers because of the hard sides, but they’re over $10K and we don’t have that kind of money. We’re looking to spend $5K at the most. Do you have any advice for me?
Yay! Another Arizonan! I was pretty apprehensive about getting a pop up, too, Staci, but I can tell you now that I love it. We’ve never had any problems–and as you know, we were in the heart of grizzly country last summer. We don’t ever keep food in the camper, and we empty our gray water tote every night and before we leave camp for the day. Honestly, we’ve even camped in a tent in Yosemite and Sequoia, where bears are a real problem, and had no issues. As long as you follow the campground guidelines, you’re pretty safe. Make sure you store your food appropriately, and you’ll be fine.
As for the dogs… I’m not sure. We don’t leave our dog in the PUP while we are gone–I just don’t want to risk it. He sleeps with us at night, but he isn’t really a barker, so it works fine. Are you planning on leaving them unattended in the camper?
Hey! I am LOVING your bog! We recently went from a trailer to a pop-up! It was super scary but I love my new Jeep so much I was willing to make the trade! Next month is our first big trip in it! We are taking our 3kids to Big Bend National Park and plan on staying roughly 2weeks! I’m also trying to make the most out of a little space! (AH!) I am use to our old trailer where space was limited but not THIS limited! Do you have any thing you wish you didn’t pack or wish you did pack? I was hoping to find a list- I’m a list gal- to help me! We’ve also never camped this long! Any tips, suggestions, ideas you can give? Thanks!
Hey thanks, Rachael! We moved up to a pop up from a tent, so the amount of space we gained was huge for us. I always feel like we’re camping in a mansion. 😉
I’m sorry–no list here. My list changes depending on where we are headed. Most of the time, our main issue (and we are still trying to find a good solution) is food storage. When you are gone for that long, you have to pack a lot of food. We always take road trips, so we are never in one place for long. That makes grocery shopping a bit easier for us. If you are going to be in one place for two weeks, I’d try to find the best way to keep your pantry stocked. That’s going to be a big thing. If you come across any ideas there, I’d love to hear them!
Our PUP is always stocked with dishes, flatware, cooking utensils, lanterns, etc., so I never have to worry about packing those things. You can see how we store a lot of those things here. We also have plastic drawer units that contain all our clothing, and each of us has camping only clothing (mostly nylon, quick dry items) that stays in the drawers, so I don’t have to pack those items either. One thing that has been a huge help is our first aid kit. We used a fishing tackle box and keep everything you could think of in there. I’ve got two kids with severe asthma and allergies, so that has been a huge necessity. It’s also helped with tummy troubles, headaches, and hiking blisters.
We also added a tension rod shelving mod not long ago. You can read all about that here. Each kid has a plastic drawer in that unit for a toothbrush, face wash, retainers, contact lens supplies, etc. On our last trip, I was loving how easy our bathroom routines had become with the new shelving. The kids could get ready for bed each night without leaving a mess of toiletries behind–no easy feat for a family with three teenagers. 😛
It’s not exactly the list you were asking for, but I hope that helps a little.
Thanks for the great writeup (and the rest of the site too!) What were the overnight low temps like when you were there? We’re trying to decide between a trip to Yosemite or Yellowstone, however we will have a 15 month old around then, with the heat usually set at 75F as a result, I’m worried if it gets too cold at night we wont be able to keep up (not to mention burning through propane and power).
Our low temps in Yellowstone were definitely in the 30’s. We had a few freezing nights. I hear it is warmer in later June and July, though. We did Yosemite the year before, and it was definitely warmer. We ran our heater every night in Yellowstone, but in Yosemite, we slept in a tent and were very comfortable. Both parks are beautiful, but if you are worried about the cold, I’d opt for Yosemite. 🙂
Hi there! We’re taking a cross-country trip in our pop-up starting at the end of June. I’m at the point where I’m planning the Yellowstone portion, and I’m a bit overwhelmed! The Yellowstone site has so many restrictions for tent campers, like no stoves or iceboxes permitted in tent trailers… mine are not removable! Any advice?
You can keep your stove and icebox in your camper, Eric. You just won’t be able to use them in Yellowstone. You’ll have to store your food in your vehicle or the bear box, and you’ll have to do all your cooking outside. It was a little bit of a pain, but SOOO worth it. Yellowstone is an amazing place. Feel free to e-mail me at thepopupprincess@gmail.com if you have more questions. 🙂
Great website you’ve got here! Just curious about the bear box you refer to…is that something the campground provides at the campsite or do you bring it with you?
Campgrounds that have high bear activity often provide a bear-proof storage box for each site. Yellowstone provided bear boxes that were shared between several sites, and we were not required to use it. We could leave food in our locked vehicles. Yosemite and Sequoia, however, have strict rules on food storage, and you MUST use the provided bear box for all food and toiletries. It was a hassle at first, but we got used to it. Now bear boxes are second nature for us. 😉
I’m enjoying your Yellowstone trip recap. We’d love to embark on a similar adventure with our pop-up, but are a little concerned about the drive on mountainous roads as we’re from a much flatter part of the country. Does your pop-up have trailer brakes? What routes did you take into and out of Yellowstone to be safe while towing?
Thanks, Lisa! We entered Yellowstone through the South Entrance, since we were heading there after our Grand Teton stop. We left through the West Entrance. We do have trailer brakes on the camper, but no brake controller, so we haven’t used them yet. We haven’t had an issues needing them, though–until this year in Big Basin Redwoods. We wished we’d had them then. 😀 I don’t remember Yellowstone being particularly windy, though.
How many nights did you end up staying at Yellowstone? (And at Grand Canyon on the earlier part of your trip)? We are planning a similar trip for next summer, and I’m trying to work out how many nights to spend at each place.
We spent four nights at Yellowstone, Susan. We had originally planned to stay five nights, but we were able to see most of what we wanted to see in four days. The park was starting to get really crowded (we went in early June), and we thought our vacation time was better spent somewhere we wouldn’t have to fight the crowds. I think you could spend weeks at Yellowstone, if you wanted to check out all the back roads and hidden hikes. We were happy with the time we spent there, though, and ready to see somewhere new.
As far as the Grand Canyon, we only spent one night at the North Rim. We are from Arizona, though, and have seen the Grand Canyon many times. We had never been to the North Rim before and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. One night was definitely enough for us, but if you have never been to the Grand Canyon, you’ll want to spend at least two nights there. If you want to see everything the park has to offer, I’d recommend staying at the South Rim. That’s where you’ll find the paved paths, shuttles, restaurants, and of course, the crowds. If you crave peace and quiet, head for the North Rim. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve enjoyed spending time on your blog & catching up on your camping trips. I am in the beginning stages of planning a Yellowstone trip for next summer. We do not have a camper, but plan to purchase one in the coming months. How far in advance did you reserve your campsite at Canyon? I know I can make reservations for next summer now, but I still don’t know what size site we’d need b/c we don’t actually have our PUP yet. I was just curious when you actually made your reservations. Keep up the good work! I’m really glad I stumbled onto your blog 🙂
I would reserve the largest space you can as soon as you can, Rene. There are only a few 40′ spaces, and they go fast. A 30′ space fit our camper, although it was a little bit tight. I would have loved to have had a 40′ space. You can always cancel the reservation if you need to. 🙂