Life is But a Dream – Full-Time RVers in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park Photo Journal Full Time RV

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.”
– John Muir

Yellowstone National Park was dreamy. And when I say dreamy, I mean, nothing looks real. Everything looks like someone did a bad job with their saturation levels in Photoshop. That’s what makes it so spectacular though. As our nation’s oldest National Park, it was established in 1872. There is so much rich history in the park and the National Park Service does an excellent job preserving it for everyone to see and enjoy.

I’m not going to say much more, I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

And of course, a timelapse of Old Faithful as she erupts.

Full-Time RVers – Campground / RV Park Review: RedRock RV and Camping Park – Island Park, Idaho

RedRock RV and Camping Park Island Park Idaho Campground Review

During our time at the West Yellowstone entrance, we stayed at RedRock RV and Camping Park in Island Park, Idaho. I would really like to give this campground a better rating than I am because the views are phenomenal, but I just can’t do it.

Let me start with the great features of this park. For starters, the views are gorgeous. You’re surrounded by mountains in a secluded area. You have to travel up the mountain on a long, dirt road to get to the park (which we don’t mind). Once you get there, you see endless mountains and there is even a lake directly behind the campground. The site spaciousness was also unique and we loved it. They park the RVs opposite directions of each other so you aren’t in your neighbors hookups (electric, water, and sewer hoses). We definitely were in one of the best sites as we had a very large grassy area between us and the next camp site. We were able to set up corn hole and have plenty of space to play. We sat at the picnic table in the grass almost every night for dinner before settling at the fire pit provided by the campground for the evening.

I also want to make sure I mention how wonderful the bathhouse and laundry facilities were. I’m picky about these and won’t often give a 5 out 5 rating, but they were wonderful. The showers were very new. The water pressure was excellent and the hot water was so hot you couldn’t turn it all the way up. The laundry room was one of the largest I’ve seen providing ample room for numerous guests to wash multiple loads of clothes at a time. The machines were on the newer end as well which was nice.

Unfortunately, that’s were the good comes to an end. If I was only rating on those things, RedRock would receive a 5 out of 5 (so if the following items don’t pertain to you, then you’re good to go!). Let’s start out with the proximity to grocery stores. There are none. You have to drive about 30 minutes into West Yellowstone or there is large convenience store about 15 minutes away that is considered a grocery store. You can at least get your basics there, but if you want anything more, you’ll have to make the drive into town.

The next issue was the dirt and dust since they are an ATV friendly park. Many of the RV parks we’ve stayed at in the past will water down the gravel in the campground so the park isn’t so dusty. RedRocks doesn’t do this and it there is constantly dust flying up from ATVs driving back, trucks pulling out, trailers pulling in, etc. It wasn’t the worst we’ve ever seen, but when the wind picks up, you can watch the dust swirling around you.

The main reason RedRocks doesn’t receive a higher rating is because of the following categories: Rules & Policies, Wireless Internet, Cell Phone Service, and Full-Time Work Friendly. When you check in, they advise you of their internet policy – 500mb each on 4 devices per day. The internet itself works great (so again, if this is all you need, you’re good to go). They literally cut off your internet if you go over that amount. The cell phone service is very spotty so you can barely even use a hotspot to get internet. Even worse, when you do use a hotspot, they knock on the door of your RV telling you they are receiving a high reading of data transmission coming from your RV and you need to turn it off because you’re using too much cell phone power. EXCUSE ME? DID THAT ACTUALLY JUST HAPPEN? Yes, it most definitely did. So, are they full-time work friendly? No, they most definitely are not. We ended up having to make the drive into West Yellowstone several times to work in a coffee shop just to use our own Verizon hotspot. We LOVED the coffeeshop, but we should have never had to go there just to use our own hotspot when it was working. The cell phone service worked during the day when everyone was out and about, but when everyone was home in the evenings, the cell phone service was dreadful.

Would I stay here again? If we didn’t work full-time and need internet, I probably would. If you need internet for anything more than checking email and Googling what to do in Yellowstone National Park, then no, I wouldn’t stay here again.

The views were breathtaking from the campground.

Campfire meals are so much better than meals cooked on a stove. One of the perks of this RV park was the built in fire pit at each site.

Who doesn’t love a coffee shop INSIDE a book store?

The below was our fantastic yard space. We definitely lucked out on this one.

Full-Time RVers – Campground / RV Park Review: Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park – Livingston, Montana

Yellowstone's Edge RV Park Livingston Montana Campground Review

We visited Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park for the Livingston Roundup Rodeo and 4th of July fireworks celebration. It worked out because we were able to start our Yellowstone National Park journey here as well. The RV park was great and the staff was super friendly. We booked with them and they took care of our rodeo tickets for us, getting us the best seats in the house.

While the views were great, they were difficult to enjoy because of the angle each RV was positioned. We know everyone can’t have a waterfront view, but it is difficult to see anything but RVs out any window because of the awkward angles of the spaces. We did have ample room for a picnic table between us and the next RV but I’m only giving a 3 out of 5 in this category as the driving lanes are narrow with vehicles sticking out. It makes it challenging to park the RV and pull it out when it is time to depart. We watched a few people have issues getting out of their spots due to the RV in front of them being so far back in their spots.

The best part of Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park (aside from the view when you walk to the river) is the cabin they’ve built that houses the laundry room, bath facilities, and game room. The laundry room is nice and has the ever illusive coin machine. This was fantastic and we stocked up on quarters (because every RVer who does laundry knows how you’re always in need of more quarters). The entire facility is extremely clean which is the main reason I gave the laundry facilities and bathhouse a 5 out of 5. They close the entire facility every day from 11am-1pm to clean. Let me tell you, it is spotless. I’ve never felt so at home in a bathhouse before. It was absolutely spotless – every time. The water pressure was fantastic and the water was always very hot. A huge plus for me is locking doors for showers versus just a curtain. I have a strong dislike for only a curtain in a public shower facility and any RV park with a locking shower door, always gets bonus points from me.

Ultimately, I give Yellowstone’s Edge a 4 out of 5 as they received high marks in every category. Had the RV spots not have been so tight, they would have easily received a 5 out of 5. We would likely stay here again if we were in the area as overall, this was a great RV park.

Meet Me Under that Big Montana Sky

Gardiner Montana Yellowstone Full Time RV

A few weeks ago, we made it to Livingston, Montana for the 4th of July holiday. We were only there for a few brief days to enjoy the rodeo and a quick trip to the Northern part of Yellowstone National Park. We ventured to the rest of Yellowstone at our next stopping point, but here’s a few pictures of our brief time in the area. For more pictures, check out this post on the Beartooth Highway and this post on the Livingston Rodeo.

We had our first experience with west coast hail! It was insane and completely unpredictable. We were driving down the road when all of a sudden, golf ball size hail started hitting our car. Now that we’re a few weeks later, we’ve quickly learned that with rain comes hail about 10 minutes later. It still freaks us out every single time. It is terribly loud when it hits a metal RV.

And a few funny ones of the parents below. 🙂

Wheat from a field and an old school telephone booth INSIDE a pharmacy – it is how you talk to the pharmacist!

Bear Teeth are Intimidating

Beartooth Highway Yellowstone National Park Drive and Review Full Time RV

And by bear teeth, I don’t mean the teeth of a bear – I mean, the Beartooth Highway in Montana. This small, winding road right outside of Yellowstone National Park is one of the windiest roads I’ve ever been on – and we’ve visited the mountains a lot. While it had some of the prettiest views we’ve seen so far, it took a lot of time and stressful driving to get there. Check out some of these views!