Cody KOA and Yellowstone -- too far?

We have reservations at the Cody KOA (cabin) for several days, and we plan to visit Yellowstone most, if not all, days. Is this reasonable? We do not have a large budget, so the KOA is a good choice for us; plus, we find it much less stressful to stay in one location instead of moving around from place to place. However, I%26#39;m concerned that we will be spending too much time driving back and forth to Yellowstone every day. How much travel time is involved? I hear it%26#39;s about an hour to the east entrance, but once inside, how much driving around is there in the park?

Cody KOA and Yellowstone -- too far?

No, it is not reasonable to stay in Cody and drive to Yellowstone. That one hour of driving (I don%26#39;t think you can do it in an hour with the winding road and other traffic) only gets you to the entrance. There are about 350 miles of road inside the park. You will hate the drive after the second day.

Much better to stay at one of the campgrounds within the park or at a cabin in the park. Yes it may be more expensive, but how much is your vacation time worth? Would you sell me half of your vacation for the difference in the price of the cabins? You%26#39;ll be spending half your vacation time on the road going to the sights in Yellowstone instead of just being there.

Cody KOA and Yellowstone -- too far?

It is too far to do every day. Like the other poster suggested look into camping in the park.

Another option is to look into close towns like West Yellowstone and Gardiner. There could also be campgrounds there???

If you are not into camping, I would suggest staying in either Gardiner or West Yellowstone. In the park lodging is pricey but that shouldn%26#39;t stop you from being closer than Cody.

Look into the local towns and see if you can find lodging that will fit your budget. We stayed in Gardiner in 2007 and paid under $100 a night and had a pool and free breakfast. The food, gorceries, and gas is also cheaper outside the park. So you need to look at this if you are camping there.

We drove from Wisconsin so the driving to the park from Gardiner didn%26#39;t bother us (we could actually see the park enterance from our hotel). But the drive from Yellowstone to Cody would really get old.

Have fun!

I disagree with the other comments. Cody is a great base camp for Yellowstone and is very commom choice. The 50 mile - 1 hour drive is on the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway which is a beautiful road with alot of opportunity to see wildlife. Yellowstone roads are like a figure 8. It is very easy to do one loop per day. Staying in Cody will provide options for evening entertainment and attractions too. I think you made a wise choice!

It is a very pretty drive and I agree that you can do one loop easily each day if you aren%26#39;t doing any hikes longer then 1/2 mile.

I would personally no want to do the drive twice a day as it eats up 2 hours of time. If that doens%26#39;t bother you then you should be fine.

Have a great trip!

I think the Cody area might work for a couple of days, but I would try the cabins at Old Faithful, Canyon, Roosevelt or one of the other ';in park'; locations. The drive in beautiful, but it is an hour each way to Cody. Seeing Yellowstone always involves a lot of driving because the park is so large. Expect 2+ hours in the car each day, just driving around the park. Even if it is an extra $20 or $30 per night, you will find it well worth your money to stay closer. West Yellowstone and Gardiner are much more doable as well. Cody is a fun town for a couple of nights, but if you are into the ';base camp'; concept, I would think about moving closer.

Also - in the park you will find a much more natural setting. The Cody KOA works for a couple of days, as they have a nice pool and pancake breakfast, but they are on the main hwy leading into town and there is traffic noise, plus they are the on the west side of town, not on the park side.

Hi. It%26#39;s me again. Thanks for all your advice and help. After thinking about it some more, we have changed our reservations to the West Yellowstone KOA (in a cabin), which is very close to the west entrance. I think this will be a good choice for us, because it is much closer to the park. Plus the KOA itself is more scenic, has more entertainment, and has an indoor pool and hot tub. It%26#39;s a bit more expensive than the other KOA, but I think it will be worth it to be closer. (Plus, we%26#39;ll save money in gas.)

I think you made a good choice. I have never been to the West Yellowstone KOA but it will be a better base camp for you.

Have fun!

I was going to mention the KOA in West YS, I think it may be better. You may want to spend one night in Cody, to visit the museums and see the rodeo!