Need experienced Camper and RV'er Advice

My family of 8 will be traveling down to Yellowstone in June in a rented RV. We plan to stay at Fishing Bridge RV Park and then rent a mini van to get around in. Here%26#39;s the problem. There is a limit of 6 people to a site. When I called Xanterra I was told that we would have to rent 2 spaces and they will require 2 of our family members to sleep in a tent. Only 6 in the RV.

Could anyone who has been there let me know how closely they check these things (wink). Since I intend to draw straws, there is a possibility my 75-year-old mother inlaw may sleep in that tent. She hates bears!! Will anyone check or know that 8 people are sleeping in an RV?

Need experienced Camper and RV'er Advice

Xanterra%26#39;s site says Fishing Bridge is limited to hard sided campers only. That would mean no tents. Might want to follow up with them.

No opinion on number of people in an RV. Not sure what they%26#39;d do if you got caught.

Need experienced Camper and RV'er Advice

You can not have a tent at Fishing Bridge, they are not allowed. So who ever told you this was wrong!

Fishing Bridge RV park is $35 a night with an additional $1 per night per person over 4 people. You may have to find space for the minivan

Not being able to have a tent makes things even worse! The fellow I spoke to at Xanterra said we could only have 6 in an RV per site and would need to have a second site for the other 2. Maybe I said the thing about the tent. He also said we could have a vehicle parked with the RV.

I was just wondering if they check carefully. I guess it%26#39;s too much of a risk to bring 8. It seems odd they would care how many you have in an RV. We just have a large family!

I%26#39;d call Xanterra again, and see if you have better luck asking a different rep. I find it hard to believe too they%26#39;d limit the number in your own RV.

Otherwise....I%26#39;d probably just reserve the one space and not worry about it;-). I can%26#39;t imagine they%26#39;d go and actually check the number of people in the RVs. Just be sure when you check in that not all 8 of you are standing there;-)

Kelly

I have to agree with Kelly here. I could be wrong, but doubt that Xanterra would have the camping cops going around doing ';bed check'; on RVs to see how many people there are in your unit. I would call Xanterra again and clarify the numbers thing. if necessary, ask to speak with a supervisor, so Grandma doesn%26#39;t have to sleep with the bears. If there are small children involved be sure and let them know that. That might make a difference too.

Limiting the number of people per site most likely has to do with not overtaxing the facilities(sewer %26amp; water) but there%26#39;s nothing to say that even if you did rent a second site, those folks wouldn%26#39;t be using the facilities in the RV along with the other six anyway, so I fail to see the point???

Please let us know how this works out. It%26#39;ll be good infor for future campers who travel with more than six people.

Are you intending to rent the mini van after you arrive in Yellowstone? That%26#39;s the way I read your post. I%26#39;m not aware of any car rental places within the park, but I could be wrong.

Have you considered one of the other campgrounds where it%26#39;s a mix of RV and tents? From my experience in other National Park campgrounds, they don%26#39;t usually check the actual number of people on a site.

We%26#39;ll rent a minivan in Jackson Hole. I understand that Fishing Bridge is the only park in Yellowstone that has hookups. I guess I might have to consider sites outside the park that allow more than 6 on a site. It would quite troubling if we were made to throw 2 of our 8 people out of our RV by the park host. They would be coyote prey!! I don%26#39;t know what I would tell the children....

The following is off of Xanterra%26#39;s website in regard to Fishing Bridge RV Park. Like previous posters said- Fishing Bridge RV Park is a hardsided camper only campground. They will not allow even pop-up tent campers there; let alone ground tents. All other campgrounds in the park have a limit of 6 people (or one family- parents with dependent children) per site.

Fishing Bridge RV Park

**Open May 15 - September 27, 2009

When calling to make a reservation be prepared to give the size of your RV and any tow or towed vehicle separately (e.g the size of your truck in addition to the size of your trailer when fully open.)

Campsite For Up To Four People Nightly Rate* $35.00 $1.00 Each Additional Adult Per Night*

*Rates do not include taxes and utility fee.

Sites will accommodate a tow unit and towed unit side by side. For example, a 35-foot site would accommodate an 18-foot truck and a 35-foot trailer (unhooked) side by side in the side. Adjust for slide outs.

You should be able to stay in one site with 8 people staying in the same RV. If for some reason you couldn%26#39;t it would probably be cheaper to rent two sites and just park the van in one spot. They are not going to knock on your door at night and do a head count. When I%26#39;ve been lucky enough to go in my parent%26#39;s 5th wheel to the park we stay at Fishing Bridge. We%26#39;ve also stayed in Cody, West Yellowstone, and Jackson. Paying for 2 sites would be way cheaper then paying for 1 site outside the park and driving back and forth. The majority of the times (2-3x a year for the last 30 years) I%26#39;ve tent camped at Bridge Bay Campground. I can see the reasoning of limiting a campsite to 6 people or one family unit in the campgrounds to limit the impact on each site. The potential impact on the immediate environment from 8 people using one site in the RV park is way different then in a park campground.

Deb

The reason there are restrictions is pressure on the environment including all facilities.

If 8 are OK how about 10? Or 12? or 24? Where does it stop? It Stops at 6. Play fair. Obey the rules.