My husband, two children and me are planning a trip to Yellowstone late July/August. We want to rent an RV and see Yellowstone and then travel to Mt. Rushmore. We have about 11 days. Is this enough time? We need a good RV rental. We also want to do some river rafting and horseback riding. Any suggestions/advice?

dgroves64,

A little more info would be nice. Where are you starting from, rv pick-up and drop-off location etc.. With eleven days you would also be close enough to Jackson and the Tetons for a couple days where you might get in your rafting. Also be aware that the first full week of August is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally where there are 500,000 bikers in the Black Hills. If you are in the Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills area in late July you will be fine.

We were planning to fly into Jackson and start the trip at Grand Tetons. Do you know of a good, reliable RV rental place there? The trip to Mt Rushmore would include stopping in Cody and any other place that might be of interest. I think our timing might be off and we will hit the bikers, yikes!

On your driving trip I would recommend a night in Cody and a visit to the Buffalo Bill museum; it is excellent. Devil's Tower is also pretty cool.
Mount Rushmore is about a half day at most. Custer State Park is beautiful. I think 11 days is enough time. We did this trip in my Father in Laws camper in 10 days. I cannot recommend a rental place...sorry!

http://www.cruiseamerica.com/rv_rentals/default.asp

This is one of the major RV rental outfits in the nation. You may have problems with drop off charges if you are not returning the RV to where you rented it. Don't worry about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the biggest concentration will be in in the northern part of the Black Hills. Look for some place to camp in the southern part. If you are not looking for hook ups that will expand your choices of places to stay. Motor cycles will be everywhere including Yellowstone.

http://rally.sturgis.sd.us/

I love Yellowstone. It is my favorite National Park. The sights and sounds are just amazing. Take a few hikes. And watch Old Faithful from the viewing area up in back...you have to hike up there. It doesn't take long and there are far less people.

Definately stop at Devil's Tower on your way to Mt. Rushmore. Watch the rock climbers for a while. They have way more guts than me!!

Also, try and make it to the Bad Lands in SD. Absolutely amazing!!

RedRock has your answer for the rv rental. This is the best place to rent from. I would respectfully disagree regarding the rally however..there will be 450,000 to 500,000 people in the Black Hills. There are about 650,000 in the whole State. The bikers are in every corner of the Black Hills. Make reservations now if you can. One of your best chances for an RV at this time would be the KOA Mt. Rushmore. It is a very large campground with tons of things to do with the kids. Horseback riding, pool, hiking, outdoor movie theater, little water slide etc.. Have a great trip.

spinedoc

We have camped many times when the Sturgis Rally was in full swing and have camped with the bikers. We have never have had a problem getting a campsite. We normally camp in the Custer State Park, and the Center Lake
Campground is our favorite. Most of the Bikers want to be in the northern part of the Hills because that is closer to Sturgis. The Black Hills is a very large area, yes, the bikers will be everwhere. If you are camping in Yellowstone you will even see a good number of them there also. We will be in a tent and will need less services than someone that is RVing. If someone is in an RV and on a tight schedule it would be a good idea for a reservation especially for one of the better full service campgrounds.

Yes, Cruise America is your best bet, if they have a pickup place where you will be.

I live in the Black Hills and I've camped at Center Lake in Custer State Park during the Rally.

Hotels are very difficult to find and expensive, camping is slightly different.

There are huge campgrounds in the northern hills that open just for the Rally bikers, like the concert venue/campgrounds Buffalo Chip & Glencoe, east of Sturgis. Others open all along the interstate from Rapid City to Sturgis and Deadwood. Services are minimal, porta potties abundant.

RedRock is right, Cruise America will be your best bet and they have a location in Jackson, but you better call now and make sure they aren't booked up for the season. They also don't look like they have any locations in South Dakota, so you will have to drive the RV back. If that is the case, then I would recommend forgetting Mt. Rushmore. It's a long slow drive and will take over one day each way....you would be better off spending the time between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. If you are to late to get an RV in Jackson, you might try Salt Lake City, Utah. Then on the way home you could stop at Dinosaur National Monument. If Cruise America doesn't have anything you might try El Monte RV. They have a location in Salt Lake City and my friend has had many great experiences with this company. We used Cruise America once and were very happy.

If you plan on having electrial hookups while camping, then there is only one campground in Yellowstone with hook ups and you shoudl make resevations as soon as you have the RV reserved. If you don't want hook ups then I'd recommend staying at Madison or Bridge Bay Campgrounds in the park. You might want to divid your time between the two.

Let me know if you have any RV questions.

Utahtea

El Monte RV website: http://www.elmonterv.com/siteSpecifi...cles/rd-1.aspx

Utahtea

I've been in the RV Rental business since 1981, and spent 12 years with Cruise America, but I would recommend you first look at www.accessrv.com as your first choice. If you were starting on the opposite side of the park, then I'd say www.piercerv.com.

Both offer newer and a better selection of vehicles than any of the national companies, like Cruise America or El Monte.