RV Trips to National Parks: What You Need to Know

Travel and tourism have taken a drastic turn recently with the advent of Covid-19. But people who love to travel are both resilient and ingenious, so we’ve taken that turn in stride and are still managing to (safely) hit the road. Consequently, RV trips to National Parks have gotten more and more popular.

So maybe you’re ready to travel again but are still feeling a little cautious. Being able to travel while still social distancing and staying outdoors isn’t as hard as you think. One of the top destinations this past year has been the U.S. National Parks. They’re huge, they’re outdoors and they’re beautiful. It’s the trifecta of pandemic traveling. And as the nation opens up again, the interest in our National Park system is booming. However, there’s a lot to know!

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Here are some quick tips for taking RV trips to National Parks. If you’re somewhat of a newbie to National Parks travel, I suggest you also read my post on How to Make the Most of the National Parks.

**Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

When to Take your RV Trip to a National Park

You definitely want to plan your National Park RV Trip around the weather. It’s hard to RV in super cold temperatures for a variety of reasons. RVs don’t do well in freezing temps – you need all kinds of extra gear to protect your rig from the cold –  but also, many RV parks close in winter months for similar reasons. Don’t be discouraged if you can only travel in winter – there are lots of great parks in southern and western states that aren’t bad in the winter months. In fact, places like Death Valley and the Everglades are much better outside of the summer months!

Additionally, some of the national parks close sections of the park during the winter months. For example, the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier is a major attraction and one of the main reasons people visit the park, but the upper portion of the road is closed in winter due to snow. It usually doesn’t open all the way until June. So just do your research first when deciding what time of year to take your trip.

Camping in (or near) National Parks

One of the main questions when planning RV trips to National parks is where to camp. Will you camp inside or outside the park? I’m not advocating for one or the other, because I’ve done both and have been perfectly happy. One thing I like about camping inside the park is taking advantage of some of the nighttime ranger programs. We did a night sky program in Yellowstone where we were able to just walk over from our RV site and didn’t have to worry about driving back to a campground. On the other hand, most of the National Parks RV campgrounds are pretty no-frills, so if you want more amenities you might want to stay somewhere outside the park. Also, if you plan to visit other attractions in the area, staying outside the park might save you some driving time.

Many parks have RV camping, but not all of them. So here are some questions to consider:

• How far outside the park entrance are the other RV Parks? We’ve stayed outside many national parks and did just fine, but there have definitely been times when I wished we were a little closer.
• What is the cost difference? We’ve camped at nearby RV parks with full hookups for a lower price than the national park campsites that came without hookups. This isn’t the case everywhere, though, and sometimes it might be worth it to stay inside the park.
• Do you need hookups? Only five national parks have full hookups (some of the big ones do, like Yellowstone and Grand Teton). More parks have electric only, and then many parks are dry camping only.
• Are the park RV sites big enough for your rig? Many of the parks don’t take the larger size RVs. Make sure to check the park website for size restrictions.
• Do you have a reservation? If you want to camp in any of the most popular parks – Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc. you will need to make your reservations months in advance. Some parks get filled almost immediately after the reservations open up. It’s even harder to get reservations for the full hookup sites. That being said, many parks also save some sites for a first come first served process. We got a great site in Grand Teton by showing up at 7:30 am and waiting in line.

How Big Should Your RV Be?

When planning RV trips to national parks, you want to think about how big your RV is and plan accordingly. Or, if you’re renting, do some research to find out the best size rig for your trip (more on this below). Many of the parks have size restrictions for their RV campsites. The bigger your rig, the fewer sites there are, if any.

Once you’ve chosen which national park to visit, also look to see if there are any size restrictions for traveling around that park. The Going-to-the-Sun-Road in Glacier is restricted to vehicles 21 feet long and 10 feet tall or smaller. Of course, you can take a tour instead if your vehicle is too big.

Getting Around the National Parks

I already talked about size restrictions on RVs, but something else to think about is how you’re going to get around the park. Each park is set up differently – some are very walk-able, some have good shuttle services, and some really require a fair amount of driving. When we go on RV trips to national parks, we always tow a small car. We do this because it saves gas, it’s easier to maneuver and park, and we don’t have to unhook or pack up the RV every day as we go out exploring.

If towing isn’t an option for you, look into the transportation services at the park you plan to visit. Yosemite has a good shuttle service, as do many of the parks. I really prefer driving through Yellowstone because of the wildlife viewing. There’s nothing like driving through Lamar Valley at sunset as all the bison are walking across the street!

Renting an RV for a National Parks Trip

Don’t have an RV but really want to do some RV trips to National Parks? Consider renting. It’s obviously less of a commitment and, if you’re thinking of buying, renting allows you to see if this is something you really like first. It also allows you to try out different sizes and styles of RVs while you consider what you want to buy. You can check the size restrictions (if there are any) for the parks you’re visiting, and then choose your vehicle accordingly.

Or maybe you never want to be an RV owner, but just want to do this one trip. There are big companies that rent out RVs, but those are generally just basic rigs and you have to bring everything you need with you. We rent our RV out on Outdoorsy where you have a lot more options. It’s a service for people to rent out their personal RVs so you get a vehicle that has the supplies you need like an equipped kitchen, linens and things like that. Another company that does this is RV Share. Both these companies offer insurance, too. It’s like Airbnb for RVs!

A few tips for renting: Look for additional charges. All rentals will come with additional mileage charges over a certain number of miles and a cleaning fee. But some will want you to pay extra for the sheets, towels, utensils and more. It’s easy to find a rental that will have those included in the price so I find it more convenient to not tack on a lot of extra fees.

Some Last Thoughts on RV Trips to National Parks

Apparently the National Parks are pretty crowded this year – not that many of them are ever NOT crowded. But this past year there weren’t that many places for Americans to safely travel, so RVing and National Parks have become really popular. Our RV has been renting out consistently since the beginning of last June. If you’re a first-timer (or even if you’re not) just remember to pack in and pack out, leave your campsite clean and practice good trail etiquette! And most of all… enjoy!