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brholt
Seattle
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Joined: 11/17/2010
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We are thinking about going up to Eastern South Dakota to visit relatives in January, from Austin TX, and then heading back west to Seattle in February with hopefully a stop in Yellowstone (I know the Mammoth campground is open year round). For the sake of this question let’s just say we follow I-90 with a diversion to Yellowstone.
I don’t need to discuss winter driving issues, grew up in Minnesota, and I have a good idea of the capacity of my camper, Arctic Fox truck camper, to handle cold weather. Let’s suppose for the sake of this discussion we plan on fully up using the camper with internal water etc.
What I don’t have any knowledge about is are any campgrounds available on the route? Can you get fresh water at places? Dump your tanks? Does anybody have any experience or advice to offer? Or suggestions for any reference one could use?
Thanks
Brad
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8ntw8tn
Southeast Iowa & Texas Hill Country
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Once you get north of Kansas I think it'll be pretty tough finding an rv park that's open. It's quite possible that you can find a Corps of Engineers park or state park open but it's very unlikely they will have fresh water available. The COE and state park dump stations might be available, but I doubt you'll be able to flush your tank or wash out the sewer hose. As a general rule, the state, federal, and private parks up here shut down the water from the first of November to the first of April. There are KOA's near Sioux City and Sioux Falls and a private park near Tea, SD (Red Barn Campground?) but I doubt they're open during the winter. Hope this helps. Good luck with your search.
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Horsedoc
Dixie --- N. Georgia
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Chances are pretty strong you are going to seen snow, a lot of snow, on I-90.
Been there heading west to east in a F-150 . Not a lot of fun, especially with a semi blowing by. Southern boys are not too crazy about blizzards \
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ppine
Northern Nevada
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Yellowstone in Feb in a truck camper could be a survival mission. It was -36 degrees F in my driveway. The Plateau can be even colder. There is plenty of public land but finding RV facilities is going to be a challenge. You might try checking with truck stops. They have all kinds of facilities for winter conditions in Wyo.
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mowermech
Billings, MT
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Many RV parks close after October 15th (at the latest). A few (very few) are open year-round. Most USFS campgrounds and State Parks close shortly after Labor Day. Be prepared to dry camp in rest areas or parking lots. Facilities for filling fresh water tanks and dumping waste tanks may be few and far between.
Keep in mind that chains may be required on mountain passes, especially on towing vehicles, and chains may be required on the towed unit as well. If you do not have tire chains, you may have to park and wait until chain requirements are lifted. Some stores that sell tire chains will buy them back if they are not used.
Winter travel in an RV over I-90 can be done, IF you are prepared for lack of facilities and winter weather.
Good luck
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cummins2014
Utah
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mowermech wrote:Many RV parks close after October 15th (at the latest). A few (very few) are open year-round. Most USFS campgrounds and State Parks close shortly after Labor Day. Be prepared to dry camp in rest areas or parking lots. Facilities for filling fresh water tanks and dumping waste tanks may be few and far between.
Keep in mind that chains may be required on mountain passes, especially on towing vehicles, and chains may be required on the towed unit as well. If you do not have tire chains, you may have to park and wait until chain requirements are lifted. Some stores that sell tire chains will buy them back if they are not used.
Winter travel in an RV over I-90 can be done, IF you are prepared for lack of facilities and winter weather.
Good luck
I-90 ,same as I-80 thru Wyoming well traveled in the winter. Its amazing its a mess one day, and great the next. They do a pretty good job of keeping them clear, got to watch the weather . Traveled a lot on those highways. My big concern would be any freezing with that campers water system, that may be a challenge. Although I camped one night going thru Cheyenne last winter, but it was only down to 12 degrees ![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile") Ran the furnace all night, some lights on in the basement of the fifth wheel, and all was well.
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TexasShadow
Spring Branch, TX USA
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Truck stops will be your best bet. Many Flying Js have parking for rvs apart from trucks, but not all, but you can park with the trucks if necessary. their dump stations may be open.
your own water freezing will be something you'll have to watch carefully.
TexasShadow
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ppine
Northern Nevada
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If you live in Seattle it may be hard for you to conceive of the kind of weather that can show up on the Northern Plains, not to mention the Yellowstone Plateau in February.
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Lwiddis
Bishop area, California
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It can be a real challenge even if you are prepared. Water freezing is my primary concern.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, 300 watt solar-parallel & MPPT, Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state & county camps. Bicyclist! 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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There is a wonderful thread on winter camping in the full time forum. In your situation it is a "must read".
I've boondocked at -37 c (-34 f).
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, soon to have SiO2 batteries, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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