RV Parks In Cody, Wyoming

For full hookups and big rigs, the private parks lead: the Cody / Yellowstone East KOA Holiday takes rigs up to 100 feet with a pool, Buffalo Bluff RV Park offers huge pull-throughs and new facilities on the river, and Absaroka Bay RV Park is the easy in-town choice with 98 full-hookup sites near the museums. For scenery and a lower rate, Buffalo Bill State Park sits on the reservoir west of town with hookup sites and big mountain views, and the Shoshone National Forest runs rustic campgrounds along the road to Yellowstone. Choose private for convenience, public for the setting and price.

The private parks do. The Cody KOA, Buffalo Bluff, and Absaroka Bay all offer full hookups with 50-amp electric, water, and sewer at the site, and they are built to handle big rigs with pull-throughs. Buffalo Bill State Park has electric and water at many of its sites plus a dump station, but not full sewer hookups everywhere, and the Shoshone National Forest campgrounds out the North Fork have no hookups at all, just vault toilets in bear country. So for full hookups, book one of the private parks; for a lower rate and a better view, the state park's partial hookups are an excellent trade.

It is mid-range and driven by the short season. The private big-rig parks, the KOA, Buffalo Bluff, and Absaroka Bay, generally run $50 to $90 a night for full hookups in peak summer, reflecting strong Yellowstone demand packed into a few months. Buffalo Bill State Park is the value at roughly $20 to $35 a night depending on hookups, plus a day-use fee, and the Shoshone National Forest campgrounds are cheaper still, often in the teens to low $20s with no hookups. There is no winter market here, so the best deals come in the shoulder weeks of late May, early June, and September.

Book well ahead for summer, because the season is short and intense. Buffalo Bill State Park recommends reserving three to four months ahead for July and August, and the private big-rig parks fill early too, since everyone visiting Yellowstone's east side competes for the same beds during a few peak months. The Shoshone National Forest campgrounds include some first-come sites that are easier midweek, but they have no hookups. If you are coming in the heart of summer with a big rig, treat a Cody reservation like a Yellowstone-season necessity and lock it in months in advance.

Summer is really the only full season, roughly June through early September, with warm days, cool nights, and everything open, though it is also the busiest and priciest. Early fall, just after Labor Day, is a sweet spot, with crisp, gorgeous weather, thinner crowds, and lower demand, as long as you watch for campgrounds beginning to close and cold nights setting in. Spring is cold and variable with many parks not yet open and the east entrance road typically opening in early May. Winter is not an RV season here: most campgrounds close and the park's east entrance goes to oversnow access only.

Yes, very comfortably at the private parks. The Cody / Yellowstone East KOA Holiday accommodates rigs up to 100 feet, and Buffalo Bluff and Absaroka Bay are built around big-rig pull-throughs with full hookups, so large coaches and fifth wheels are right at home. Many Buffalo Bill State Park sites are pull-through and big-rig friendly as well. The places to be cautious are the rustic Shoshone National Forest campgrounds, which vary in size and can be tight, and the spectacular but steep, narrow mountain byways like the Beartooth Highway, which big rigs should avoid. The main US-14/16/20 route to Yellowstone is fine for big rigs.

Cody sits about 52 miles east of Yellowstone's east entrance, a roughly hour-and-a-quarter drive on the scenic North Fork Highway through the Wapiti Valley, which Teddy Roosevelt reportedly called one of the most beautiful stretches in America. That makes Cody a popular and practical base for day trips into the park, especially to the Lake and Canyon areas on the east side. Many RVers leave the rig set up in Cody and explore Yellowstone in a tow vehicle, which is easier on the park's roads and parking than a big rig and avoids the scarce, expensive, and quickly booked camping inside the park itself.

Yes, mainly in the Shoshone National Forest. The forest runs a string of campgrounds out the North Fork Highway through the Wapiti Valley toward Yellowstone, and some offer first-come sites, particularly midweek and in the shoulder seasons, at low cost with no hookups. There is also dispersed camping on national-forest land in the broader area for self-contained, prepared rigs. The crucial caveat is that this is active grizzly and black bear country, so strict food storage is mandatory and not optional. For full hookups you will still want a private park, but budget and boondock-minded campers have real public options here.

More than just Yellowstone, though the park is the headliner via the scenic east-entrance drive. In town, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a world-class complex of five museums on the American West that can easily fill a day, and the Cody Nite Rodeo runs nightly through the summer. Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir offer dramatic canyon scenery and boating, Old Trail Town preserves frontier buildings, and the Shoshone National Forest delivers hiking and wildlife. If your rig and the season allow, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Highway are among the most beautiful drives in the country. Cody is a full Western destination in its own right.

Yes, and you should take it seriously. Cody lies at the edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, home to both grizzly and black bears, and bear activity is real, especially in the Shoshone National Forest out the North Fork toward Yellowstone. You must store all food, trash, toiletries, and anything scented securely, never leave food out at your site, use bear boxes where provided or your rig's locked storage, and keep a clean camp. Carry bear spray and know how to use it when hiking. The in-town private parks see less bear activity, but proper food storage is good practice everywhere in this country.

Mostly not. Cody is a seasonal summer destination, and the large majority of its campgrounds, including the private RV parks and Buffalo Bill State Park, close from roughly October through April for the cold, snowy winter. The Shoshone National Forest campgrounds are seasonal as well. On top of that, Yellowstone's east entrance road closes to regular vehicles in early November and shifts to oversnow access only, removing the main reason most RVers come. If you are planning a winter trip to the region, you will need to look at indoor lodging or a rare year-round park rather than counting on typical RV camping in Cody.

For most RVers, especially big-rig owners, basing in Cody and day-tripping into Yellowstone is the easier and often cheaper choice. Camping inside Yellowstone is limited, books up far in advance, has size and hookup restrictions at many campgrounds, and can be expensive, whereas Cody offers full-hookup big-rig parks, a state park with views, and forest options, all just over an hour from the east entrance. The trade-off is the drive each day versus waking up inside the park. If you want maximum time in Yellowstone and can fit a small rig into a park campground, in-park camping has its appeal, but Cody is the practical, comfortable base.

It is strongly recommended. Yellowstone's roads, pullouts, and parking are far easier to navigate in a tow vehicle or daily-driver car than in a big rig, and since most RVers base in Cody and day-trip into the park, a smaller vehicle makes those long days of touring much more manageable. Around Cody itself, the museums, the dam, and the rodeo are close, but the great scenic byways and the Yellowstone loop reward having a car. Leave the rig set up at your campground and explore in the tow vehicle; you will save fuel, parking headaches, and wear on the coach, and see far more comfortably.

For full hookups and big rigs, the private parks lead: the Cody / Yellowstone East KOA Holiday takes rigs up to 100 feet with a pool, Buffalo Bluff RV Park offers huge pull-throughs and new facilities on the river, and Absaroka Bay RV Park is the easy in-town choice with 98 full-hookup sites near the museums. For scenery and a lower rate, Buffalo Bill State Park sits on the reservoir west of town with hookup sites and big mountain views, and the Shoshone National Forest runs rustic campgrounds along the road to Yellowstone. Choose private for convenience, public for the setting and price.

The private parks do. The Cody KOA, Buffalo Bluff, and Absaroka Bay all offer full hookups with 50-amp electric, water, and sewer at the site, and they are built to handle big rigs with pull-throughs. Buffalo Bill State Park has electric and water at many of its sites plus a dump station, but not full sewer hookups everywhere, and the Shoshone National Forest campgrounds out the North Fork have no hookups at all, just vault toilets in bear country. So for full hookups, book one of the private parks; for a lower rate and a better view, the state park's partial hookups are an excellent trade.

It is mid-range and driven by the short season. The private big-rig parks, the KOA, Buffalo Bluff, and Absaroka Bay, generally run $50 to $90 a night for full hookups in peak summer, reflecting strong Yellowstone demand packed into a few months. Buffalo Bill State Park is the value at roughly $20 to $35 a night depending on hookups, plus a day-use fee, and the Shoshone National Forest campgrounds are cheaper still, often in the teens to low $20s with no hookups. There is no winter market here, so the best deals come in the shoulder weeks of late May, early June, and September.

Book well ahead for summer, because the season is short and intense. Buffalo Bill State Park recommends reserving three to four months ahead for July and August, and the private big-rig parks fill early too, since everyone visiting Yellowstone's east side competes for the same beds during a few peak months. The Shoshone National Forest campgrounds include some first-come sites that are easier midweek, but they have no hookups. If you are coming in the heart of summer with a big rig, treat a Cody reservation like a Yellowstone-season necessity and lock it in months in advance.

Summer is really the only full season, roughly June through early September, with warm days, cool nights, and everything open, though it is also the busiest and priciest. Early fall, just after Labor Day, is a sweet spot, with crisp, gorgeous weather, thinner crowds, and lower demand, as long as you watch for campgrounds beginning to close and cold nights setting in. Spring is cold and variable with many parks not yet open and the east entrance road typically opening in early May. Winter is not an RV season here: most campgrounds close and the park's east entrance goes to oversnow access only.

Yes, very comfortably at the private parks. The Cody / Yellowstone East KOA Holiday accommodates rigs up to 100 feet, and Buffalo Bluff and Absaroka Bay are built around big-rig pull-throughs with full hookups, so large coaches and fifth wheels are right at home. Many Buffalo Bill State Park sites are pull-through and big-rig friendly as well. The places to be cautious are the rustic Shoshone National Forest campgrounds, which vary in size and can be tight, and the spectacular but steep, narrow mountain byways like the Beartooth Highway, which big rigs should avoid. The main US-14/16/20 route to Yellowstone is fine for big rigs.

Cody sits about 52 miles east of Yellowstone's east entrance, a roughly hour-and-a-quarter drive on the scenic North Fork Highway through the Wapiti Valley, which Teddy Roosevelt reportedly called one of the most beautiful stretches in America. That makes Cody a popular and practical base for day trips into the park, especially to the Lake and Canyon areas on the east side. Many RVers leave the rig set up in Cody and explore Yellowstone in a tow vehicle, which is easier on the park's roads and parking than a big rig and avoids the scarce, expensive, and quickly booked camping inside the park itself.

Yes, mainly in the Shoshone National Forest. The forest runs a string of campgrounds out the North Fork Highway through the Wapiti Valley toward Yellowstone, and some offer first-come sites, particularly midweek and in the shoulder seasons, at low cost with no hookups. There is also dispersed camping on national-forest land in the broader area for self-contained, prepared rigs. The crucial caveat is that this is active grizzly and black bear country, so strict food storage is mandatory and not optional. For full hookups you will still want a private park, but budget and boondock-minded campers have real public options here.

More than just Yellowstone, though the park is the headliner via the scenic east-entrance drive. In town, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a world-class complex of five museums on the American West that can easily fill a day, and the Cody Nite Rodeo runs nightly through the summer. Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir offer dramatic canyon scenery and boating, Old Trail Town preserves frontier buildings, and the Shoshone National Forest delivers hiking and wildlife. If your rig and the season allow, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Highway are among the most beautiful drives in the country. Cody is a full Western destination in its own right.

Yes, and you should take it seriously. Cody lies at the edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, home to both grizzly and black bears, and bear activity is real, especially in the Shoshone National Forest out the North Fork toward Yellowstone. You must store all food, trash, toiletries, and anything scented securely, never leave food out at your site, use bear boxes where provided or your rig's locked storage, and keep a clean camp. Carry bear spray and know how to use it when hiking. The in-town private parks see less bear activity, but proper food storage is good practice everywhere in this country.

Mostly not. Cody is a seasonal summer destination, and the large majority of its campgrounds, including the private RV parks and Buffalo Bill State Park, close from roughly October through April for the cold, snowy winter. The Shoshone National Forest campgrounds are seasonal as well. On top of that, Yellowstone's east entrance road closes to regular vehicles in early November and shifts to oversnow access only, removing the main reason most RVers come. If you are planning a winter trip to the region, you will need to look at indoor lodging or a rare year-round park rather than counting on typical RV camping in Cody.

For most RVers, especially big-rig owners, basing in Cody and day-tripping into Yellowstone is the easier and often cheaper choice. Camping inside Yellowstone is limited, books up far in advance, has size and hookup restrictions at many campgrounds, and can be expensive, whereas Cody offers full-hookup big-rig parks, a state park with views, and forest options, all just over an hour from the east entrance. The trade-off is the drive each day versus waking up inside the park. If you want maximum time in Yellowstone and can fit a small rig into a park campground, in-park camping has its appeal, but Cody is the practical, comfortable base.

It is strongly recommended. Yellowstone's roads, pullouts, and parking are far easier to navigate in a tow vehicle or daily-driver car than in a big rig, and since most RVers base in Cody and day-trip into the park, a smaller vehicle makes those long days of touring much more manageable. Around Cody itself, the museums, the dam, and the rodeo are close, but the great scenic byways and the Yellowstone loop reward having a car. Leave the rig set up at your campground and explore in the tow vehicle; you will save fuel, parking headaches, and wear on the coach, and see far more comfortably.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Cody.