Fishing Bridge RV Park

Yellowstone National Park has 12 campgrounds, seven of which are managed by the National Park Service and are first-come, first-served only. The other five take reservations and are managed by Xanterra, the lodging concessionaire for Yellowstone. Fishing Bridge is one of the latter and is the only campground in the park that has full hookups. Fishing Bridge does not allow tents or tent trailers, only hard-sided campers.

Fishing Bridge RV Park gets a lot of criticism because of the lack of privacy between sites and the sheer density of sites, but for some campers, the availability of water, sewer and electricity in the middle of Yellowstone makes it the right choice. For all that legitimate criticism, the park does a pretty good job of making the best of the challenge of fitting 325 RVs into the woods without making it feel like a parking lot. There are seven loops and each loop is separated from the adjacent ones strips of lodgepole pines of at least 50 feet, making each loop feel isolated. The four loops closest to the entrance, A, B, C, and D, have paved roads that are in pretty good condition along with somewhat longer sites. The three long loops further away from the road, E, F, and G, have gravel roads that are pretty rough in spots along with shorter sites. All sites are back-in and alternate so there is some space between the front half of the vehicles. There is no denying that the sites are rather cramped, but this is Yellowstone, and who wants to stay cooped up in an RV anyway?

Besides full hookups, the campground offers showers and a laundry. There is a small general store within walking distance as well as a gas station and one of the park’s visitor centers. This is a marvelous location to explore the park! The Yellowstone Canyon area is a half-hour away and West Thumb and the Old Faithful area are less than an hour. The Hayden Valley is the park’s second-most popular wildlife sighting area, only 10 minutes away. Fishing Bridge fills a niche in the Yellowstone lodging ecosystem and does a pretty good job of it. Advanced reservations are a must, especially for an extended stay.