Yellowstone + Grand Teton — The 10-Day RV Trip From Jackson

The first morning at Gros Ventre, I woke to elk grazing the sage flats and the Teton range already lit pink above the campground — no drive, no trailhead, just unzip the door. That’s the case for doing Yellowstone and Grand Teton as one RV loop instead of two trips: the two greatest landscapes in the Northern Rockies sit shoulder to shoulder in northwest Wyoming, and ten days is exactly enough to live inside both without spending your vacation packing and unpacking. This is the route from Jackson, the natural launch, with the one logistics trap that sinks first-timers spelled out before it can sink you.

What does the trip look like at a glance?

Ten days, about 600 miles, two national parks, best run mid-June through August. The mileage is modest; the time isn’t, because Yellowstone drives slow — 45 mph limits, and a single bison herd can hold the road for half an hour.

• Launch: Jackson Hole, WY (JAC airport, most rentals within 15 minutes)
• Distance: ~600 miles round trip
• Recommended class: Class C 28-30 ft — fits every campground including Mammoth’s 30-foot cap
• All-in budget: $4,600-$5,300 for two people
• Best months: mid-June–August (full access); late September for the elk rut and thinner crowds

Day-by-day route

Day 1: Jackson pickup → Grand Teton

Pick up the rig near JAC, provision in town, and drive the 20 minutes to Gros Ventre Campground on the park’s southeast edge. Set up, then chase the light to Mormon Row for sunset on the Moulton barns — the most photographed frame in the Tetons for a reason. Camp: Gros Ventre (electric loop ~$30–$45).

Day 2: Grand Teton full day

Take the Jenny Lake shuttle boat across to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, then push up Cascade Canyon as far as your legs want (4 to 9 miles round trip). Close the day at Schwabacher Landing, where the range doubles in the still Snake River water. Camp: Gros Ventre.

Day 3: Grand Teton → Yellowstone (Grant Village)

A morning Snake River float or the Phelps Lake loop, then drive the Teton interior north to Yellowstone’s south entrance — 65 miles, about 90 minutes. Set up at Grant Village on Yellowstone Lake and walk West Thumb Geyser Basin at dusk, where hot springs steam right at the shoreline. Camp: Grant Village (~$35+).

Day 4: Old Faithful and the geyser basins

Time Old Faithful, then walk the Upper Geyser Basin — Castle, Grand, and Riverside are worth the loop more than the headliner. Afternoon at Black Sand and Biscuit basins, and finish at Midway for Grand Prismatic; hike the short Fairy Falls spur to the overlook for the aerial-postcard angle. Camp: Grant Village.

Day 5: Grant → Canyon

Drive the Grand Loop north with stops at Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron, then set up at Canyon and spend the afternoon at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone — Artist Point for the classic view of the Lower Falls. Camp: Canyon (~$35+).

Day 6: Canyon and Hayden Valley

The South Rim Trail to Lookout Point in the morning, the Brink of the Lower Falls switchbacks if your knees are willing, then an evening wildlife drive through Hayden Valley — bison for certain, and the patient watcher’s odds at wolves. Camp: Canyon.

Day 7: North to Lamar and Mammoth

Drive toward Tower Fall and Calcite Springs, then into the Lamar Valley — the “American Serengeti,” and the best wolf and grizzly watching in the Lower 48. End at Mammoth Hot Springs and its travertine terraces. Camp: Mammoth (~$25+; 30-foot rig limit).

Day 8: Lamar dawn patrol

Wildlife moves at dawn, so this is the early one: back into Lamar before sunrise with binoculars and a thermos. The wolf-watcher regulars with spotting scopes are your best intel — they share. Afternoon on the Lamar River Trail. Camp: Mammoth.

Day 9: Mammoth → Grand Teton (Colter Bay)

The long transit day — Mammoth back south past Norris, Madison, and West Thumb, about 175 miles. Land at Colter Bay RV Park on Jackson Lake for a well-earned full-hookup night (112 sites, 20/30/50-amp). Camp: Colter Bay RV Park (~$80).

Day 10: Last Teton morning → return

Coffee with the range, a short walk on the Lakeshore Trail, then dump tanks, refuel, and return the rig in Jackson before your JAC flight.

What does it cost all-in?

About $4,600-$5,300 for two — and Jackson’s rental market is why this trip costs more than any other in the Rockies. Our July 2026 pull of 3,398 live listings put the national median at $150/night; Jackson’s median came in at $229, and a peak-summer Class C runs $250-$280. Treat these as a research-date snapshot — rates move with the season.

Line item	Amount
Class C rental: $260/night × 10 (peak Jackson)	$2,600
Booking fees + insurance + cleaning	$650–$850
Fuel (600 mi @ 7 mpg @ $3.85/gal, loaded)	$330
NPS America the Beautiful pass	$80
Campgrounds (NPS $25–$35 × 9 + Colter Bay $80)	$305–$345
Snake River float (optional)	$80–$120
Food, propane, activities (2 people)	$700–$1,100
All-in, 10 days	$4,745–$5,425

Starting in Bozeman drops you at the quieter north gate with a bigger fleet to choose from — though our July 2026 data put Bozeman’s median ($274) above Jackson’s ($229), so don’t assume it’s the cheaper start. Our RV rental cost guide breaks down where each dollar goes.

How do you actually book the campgrounds?

This is the step that ends trips before they start: Yellowstone runs on two booking systems in 2026, and using the wrong one means no site. Here’s the current split.

• Yellowstone National Park Lodges (Xanterra): Grant Village, Canyon, Madison, Bridge Bay, and Fishing Bridge RV Park — the only in-park site with full hookups, taking combined rig-plus-tow lengths up to 95 feet.
• Recreation.gov: Mammoth plus the smaller north-side grounds — Indian Creek, Slough Creek, Tower Fall, and Lewis Lake.
• Grand Teton: everything through Recreation.gov on a six-month rolling window, except Colter Bay RV Park, which books through the Grand Teton Lodge Company. Gros Ventre runs April 27–October 9 in 2026; Colter Bay May 21–September 26.

Both systems open reservations six months ahead, and July–August dates vanish within minutes — set a calendar alarm for your arrival date minus six months. One forward note that shows why you check every year: beginning in 2027, the five Xanterra campgrounds move to Recreation.gov, so the system you used last time may not be the one you use next.

Which RV class fits both parks?

A Class C, 28-30 ft — long enough to live in, short enough for Mammoth’s 30-foot cap.

Class	Yellowstone/Teton fit
Class B under 22 ft	Fits everywhere; tight for ten days
Class C 26-30 ft	The sweet spot — every campground works
Class C 30-32 ft	Watch Mammoth’s 30-foot limit
Class A 32-35 ft	Fits Fishing Bridge and Colter Bay hookups; shut out elsewhere
Class A 35+ ft	Skip — most NPS loops won’t take it

What goes wrong out here — and how do you handle it?

Most of it is predictable, which means most of it is preventable.

• Sites sold out: keep private backups — Headwaters at Flagg Ranch just south of Yellowstone, or a Gardiner park north of the Mammoth gate.
• Bison jams: a herd can hold the road 30-plus minutes. Build slack into every drive time and never crowd wildlife.
• Cold nights: even July drops to 35–40°F at altitude. Pack real layers.
• Bear country: hard-sided food storage is mandatory at every campground — confirm your rental has a proper setup before you leave the lot.

Bottom line

The ten-day Yellowstone and Grand Teton loop from Jackson is the best two-park RV trip in the country. Budget $4,600-$5,300 for two, run a Class C 28-30 ft, book both parks six months out — through the right system — and plan around bison time, not clock time. See our Yellowstone and Grand Teton park guides, the Jackson and Bozeman launch-city guides, and if you’re driving in from farther out, the Denver-to-Yellowstone and Salt Lake City trip routes.