Yellowstone Valley Inn & RV Park, Cody, WY

Yellowstone Valley Inn & RV Park is located along Hwy 14, 15 miles west of Cody, WY. This rv park is a good location for a jump-off to the East Yellowstone Entrance (33 miles away) and also to the town of Cody. East Yellowstone is a different topographical experience. There are a few hot springs; however the topography is rolling grass plains surrounded by 10,000’+ mountains. Accordingly the grassland provides for excellent viewing of wildlife; whereas the mountains offer challenges to hikers. Cody is somewhat of a tourist spot; however there are some excellent venues. Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede is real rodeo action. And Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a collection of museum and stores providing historical perspective of 19^th century Western development.

Yellowstone Valley Inn sits high on a bluff overlooking the North Branch Shoshone River. A decidedly well designed Buffalo Bill State Park-Lake Shore Campground affords beautiful views of Buffalo Bill Reservoir and can accommodate rv’s of all sizes. And all along Hwy 14, which parallels the northern shore of the reservoir, are dirt access roads down to the shoreline. On a particularly warm afternoon we drove down such an access road and enjoyed a beach day on a pebble-covered shoreline with a picnic lunch. The water is cold and we only ventured up to our ankles.

The rv park itself is part of an extensive resort with swimming pool (the pool was under repair our entire stay), hot tub housed in a standalone building, restaurant, a nice exercise room, cabins surrounding a lush green landscaped lawn with a community fir pit and chairs. There is also lodging in the main building. The rv park itself is one vast gravel yard and as previously mentioned backs up to the North Fork Shoshone River with green space and chairs to take in the vista on the bluff overlooking the River. We are not enthusiasts of those rv parks with dirt/gravel not offset by green space sites. That being said the area is organized nicely with a modicum of space between campers.  The bath house is contemporary and clean. Good FHU with stable 50 amp service, and gravel area is level accommodating our 45 foot length. Our OTA (over-the-air tv antenna) did not pick up any channels. The advertised WiFi  was non-existent and disappointing as we stream movies, etc. We even could not access our email the broadband was so poor. In the 21st century there should not be such pitiable technological service.

The Takeaway: a resort 15 miles West of Cody and 33 miles East of East Yellowstone Entrance offering lodging, community fire pit in beautifully landscaped area with lush grass, a nicely provisioned exercise building, and restaurant. The rv park itself is one immense gravel yard, however the sites are level and there is space between sites which all have FHU. The advertised WiFi is not functional; the broadband was so poor we could not even run a speed test. This campground offers a country experience overlooking the North Fork Shoshone River as an alternative to parks located in the heavily tourist population of Cody. Go to www.rickpicks.com for more pictures, other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park as well as reviews of restaurants, etc.