OT: National Park in Mississippi

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I love that part of the country. I told the wife the first year when we retire we're taking the RV there when they open Yellowstone up for the spring and staying the whole season. We might have to move from one campground to another, but we'll be in that general area for the summer.

RVing Yellowstone is super expensive and extremely difficult in the summer. There's a 14 day maximum stay in the park, even if you change campgrounds. Only one campground (Fishing Bridge) has hookups. To get a shot you basically have to be a ninja as they'll book out in minutes. Reservations open on the 5th of the 13th month before you want to reserve. So if you want to get a spot in Yellowstone for June 2026, you have about a nano second on May 5th 2025 to book one.

The easier, albeit not cheap, method is to stay outside the park in RV parks. We now go annually in October for a week (the best time to see the park with no crowds, amazing weather, and wildlife everywhere.) we stay at Grizzly RV Park. In June and October, you will want to have full hookups. It can get into the teens at night and snow a few inches here or there.

But if you really want to do a whole summer I'd suggest seeing all of the Northern Rockies. Make sure you're rig is 4 season capable and you can boondock for at least 5-7 days. At that point you can cut your RV Park fees into a fraction. But don't limit yourself to the immediate Yellowstone/Teton area, move around the whole region. Go up to Glacier, over to Hell's Canyon, swing through the Sawtooth's, Crater's of the Moon and back over to the Yellowstone/Teton area for early fall. Arguably the best rafting, hiking, and fly fishing can all be found in the Northern Rockies.

 

[AttalaDawg72]

Food in the UK is dramatically underrated. Some of the best meals I have ever had were there. Seafood on the west coast of Scotland in particular is out of this world.

Shut the hell up. I went to the UK last year and the food was horrendous. Their food is known worldwide as being horrible and Mr. Natchez Trace National Park is not about to come on here and tell us otherwise.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Well, in the link I posted, the US National Park service, under Parks, has 10 listed for MS. I'll go with the National Park Service over Wikipedia or SPS experts.

Mississippi (U.S. National Park Service)

Mississippi

www.nps.gov

They're parks. Not national parks. There are only 63. Read more. Type less.

It literally says on your link Seashore, National Historical Park, Parkway, National Monument, etc... None are National Parks. Zero. Nada. Zip.

Montana Parks

Montana has 10 parks administered by the NPS as well. Notice how 2 of them (Glacier and Yellowstone) actually say National Parks?


You and @L4Dawg are having a hard time grasping that everything run by the National Park Service is not a National Park so let's try an analogy. The US Navy is the branch of service that Navy Seals fall under. But everyone in the Navy is not a Navy Seal... They are all homos though.***

 

[AttalaDawg72]

They're parks. Not national parks. There are only 63. Read more. Type less

Cook him

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

No votes for south farm?

 

[bolddogge]

We actually have 10.

For your own benefit, educate yourself so you don't sound like a dubmass.
What's In a Name? Discover National Park System Designations (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[dudehead]

No votes for south farm?

Ha, or Tibbee Bridge?

 

[bolddogge]

We actually have 10.

Not the hill to die on...

 

[MSUDOG24]

RVing Yellowstone is super expensive and extremely difficult in the summer. There's a 14 day maximum stay in the park, even if you change campgrounds. Only one campground (Fishing Bridge) has hookups. To get a shot you basically have to be a ninja as they'll book out in minutes. Reservations open on the 5th of the 13th month before you want to reserve. So if you want to get a spot in Yellowstone for June 2026, you have about a nano second on May 5th 2025 to book one.

The easier, albeit not cheap, method is to stay outside the park in RV parks. We now go annually in October for a week (the best time to see the park with no crowds, amazing weather, and wildlife everywhere.) we stay at Grizzly RV Park. In June and October, you will want to have full hookups. It can get into the teens at night and snow a few inches here or there.

But if you really want to do a whole summer I'd suggest seeing all of the Northern Rockies. Make sure you're rig is 4 season capable and you can boondock for at least 5-7 days. At that point you can cut your RV Park fees into a fraction. But don't limit yourself to the immediate Yellowstone/Teton area, move around the whole region. Go up to Glacier, over to Hell's Canyon, swing through the Sawtooth's, Crater's of the Moon and back over to the Yellowstone/Teton area for early fall. Arguably the best rafting, hiking, and fly fishing can all be found in the Northern Rockies.

Just curious, when you say super expensive, not cheap, cut to a fraction what are the round numbers?
My parents had a pop up camper that I spent many nights in many many years ago as we traveled around the country.

 

[bolddogge]

RVing Yellowstone is super expensive and extremely difficult in the summer. There's a 14 day maximum stay in the park, even if you change campgrounds. Only one campground (Fishing Bridge) has hookups. To get a shot you basically have to be a ninja as they'll book out in minutes. Reservations open on the 5th of the 13th month before you want to reserve. So if you want to get a spot in Yellowstone for June 2026, you have about a nano second on May 5th 2025 to book one.

The easier, albeit not cheap, method is to stay outside the park in RV parks. We now go annually in October for a week (the best time to see the park with no crowds, amazing weather, and wildlife everywhere.) we stay at Grizzly RV Park. In June and October, you will want to have full hookups. It can get into the teens at night and snow a few inches here or there.

But if you really want to do a whole summer I'd suggest seeing all of the Northern Rockies. Make sure you're rig is 4 season capable and you can boondock for at least 5-7 days. At that point you can cut your RV Park fees into a fraction. But don't limit yourself to the immediate Yellowstone/Teton area, move around the whole region. Go up to Glacier, over to Hell's Canyon, swing through the Sawtooth's, Crater's of the Moon and back over to the Yellowstone/Teton area for early fall. Arguably the best rafting, hiking, and fly fishing can all be found in the Northern Rockies.

We've looked into it and are aware of that nanosecond to book sites inside the park. What makes it even more difficult is that we're in a class A, so it'll only fit in a few sites. That's why I plan on staying outside the actual park for a month at a time. I haven't checked the rates yet since I'm still several years from retirement, but many campgrounds I've visited have monthly rates that are much less than their cumulative daily rate. It'll make for more driving to go where I want most days, but I had rather do that than move every week or so. We've been hitting National Parks for our summer vacations now for a few years. We haven't decided on a destination for this year, but Glacier is on our short list along with Utah's big 5 and some around the Pacific NW.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

They're parks. Not national parks. There are only 63. Read more. Type less.

It literally says on your link Seashore, National Historical Park, Parkway, National Monument, etc... None are National Parks. Zero. Nada. Zip.

Montana Parks

Montana has 10 parks administered by the NPS as well. Notice how 2 of them (Glacier and Yellowstone) actually say National Parks?


You and @L4Dawg are having a hard time grasping that everything run by the National Park Service is not a National Park so let's try an analogy. The US Navy is the branch of service that Navy Seals fall under. But everyone in the Navy is not a Navy Seal... They are all homos though.***

@MagnoliaHunter and @L4Dawg =

 

[HotMop]

Well, in the link I posted, the US National Park service, under Parks, has 10 listed for MS. I'll go with the National Park Service over Wikipedia or SPS experts.

Mississippi (U.S. National Park Service)

Mississippi

www.nps.gov

Are you linking websites to prove yourself wrong? None of those are national parks, nor does the website say that they are.

 

[HotMop]

Shut the hell up. I went to the UK last year and the food was horrendous. Their food is known worldwide as being horrible and Mr. Natchez Trace National Park is not about to come on here and tell us otherwise.

Yeah, but did you try a baked potato with BEANS AND TUNA?

 

[HotMop]

No votes for south farm?

You mean South Farm National Historic Park next to PoorHouse National Parkway?

 

[L4Dawg]

Shut the hell up. I went to the UK last year and the food was horrendous. Their food is known worldwide as being horrible and Mr. Natchez Trace National Park is not about to come on here and tell us otherwise.

I've been there several times. You didn't eat in the right places. It helps if you get away from KFC and bad tourist chippies and pubs. Actually, the world perception of the food there has changed dramatically in the last several years. You don't know what you are talking about, at all.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I've been there several time. You didn't eat in the right places. It helps if you get away from KFC and bad tourist chippies and pubs. Actually, the world perception of the food there has changed dramatically in the last several years. You don't know what you are talking about, at all.

The food is trash in the UK. Maybe you found the bright spot because otherwise it’s pretty damn bland.

 

[L4Dawg]

Not the hill to die on...
View attachment 752269

Y'all ain't arguing with me, you are arguing the park service itself. At that meeting the Super of the Trace asked what the closest National Park to us here in NE Miss was. The first answer was the Smokies. She said wrong. Someone then said the Trace, she said correct. She specifically said they are all considered National Parks by the Park Service, no matter whether it's a National Parkway, National Military Park, National Park, or whatever. Y'all are dying on a hill of bureaucratic words. I find this thread absolutely hilarious. We have experts on EVERYTHING here. Google rules!

 

[L4Dawg]

They're parks. Not national parks. There are only 63. Read more. Type less.

It literally says on your link Seashore, National Historical Park, Parkway, National Monument, etc... None are National Parks. Zero. Nada. Zip.

Montana Parks

Montana has 10 parks administered by the NPS as well. Notice how 2 of them (Glacier and Yellowstone) actually say National Parks?


You and @L4Dawg are having a hard time grasping that everything run by the National Park Service is not a National Park so let's try an analogy. The US Navy is the branch of service that Navy Seals fall under. But everyone in the Navy is not a Navy Seal... They are all homos though.***

If you want to go by the words in the designations, then that's your choice. I go by what heads of a couple of units have said in my presence. Both of them had worked at "National Parks" by the way. One's previous post had been high up at Yellowstone. To them, there is no difference, and they work for the National Park Service.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Just curious, when you say super expensive, not cheap, cut to a fraction what are the round numbers?
My parents had a pop up camper that I spent many nights in many many years ago as we traveled around the country.

So we go every October to West Yellowstone and stay in Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park for 5-6 Nights. Usually $120-$150 a night for a full 50 amp hookup. But in that time of year you need it. I drain my tanks and use the restroom facilities there at the RV park. I feel good about nothing doing damage down to about 10° F, but even as early as the 2nd week of October in West Yellowstone, a cold front can drop in and take night time lows to -10°. So you need access to indoor plumbing.

On the drive out we usually spend a couple of nights dry camping and Fishing Silver Creek and the Wood River Valley as well as Henry's Fork. We will dry camp there for a night or 2 and clean up with wash cloths. So in the fall when it's cold we do about 7-8 days and 5 if which are at RV parks. But that's because it can get really expensive dry camping in October in the Northern Rockies in an un-winterized RV if a cold front moves through.


Now in the summer it's the opposite. We did Glacier a few summers ago in July and spent almost a month up in The Flathead Valley total. We dry camped more than we stayed in parks on that trip. So we'd boondock for 4-5 nights until the fresh water tank was getting low and the black was getting full then we'd spend a few nights at an RV park and rinse and repeat. Those nights were $100-175 a pop for full hookups and that was in 22', so it's probably worse now. But we basically spent 25 days up there and only 7-8 in RV parks.

I run about 800W of solar with 200ah of lithium batteries for storage and never have to use a generator. The fans and cracked windows keep it cool enough during the day to avoid using AC and night is unbelievable pleasant.


So round numbers if you dry camped in RV 5 days a week and resupplied for 2 at a nice RV Park near Yellowstone, Glacier, or Teton, I'd plan for $250-$300 a week. A decent cabin or hotel might cost you $400-500 a night.

And there isn't much I'd rather do then take the RV off grid for a few nights in total seclusion and go smoke some trout on river at day and grill a steak up at night...



But a nice spot in an a well maintained RV Park is a welcome luxury sometimes too...

 

[L4Dawg]

For your own benefit, educate yourself so you don't sound like a dubmass.
What's In a Name? Discover National Park System Designations (U.S. National Park Service)

Yes, that explains what the designations mean. That was addressed in the meeting I keep referring to, the content in that web page was gone over. It was said in real terms it makes little to no difference. It's just semantics in the title that help explain WHY the place has been designated a national park. Y'all would make great Vogons.

 

[HotMop]

If you want to go by the in the words in the designations, then that's your choice. I go by what heads of a couple of units have said in my presence. Both of them had worked at "National Parks" by the way. One's previous post had been high up at Yellowstone. To them, there is no difference, and they work for the National Park Service.

Your and dubmass.

 

[L4Dawg]

The food is trash in the UK. Maybe you found the bright spot because otherwise it’s pretty damn bland.

You could say the same thing about every place under the sun. Most food in Mississippi sucks too. I've had way more GREAT meals in the UK than bad ones. Again, you have to get away from the tourist stuff and the chains. I will agree, when you do get bad food there it's pretty bad. A tourist pub in London, the Bag of Nails, comes to mind there. That was my first ever meal in the UK, it was terrible.

 

[Villagedawg]

That’ll work!

They should’ve told them to shut up and get the burger. It would’ve been life changing for her considering how much of an abomination food in the UK is.

I've found the bad rap the UK gets on food is kind of like Mississippi's bad rap. Kind of deserved in many instances, but overall overblown. I mean steak and ale pie, bangers and mash with onion gravy, scotch egg, fish and chips, and the rib roast with gravy and yorkshire pudding are all pretty amazing.

 

[Villagedawg]

My Dad used to force us to go to Johnnies when I was a kid. Back then I hated it. I haven't been back since then. I need to try it again sometime. Your tastes can change over the years.

No doubt! When I was younger and worked for the city on a truck I would eat those burgers for breakfast when we started out on the East side of town. I took some friends last week, and they were not very impressed. I kind of agreed with them. Not like it used to be. It's changed hands a few times over the years too. I'm sure that makes a difference. Its more nostalgia for me now.

 

[L4Dawg]

I've found the bad rap the UK gets on food is kind of like Mississippi's bad rap. Kind of deserved in many instances, but overall overblown. I mean steak and ale pie, bangers and mash with onion gravy, scotch egg, fish and chips, and the rib roast with gravy and yorkshire pudding are all pretty amazing.

Yep, that stuff is really good comfort food at the right place, it's terrible at a bad place. You can find a LOT more than just traditional stuff there now too.

 

[bolddogge]

Y'all ain't arguing with me, you are arguing the park service itself. At that meetinghe Super of the Trace asked what the closest National Park to us here in NE Miss was. The first answer was the Smokies. She said wrong. Someone then said the Trace, she said correct. She specifically said they are all considered National Parks by the Park Service, no matter whether it's a National Parkway, National Military Park, National Park, or whatever. Y'all are dying on a hill of bureaucratic words. I find this thread absolutely hilarious. We have experts on EVERYTHING here. Google rules!

Read it for yourself here on the National Park Service's website: What's In a Name? Discover National Park System Designations (U.S. National Park Service). (Note this isn't google.) The trace is a part of the national parks SYSTEM, but it is not a national park. So, if you want to ignore the official designations given on the NPS's website in favor of one lady's incorrect understanding of what a national park is, knock yourself out and continue to look like a dubmass for the rest of your life whenever you say the trace is a NP or MS has 10 NP's.

 

[L4Dawg]

Read it for yourself here on the National Park Service's website: What's In a Name? Discover National Park System Designations (U.S. National Park Service). (Note this isn't google.) The trace is a part of the national parks SYSTEM, but it is not a national park. So, if you want to ignore the official designations given on the NPS's website in favor of one lady's incorrect understanding of what a national park is, knock yourself out and continue to look like a dubmass for the rest of your life whenever you say the trace is a NP or MS has 10 NP's.

I answered that link above. I've heard the same thing from a different super at a different park. You are a great Vogon.

 

[dorndawg]

I answered that link above. I've heard the same thing from a different super at a different park. You are a great Vogon.

Like look-in at L4dawg's house:

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

If you want to go by the words in the designations, then that's your choice. I go by what heads of a couple of units have said in my presence. Both of them had worked at "National Parks" by the way. One's previous post had been high up at Yellowstone. To them, there is no difference, and they work for the National Park Service.

Yes we do. That is exactly what we are all saying. The designations matter. It's why we use them. If Yellowstone National Park was a National Recreation Area or National Preserve me and @Pilgrimdawg would be in there 17ing up some elk every fall. But instead they wander around like livestock.

In fact the rangers usually explain the designation to my kids on why it's a national reserve, national monument, national preserve, or national park during jr ranger programs. I never hear the Rangers use the term national park for what it's worth. Always just park. I lived in Yellowstone for a summer 25 years ago working at Canyon Village, everyone just called it the park. When I go to get my fishing license it's a park license etc.


The easy rule is to just go by what's in the sign.

 

[L4Dawg]

Yes we do. That is exactly what we are all saying. The designations matter. It's why we use them. If Yellowstone National Park was a National Recreation Area or National Preserve me and @Pilgrimdawg would be in there 17ing up some elk every fall. But instead they wander around like livestock.

In fact the rangers usually explain the designation to my kids on why it's a national reserve, national monument, national preserve, or national park during jr ranger programs. I never hear the Rangers use the term national park for what it's worth. Always just park. I lived in Yellowstone for a summer 25 years ago working at Canyon Village, everyone just called it the park. When I go to get my fishing license it's a park license etc.


The easy rule is to just go by what's in the sign.

It's still just words. Even the designated National parks don't all have the same rules.

 

[HotMop]

It's still just words. Even the designated National parks don't all have the same rules.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

Yes we do. That is exactly what we are all saying. The designations matter. It's why we use them. If Yellowstone National Park was a National Recreation Area or National Preserve me and @Pilgrimdawg would be in there 17ing up some elk every fall. But instead they wander around like livestock.

In fact the rangers usually explain the designation to my kids on why it's a national reserve, national monument, national preserve, or national park during jr ranger programs. I never hear the Rangers use the term national park for what it's worth. Always just park. I lived in Yellowstone for a summer 25 years ago working at Canyon Village, everyone just called it the park. When I go to get my fishing license it's a park license etc.


The easy rule is to just go by what's in the sign.

Everyone out there still just refers to it as “the park”. And by the way, those elk know exactly where the park boundaries are located. When the snow starts to fly they bunch up just barely inside the park boundaries and try to migrate to their winter feeding preserves going through the hunting areas in the dark. They may appear to be easy game all summer while tourist snap photos but they know exactly what they are doing. Just as soon as they cross the park boundary they turn into an extremely smart creature behaving very similar to our local mature white tail bucks.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

We've looked into it and are aware of that nanosecond to book sites inside the park. What makes it even more difficult is that we're in a class A, so it'll only fit in a few sites. That's why I plan on staying outside the actual park for a month at a time. I haven't checked the rates yet since I'm still several years from retirement, but many campgrounds I've visited have monthly rates that are much less than their cumulative daily rate. It'll make for more driving to go where I want most days, but I had rather do that than move every week or so. We've been hitting National Parks for our summer vacations now for a few years. We haven't decided on a destination for this year, but Glacier is on our short list along with Utah's big 5 and some around the Pacific NW.

Good info.

If you're taking a Class A to Glacier you should look for sites at West Glacier KOA or the West Glacier RV Park. Both are really nice and big rig friendly. Many of the others are really tight and crowded. Avoid the east side of the park in your class A as the roads have been destroyed for years.

This is West Glacier RV Park. It's run byy the park vendor (Pursuit) and is in walking distance of the park village. It's my wife's favorite RV park we have ever stayed at.

 

[dudehead]

So we go every October to West Yellowstone and stay in Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park for 5-6 Nights. Usually $120-$150 a night for a full 50 amp hookup. But in that time of year you need it. I drain my tanks and use the restroom facilities there at the RV park. I feel good about nothing doing damage down to about 10° F, but even as early as the 2nd week of October in West Yellowstone, a cold front can drop in and take night time lows to -10°. So you need access to indoor plumbing.

On the drive out we usually spend a couple of nights dry camping and Fishing Silver Creek and the Wood River Valley as well as Henry's Fork. We will dry camp there for a night or 2 and clean up with wash cloths. So in the fall when it's cold we do about 7-8 days and 5 if which are at RV parks. But that's because it can get really expensive dry camping in October in the Northern Rockies in an un-winterized RV if a cold front moves through.


Now in the summer it's the opposite. We did Glacier a few summers ago in July and spent almost a month up in The Flathead Valley total. We dry camped more than we stayed in parks on that trip. So we'd boondock for 4-5 nights until the fresh water tank was getting low and the black was getting full then we'd spend a few nights at an RV park and rinse and repeat. Those nights were $100-175 a pop for full hookups and that was in 22', so it's probably worse now. But we basically spent 25 days up there and only 7-8 in RV parks.

I run about 800W of solar with 200ah of lithium batteries for storage and never have to use a generator. The fans and cracked windows keep it cool enough during the day to avoid using AC and night is unbelievable pleasant.


So round numbers if you dry camped in RV 5 days a week and resupplied for 2 at a nice RV Park near Yellowstone, Glacier, or Teton, I'd plan for $250-$300 a week. A decent cabin or hotel might cost you $400-500 a night.

And there isn't much I'd rather do then take the RV off grid for a few nights in total seclusion and go smoke some trout on river at day and grill a steak up at night...

View attachment 752304

But a nice spot in an a well maintained RV Park is a welcome luxury sometimes too...

View attachment 752316

I didn't think a Rubicon had the power to pull an Airstream.

 

[ckDOG]

The food is trash in the UK. Maybe you found the bright spot because otherwise it’s pretty damn bland.

The best food in the UK is cooked by immigrants. Best Indian meal I've had was in Ramsgate of all places. Best Turkish was in Canterbury.

Traditional English breakfast is fine though. I love blood sausage, but the beans and tomatoes can get 17ed until dinner time.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I didn't think a Rubicon had the power to pull an Airstream.

If you see the blue outline on the lettering that means it's a 4XE (Plug-in Electric Hybrid.) 470+ lbs of torque.*** Of course it only has 13 miles of range towing so we had to have a very detailed travel plan.


Nah, we took 2 vehicles on that trip since we were there for basically a month. I towed the AS with my F250. One of the kids had a camp in Bozeman, my wife had to fly back to NY for a conference mid trip, and on the way home we needed to pick up nephews and her sister in Spokane so 2 vehicles made it easy.

Its only about 350 miles to Glacier from my place. And it was really fun to have the Jeep up there for trails and day trips.

 

[ronpolk]

Food in the UK is dramatically underrated. Some of the best meals I have ever had were there. Seafood on the west coast of Scotland in particular is out of this world.

I’ve never even heard people from the UK say their food is good.

 

[ronpolk]

I didn't realize the Arch was a Park. So yeah that's kinda dumb.

If we had made Vicksburg our capital, and it had grown, I could see maybe the area south of there, to Port Gibson, down to Natchez, and all that area around Clear Creek could have been a good park and trail system. Area west of Meadville too, basically the Homochitto National Forest as is.

Natchez could have been our Gatlinburg. (ETA *************************************) @dorndawg

I go turkey hunting sometimes in homochitto. Really pretty woods.

 

[L4Dawg]

I’ve never even heard people from the UK say their food is good.

I have.

 

[dudehead]

If you see the blue outline on the lettering that means it's a 4XE (Plug-in Electric Hybrid.) 470+ lbs of torque.*** Of course it only has 13 miles of range towing so we had to have a very detailed travel plan.


Nah, we took 2 vehicles on that trip since we were there for basically a month. I towed the AS with my F250. One of the kids had a camp in Bozeman, my wife had to fly back to NY for a conference mid trip, and on the way home we needed to pick up nephews and her sister in Spokane so 2 vehicles made it easy.

Its only about 350 miles to Glacier from my place. And it was really fun to have the Jeep up there for trails and day trips.

That sounds like a great setup to me. One day I hope to be a proud owner of an airstream.