Ponderosa Campground -Cody, WY

jeanontheroad · Jul 30, 2014

Just set up a couple hours ago and I can't wait to leave. Sites are the size of a postage stamp. Too far outside town for the boys to walk in. Too far from the nature trails for them to walk there. No place to let the dog run. Too far from Yellowstone to casually drive in, especially since we will be camping at Fishing Bridge for 6 days. $40 a night and no refunds. I can see why they have a no refund policy. The people next to us want out, too. The boys can do the gun fight and one rodeo and a couple museums, and they will be bored. I am going to check the dry camp at Buffalo Bill Dam and eat the extra fees if we can get a spot there.

Oh, I forgot, we reserved a 50 amp site and got a 30 amp site. The utility hookups are weird because of the tiny sites. Our neighbor's water hose runs across our picnic area. It was right under our table. The water hose has to run under our RV. The sewer hookup is underneath the overhang of the back of the RV.

This place is absolutely nothing like the pics on its website.

Patrick46 · Jul 30, 2014

They got ya!!

Tiny sites, water lines through YOUR campsite, low amp hookups, and $40 on top of it all???? WOW...whadda racket!!

They're in the last town before Yellowstone, where there are very few places to camp, and they know that they've got a monopoly on RVers heading into the park, and they know that without them...you're stuck with nothing!

Whacha gonna do??? Complain?? They couldn't care less!!! they're laughing all the way to the bank!

I'll be (possibly) coming through there on Sunday on my way to SD. (I may just go up and over Yellowstone and skip the fees and the crowds. Been there, done that)

jeanontheroad · Jul 31, 2014

Patrick, if you don't mind dry camping and want to see Yellowstone, again, try one of the state parks around the dam and the lake. We loved it there. Hiking and biking trails right by the campground. Free firewood down on the shore. Plenty of places to go with your dog. Just a few miles from town if you want a store , but a feeling of being away from it all, with generous pullthru sites. Varying distances from Yellowstone, for just a few dollars a night, depending on which park you stay at. If we can get in for a night or two, we'll beat it out of Ponderosa even if we can't get our money back. Why stay a place we don't like when a few dollars more would buy a camping paradise?

jeanontheroad · Jul 31, 2014

BTW, if the neighbor on the other side wants to leave before we do, we are going to have to break down and pull at least part way out so he can get his towing dolly out from behind our RV. The way he is crammed in there, his dolly is partly on our site. I wouldn't dream of refusing to move for him. I don't want my rig to get beat up when he tries to get that thing out.

We often don't make reservations when we are alone. However, we have the grandkids with us for 3 weeks and we want to show them some of the great things out here. We made reservations because we are on a schedule and we had to be sure of having a place. We made several good decisions. Ponderosa wasn't one of them.

jeanontheroad · Jul 31, 2014

Just did a little walk thru of the park. It is schizophrenic. Part of the park is laid out with a normal size lot for in town and normal utility layout. Then, there is a section that is set up to squeeze people in like sardines and squeeze out as much money as possible. The one site they offered to change us to was so small that I don't think our unit would fit. Our sewer line would be RIGHT UNDER THE NEIGHBOR'S PICNIC TABLE!

Patrick46 · Jul 31, 2014

I was just showing my wife this post, and was telling her how you're kinda stuck, and that other then complaining, that there's not much you can do about this situation.

she said WRONG!!!

You're doing the EXACT thing you can do right now, by posting this information here on the interwebs! Smearing their name anywhere you can will help the next people from ending up at this lousy park! Find them on the web and give them the poor rating they deserve.

I'd see if there's a BBB or similiar nearby too.