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Power Could Take A While to Restore at Yellowstone National Park's Fishing Bridge RV Park

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 29th, 2010

Things have changed a lot in the electrical needs for today's RVs. As a result, the electrical system at the Fishing Bridge RV Park needs a substantial overhaul. NPS photo of Fishing Bridge RV Park, 1973.

There's nothing quite as bad on a national park vacation as pulling into an RV park only to learn there's no electricity. The folks at Yellowstone National Park are trying to eliminate that woe by restoring the electrical at the Fishing Bridge RV Park.

But don't expect an overnight fix. The Fishing Bridge RV Park was designed and built in the comparatively low-wattage 1960s, and the electrical system put in then just isn't up to the task of powering today's RVs.

After the RV park closed for the season last fall, an assessment revealed that the electrical service had exceeded its useful life and in some locations had deteriorated to a point where the continued use of electrical hook-ups would pose an unacceptable risk to visitors, park officials said in a release. As a result, the decision was made over the winter to stop providing electrical hook-ups for trailers and RVs until upgrades could be made.

Planning, compliance and design efforts are under way on a project to restore electrical service to all the sites in the RV park. Work to install electrical service to the first 100 sites is anticipated to begin later this year. It is not known when the first sites with restored electrical service will be available for reservation and use. The goal is
to upgrade the electrical service in all 346 sites in the RV park in time for the start of the 2012 season.

Individuals making reservations for the Fishing Bridge RV Park this year are being advised to reserve a site that will allow a generator if they desire electrical service. To minimize the noise impact of generators, some sites will not allow generators and the RV park has established a policy that prohibits the use of generators between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

The Fishing Bridge RV Park is one of five campgrounds in Yellowstone operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts under a concession contract with the =National Park Service. It is the only campground in the park with hook-ups, and only hard-sided vehicles are allowed there. All sites are available by advance reservation.

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