I'll try to keep this as short as possible. Wife and I are planning a trip through the black hills, Yellowstone, and down into Colorado August 22nd-September 7th in 2015. The problem is we don't know how far we're going to get each day and don't want to be rushed if we want to take extra time to see and do whatever we want when we want. No itinerary so to speak. To those of you that have been in these areas during that time, is it possible or better yet probable that we can just roll up to a motel and find a vacancy or will I be in trouble? Hoping that time of year since kids will be back in school and Sturgis will be over it won't be so bad.

 

Perhaps this link will help. It will provide the phone number of reasonable places to stay. Depending where you are in the middle of the day you can call to check availability in the town closest to the end of your day.
http://www.momandpopmotels.com/app/v1/index.php

 

Unless you are extremely lucky, you will not be able to find a place IN Yellowstone without reservations
and you may be forced to pay premium prices anywhere near there if you don't book in advance.

If you have a tablet or smart phone, you can check on these sites as well as the better known "biggies"

http://www.booking.com/

http://www.hotels.com/

Mom and Pop (mentioned above) is a good site as well..

FWIW

 

Check the Best Western website for locations. Join their "Ride Rewards" club and you'll earn points for future stays plus they provide bike washing facilities and first floor rooms (if avail). There's no cost to join or use.
We used them on our Vegas>Zion>Bryce Canyon>Monument Valley>Grand Canyon>Vegas trip.

http://www.bestwestern.com/rewards/b...de-rewards.asp

 

I have had success (two times) in obtaining lodging just outside Yellowstone North entrance. Gardiner MT motels, bars and restaurants. I stayed at the Yellowstone River Motel and the Super 8. Both adequate and reasonable.

 

my brother and myself left California the first week in September of 2010 it was 100+ degrees in the middle of the day when we got to Cody Wyoming headed to Yellowstone it was 26 degrees in the morning. so bring warm gear

 

Thanks for the suggestions

 

If you can do it, stay in downtown Jackson Hole for one night. Great night life.
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Around Yellowstone you might have a problem, but my experience has been that you can usually find something in most places. A couple of years ago we took a ride through Colorado in September and did not have reservations or a schedule. We were able to find rooms within 50 or so miles of where we wanted to be. We started looking about 3 in the afternoon as we knew by then about where we were going to be at quitting time.

Bill

 

Cant speak for Yellowstone but I left NC on Aug 22ed of this year and rode to California through Colorado and I didn't have reservations anywhere and had no problem