We took our 4 children about 12 years ago and tent camped it!!
I think we had the absolutely best tent site in the whole park. We had a great time. We brought in and cooked all our own food, hiked all over the place and kept the cost way down.

In the 1980"s my BIL wanted to skydive off El Capitan (Yosemite) so we piled our two kids and my IL and drove out in our van. All expenses were shared I had generous IL, DH and I did all the driving. We all stayed in the same room, kids slept on the floor, yes it was tight but we made it work. Anyone that you are close enough that you could live with for a week or two? We took a cooler with ice and drinks, fruit and snacks we built memories for a lifetime and had a ball. Hope it works out for you. Determination will get you halfway there!

I agree here. Tent camping is inexpensive, normally. This is very doable.

In 2004, my husband and I took a trip out west to the Grand Canyon and pulled our pop-up camper and stayed in a different place every night, most it cost us to stay was $43.00 night. We got to see A LOT of stuff on the way. We even stayed at Circus Circus campground in Las Vegas. We were gone 11 days on it cost around $2000.00 for gas, lodging and food. Not to bad we didn't think for how long we were gone

Yeah, but the Grand Canyon is quite some distance from Yellowstone Park. Arizona? Wyoming?

We didn't have reservations when we camped and we went in June. We mostly stayed at KOA campgrounds, they were all nice. Hope you find a way to go, you will never regret it. It was one of the places my husband always wanted to go....now mind ya, I have NO desire to go back out there. We left Missouri and went the south route and came back the north route, loved the north route but I am not a dry, not grass, not trees drab person and that is just me.

I meant a reservation for inside the park. It can get pretty full during the main part of the season.

Yes that is so true.

We had a reservation for our campsite in the park.