If you're looking for glamping near Bighorn National Forest, look no further. Glamping near Bighorn National Forest, WY is a great way to go camping with the tastes of home. You're sure to find glamping for your Wyoming camping excursion.
The Bighorn National Forest offers a wide array of sites for camping. Many sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis and some may be reserved.
Campground and cabin reservations may be made through Recreation.gov at 1-877-444-6777 or online at http://www.recreation.gov. Reservations are recommended for holiday weekends.
Located in north-central Wyoming, the Bighorn Mountains are a sister range of the Rocky Mountains. Conveniently located halfway between Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park, the Bighorns are a great vacation destination in themselves.
No region in Wyoming is provided with a more diverse landscape - from grasslands to alpine meadows, clear lakes to glacially-carved valleys and rolling hills to sheer mountain cliffs.
Visit the Bighorn National Forest and enjoy the multiple reservoirs, 30 campgrounds, four group campgrounds, three scenic byways, 10 picnic areas, eight lodges, many miles of streams, 189,000 acres of Wilderness, 1,200 miles of trails, and much more.
Island Park Campground is located in pine and spruce forest on West Tensleep Creek near West Tensleep Lake and the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Located 21 miles northeast of Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and 55 east of Worland, Wyoming, on US Hwy 16 this campground is nestled in the Bighorn National Forest offering a wide variety of activities including, hiking, fishing, scenic driving and a number of historic sites. The administering organization is Gallatin Canyon Campgrounds; e-mail: gccampgrounds13@gmail.com
Meadowlark Lake is seven miles distant and allows motorized craft with a no-wake rule. West Tensleep Lake is a scenic, 125-acre lake open to non-motorized craft only, making it a perfect location for canoeing and fishing. Anglers will find rainbow, brown and brook trout in the cool waters of the lake. Off-road vehicle trails, scenic jeep roads, hiking and horseback riding trails and many fishing streams are available in the surrounding area.
West Tensleep Creek is adjacent to the campground and West Tensleep Lake is four miles away, along with other lakes and creeks. Hiking trails into the Cloud Peak Wilderness start about five miles from the campground. A forest of lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and spruce trees covers the area.
The High Park Lookout is located just east of Meadowlark Lake. This old fire lookout was built by the CCC decades ago and is no longer active. A short hike leads to the lookout, where hikers are awarded panoramic views of the Cloud Peak Wilderness and the surrounding area. Deer Haven Lodge and Meadowlark Lodge are nearby, offering dining, lodging, guided horseback riding and fishing and camping supplies.
Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This cancellation processing fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).
$19 / night
Pitch your tent or park your RV along the shady banks of Goose Creek. The High Plains unfurl to the east, while the Big Horn Mountains loom to the west. Hike and ride horseback or make the hour's drive to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. You'll find other relics of the Indian wars near Sheridan, including the Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site and the Fetterman Battlefield. Shop Sheridan's galleries for antiques and artisans' leather goods. Turn the kids loose in KOA's big playground and get your fill of fishing and swimming. This KOA is big rig friendly. Enjoy world-class ATVing and snowmobiling in the Big Horn Mountains.
Fishing is allowed year-round, ice usually clears around early June. This fishery is comprised mainly of Brook trout, which are maintained by natural reproduction.
$17 - $28 / night
$50 - $80 / night
Shell Campground is a private, boutique-sized property locate 5 miles from Bighorn National Forest. We are located on US Highway 14, the "Bighorn Scenic Byway", a main route from Mt Rushmore/Devils Towers to Yellowstone National Park. We offer 11 RV sites with full hook-ups, 2 electric-only sites, fully furnished cabins with private bathrooms and included linens, 4 glamping tents and 7 cabins.
$44 - $110 / night
Five Springs Falls Campground provides an excellent opportunity for camping, hiking, picnicking, and sightseeing. The elevation ranges from 6,520 feet at the campground to 7,240 feet at the forest boundary. This area offers breathtaking views of northern Bighorn Basin with a panoramic view of the Bighorn, Pryor, and Absaroka Mountains. Wildlife in the area include: deer, elk, moose, black bear, and mountain lion. The lower loop of the campground contains 9 campsites with tent pads, fire rings, picnic tables, and a central toilet facility. The sites in the lower loop are suitable for tent camping or picnicking only, with the exception of the host site (#1), where parking a camp trailer is possible. A water faucet adjacent to the host site is available for all visitors. A short hike on the trail from the parking area leads to a lookout of Five Springs Falls. There are 2 benches located along the trail to the falls. The upper loop of the campground contains 10 campsites with tent pads, fire rings, and a central toilet facility. Travel up the access road to the campsites, which are located along the right side of the road, and surrounding the upper parking area. Some of the campsites in the upper loops are designed as pull-through sites suitable for camp trailers. There are 2 benches located to the left of the access road adjacent to the toilet facility that provide an overlook of the surrounding mountain ranges. The upper loop of the campground also provides access to trails leading to the Bighorn National Forest.
Cabin Creek Picnic Ground is located off U.S. Highway 14, the Bighorn Scenic Byway. Four picnic tables are nestled in a wooded setting with a small creek flowing through the site. Wildflower-strewn meadows are nearby.
Guide
We dispersed camped north of MeadowLark Lake along FS Road 427 I believe! It was beautiful, and so peaceful. We did get stormed on but our tent held out really well! These dispersed sites are developed and first come first serve. We enjoyed our coffee next to the river!
No water or Toilets so plan accordingly, and check out the Bighorns USDA Website for any burn bans or camping information you may need!
There are bears out in this forest, recommend putting all food in your hard sided truck, Car, or camper! A human fed bear is a dead bear!
Ranger
Wonderful staff and friendly. Got my laundry done, showers, and lovely shady spot and they have a pool!
Guide
Our first time staying at a KOA Journey and although right off the main road, the noise was not bad at all, amenities were terrific and although we were not right by the creek, we managed to get some decent fishing in, views were great, even though we caught no fish.
LegendNice little campground for stopover. Staff is super friendly and stayed past closing (7pm) to assist late arrivals. Sites are level and pull thru, although a bit narrow. No dog park but plenty of room to walk them. Cheaper than the KOA down the street
Traveler
We just needed a quiet place to stay overnight on a road trip and this was a great option. We made the review online and the way the process is supposed to work is that you receive a text or an e-mail telling you what site to park in. Unfortunately I gave an incorrect e-mail address and had to call for support. The park host was very gracious and directed me to my site and sent me a text with the essential information.
The park is close to two great eateries - the Tongue River Brewery (Pizza) and Innominate (which means un-named) coffee shop with an incredible array of pastries, quiche, and hot and cold breakfast-type beverages.
Traveler
1 RV site and about 10 tent sites. 2 mile narrow winding road is paved but not recommended for vehicles over 24'. Garbage and 1 common water source. RV site is about as sweet as they come. Water, dump, elect, picnic tables, fire ring, right by a stream. $7 per night
TravelerNot too sure where it is intended for us to stop but all we saw were « no overnight parking » signs.
Guide
Pulled into spot and two moose were browsing on the stream bank in front of us. Campground was well spaced out and host very friendly. Great views and walking paths along stream with meadow on opposite side and mountains in background. Easy access about 2 miles in on graded dirt road. Only drawback was no cell service (Verizon). Not first come first serve, but in early September mid-week, there were several sites available.
ScoutWe picked the Lazy R for a quick overnight stay on trip to Missoula, MT. We weren't expecting much, given that we were tent campers staying in an RV park. However, we were pleasantly surprised we arrived to find a nice grassy campsite for a our tent and clean restrooms and showers. The following morning, we opted to skip making coffee and oatmeal for breakfast and instead visited the onsite bakery. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Hard to beat rolling out of your tent, walking 100 feet and getting reasonably priced gourmet coffee and fresh baked pastries for breakfast. I will definitely stay here again.
Traveler
Refreshing stay in between Big Horn National Forest stays. Laundry, grocery a bike ride away and Lisa's (eat there) restaurant. Access to 2 mile bike/walking on the levee behind.
GuideBack for 2 nights on our return trip back to Kansas.
Nice quiet park with good showers and very friendly staff.
GuideNice location for a quick overnight. Pads were level, sites easy to back into, 50 amp, water and dump all easy and functional.
Legend
Average KOA. Sites are level. Staff are friendly and helpful. Dog park a little on the small side but adequate. I did not check out the bath house so can’t comment on that. Bring bug spray, the mosquitos will tote you off in the evening.
GuideWe are here for only one night on our way to the east coast. Lots of trees and with plenty of space for sitting in the shade. Very level parking space in the #9 pull thru. Since we make a couple trips this way each year we will plan on being here again, maybe for 2 or 3 days so we can just relax and use the pool and walking trail. WiFi works great here also!
GuideIt’s what you expect from KOA, clean level sites. Restrooms and showers were clean and except for some train noises, very quiet. A nice walking path along the Big Horn River.
TravelerClean. Friendly. Noisy from interstate traffic. Close to town. Bike trails from the campground. WiFi not available at the far end. Need a repeater.
GuideA bit lower key than most KOA’s (that’s a positive for me). Few kids, and VERY clean bathrooms and showers with appropriate hooks, dry shower entries (probably because they had great shower curtains). Sites had reasonable spacing and some shade. Nice pool.
RangerDecent, small campground. Few sites are level. Fire pit needed cleaning. Toilets were clean. Camp hosts on site, but never came by. Evidently there was a family reunion of sorts so some noise. They kayaked on the stream behind the camp sites.
LegendSmall but busy park. Best sites for views are along creek where you can watch moose beaver and trout in creek and meadow. Can get noisy before quiet hours. A lot of people drive through looking for campsite and kids were rambunctious when we were there. Great camp host
GuideWe had so much fun! Great place to stop for alittle or awhile!! Very clean, lots of things to do, friendly people. Wish we could stay longer!
TravelerStayed here for a night on the way to Yellowstone. It was good for that purpose. It’s in the city, in fact there is a hotel right next door. Also close to a road, so you hear a good deal of traffic. Spots are quite close together. They do have free Wifi for streaming, which was nice. We didn’t use any of the facilities, so I can’t comment on those. Good for a stop but wouldn’t stay here for any length of time.
RangerPerfect stop for a couple nights. Easy access from highway 90. Clean grounds. Lots of cool shops in town. Beautiful view of Bighorn Mountains.
GuideVery clean campsites and facilities! Friendly family staff! Easy access to the creek! Also has a cute store!
TravelerNeeded a quick, last-minute spot in December and this KOA was perfect. Great communication (can just stop by w/o a reservation) and easy access.
TravelerWe camped way back below Freeze Out Point and woke up to a spectacular sunrise and 4 moose right in camp. This is an incredible area. Very busy due to hunting season, so hold off heading back there this time of year unless that's what you're here for. Fresh snow was gorgeous! Roads were pretty sloppy, especially once they melted in the afternoon.
LegendOur RV GPS took us right to the campground(CG) about 1.5 miles east of I 90. As we entered the CG, we remembered that we’d stayed here almost exactly the same time in 2019. We picked this park based on recent reviews not noticing we’d stayed prior. Check in was quick and we were escorted to pull through 105 with FHUs. Also to our surprise, this was the same site. Utilities are smartly placed in the middle of most sites. Water pressure is very good, got 3 OTA channels, and their 24 channel cable worked okay but a little grainy on some channels(I swapped out coax and asked my neighbor to be sure). We got 3 bars on Verizon. They have 22 WiFi connections(not really sure how many are real) but connection 10 worked above average. There are a lot of mature trees here so satellite could be iffy. Our site and 106 should not have a problem connecting to satellite. 100 series sites are fairly well spaced with nice grass areas. The campground map is fairly accurate depicting site sizes, however, sites are not assigned until you arrive. We enjoyed our three night stay much better than last time.
GuideWe stayed at the Buffalo Wyoming KOA in August 2021. This is a very nice KOA park and in fact was our favorite KOA that we have visited. This is a family run KOA that has done some pretty incredible upgrades to this resort. Upon arrival, we were placed in a private site along a babbling brook. It was fantastic sitting outside at any time of day or night and listen to the water running by just outside our door. This park offers FHU sites that are very spacious. A number of sites that even run right beside the river. There is river beach access for everyone. The best park WiFi we have ever used, a nice pool and awesome gated dog run. It was lovely walking around the park in the evening talking to our fellow campers. Wonderful family run park which we highly recommend. If you are interested in videos of this campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Bighorn National Forest is Bighorn National Forest with a 4.8-star rating from 8 reviews.
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