Best Tent Camping near Grand Teton National Park

The staff here was very friendly and helpful. We had our two dogs, and the staff helped guide us to several awesome hikes that were dog friendly that were great. Additionally, the staff were very helpful with offering tours to our schedule when we wanted them (kayaking). The park is located in Victor, ID on the other side of Teton Pass from Grand Teton National Park (the resort is about a half a mile from the center of town) Victor is a charming small town with several breweries and a locally sourced grocery market. We really enjoyed the town, especially compares to West Yellowstone, which is where we went next.

I went out to Wyoming a couple of summers ago, and honestly it was one of the most amazing trips I have ever been on. I stayed with some friends from college in Gros Ventre campground. There were a whole bunch of us spread out over 3 sites, but the staff was very accommodating and helped us find three sites that were all connected.

The sites themselves are great. Pretty secluded from the other campers, which I love. The campground has clean drinking water and is located next to a river if you need to wash off. No showers though, so it really feels like you're roughing it.

The campground is located only about 20 minutes from the town of Jackson Hole. The place made me want to never leave Wyoming. The town has some cute coffee shops, a bouldering wall downtown, and awesome stores for outdoor enthusiasts.

The camp is also located only about 20 minutes from Grand Teton National Park. If you've never been to Wyoming, you can't imagine how beautiful this place is in the summer. Wildflowers everywhere, and once you get far enough into the park it feels like you're somewhere no other people have ever been. The stars are crazy bright and the mountains are unreal. Definitely one of my favorite national parks. I would highly recommend taking a backpacking trip through the Tetons or doing some rock climbing.

One of my all time favorite campgrounds and favorite places.

We were so lucky to stumble upon Pinnacles Campground en route to Grand Teton National Park. We were actually looking for another campground nearby, but passed the sign for this campground and pulled in to check it out. 

This is a national forest campground, so amenities are few. There are pit toilets, water spigots, and dumpsters, plus you can buy firewood from the campground host. Other than that, you're on your own. Each site includes a picnic table, fire pit, and a bear box. The night we camped here, there was bear activity and the campground host was reminding everyone to be on high alert and to be careful on one of the nearby hiking trails as there was a carcass that a bear had been feeding on. 

There are 21 sites, all with pretty amazing views. Many are located right on Brooks Lake with views of the mountain range beyond. Some of the sites are more wooded, but even these have some cool views of the "pinnacles," which are cool rock features. There's a trail you can access to hike Pinnacle Butte. We did not attempt this because of all the bear activity. 

What we loved about Pinnacles Campground:

1. I think $16 per night is pretty awesome for a waterfront campsite

2. The campground hosts were very friendly

3. Brooks Lake and the stream outlet are great for fly fishing

4. This campground is less than an hour from Grand Teton National Park

5. The views were amazing - during our stay we saw a great sunset, full moon rising, and a rainbow

What we didn't love about Pinnacles Campground:

1. The mosquitoes were probably the worst we've ever experienced

2. All the bear activity was a little nerve-wracking

Bears are a serious threat here so you can’t even camp in a tent. We arrived with tents and were told we couldn’t sleep in our cars either so had to leave. YOU NEED A HARD SIDED CAMPER! We did get good looks at the place when we picnicked and hiked there before leaving. The road is dirt but should be accessible for most cars if it’s not too rainy. It was extra clean since the bears are such a big problem and it’s a little scary with all the bear warnings and visits. Real nice true wilderness feel though, great views, waterfalls, bluffs, on the way to Grand Tetons National Park.

A big, yet surprisingly quiet, campground with amazing views of the Tetons. Situated right on the Gros Ventre river, and is kept impressively clean and organized. Hook ups for campers and RVs, but also has tent sites. Moose, elk and bison frequent the area, so there's a pretty good chance of lots of wildlife sightings. In a great location, right between the Grand Teton National Park entrance (about 10 mile away) and the town of Jackson (10 miles in the other direction). The town of Kelly is just a few miles East, which also has a small general store for quick needs.

Gros Ventre is close to the southern end of Grand Teton National Park entrance. It's a large mixed use campground with lots of RV and tent sites. They get busy as do all of the campgrounds in or near the park, so get there early to get a site. Even getting there at 11am, we got stuck pitching the tent on an RV loop. Sites all had fire pits and picnic tables and were level. The campground is next to the Gros Ventre River and across the street from Antelope Flats. We were duly warned about bears and food storage (keep your cooler in the car), and bison have been known to wander into the campground in the past. No showers on site, but you can visit one of the other park campgrounds or just drive into Jackson and go to the Recreation Center. For less than $10 you get a day pass that gives you access to the showers, pool, etc.

Camping on the banks on the banks of the Warm River, which actually is quite cold, can’t get much better than this! There are several options here- tent camping in a tent only walk in area along the river banks and under some pretty good hammocking trees (best sites are #12, 13, 16, and 8 because they have some space from neighbors and are right on the river); RV sites with what looks like at least electric hook ups (best sites for river views and/or privacy are #2, 4, 6, 19); from what neighbors say is pretty good fishing; and an awesome alternative to camping at Mesa Falls if that campground is full. Walk down the road and cross the river to check out a protected area of the river where the fish are HUGE and you can stand with your toes in the river while you feed them bits of bread. The sites all have the usual picnic tables and firepits, with nice level tent pads, clean vault toilets, and firewood for sale from the campground host. The only two downsides are no showers and the campground is wedged between the road and the river, so there is quite a bit of road noise in the day which fortunately dies down once dark sets in. At that point the river covers the road noise (also helpful in the morning). The campground is close to a lot of hiking trails, but there are no trailheads in the campground (so I guess that makes three bummers). All in all, a cool place to camp.

We spent quite a bit of time in the Colter Bay Village area during our visit to Grand Teton. We split time tent camping and staying in one of the historic Colter Bay Cabins. Reservations are not accepted for the campground and are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. We arrived at the campground to get in line around 7:00 a.m. and were able to get a sight within 15 or 20 minutes of the gate opening. 

We drove into our site and pitched our tent and then headed back out for the day to explore the park. We were so busy trying to get as much in that I didn't get any photos of the tent site. However, the sites are nicely spaced with a good deal of shade. Each site has a nice and clean fire ring, picnic table and ample flat ground for pithing a tent. 

The campground has bathrooms spaced within each loop. They have an area to drain dish water (separate from the bathroom) and flush toilets. I would say that the bathrooms are dated but we didn't experience them being gross or overly dirty as another reviewer mentioned. And yes, the campground is a little expensive which is normal for Grand Teton. In my experience, it is one of the most expensive parks to travel in. 

Our cabin at Colter Bay was wonderful! It was clean and just what we needed for a few nights. The folks in the office were attentive and friendly. The folks in the cabin next to us were a bit loud but it didn't impact our stay much. It wasn't spacious but it was plenty big enough to bring things in, get ready for a backcountry trip, shower and get a good night's sleep. No, they aren't cheap but we didn't mind splurging for a few nights!