I spent the night here on a cross country road trip with just me and the dog. It was free which was awesome. It was deserted which was both great and unnerving for a single newbie camper. We woke up to snow and had a great dawn hike on the hike/bike trails. The campsites are well-loved/worn and some were under water/mud. Because it was both off-season/midweek, it didn't matter at all, as I could pick almost any site.
So, we just returned from our first trip to GTNP and Yellowstone, and tented 3 nights at Colter Bay (also 1 night at Jenny Lake, and 1 night at Gros Ventre). First, GTNP and YNP in autumn is amazing, and Colter Bay has many great services conveniently available in the campground, such as a well stocked camp store, decent showers, one restaurant, and laundry. Colter Bay camp ground is also close enough to YNP to be within striking distance for day trips up to all the southern attractions (although Headwaters at Flagg Ranch would be more centrally located between the parks).
Now the bad news: the bathrooms in the campground look like they have never been cleaned or maintained. The maintenance crew should be fired. No hot water, broken cold water faucets. brown smelly urinal, filthy floors and stalls. WTF? I guess the teenagers they hire for summer workers don't like cleaning bathrooms. At this point, its probably a good idea to gut the entire bathroom and start over from bare walls. I would rather primitive camp in the nearby forest - oh, wait, thats illegal. I'd have to drive 30 miles to get outside the national park before primitive camping is allowed…
One more gripe: although there are many services provided by the national park service or their concessionaires (Vail Resorts) available to campers in the campground, is it really necessary to gouge campers on everything they sell? $32/night to tent, $40 for breakfast for 2, $7.50 for a box of 4 logs, $4 for a shower, I realize the park service claims they are woefully under-funded, but camping is supposed to be a good value for the vacations of middle class Americans, right? After all, they market it as "your national parks" and I pay my taxes, and then they charge me again? If its my national park, then I charge too much for everything.
OK. I feel better now. Other than these items, GTNP is a beautiful place.
Heaven!!!! That's all there is to Say….. There is great camping all over…. For dispersed Camping Free and Probably best views …. Shadow Mountain is the Ticket…. Grovant Campground is another wonderful Place….
We called 3 nights and enjoyed the experience. Mother nature at its best. The rates were reasonable. Enjoyed cooking out.
How do you describe heaven, with bad roads. I would never go anyplace other than shadow mountain.
First come, first served. Thankfully they seemed to have plenty of spaces the week we were in Grand Teton NP. We came down from Yellowstone with our trailer. I was hoping to stay here as I love Jackson and this spot is fairly close to town, about 30 minutes. It was raining so we went out to dinner a few times and spent the rest of our time driving and hiking. Didn't hang out in our campsite during the day or evening too much.
These sites seemed really small. We got our 16 foot trailer in just fine but getting our SUV off the road would have been impossible if it were any longer. We watched the neighbors struggle to back their trailer in for quite a while, with all the nastiness that goes along with that. Road through the loop was blocked off and everything.
The bathrooms were clean and right across the road. Beyond the bathroom was lots of woods and stream bed full of animal trails. If you are looking for wildlife, just camp here. Moose a plenty. Also found a beautiful buck hiding back in the trees as we took a walk behind the campground.
No hook ups but there is an RV dump and you can refill your water tanks if needed. The scenery is gorgeous here. I will camp here every time I come back.
This was a nice spot for a 3 day weekend, we got there early Friday so there were still a lot of spots. It was rainy and foggy so we didn’t drive all the way up the road as others suggested since you couldn’t see the view anyway. There are some nice fire rings built and the there are porta-potties by the first couple spots. Our spot was right next to a bear box where you can stow your food. We saw a few deer, but not much else. However I did hear a lot of howling the first night. Saturday night it got pretty packed, mostly just van campers looking for a spot to park so it was still quiet. Would love to camp here again when it’s not so foggy and rainy! The road wasn’t so bad for the lower spots, but if you plan to go further out you’ll definitely need 4x4. The trees were BEAUTIFUL!
We saw this campground on Dyrt on our trip through Wyoming to Teton National Park and decided to stay for a night or two. Glad we did! Actually ended up spending 5 nights. Lots of hiking trails, beautiful views, very clean and well dispersed sites. There are electrical hookups in loop A and loop B is primitive. Easy access for RV/Trailer camping and plenty of tent sites as well. First come first serve, but I don’t it gets much use as it is so close to most people’s destination of Yellowstone that they just drive on by. Too bad for them! We had the whole place to ourselves for several nights. Nice waterfall to view also. We will be back!
Most sites are on the banks of the Fall River with great views. Very clean. Good access nearby to Yellowstone National Park at the Bechler Ranger Station and Cave Falls. Cave Falls is beautiful and we spent time watching a nesting Osprey. Nice network of trails. Very popular spot for fly fishermen because there is also good access to rivers in YNP.
The beach and the sunset views over the water and mountains are amazing. It's smallish but you never feel like it's over crowded.
Check-in was super helpful to a rookie camper. They suggested how we should pull into the site in order to face the correct direction and they informed us all about the fresh water refill station as well as the black water dumping station. Site was simple to pull in and out of and the trees provided a good amount of privacy.
With Colter bay marina nearby, there was plenty to go see and do. We will definitely stay here again in the future.
Loved this place. We have a Jeep x and Towed a tab 320 boondock up here. Lots of cars and vans are able to make it up. Very busy get there early. Local spot, they seem to reserve the sites ahead of time for their groups so when they “feel like it” they can show up. There are more sites 1-5 or so up the hill further. Road is pretty rough. Most gorgeous sunsets we have ever seen. We will definitely be back, even considering we’re making a long trip from MN. Clean vault toilets. Host was selling firewood. Close to town to grab dinner etc but still feels remote. Did have some elk poo in our site but didn’t see any animals. A few pull through sites.
After spending a few nights in generic RV parks Atherton Creek is a breath of fresh air. I think there is only one or two full hookup sites available so the rest of the sites are just campsites.
The views of the lake are wonderful, the host is helpful and the campground is quite small. Despite its limited number of sites we had no problem finding a prime site. This is due to the somewhat, out of the way, location. The road is bumpy but paved.
Highly recommended.
Big Elk Campground in Irwin, Idaho is a great location for anyone looking for seclusion, while still being close enough to a town if you forgot any supplies. The camp host was very friendly, and the camp sites were clean and well maintained.
Camping on Shadow mountain can be a game of chance. But it can be rewarding. As you drive off hwy 89 and head east toward Kelly you will beer north. This is not a campground, there are just places to pull off and camp as you drive up Shadow. I head there is a campground and RV park but we didn’t go there.
We found a spot to camp nothing is provided, just a spot of dirt and views of the Tetons.
The only problem in the summer is that there’s a late night party crowd that can swoop in and can be noisy.
First come first served.
1 maybe 2 primitive sites. No power, toilets, cell service or potable water, but this place is magical. I have been going up to this area for decades and it still elicits a response that is down to my core. Beautiful in any direction, peaceful and eerie. It is getting more used as the valley below expands, the Cutthroats don't bite as they once did, and I believe the mosquitoes are thicker… If the sites by the reservoir are taken there are some down the canyon a little ways, keep an eye out for the spring that comes out of a small pipe next to the road…best water EVER! Don't try the road without a slightly clearanced vehicle, there is a few gnarly parts. Even in early summer check to make sure the road is open, avalanches do happen often up there and can cause it to be closed into summer. I'm not going to give a step by step directions list, if you want it its worth the extra effort. Bring warm clothes just in case. Please pack out what you pack in and leave it better than you found it. Enjoy.
Clean place to stay on the Snake River. Excellent location if planning to do both parks! We hiked down to the river in the evenings and watched the sunset. Gas was cheaper at the gas station there since it is technically not in the national parks. 🤫
Absolutely beautiful place to camp and that's about it for me here. If you want a spot show up at 6 AM and take a nap until 8 AM when it opens to let you go get a site. If you don't do this you will not get a spot. Their is only one bathroom in the entire campground its O.K. no showers at all. I'm the camper that likes to set things up and enjoy the actual camp site. I like to set up a good eating cook out area and enjoy a lot of food and hanging out. I'm not the bare minimum next to nothing eating out of an MRE camper. That being said the amount of cleaning and putting every thing away for the bears is way to much work and made the camping not fun at all. I don't blame the bears or anything else it was a lot more than I anticipated.
I would recommend using a camper not tent camping if you camp like me. If you're the bare minimum camper its perfect for you. I recommend this campsite though just absolutely beautiful place to be.
Found a spot with the perfect view of The Grand. Road was a bit bumpy with a few big divots but made it up in my Promaster. Plenty of campsites. They were remote enough that you couldn’t necessarily hear the neighbors but could see their fire smoke. It was absolutely beautiful. Stayed 3 nights. And will definitely go back again.
Colter bay….where to relax after Yellowstone and much more accessible. Colter bay has 200-300 camp sites nestled in under the trees. It’s crowed but workable. First come first serve. Get there in the AM and getting a spot is easy. Do not wait till 4pm. You pull your trailer, motor home, parallel to the camp site.
Know National Park rules, this is not forest service land and the rangers will enforce their rules and regulations accordingly. As with any National Park the best of the Park lays outside the your campsite. The views of wildlife and landscape are everywhere.
Stopped here while passing through town. Nicely tucked along the snake river. Stayed in a cabin and was small but nice. Bathrooms/showers were clean. Good WiFi in the lobby/rec room.
What an exceptional campground! With loops dedicated for tents and campers with no generators and then ones for RVs and the like with generators, the natural surroundings are relatively preserved. With typically two tents allowed per site and some with one car parking spots and some with two, you have ample options but be sure to get there early on holiday weekends! No reservations allowed so coming early is key; $30 a night for a tent/non generator camp site with firewood available for purchase. With great bathroom access, even without showers, this campground is great. You can access the river and while we were staying there, on a busy three day holiday weekend, we saw a total of 6 moose, 1 deer, plus an elk nearby. Definitely one of my fave campgrounds!
In GT National Park, about 20 miles from S entrance to Yellowstone, very busy sites are not much, parking for rv and vehicles are along road tents can be put up further from road, bear boxes provided, picnic tables n fire pits, showers r in laundry room up by main stores not very close to camp sites, rode bike up to stores, beach and restaurants, there is a small grocery store on site with gift shop, this park is ran by Vail Resorts for the National Park Service, so you are in a National Park, follow fire restrictions closely.
Stayed here for 6 days had amazing time. We were a minute walk away from the lake and a perfect view of the mountains. They had a great general store with decent prices for being the only store around. And a really nice buffet restaurant with some really amazing servers. The area is in bear country and we did see a bear. And there were obvious signs that the bares were in the ariea alot. When we saw the dear was near us there was also 3 rangers following it keeping the campers safe.
Easy pull through sites, 415. Level Sewer connection had an odd configuration. We had to dig a bit of dirt out in order to make a connection. Nice, clean bathrooms. Showers had no seats and only one hook for clothes, towels and toiletry bag. Very limited Wi-fi that had to be accessed at the lodge reception area. No cell phone service. A courtesy phone is available at the lodge reception desk. Clean laundry facility. 2.25 to wash, 1.75 to dry 40 minutes. Convenience store. Gift shop with WY fishing license. Did not use other amenities. We took a nice ride out Grassy Lake Road from the ranch. The area near the ranch was burned in the 2016 wildfires so you will see lots of burned trees. On the plus side, the wildfires provide nutrients for the wildflowers to thrive. This campground is also fairly convenient to many of the sites to see in the Grand Tetons.
Found an amazing campsite. A trail led from our campsite down to Jackson Lake. The view was unbelievable. The Park rangers were so friendly and helpful. Bathrooms have flushing toilets and running water. You can walk from the campsite to the Colter Bay store and gift shop. All the campers were so friendly. Definitely going back to Colter Bay.
Campground Review: Wow! What an adventure! In January I applied for an advanced permit for August 18-19 backcountry camping at the Moraines for a Grand Teton Summit trip. For back county camping in GTNP you must have a permit. 1/3 are available for advanced purchase for $45/night and the remainder are first come first serve at the Ranger Station for $35/night. If you plan on camping over a weekend I recommend advanced purchase, but then you are at the mercy of the weather. We had to pick up our back country camping permit from the Jenny Lake Ranger Station prior to departure. They go over the backcountry rules in detail and provide you with a bear-proof canister if you don’t have one.
Rated 3 stars because it is difficult to get to and can be challenging to actually find a tent spot once you get to the Moraines camping zone. 5 stars based on the views! They are incredible!! The Moraines Camping Zone is above tree line at 10,800 ft elevation. It’s amongst a boulder field. And it can be very windy. I would consider this the ideal camping zone of the 5 zones along Garnet Canyon if you are planning a Grand Teton summit. Campsites can be identified by a smooth tent site amongst the boulder field. Fires are not allowed and there are no amenities. There is running water nearby they will require filtration.
Product Review: Gregory Jade 63 liter pack https://www.gregorypacks.com/packs-bags/backpacking-packs/jade-63-1115JAD63.html?dwvar_1115JAD63_color=Ethereal%20Grey&cgidmaster=jade#start=1
This pack was perfect for this trip! I was trying to cut weight as the trek up Garnet Canyon is rugged. This pack is one of the lightest options with this capacity on the market! It is 3.51 pounds. It is very comfortable, by far the most comfortable fitting pack I have used. And comfort is super important in the backcountry. The back mesh panel helped ventilate my back. I loaded this pack to its maximum 40 pound capacity. I had all the backcountry gear as well as climbing gear and a 60 m rope. I still felt stable as I crossed varied terrain. The large boulder fields had me nervous in a few spots and I considered removing my pack to cross, but made it unscathed. The materials used in the pack are very durable. Not a single tear or visible abrasions, quite dirty post trip, but no permanent scars! The hip belt pockets were great! They were easy to access while wearing and there is plenty of room for phone, snacks, chapstick, and any other small items you need handy. The stretch mesh water bottle pockets are huge and are an awesome feature the way the have dual openings. It was easy to access my Nalgene bottle when I used the forward facing opening. However as I was crossing a boulder field and needed to bend way forward it did fall out. I placed it in the upright opening when crossing terrain that required less then upright posture.
The drawstring opening is huge and there is also a u-shaped zippered access to the main compartment on the front of the pack. I made sure items like my water filter and first aid kit were right there for easy access if/when needed. The stretch mesh panel on the back of the pack was an easy stow for my rain gear if needed in a hurry. The top compartment houses the rain cover for the pack and also has a lot of room for storing small items. There are straps galore for holding trekking poles, securing climbing rope, even a sunglass QuickStow that I used often as my glasses were on and off all day long. It was nice knowing they were secure and not going to fall off the top of my head. Post trip, yes I was sore and exhausted, but no rubbing or discomfort caused by the Jade pack! Very impressed with this product and can’t wait for my next backpacking adventure!
Clean quiet campground just outside Grand Teton Park. Only issue: the mosquitos were a little aggressive at this site, as opposed to other sites that we camped at in the park. Nice one to keep in the back pocket if you're looking to avoid the crowds.
We arrived after a long day of traveling and it was wet and cold outside, so we were very happy to have a cabin waiting for us. We reserved it in May for a July trip. The staff were disorganized during check-in and gave us the keys to someone else’s cabin. They more than made it up to us though by preparing a new cabin while we ate dinner at the lodge, and then there was welcome basket with treats and games waiting for us in our cabin. Beautiful views in this area and just minutes from the park’s south entrance! It’s nice having the lodge right there, so even if you’re tent or RV camping, you can get a warm hearty meal ready when you want.
I camped here during a Snake River float trip. Easy to get to launch quickly and close proximity to Alpine WY where you can pick up supplies. There are no amenities at the campground. It is just across the Idaho/Wyoming boarder and on the banks of the Palisades Reservoir. There are trees along the banks. Only fire pits available. No tables, bathrooms, nothing. So please practice good camping etiquette and pack out everything. Gets pretty