Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Riverton, WY

This campground has friendly and accomodating staff, nice bathrooms, laundry facilities, small camp store, water and sewer hookups, a small dog park and a splash pad to cool off! Spaces are all very level and a viriety of options including back in and pull thru and they can handle larger RVs as well. The owner/manager even gave us some local fishing tips and recommended a great place to have lunch in town. This is without a doubt the best campground in Lander and probably for miles around!

The town of Lander seems to have a little of everything in a friendly small town atmosphere.  I'll be back, maybe even move here someday!

Terri E.

We recently stayed at Crippled Spider Ranch, and it exceeded all my expectations. Nestled in the beautiful landscape near Thermopolis, Wyoming, this ranch offers a truly unique camping experience that caters to adventurers, families, and solo travelers alike.

Campsites & Amenities: The ranch has 71 spacious spots, including full and partial hookups for RVs, and plenty of space for dry camping. The sites are well-maintained, and the full hookups provide everything you need for a comfortable stay. For those looking for an extended stay, they even offer 15% off for bookings over 7 days!

Activities & Attractions: One of the best parts of Crippled Spider Ranch is the variety of activities on-site and nearby. There’s something for everyone—whether it’s hiking on the BLM land that borders the property, petting zoo visits for the kids, or even learning to ranch and milk cows! The property is also a great base for rock hounding and exploring Wyoming’s natural beauty. You can even hunt (seasonal) or target shoot, making it perfect for outdoor enthusiasts.

For those interested in history, the ranch is near the historic Oregon Trail, and there are great opportunities for treasure hunters like metal detecting and exploring old ghost towns.

Staff & Hospitality: The hospitality here is second to none! The staff are friendly, welcoming, and go above and beyond to make sure your stay is enjoyable. You’ll feel like family from the moment you arrive. They even offer fresh, free-range eggs from their chickens and have a fun “catch-and-cook” option if you’re into farm-to-table experiences.

Sustainability & Eco-Friendly Focus: Crippled Spider Ranch also takes pride in its sustainable practices, from responsible livestock management to preserving the surrounding wilderness. This ranch is a great choice for eco-conscious travelers who want to enjoy nature responsibly.

Overall Experience: Crippled Spider Ranch is the perfect blend of adventure, relaxation, and Wyoming charm. Whether you’re a family looking for a weekend getaway or a solo adventurer seeking peace and quiet in the great outdoors, this place is a must-visit. I’ll definitely be back for more!

Tip: Be sure to book early for special events, and don’t forget to check out the nearby mineral hot springs in Thermopolis!

I took my 4 teens and 3 dogs tent camping here last summer and it was the best of the best. The surroundings are magnificent. The nature trail was fun. The campsites are spaced away from each other so as to enjoy privacy. We could have stayed longer it was wonderful.

We arrived super late at 10pm. And they have maps in the front office where you can see availability. The place is very cozy and clean. It has a great view and a little stream of water, dog area, playground, and store. It's 3 minutes from the town where you have plenty of restaurants.

Nothing bad with to say about this place. Highly recommend staying here.

We had a spot that backs up to river and you could hear the sounds the entire night = heaven. We even had a little trail that goes down to your own little spring.

Everyone was super friendly and though no showers and fancy bathrooms, everything was clean.

We hiked in the morning and the views were to die for and the trail was a nice way to get heart pumping!!! Dogs allowed on trails and they have bags for you to clean up after them I highly recommend and we will be back!!!

Small quaint campground en route to many other parks in Wyoming. Great stopping point with plenty of privacy. The majority of the campgrounds are fairly small however they back up to the Middle Popo Agie River which provides a relaxing environment.

We stayed in site 51, we tried to get site 53 but it said it was already reserved, turned out it wasn't. Some things are out od the parks control, rhe trains foe instance that sound like they are coming through your tent. Traffic is horrid and goes on moat od the night. But these two sites have a much bigger problem that the park can do something about. There is a giant light that makes it like noon at the dead of night, all night long! The only thing the light is good for is the bugs, which there are so many bugs, go to the light when it comes on. The bugs weren't of the biting type, most anyway, they just liked to fly into your face. Then there were the wasps. My son got stung and the neighboring site also got stung, all in a 20 minute span. They were everywhere. Even worse, shortly after 9 am on Monday, sprinklers came on! In the sites, 51 was OK, possibly due to a plugged sprinkler but site 53 was soaked. Their tent, their chairs, their concrete picnic table where they were cooking breakfast! Quite hours are not really enforced, leashed dogs aren't always enforced. They do have a giant list of fines for breaking rules but I don't see enforcement. We did visit the lake and didn't see a lot there that would have been better. We won't return to this campground though.

RV GPS easily took us right to the campground(CG), which is on Main Street on the south side of Lander. Check in was quick and easy and we proceeded to back-in site 9 with FHUs. However, the 50/30 AMP power was on the door side of our 5th wheel as this is a pull in site for motorhomes. Since our power cord was in the middle of our rig, we easily reached the post. If you could not reach they have 50 and 30 AMP extension cords. There was sewer on both sides of the site. Water was also on either side and the pressure was very good. We got 4 bars Verizon and the WiFi was below average for a CG this size. We got a few OTA channels. Satellite could be iffy due to trees in the park, but we had a clear shot to the southern sky. A nice feature about our site was a nice sized grassy area out back of our site for the dogs. We noticed that people cut through site 10 to use it. We did experience the wind gusts while we were there, but we weren't worried our trailer was going to blow over. You do need to keep your awnings in, especially if you are leaving your site. Sites were pretty close together, though not so close that awnings touched. They have a nice little camp store plus they sell propane and firewood. This CG was a nice overnight or short term option.

The campground is SAND with some scrub weeds on it, as expected in the middle of Wyoming. Paid over the phone, never saw the host at all, even as we were setting up and breaking down.

Definitely have your doormat out or you will track sand all over your rig.

Just passing through for a one nighter, you can't beat the price. Hosts were very friendly when making the phone reservation. Would stay again, but definitely not for long term.

This was a wonderful surprise in the heart of Wyoming. We spent the night on our return from Yellowstone. The campsite was right on the drive and next to a cascade in a deep canyon. The crashing waters helped me sleep well all night, while it kept my wife awake for the same reason. 

Clean vault toilet, potable water, wildlife, and great trails.

Other camping areas with electricity and water are further in.

Nice little town with cute shops, and great ice cream just to the north.

We will return.

I had reserved site 54 through recreation.gov but at the time I thought it odd the site would not let me put in my rig size.  So I just went with it.  Mistake.  My 30 footer wouldn't begin to fit since the pull off the road is shared between 54 and 55.  I've never seen a CG where a pull through is split into 2-3 'sites'.  So I drove around the park (which was mostly empty) and in spite of the giant signs screaming RESERVATIONS REQUIRED MAY 1-SEPT 30, I parked in very large site 71 which had midday sun for my solar and some shade in the late afternoon.  Did the kiosk sign in thing and no one has bothered to check me out.  The signage here is ridiculous, even in the bathrooms - lists of fines for everything!  I guess they've had to put up with stupid, rude and inconsiderate people.  Sad.  No dump station (there's one at park HQ down the road south) but there are several water hydrants through the park.  Mosquitoes were quite annoying along with a plethora of nonbiting flying critters my dogs enjoyed hunting.  The Wind River runs along the park with a railroad on the other side.  The 2x trains a day were NOT that loud and were gone in about 3 minutes.  Road noise from the highway is moderate but most city folk won't notice it.  Fishing isn't much fun because the river bank is steep with only 3-4 sets of stairs to the water.  The birds, however, are numerous and very happy to be here.  Had a momma turkey and 8 fledglings walk up to and under my trailer!   I would stay here again but at a cooler time of year.  The frequent breezes ameliorated the heat to a survivable level.  No T Mobile here at all.

This RV Park and campground is about a mile outside of Lander Wyoming. The town is small but has wonderful small town charm. The campground is fairly large but the sites are close together. They have pull through, back in, and pull in sites. The pull in sites do have hook ups and they are not on the "wrong side" but that is designed for pull in units like small RVs or conversion vans. There are a couple tent sites with little to no shade and are really just gravel plots. The wifi is good and I had good service with Verizon. Nice bathroom and laundry facilities. I can see this campground being very crowded in the summer.

I was looking to avoid Yellowstone because I’m traveling with a dog. I looked for national forest land that would take me around. Sinks Canyon State Park was perfectly placed so we headed here. The visitor center was very helpful and pointed us to a few camping options. I asked which one the ranger preferred and he went to Popo Agie right away. 

The campground is right on the road - 20 feet over and 20 down. However the road only goes to the state park and into national forest. The roar of the river (20 feet to the other side) masks the minimal vehicles. 

Augie, the camp host, immediately waved me over. We talked about my teardrop and his bus conversion. He pointed to the last two spots with shade. One was taken so I took site 5. 

The site is a straight paved line. There is a wood chip square for a tent. The fire pit and picnic table are on a gravel pad. Just beyond that is the river. What a wonderful sound to relax to!

There is a group camp closer to town and another state park campground further down the road. Is those are full, national forest campgrounds are further on but the pavement ends. There are yurts interspersed with the campsites. Vault toilets and garbage/recycling bins are nearby. Water is down the entrance road in one central location. 

Hiking trails start across the bridge in camp. You can also drive down the road and find more challenging routes. A playground is by the group site. 

An interesting discovery is to see where the river sinks into the ground and then reappears a quarter mile down the mountain. Dye tests show it takes 2 hours to go the distance - leaving speculation as to what happens in between. The heat was in during the day - 97 in town and a few less in camp. It cools down to the 50’s overnight. The sites have diverse configurations. This is a great place - just get a site with some shade.

The area is a vast wonderland, endless in its possibilities for recreational opportunities. Fishing, Hiking or just relaxing and contemplating on how great life is right at this second. 1st off, you are on your own, no stores or markets to aid you if you forgot something. Pack wisely. 2nd temperatures can vary wildly in Wyoming, especially at altitude, so be prepared for cool nights and when day hiking. Skeeters can be fierce. Pack out everything and leave it better than you found it. Our camp was Dry primitive camp with a preestablished rock fire ring right by the river. Not much shade but that was fine. Up the road would be a good flat place for RV's as ours had a small spring which may cause trailers to get hung up on. There is a lodge, but I don't know if it has anything for sale besides cabins. Be prepared for a long fairly decent maintained dirt road. Enjoy.

You just have to get out and explore. We had to park at the Sawmill portion of the campground, due to the size of our motorhome at 38’. Would have loved to be able to stay at the main area, but this worked well for us. Plenty of room. The river ran right outside our window. Follow the road into Shoshone National Forest for some spectacular views of the valley. There is also a lake, can’t remember the name, up on top of the mountains, offers dispersed camping along with a bunch of cows, along the lake shore, or you can bring your kayak and just cruise the lake at an easy entry. Sinks Canyon State Park offers a number of trails for hiking and we enjoyed the ones we had time to go on. Trails by the main campground, by the Visitor Center, and across from Sawmill going up the hillside. Lots to do. Lots of fun for the kids and the parents. Now that we know, looking forward to heading back.

During the 2020 season, the state of Wyoming has requested reservations for every stay.

They have recycling!! This is the first campground I've stayed at that had recycling bins!

For Wyoming residents, cost is only $6.00 a vehicle. Not per site. It is $11 if you are from out of state which is still more reasonable than the surrounding forest service campgrounds. What a bargain!

This campground is very clean and in a beautiful setting with big limestone cliffs on one side and the Popo Agie river and forests on the other. The Sinks of the Popo Agie isn't far from camp, about a mile and the Visitors Center is located there.The rise is about another half mile away and has the biggest trout I've ever seen! The climbing in the area is spectacular! There are hiking trails galore in the state park and in the Shoshone National Forest.

It is my experience that state parks have the cleanest campgrounds! They clean the ashes out of each fire pit between each new camper. The pits toilets are stocked and maintained.

They have 3 yurts you can rent! Cost is $40 plus the $6/11 state park fee. Reservations can be made at www. Sinkscanyonstatepark.org

there is a very cool suspension bridge crossing the Popo Agie that takes you to a hiking/mountain biking loop in the forest.

Such a cool place! Check it out!