Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Rock River? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Rock River. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Rock River, Wyoming's most popular destinations.
Guide
Loads of sites along the FS roads out here, you don’t have to look hard, easier with more ground clearance
Guide
arrived late afternoon, loads of space at the end of summer.
Beautiful sites amongst the aspen, cold but high.
Great toilets and super clean site
Scout
Very few other boondockers, and well dispersed. Very quiet with minimal traffic.
Guide
Amazing location. Good trails. Water and clean toilets. First come first serve. Got there around 1 pm and around 6 out of the 16 spots still available. Filled up fast throughout the evening. Got below 30 degrees at night so come prepared!
GuideNice small campground. The Columbine loop had lots of trees that provided privacy from other sites but the campground wasn’t full. Campground hosts were super nice and friendly. Clean bathrooms and water is up and running.
Guide
Great spot super close to the river. Lots of dispersed camping just outside this established campground. Went on a Friday night, it was pretty busy but found one of the last first come first serve spots around 6 pm. Spots are a pretty good distance apart.
Guide
There are only a handful of sites, but we were fortunate to find one. The road was a little rough, but our lifted trailer of 22 feet in length cleared it just fine. There were other campers present. All were very friendly and quiet. There are hiking trails at the beginning of the road. There is also a potable water station and trash disposal at the Summit Rest Area just up the road. There was some trash at our site, but it was minimal, and we picked it up. Someone left us some great firewood, which we appreciated. We were very comfortable here. We stopped at the trailhead to pay the fee. There were envelopes and a pen.
Ranger
Stayed one night at the coordinates of camper 1 . Had a great time with my dog, very close to medicine bow, and awesome views of the river. Heard no cars throughout the night, there were three other campers I believe .
RangerStopped in late, made it fine with 2w low clearance, I stayed at the first spot, I’m not sure how many there were. Light traffic throughout the night, but overall peaceful stay.
RangerStayed here for a night on the way back through, left at around twelve and went to another site further down the road. You can only park in the two little parking areas when you first pull in.
TravelerCoordinates are accurate to camp location spot, it is right off the highway, giving you easy access. I recommend getting there early because minimal site locations. It was a bit windy when we went but found a grouping of trees. We also were lucky enough to see a moose walk right behind our campsite. It stopped and noticed us but eventually walked off.
Traveler
Very peaceful campground, right by a lake with a nice view. People came and went throughout the day to go fishing at the lake and some with ATVs.
During the night there was only one other group of campers but its a fairly large campground with plenty of spots so they were far away. The total amount of offroading is ~3 miles as most of the drive is paved road. The dirt road is well taken care of and almost any car could make it. This area seemed to be part of a wildfire as there are many trees cut down that have scorch marks. The lake is relatively small but theres another body of water just across the far end. I didnt venture over there but youre able to see it across the lake.
GuideGreat camping spot within Medicine Bow National Forest. Some of this area requires a $5 day fee which can be paid online or using an envelop system with cash.
When you first pull onto FS RD 200 you will wind down past many easy to reach sites with 2wd. Small RVs should be fine as well. As you continue on, you will come across multiple splits in the road leading to more sites. If you are going when there is still a lot of snow melt (through late June) I would recommend 4x4 the further back you go.
I personally camped across from the Keystone Reservoir and it included a level site and a nice fire ring.
Scout
This is a quiet place to camp, and most of the sites are well placed and nice. The campsite itself was not extremely busy for a Friday night, but the nearby trailhead is extremely busy and people often drive/bicycle through the campsite.
Be warned: this campsite is above 8,000 ft. In altitude and the weather may change suddenly, especially early or late in the season. The night I was there, we had a 30 minute violent storm, complete with hail so thick you couldn’t see past the car (luckily I was in said car). Nothing was damaged, and the following morning we had blue skies and sun.
While many of the sites are reservable, there are 6 sites at this time (June 21, 2024) that are first come first served (up, from the 3 in an earlier review). This does give walk-ins a fair amount of choice.
America the Beautiful pass gets you 1/2 price.
Scout
The Bow River area has some beautiful scenery with rivers, trees, meadows, wild flowers, and wildlife. The forest service road into the campground is in great shape, and although it's a little rocky, there are no pot holes or rutted terrain. We made reservations for 3 nights, but only stayed 2, primarily because of a serious mosquito infestation. But that's nature and if you want to be in it, you have to be prepared for nature's unexpected turns. Just beware and prepared if you're visiting in June.
The forest along the dirt roads are obviously big logging areas with clearcut swaths (no selective cutting) and grounds littered with slash. These areas are unsightly and make you wonder what kind of forest service management is being observed. It appears to be about satisfying a lumber industry instead of preserving the health and beauty of our national forests.
What we weren't prepared for was the obvious neglect of the campground itself with seemingly little to no supervision or maintenance. We reserved and paid in advance for two campground sites at Bow River for ourselves and another couple. We arrived to find no posting of any reserved signs at either site. Luckily, there were few people there when we arrived so our sites were open and available to us. We're still wondering what we could have done if our sites had already been occupied by other campers.
We also quickly discovered that no water could be collected from the handpump. Thankfully, we brought some water with us, but our friends had none so we had to be very frugal about our use of the little water we shared. We also gave one kettle of water to 4 young men who arrived with no water at all. They were forced to leave the next morning because of it. I still have not been able to find anything on rec.gov warning people that the campground has no drinking water available. This is irresponsible and, at the very least, creates an inconvenience/hardship for those who are paying to stay there. There is an assumption that the information being provided and the services being sold are accurate. People arriving at this campground have traveled at least 19 miles on a dirt road with no facilities to get there. Are they just supposed to leave again and travel that same distance out if they have no water with them?
Finally, the bathrooms were quite run down and dirty. The pits themselves seemed as though they had been cleaned out, but the doors were rotting and the floors were littered with paper and covered with dirt.
We never saw any campground host, supervisor, manager, or employee of any kind. We did meet one man who circled the campground once, told us he was the campground host, and said he was looking at the sites for the first time. He was camped somewhere else and was told that his job was to drive to Bow River to colect any registration envelopes that might be in the iron collection box that was old and partially hidden behind some bushes, making it hard to locate. There also was no sign on the box.
The website claims "Open for 2024 Season!," "Tent camping, Camping trailer, Picnic tables, Toilets, Drinking water, Parking."
The bottom line is that this campground is sadly neglected. Too bad the forest service isn't paying attention.
TravelerAmazing campground with amazing views and private spots! I arrived on a Saturday afternoon and there were several spots open. By the end of the day there were still several open spots and no one around me. The views were great and lots of trees around each spot. I will definitely come back if I’m in the area again!
Scout
Great little spot ~20 miles west of Laramie. Easy access and can drive right up to the water and park. The wind was a variable as were the gnats, but they did not bite.
LegendDispersed. Two fire rings. 360 view. 8600 feet. Can't see any other campers
Scout
Stopped here on my way through. Got here around 3pm only 2 other people. Only a few spots are larger for 5th wheels etc. road was pretty bumpy coming down, you pass a few farms and a lot of private property which can be confusing. Boat launch doesn’t allow camping, camping is right around the bend. Right next to the river and absolutely beautiful. NO OPEN FIRES. Close to houses, secluded but not entirely out in nature by yourself. Would definitely camp again! Easy to find, good Verizon cell reception. Quiet spot.
GuideThis is a great little campground situated right within the Happy Jack trail system. It used to be all FCFS which was great, but now some are reservable. There are 3 sites that are always FCFS now. Lovely pine forest surrounds with great recreation opportunities. You do hear a little bit of road noise from the highway which is a little suprising.
Guide
The washboard road coming off the highway is harsh but it smooths out when you get closer to camp. There are at least three camp site I saw that are all secluded by boulders and trees. Each one has established fire sites. Others have chopped trees and branches from the nearby trees, but I'm not sure if that is accepted.
On a Sunday night, a group of younger people were drinking and enjoying a fire. They weren't too loud and packed up and left before it got too late. It looked like it gets pretty popular so I'd get there early if you're planning to go on a weekend.
You'll hear distant gunshots from hunters in case you or others in your party are sensitive to that. There were also plenty of gnats in early October!
Scout
We have a 36 ft fifthwheel. The road has washboard and is quite steep in places. The biggest issue was finding a place to turn around. We did find a place to stay but most were already filled with hunting campers that had been brought up and left. I'm guessing hunting season starts next week and they have staked their claim. No sites are level so bring your legos. We work from our camper so cell service was important. T-mobile was dismal, but Verizon was usable with a solid 4G 2bars. The location is beautiful and remote. Lots of trees and the aspen are turning yellow. Probably won't come back again but plan to hike around and enjoy the area while we are here.
Scout
Not the best campground we’ve ever been to, but seemed pretty quiet with only 3 other spots taken while we were there. Fairly close together if you’ve got neighbors but also some walk in sites for tents which were a little further down from the main sites. Small creek closeby on the trial about 2 mins from the campground so we were able to wash off. There was a spigot in the campground but you pump it, it came out yellow at the beginning so make sure you pump it well before using - we boiled it when it became clearer anyway just to be sure. Would not recommend getting to this campsite from the south roads/ unpaved if you have anything less than a 4WD. We nearly didn’t make it to tell the tale with our 2WD. Dirt & paved roads from the north were better but still keep in mind they’re dirt/ gravel.
GuideWe found a great spot right next to the river on forest road 330C near North Fork Campground. The area was fairly busy on Labor Day weekend but we were basically isolated in this spot. One family was camping a little further up the road, but we had zero traffic on our road and the spot was beautiful. We were nestled up against the Little Laramie River which was awesome. We did explore the area a little and found numerous dispersed camping spots in/around the area but none as nice as the spot that we settled on. The exact coordinates are:
41.35475° N, -106.16955° W
Scout
This campground seems a bit run down in that the picnic tables were warped and in need of painting. The campsites were a bit over grown. The road into Lake Owen was dusty and a bit wash boardy There was quite a lot of ATV activity in the area, but the campground was not full even though it was Labor Day weekend. The campground is near the Medicine Bow Rail Trail which was great bike riding for my grandsons who are 8 and 6.
TravelerNice isolated spot in the National Forest, 5 mi from the main highway. Nice view with few fire rings. No one was around.
Legend
South Brush Creek Campground offers a secluded escape, reachable by a 2-mile gravel road off the beaten path. The journey from a paved road adds a touch of adventure to the experience. Keep in mind that the campground operates from Memorial Day weekend through September, so it's perfect for a summer getaway.
20 sites, including 6 pull-through spots for smaller trailers, complete with picnic tables, fire grates, and even toilets and trash service. But what really impressed me was the range of activities.
The Brush Creek Hiking Trail System had me exploring the area's natural beauty, and the Stump Hollow and Cedar OHV trails has a burst of excitement for off-road fans. If you're into fishing, the nearby streams are perfect. The Brush Creek Visitor Center's just a stone's throw away on Hwy 130. If you're looking for a mix of relaxation and adventure, this campground's got you covered.
Tent camping near Rock River, Wyoming offers a serene escape into nature, with various options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Rock River, WY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Rock River, WY is Wheatland Reservoir #3 with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Rock River, WY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
