Best Campgrounds near Shell, WY

We camp here at least once a year. While not really well developed,  we like the walk down to and along the river . You can walk some of the fs roads but it can be dusty. 

Quiet, except for some generators, the camp hosts are friendly and helpful.

For you cowboy types, you can have a campfire with the camps wood.

This camp is primarily a horse camp. There are several corrals and high lines as well as a horse water trough fed by a nearby creek. There is also ample parking for horse trailers.

The road getting to the camp was pretty good but can get pretty rutted up at times. The road in is also really long and narrow in some spots. Which, makes two way traffic difficult.

This is an amazing free BLM campground. It’s about 5 miles off of Hwy 16, gravel with occasional washboarding, but overall doable for most vehicles. We had intended to drive a bit further east before looking for a place for the night, but decided to pull off the road to check out the Castle Gardens, for which we saw a sign on the road. We didn’t even know it was a campground until we got there, and wow. What an amazing, beautiful, peaceful, quiet place. There are 4 sites in a loop, each with a shade structure, picnic table, grill, and fire pit. Spot #1 is better suited for tent campers, as you park your car along the loop and then walk a little bit up to the camp area. #2 (the one we chose) has a long driveway leading to the site, so you feel even more secluded, even though the entire campground is pretty secluded. #3 is a shorter driveway that backs to the campsite, and #4 is a pull through. None of the sites were very level. 

There is a single vault toilet here, but otherwise no other amenities. No trash service so please keep the area clean. 14 day stay limit. Cell service is existent but iffy. Verizon went between zero service to 3 bars. Up on the hill overlooking the campground there’s good service for both ATT and Verizon. We didn’t see a single other person while we were here on a weekday in late September.

This is a great RV park with access to Worland and all it has to offer. If you’re in an RV it’s super convenient, very easy to find, and affordable with average size lots. Tenting wise, if you don’t have any other tent choices it’ll do, but tent sites- while cozy grass and intended to be private- were close together, between two busy lanes, somewhat distant from bathrooms/shower/laundry (which were all immaculate), and towards the front of property where highway traffic, train, and downtown noise were a factor. If you want space and quiet keep heading out of town an hour (nearly any direction) to make it to a USFS campground, but if you can’t Worland RV Park will be fine for an overnight stop. Staff was very friendly and all facilities, including WiFi, were secure also.

The breathtaking Bighorn Mountains at 9000 ft elevation, good for rigs of all sizes but be advised you may want to scout the road the further you get into the camping area as it can be a bit rough (with water crossing at one point).  

We overview the camping options as well as the amenities available in the area in our video review! 

https://youtu.be/ztjOGUjNkfo

Useful Information: Location: Canyon Creek Dispersed, Ten Sleep, Wyoming 

GPS Coordinates(Canyon Creek Dispersed): 44.160758,-107.128481 

Maximum Stay: 14 Days 

Dump/Water(Cenex): https://maps.app.goo.gl/b44MFQ4ne9h3DpE2A 

Leigh Creek Dump/Water: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SfJmMrKekzLyTKFNA

Great experience! Off the grid campsite with no service or bathrooms. Fireplaces set up at the sites. Dirt road to the sites but it is in good condition.

For free? Doesn’t get better than this. Great trails nearby, a little river to sit by in the morning/evening. We set up chairs on a small bridge and watched someone fish at sunset.

Tons and tons of spaces. No Verizon service. The sites are pretty spaced out and some of them are actually really nicely tucked in the pine trees.

Great hosts at this campground, interesting and beautiful National Forest, lots of ATV trails. A bit far from good hikes, would likely need to drive to a trailhead instead of just setting out from the campground if you wanted to make good time.

level sites. laundry room and bathroom was immaculate.

The staff were nice, but we will not stay here again. The pictures speak for themselves.

Sites are narrow but doable. Not a place to hang out all day but a nice base close to town at a reasonable price. It is near a hill so trucks engines can get loud if your site is near the road. We were away from the road and it wasn’t an issue. Easy access to I-90 but no noise from the interstate.

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