Best Cabin Camping near Shoshone National Forest

Colter Bay Village has a few options for setting up temporary residence: first-come, first-serve campground, reservable tent-cabins and tents, an RV park, and maybe a lodge. When arriving at Colter Bay, the campground is to the right and the cabins and tent cabins are both to the left. They are operated separately; the cabins and tent-cabins are operated by the Grand Teton Lodge Company. The tent cabins and the actual cabins each have different check-in areas (a driver will pass the cabins first and the take another left to go up the hill to the tent cabins). From the cabins, there is a short walk to Jackson lake, the village with the market, laundromat, showers, and wifi, the evening ranger talks, the boat ramps, and the visitor center. The ranger talks in the evening were really marvelous.

Before arriving, we had travelled 7,000 miles across the country, tent camping the entire way. We planned to tent camp in the Tetons too, but to our dismay, we discovered that there are no practical, reservable car-camping sites, and I wasn't willing to risk first-come, first-serve as an option (good thing, because that campground was full by 9). So we reserved a tent-cabin and looked forward to a new experience. It was so wonderful that we are going back this summer.

What is a tent-cabin? It is a structure that has two log walls and two canvas walls, a canvas roof, and a little, tiny wood stove. There is an electrical light, but I don't think there are any plugs. There is a covered picnic area outside the door and a bear box for each site, along with the picnic table and fire ring. There are four beds (two bunks on each log wall), and campers will need to bring their own everything except for the bed and tent. There are flushing toilets close by, and a dishwashing sink. We had a perimeter cabin, as seen in the video.

Colter Bay Village has restaurants, a lovely and well supplied market, a laundromat and pay showers. The laundromat/shower facility has wifi which extends out as far as the gift shop and market.

The five stars is something I reserve for only our most beloved places in this world. Why we love Colter Bay: the atmosphere is just so easy going and undemanding, the people are relaxed. The landscape is breathtaking--like the water temperature of Colter Bay. The wildlife was incredible. We saw a grizzly, and a moose with her calf, among other creatures. Maybe the presence of Colter Bay was simply a release from the tension of Yellowstone, which was beautiful, but crowded, and people seemed a little edgy after being in lines, sulphur, and the very hot sun all day. But really, I believe that Colter Bay has a truly peaceful serenity that soothes the soul and is as simple and clear as the waters of Jackson lake, and as warm and smooth as the rocks that line the shore.

HeadWaters Rv campground is located in the perfect place right between Yellowstone and The Tetons. Perfect for exploring both Parks. The cell service is pretty spotty, but it’s great to just put down your phone and enjoy your surroundings. It is only 5 minutes walk from the campground to Snake River access. Fires are allowed at this campground. There are Rv, tent, and cabins to stay at. The cabins in the camp area are small but have full sized bunk beds and a desk and dresser. These cabins do not have water or electricity, but there are other cabins with power up the road. The tent and Rv spots are on gravel with lots of shade, a picnic table, and fire ring. Rv sites are Electric and water. There are so many activities to do. Along with the activities they have every day there is horse riding, guided fly fishing, hiking trails for everyone, bus tours, jr. rancher classes and so much more Also on site at the campground is a dish washing area next to the clean bathrooms and showers. There is a propane fill, fresh water fill, restaurant, gift shop, ATM machine, gas station, and bear boxes. I would definitely recommend this campground for any duration of trip.

This is a large campground with 15 loops of 350 campsites plus group and hiker/biker sites as well as a separate RV park. Although during peak season, it will be full by late afternoon based on the times I've camped here in recent years.

Most sites are forested with good shade on Loops A-G while many sites on Loops H-O tend to be less forested. Many sites tend to have some scrub/underbrush and lack a designated tent pad (including this site).

Each loop has restrooms with flush toilets and running water as well as a utility room with a flush sink for washing dishes. Each restroom site also has a faucet outside for potable water.

Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and bear bin.

There is a short trail to the shore of Jackson Lake for water activities, great views of the Tetons, a designated picnic area, as well as the marina and visitors center. Another trail takes you to the general store/deli and the laundry/shower facilities (both places have WiFi access although the general store network seemed faster). Firewood, ice, etc. can be purchased at the general store or at the gas station located just before you enter the campground.

There are multiple options for activities from this campground: hiking (Hermitage Point TH), horseback rides, boat cruises, scenic raft trips, fishing, kayaking, swimming, etc. Boat rentals and fishing equipment/licenses are available at the marina store.

Despite the number of sites/people, our site was pretty peaceful. Didn't see much wildlife around the campground this season, although there is a fox den near the general store that has been there the past few years.

Misc. Info: El 6800'; the South Gate of Yellowstone is 16 miles N; Jackson, WY is 40 miles S

After almost 10 back to back individual nights at campgrounds, it was nice to be able to have two back to back nights in a tent cabin.  The cabins are great with two wood walls, two canvas tent walls and roof, four drop down bunks and a nice potbelly stove.  The outside area is very nice with a table, fire ring and bear box.  Parking for the tent was directly next to the cabin and outdoor pad.

The only drawback is that the tent cabins are quite close to each other.  The family in the tent next to mine was very nice, but also quite loud.  The area luckily was quiet after 10pm.

The campground village itself was very nice, with all sorts of shopping and food options.  Since I arrived at the campground around 4pm I quickly unloaded my gear into the cabin. Instead of cooking I grabbed a bite to eat and a six pack of local beer, and headed over to a spot on Jackson Lake to have a sunset dinner.  The campground location is perfect to get out and explore.

The cabin bunks are comfortable, if not a bit loud when sleeping and moving around.  I woke myself several times with chains making noise.  After the third time, I grabbed a bottle of bike chain lubricant and did some work to make them quiet.  it worked and the rest of the night was quite peaceful.

Mornings are definitely busy in the village.  I was up around 7am and rode my bike to the General Store to grab a coffee.  I took a little ride down to the lake and drank my coffee in a quiet spot that was perfect for meditation.  I then rode back to my site and grabbed my toiletries and rode back to the Launderette/Shower.  They had a little line to get a shower stall, but it moved quickly.  The cost was $5 and it was well worth it for the ability to take a nice long uninterrupted shower.

I spent the day exploring Jackson and over into the Teton Valley and Driggs/Victor.  I returned later in the afternoon and grabbed a bite from John Colter's Ranch House .  The second night was much more quiet and peaceful with the stars shining bright.  

My only qualms about the site were about how close you are to other cabins and the noise.  I would still love to stay here again.

I guess all things are grand in Grand Teton NP, this campground is enormous! 350 sItes! This was a spontaneous trip into the park, at the entrance it shows which campgrounds inside the park still have sites available. The ranger suggested Colter Bay as his favorite with availability. It was an hour and half drive from the southern most entrance be Teton Village. I arrived at the queue line to get a site just after 8 pm. I was able to snag the second to last site available! It was an RV site, but had a nice tent pad as well. Generators are required to be off at 8 pm so I didn’t experience what it was like with all the generators running in this area. The sites are roomy for being so many. There are bear boxes for food storage, fire pit with grill, and a picnic table available at each site. Each loop has 1-2 restroom facilities available that have flush toilets and a wash area available.
Outside the campground there is a full service restaurant and grocery store. The pay showers and laundry are right next to the market, less than a half mile from camp. There is also a gas station where you enter the Colter Bay Area.

Activities galore! I had my mountain bike with me and had planned on biking some of the many trails but they are foot traffic only. You can bike in the park on paved trails. They discourage trail running because it could aggravate a bear if encountered. They have boat rentals at the marina I was going to rent a kayak for a quick morning paddle, but they have a 2 hour minimum and I didn’t want to pay $50 for 1 hour use.