Best Tent Camping near Shoshone National Forest, WY

Tent camped for 1 night along the river. The tent sites are close together so it was pretty noisy with people snoring and rustling around in their tents. It’s right off a main road so there’s a lot of traffic noise as well. This spot might be better for RV campers. For tent sites you aren’t allowed to park on the grass so you have to haul everything from your car. Great views all around. Don’t forget bug spray!

We spent quite a bit of time in the Colter Bay Village area during our visit to Grand Teton. We split time tent camping and staying in one of the historic Colter Bay Cabins. Reservations are not accepted for the campground and are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. We arrived at the campground to get in line around 7:00 a.m. and were able to get a sight within 15 or 20 minutes of the gate opening. 

We drove into our site and pitched our tent and then headed back out for the day to explore the park. We were so busy trying to get as much in that I didn't get any photos of the tent site. However, the sites are nicely spaced with a good deal of shade. Each site has a nice and clean fire ring, picnic table and ample flat ground for pithing a tent. 

The campground has bathrooms spaced within each loop. They have an area to drain dish water (separate from the bathroom) and flush toilets. I would say that the bathrooms are dated but we didn't experience them being gross or overly dirty as another reviewer mentioned. And yes, the campground is a little expensive which is normal for Grand Teton. In my experience, it is one of the most expensive parks to travel in. 

Our cabin at Colter Bay was wonderful! It was clean and just what we needed for a few nights. The folks in the office were attentive and friendly. The folks in the cabin next to us were a bit loud but it didn't impact our stay much. It wasn't spacious but it was plenty big enough to bring things in, get ready for a backcountry trip, shower and get a good night's sleep. No, they aren't cheap but we didn't mind splurging for a few nights!

This is one of the most picturesque places to camp. Surrounded by mountains and right on the Shoshone River, this is a bit of Heaven on earth.

There is only one flush toilet/(paid) shower facility in the North Fork campground (none in Lake Side), but there are accessible vault toilets within walking distance from anywhere. The tent sites have HUGE tent pads, plenty of room for our 9x12 cabin tent and solar panels. All sites have large concrete picnic tables and the tent sites have privacy walls which are separate to the tent pads. And the tent sites are spaced very far apart, so you never feel cramped.

Cody, WY is pretty close if you need to stock up on supplies and Yellowstone is just 44 miles down the road.

Forget waking up at 2am to try and snag a site at Jenny Lake. This off-the-beaten-path campground in Teton NF only has 23 sites, with beautiful views of Lower Slide Lake and the mountains.

Best tent site is #19. Awesome view. (Warning: other tent sites can be a little lumpy and hard to find flat ground.)

Bonus: saw a herd of Bison driving to the campground in Antelope Flats.

Would definitely stay here again!

This campground is about equal distances from the east entrance to Yellowstone park and Cody, WY. By Wyoming standards, it's a large campground (40 sites, many with electric hookup). The campground does permit tent camping, which the campgrounds closer to the east entrance do not. That being said, it lacks the intimacy and atmosphere of many Wyoming campgrounds. One must endure the sounds of generators and the highway. It's definitely a good place to camp while getting from Point A to Point B, but much better options exist for a relaxing camping trip.

Bears are a serious threat here so you can’t even camp in a tent. We arrived with tents and were told we couldn’t sleep in our cars either so had to leave. YOU NEED A HARD SIDED CAMPER! We did get good looks at the place when we picnicked and hiked there before leaving. The road is dirt but should be accessible for most cars if it’s not too rainy. It was extra clean since the bears are such a big problem and it’s a little scary with all the bear warnings and visits. Real nice true wilderness feel though, great views, waterfalls, bluffs, on the way to Grand Tetons National Park.

What a gorgeous view! This state park has the best view and is a wonderful base camp for Yellowstone. Only 8 miles from Cody! Make sure and stake your tent down there is some wind. The tent sites do have a wind break wall.

This is a really nice campground. The soft ground made tent camping comfortable. Clean bathrooms that were lit through the night. Some sites close to Jackson Lake beach access which provide stunning views. Arrived at 6:15am on a Sunday and felt so lucky to find an open spot.

This was my very first time tent camping and I was extremely nervous but I can’t imagine a better experience. The amenities were fantastic and the views breathtaking. I was there with my three small kids for 4 nights and we all had a great time. I can’t wait to come back.

16 miles of rough dirt road, I recommend tent camping only. It would be very hard on a RV. I would give 5 stars if road was better. This is one of my favorite places to camp. Clean well kept sites, fishing, hiking trails, and outstanding scenery. This is bear country, be prepared.

Spent a few nights here with my family tent camping. Saw more tents, some rvs, campers etc all able to get to sites. Some Mountain View’s some creek views and access. Beautifully nestled in the woods yet close enough to amenities. The ranger or host at site 5 was helpful and aware of wildlife presence and kept us feeling safe. Can’t wait to come back.

Great spot to re-group... Since we could not get a spot in YS for our rig, we use BBST as a home base. We were able to leave our rig to tent camp in YS. And yes is very windy at times.... Also watch out for the bugs they can be ferocious went the wind does down.

This campground offers everything. You can get full hookups, no hookups, electric only, group camping, tent camping, areas where you can use a generator and areas where you cannot. They have a small grocery store, a restaurant, bar, ice cream. Plenty if hiking trails, boating, boat rentals. If you can't find something to do here your not trying!

We tent camped for a few nights over the summer with another couple. The sites were close together and we were right by the road, though it is super convenient to either Yellowstone or Grand Tetons. Also, having a little market onsite was nice to have.. Probably would give it 3 stars if it weren't for the convenience.

If you’re looking to be in the heart of the Tetons with water access at your finger tips, this is the campground for you. Spots fill up quick (get there before noon if you can) but if you can snag a tent site close to the lake trail you are just a couple minutes from the Teton mountain range for every sunset.

Dogs are also welcome!

We came into Grand Teton later in the morning (around 11:00) and still managed to snag a secluded campsite right on the lake. It was a walk back from the parking site and had a great wide area for setting up camp. As it's surrounded by pines we were also able to have both sun and shade to choose between for our tent site

You could spend your entire vacation here without leaving the campground (but don’t do that because there are two incredible National Parks right there). If I had to nitpick l, one thing is that most of the tent campsites aren’t too isolated from one another. When I stayed at the cabins, this wasn’t as much of an issue but still not great privacy. But I’m grasping at straws...I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Great location if you plan to visit both Grand Teton and Yellowstone. It may be a bit of a drive depending on what you want to do, but we didn’t mind since the amenities were great. These included clean bathroom/showers with hot water, dishwashing station, gas station, convenience store, restaurant, and gift shop. Tent sites have a bear box, picnic table, and fire pit. Our biggest complaints are that the WiFi at the lodge does not work well and the campground is pretty crowded. Other than that, it is quite nice.

We tent camped here and we absolutely loved this campground. I can't remember what site we were in as they are assigned when you check in, but our spot was near the bathroom, but still very private. We walked down to the bay and did the trail down there in the morning and it was absolutely breath taking, but a little scary since there had been bear activity in the area. 

We just made sure to take our bear spray and made some noise while hiking. 

The site was great, good tent pad, nice fire pit and table and a bear box as well. 

The bathrooms were very clean and the grounds were well kept. 

Being right in the park was great for easy access to Grand Teton and getting an early start.

This is a great campground to stay at if you are going to both Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. It is also the only one that takes reservations. We had a tent site and had plenty of room for a six person tent and canopy to put over picnic table. Site came with bear box, fire pit and picnic table. It is clean and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The lodge is across the road with a nice little store to pick up small things your forget or need. The bathrooms are on the smaller side but it worked for the 4 of us. I will definitely stay here again. No frills but we didn’t need or want that.