Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Thermopolis, WY

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!

Several campgrounds to choose from at Boysen State Park. We camped at Brannon, site 104. This was a beautiful spot right on one of the Reservoir inlets.

Pros:

• large Reservoir perfect for paddle-boarding and kayaking
• clean vault toilets close by
• great little marina with cute restaurant
• Brannon is one of the north campgrounds, which puts you closer to Wind River Canyon and Thermopolis, Hot Springs State Park
• low light pollution, makes for beautiful star-gazing at night

Cons:

• can be hot and very dry
• super windy
• a little buggy at times

There are lots of campsites at Boysen State Park. I called the phone number and talked to a nice ranger. She suggested Upper Wind River campsite since we did not have boat and wanted to have a nice tent spot. We camped 1 week before site changed from reservation to FF. We planned on staying 2 nights but it was so relaxing we ended up staying 4. 1 day we went to Marina and swim beach. Another day we went to Thermopolis and checked out Dino museum and hot springs. Last day we just hung around camp and relaxed. Campsite had a park for kids. No showers but plenty of water so we set up privacy tent and we’re able to shower when we wanted. If we were there during peak season I bet it would feel a little crowded but was perfect the time of year we went because there were maybe 10 sites filled out of the 80ish there.

Asked for sot with grass for our dogs when we made reservations. Gave us a quiet pull thru site at the back which was perfect. Full hookup Gravel pad Grass Extremely friendly owners Highly recommmend if passing thru

We stayed here on a Friday and Saturday in July of 2018 while on a climbing trip. The brewery offered dispersed tent camping on their spacious front lawn for $5/night and, given the number of vans present in the parking lot, I'd imagine they offered van camping at the same price. As far as standard camping amenities go, campers have access to an indoor restroom until the brewery itself closes, after which there are porta potties available. There is clean water available.

Some of the non-standard camping amenities include beer (duh), a food truck, several picnic tables, and board games. They also sell the official Ten Sleep climbing guidebook inside and are dog-friendly (must be leashed). The staff are really nice as well!

The only downside to camping here was the noise of a wedding afterparty that the brewery hosted one of the nights. However, this only lasted until 11pm and comes with the territory (I mean, you are camping at a brewery!). While it's certainly not the most remote spot that you could find to camp around the Grand Tetons, it's tough to beat the atmosphere, price, and beer!

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.

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.

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.

Recommended. Many short trailer sites, a few larger available. Call ahead.

The RV itself wasn't great. The bathrooms were acceptable, not overly clean but not dirty either. Had a little laundry room with 2 washers and dryers. The sites are ridiculously close together and your neighbor's sewer hookup is nearly in your site. It is close the the mineral hot springs, though, and the Dinosaur museum is amazing.

Campground is a little run down. RV sites are extremely close to one another. We stopped here for a day pass to use the hot pools. Hot pools are great! $10/person. The park does have WiFi and staff are very friendly. Convenient location near Hot Springs State Park.