Shadow Mountain Dispersed Camping

This free dispersed site was absolutely unreal. We met the most amazing people and go to watch the sunrises, sunsets, thunderstorms and rainbows over the Tetons each and every day. Truly an amazing experience and I hope everyone can make it out here some day. We stayed at site #9 and honestly I think it’s the best site on the entire campground. Everyone was wondering how we snagged it and I said “get there earlier in the morning” haha. Enjoy:)

Great views! Typical campground, limited options. I’d get here before 1 pm if you want a spot. I got lucky with my spot and got here at 2 PM. Seems like most people leave at 9-11 am when theyre done. Great views of the Tetons and close to the National Park if you can snag a spot. It’s free for 5 nights, then you gotta move camp!

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My first night in some car alarm went off at lime 12 am which was annoying.

Here I am drinking beer tonight and one of my neighbors biked up to me to ask if I saw a bear. Apparently it was going around camp and bothered these two girls who set off their car alarm to try and scare it away. I say this just to say be smart. Be safe out there people!

Got here at 11am and all the spots were filled by 3. It has really great view and access to a restroom (which is super clean)

The campsite was easy to find and a great place to rest each night after full days in the park. No bears or signs of bears, but that may have been due to the screaming group of 3 girls who showed up asking to share sites with people and proceeded to yell until 11pm that night and begin again at 6am

There are several sites (I think around 50?) on Shadow Mountain, however, they are typically all filled up! :) At any of the sites, it is very buggy, but so beautiful! The road up is pretty rocky but it's manageable. There are ambassadors who came up and talked to us multiple times, just warning about the bears and ensuring we are set up to camp properly. We did not have any run-ins with bears, but others in the area at other sites definitely did! I would definitely recommend this site!

Coordinates are accurate to location. The lower spots are more freed up than the higher up spots. This place gets busy after 5pm. I have Verizon so I had cell service. I have never experienced mosquitos and flies like I did here. Bring as much mosquito repellent/fly traps as you can. We had multiple people drive up to us and alert us that their was a grizzly bear below us than 20 min later another person alerted us they saw a grizzly above us. We couldn’t really sleep because of the anxiety, I had a pistol and still was not able to sleep through the night.

Great place to stay the night when visiting the Grand Tetons. There are several pullouts along this road, this particular one is for sites numbered 18, 18a, 19, and 19a. We made it up to #18 fine in our 26ft class c.

Free camping is allowed for up to 5 days in designated numbered sites only. There is a big lot at the bottom of this road with lots of space to squeeze in (seems like the numbered sites only rule maybe doesn’t apply down there). There is also a pit toilet at the bottom. Take the road up for more options, some sites have more privacy and some have fabulous views of the Tetons. There was plenty of room at the bottom for us when we came here mid week in July, but we could not find anything even remotely level so we chose to go up the road to try our luck. #18, the spot we chose, was big enough for our 26ft class c, and level. It had no views, but was pretty private. Lots of mosquitoes though! We didn’t see any wildlife either.:( 

No amenities whatsoever at the upper sites (other than a fire pit), so please keep the area clean.

Road is easily accessible all the way up. Some of the camp site access roads are rougher than others but saw plenty of 2WD, sedans and trailers on the road. VERY popular location so sites become limited pretty early in the day. We had people trolling by our site already looking to hold a spot just after sunrise. Very helpful camp ambassadors. Will tell you where open spots are if you see them riding around in sxs. Misquotes were worst I’ve ever experienced… but we still had a good time. Bring plenty of spray and keep your tent closed. Absolutely worth it. Easy access to Tetons and Yellowstone.

Didn't have high hopes to find anywhere near Tetons on a Sunday afternoon, originally had plans to camp near Moran, but glad I gave Shadow Mountain a chance. We arrived Sunday 6/30/24 at 3pm. There was a guy with a truck pulling a 30' RV/trailer trying to go up the initial 50 feet, he was struggling, so he stopped & I went around him. Road in is loose gravel-y rock, road going up is just a rutted out hard packed but loose forest road, no problem for my 4runner, I see it not being a problem for most vehicles, just go slow & you'll make it up. I saw a Ford Taurus coming up lol. We got super lucky, got campsite #6, it wasn't level, but had a fire ring & some epic views!! FYI the mosquitos & flies were atrocious!! Make sure you have plenty of OFF or a thermacell!

Forest ranger was super nice, warned us about a grizzly that has frequented the area, especially the upper sites 6+. We didn't encounter any animals, just several people trying to pull into our site after dark & some dude riding a dirt bike up and down the mountain.

Hard to beat the views. Road is pretty rough and many of the sites are not at all level. You must stay is designated sites. No toilets except for the one at the south entrance, before heading up. Road is very rough. Might be treacherous if wet.  I visited in mid-October. Thursday night was fairly open /unoccupied. I stayed in #4. Fairly level. Beautiful views of Grand Teton. The FS was doing prescribed burns so it was pretty smokey for a while. Friday night started checking out sites at about 4 pm. A lot of the good sites were taken (e.g., #9 and #10), but ended up at #17. Nice and level but right next to the main road. Only a couple vehicles passed by so wasn't bad. Great views of Mt. Moran. Sites #18 and #19 were still unoccupied in the morning.

Such a sweet spot. We arrived on a Sunday around 3pm and landed site #14. There’s a big shady tree in the middle and the site backs up to forest, beautiful views of the Tetons. Site is well sized but not level and in our sprinter we struggled to find a comfy spot and adjusted 18479294 times and even with leveling blocks we never really nailed it. The next morning we moved to site #9 as it was open on our way down to adventure and we quickly moved our stuff over. This site is gold. A big flat circle with 360 degree views. Zero bug issues end of august, just the normal expected amount but we didn’t need bug spray or our zap light, nothing harassing or attacking us. Would definitely return and hope for site 9. The road up shadow is definitely bumpy but really not as bad as we anticipated, very doable in the appropriate vehicle. I wouldn’t want to be in a big rig or be towing something huge but our Mercedes sprinter handled it like a dream and we saw a lot of people towing small rigs and pop ups without issue.

This place has Disney World level crowds. The camp sites are mega crowded and the road is in deplorable condition. It has an absolutely fantastic view of the Tetons but over all I’d say just find somewhere else to go. Absolutely not conducive for privacy in any way whatsoever.

There are about 35 dispersed sites on the way up and down shadow mountain. Most sites are “reserved” with a camp chair pretty early so head up the hill and pick your site before going into the park. And snap a pic of the famous barn on your way! I stayed at site 22 the first night and 16 the second. 22 had pretty bad views and horrible mosquitoes but was very secluded. 16 had the best view of them all (reserved it on the way down around 7am) but has a lot more traffic as it is right off the main road.

Great view, close to everything within the park, campsites are in a good distance to each other, restrooms got cleaned. Don’t get there too late otherwise it till be full.

I really like the shadow mountain area and have stayed here multiple times. You can stay in the main area in the bottom if there’s room, or you can drive up the NF road until you find a cool spot you’re happy with. I’ve done both. It’s a great spot not far from the National Park entrance, and it’s free!

Shadow mountain dispersed campground is free and has quick access to Jackson. The views are spectacular (especially at the higher sites, we stayed at the top in 16.) There’s two entry points for the campsites, both are pretty rough but totally doable, we hauled our 23’ camper up the entry towards Dubois but went up and down the other way multiple times that takes you past the Mormon Row Cabins. We drove to Yellowstone South entrance from the sites through the Grand Teton National Park, was just over an hour to the Yellowstone entrance and another hour to Old Faithful or Hayden Valley depending on which direction you go in the park. Can’t recommend these sites more, simply awesome.

This spot is perfect to feel somewhat of a backwoods experience, yet close enough to feel safe and not too far from the major sites! It’s definitely worth the rocky gravel road drive. I couldn’t have asked for a better view!

We stayed here 3 nights and absolutely loved it. Definitely a rough road and can be tougher to find a spot if you come later, but we made it up in a low clearance camper van by taking it very slow and the views are awesome. It’s quiet and super close to the Moose entrance for the NP. We were higher up (#10) and had great Verizon service. Bathroom all the way at the bottom also. Can only camp in designated spots. Definitely recommend

We drove in from the north in my f150 and never put it in 4wd. That said sedan would be a no-no. We passed a few nice spots till we hit this one and what a view!! Get ready for horseflies though so pack some Off(DEET) spray

We stayed at site 16, and it provided an incredible view of the Grand Teton mountain range with tons of flowers and trees surrounding the area. It’s a bit more hidden compared to other sites with a path off the main road.

The main road was a bit rough for us to go up despite us having a 4x4 high clearance truck, but it’s pretty old and we saw a ton of trailers and RVs make it up the road. Other newer 4x4s made it up no problem.

We stayed three nights, and a couple pulled into our spot and stayed on our last night which we didn’t mind because the site is pretty big; site 16 can definitely host more than one group if you don’t mind sharing a spot.

There seemed to be a lot of people that would drive up the mountain, pass us, and then turn back around a few minutes later because all the spots were full. From what I saw, there were a lot of spots open from around 7am to 10am so that may be the best time to get there.

Forest service regularly drives around on UTV and checks up on people. They’re super nice and just want to make sure you’re doing okay and following the forest rules such as keeping your food/trash out away from bears and completely putting out your campfire (note: make sure you bring A LOT of water - like at least two gallons or so - to put out your campfire if you plan on having one because the strong wind on the mountain will keep the fire going. the couple that stayed in our spot with us got in a bit of trouble with forest service for not putting out their fire at the end of the night after they went in their tent for bed).

There’s a lot of little hiking trails in the area and there’s a small trail right below site 16 that a lot of people ride their bikes on.

Overall, it was a beautiful site that’s hard to beat.

Free, had an amazing view of the mountains even though it was a bit foggy the day that I camped. I made some awesome friends that night I camped here. And I felt safe!

 We drove to this little loop, only to find each site either occupied, or empty but blocked with camp chairs and coolers to prevent anyone from taking the spot. Very open and windy here but great view of the Tetons. 

Only the last mile or so was rough and rocky, but it was still very aggravating. Don’t recommend this area for larger vehicles. The road is narrow enough that when a vehicle was approaching from the other side, one of us had to scoot all the way to the side to let the other pass. Luckily we only ran across trucks and Subarus; I’d hate to think what would have happened if another RV was going the opposite direction as the side of the road was like a right angled curb most of the way. Big rigs should be advised this is not a good place for them. We made it in our 26’ class C but bigger than that would be tough. 

Per the map posted on the info board, the Shadow Mountain Designated Campsite Area has 17 marked campsites at the base of Shadow Mountain, and another 32 marked campsites along Shadow Mountain Road. The Forest Service must have closed these sites though, because we didn’t see any other marked sites other than a few pullouts with a “no camping” sign. No cell service.

We showed up at 6:00 p.m. went up the right side and had to check every site by either walking down the paths or driving. All were full. There could be many more great sites but were for some reason marked as “no camping”. Definitely need a 4x4 for most of the road on the mountain. Be aware that going down on the left side there are no more sites until you get to the bottom. Great views of the Tetons if you can get there early!

We enjoyed our 5 day stay in June. The weather was wonderful and the view amazing. 

The camp hosts kept the campground clean and organized. They were very friendly and helpful in finding animals to see. Highly recommended.

No spots open at all and no one marks off the drive-in ones so you have to constantly check them all then turn around and check the next one.

Super site, with bathroom. Great views of Teton mountain range and saw herds of Bison near us. Grest camp host. Would recommend this site 100%

The site is great, restrooms are conveniently located, and views are stunning.

We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and got one of 3 spots left along the road over Shadow Mountain. Great spots and sites along the road with privacy, all spots are marked. Can make the road with 2wd and some clearance of accessed from the south side. There are 33 sites along the road (no pit toilet) and a lot with 17 sites and a pit toilet at the south end of the mountain base. Great views of the Tetons.

This spot was awesome! Take antelope road past Mormon Row and turn left! We didn’t go farther up the mountain because we had a low clearance vehicle but our campsite had a perfect view! Got there at about 2:00 PM Thursday and got the second to last spot. Great views, porta potties and free!

Felt like winning the lottery to be driving back in while a friendly camper van was pulling out and told us right where to go for an open site. The views are just outstanding all day long and you feel very much removed from the craziness of the visitors in main areas of the park. Pit toilets are a nice perk and are cleaned once a week I believe. Very nice campground host making sure site guidelines are followed. Worth the 15 min, bumpy as all get out drive past the Mormon Row to get there!