Recreation area with activity Dispersed Camping



Shadow Mountain Dispersed Camping

Shadow Mountain is the most popular place to camp for anyone in Jackson, or people visiting Grand Teton National Park, so finding an available spot tends to be difficult in the summer, but I lucked out and got the best spot on the mountain and spent a week up there. The road into, and out of the forest is HORRIBLE, and LONG, but if you plan on staying for a few days, it's worth the trip. If you only plan on staying one night, the long road might not be worth the effort.

[www.welovetoexplore.com](http://www.welovetoexplore.com/)

Unbelievable Views!! 

At the top of Shadow Mountain you can enjoy panoramic views of the Tetons for free, presuming you have the 4WD vehicle to access.

Situated on Forest Park Land and therefore not subjugated to National Park fees, this is a dispersed camping location, meaning there are no traditional amenities to be expected. No bathrooms, water, showers, etc. The fire "pits" are really the leftover fire pits of others, with a few places having metal barrels.

You want to camp here if you're looking for some amazing views without a price tag. I drove in late, did the 1,500 or so feet in elevation gain, and awoke to some epic views of the Tetons. I decided to bike around the area, and one could easily hike as well. Either way, you're subjugated to some impressive views of the Rocky Mountain range.

Mountain range views of the Tetons

There were many options for camping in Grand Teton, but our choice was by far the most beautiful and remote.

We camped in Bridger-Teton National Forest when we were on our way out of the park, but it would be possible to stay here even while you are hiking and driving your way through the park itself (although you’d add a bit of driving into your day).

Dispersed camping is allowed in the National Forest, so as long as you drive out of the National Park and into the National Forest far enough, you can find a place to set up camp. We found a pull-off (on the right side of the road) that led down to a flat, gorgeous site with established fire rings and a perfect place for a tent. There was a road leading down to this spot, but we opted to park up top and hike down because of our limited 2-wheel drive vehicle. It was only a few hundred feet down.

Camping in dispersed areas are the perfect way to feel alone, even in popular areas like Grand Teton and Jackson Hole.

During our time in the park in May, we still found plenty to do: our highlights included the view from Signal Mountain, early mornings at Schwabacher’s Landing, photos along Mormon Row, hiking to Toggart Lake, and kayaking along Snake River.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: [Switchback Kids (Grand Teton)](http://switchbackkids.com/grand-teton/)

Avoid the hustle and bustle of Jackson Hole with easy access to the Tetons!

A bit of a drive and a rough road, but totally worth it! Off of antelope flat Rd, take a left at the dead end toward the national Forest land. Then you will veer left on the dirt road. There is a camping area at the base of the mountain but if you continue on up the mountain there are many, many dispersed camping pullouts. Beautiful views of the Tetons and excellent wildflowers. There are sites that have some shade and trees but several are pretty exposed. This is a very popular place on the weekends so make sure you get there early to set up camp (or avoid it if you like quite on a Saturday night). No water, no toilets, just a free place to camp with established fire rings! Dogs are welcome.

Awesome view!

Camped here 2 nights this past June. Because of the time of year, there were more people back there than I thought would be. It was surprising what some of those people are willing to take up that mountain road. We were in my Honda CR-V and it did fine, but if you're not careful, you could easily do some damage. The risk was worth the reward though as we found a great spot at the top of the hill. We had just enough wind break, and mountain views. There is a wide variety of site types scattered throughout the area. About 30min from the closest civilization. Highly recommend this one!

Stellar views, some sketchy roads

Finding the campground was a bit weird a sketchy. The roads leading into the site go from paved, to dirt, to sand/dirt with 1ft+ deep ruts on each side. There were times where we could hear cars coming not because of the engine but the body of the car scraping along the ground! Once found, it's one of the best campsites around. The sites are all spread generously apart so it doesn't feel crowded if it's filled, there are bear boxes spread throughout the campsites, and the views are absolutely breath taking.

10/10 would recommend this site but make sure you have a vehicle with 4WD and decent clearance.

Crazy roads, beautiful views! 

This is an awesome dispersed camping area near Grand Teton National Park. The perfect place to camp for solitude in a busy national park area, with awesome access to the town of Jackson, Shadow Mountain mountain bike trail, and free, dispersed camping.

Epic views and solitude 

**Campground Review:**

Does waking up to Teton views, colorful wildflowers, and the chorus of all types of birds sound up your alley? Well, this is the place!

Just outside Grand Teton National Park in Bridger-Teton National Forest, these sites are a little quieter and a little more spacious than the hustle and bustle below. They are first come, first serve and no amenities, but the experience makes up for it. Numerous hiking options are nearby: Blacktail Butte, the Shadow Mountain trail, or head to the park. On the way to the site from Jackson or Grand Teton, it is very likely you will see pronghorn, bison, elk, or even a moose.

This area is popular for a reason. Get there early - these sites fill up. Getting there on a weekday will help secure the choice spots. One downside is the air traffic; this overlooks the Tetons as well as the Jackson Hole airport.

**Product Review:**

As a review Ranger for TheDyrt, I am honored occasionally to test and evaluate products. On this trip, I tested the [ICEMULE Pro XL cooler](https://icemulecoolers.com/collections/pro-coolers/products/the-icemule-pro-x-large?variant=39083964300).

What makes this cooler unique is not only its backpack style; but the ability to add insulation (and buoyancy, as we found out) by inflating the sidewalls through a valve. It's a bit similar to how a sleeping pad works. Without ice, I threw a few cold ones and some sandwiches into its cavernous interior for a day hike in Bridger-Teton. After a few hours of hiking when we were ready for lunch, they were as cool as the moment they went in. The pack itself is fairly comfortable for a short hike, with padded straps and holes to allow some air circulation.

On the way home, we decided to paddle our favorite river and decided to test the Pro XL's floatation abilities. Why my husband chose the deepest spot to throw it into the drink I will never know, but lucky for me it stayed on top of the water. Because its sealed like a dry bag, no river water got in either. Our sandwiches and gummy bears were safe!

Ranger Review: ICEMULE Coolers at Shadow Mountain Dispersed Camping

Shadow Mountain dispersed camping is just a few miles across the way from the Moose, Wyoming, entrance to Grand Teton National Park. I've stayed here several times at different sites and always had a memorable experience. There are great views and relative seclusion wherever you find a place to camp. Bring your own water and plan to dispose of your waste. All the spots I've been to had cell reception, as well. The road is doable (depending on weather) with smaller cars with careful driving. Higher clearance may be more ideal. The best part is that it is free.

Best views

If your wanting a place that overlooks the Grand Teton National Park this is your place. The views from campsites 1-15 are absolutely unreal and overlook Antelope Flats followed by the Grand Teton's. Some of the other campsites at Shadow Mountain are harder to navigate. Around Shadow Mountain there is about 8 miles worth of 4 wheeler trails that you can bike or walk where the other campsite locations are located. 

  

Shadow Mountain is part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and from May 1- Labor Day you can stay a maximum of 5 days, the other dates you can stay up to 16 days. The camp ambassador has more detailed maps of the camping areas. This part of the national forest allows for FREE dispersed camping but only at assigned campsites. There is a camp ambassador on-site near sites 1-15 to help enforce the rules(this is a busier campsite in the summer as its very close to Jackson and lots of locals come out- kind of a party spot). There is a porta-potty on site on campsites 1-15 but no water or other amenities near other campsites. 

  

The road to get this location can be difficult but maneuverable as there are some large ruts in spots and larger river rock makes slower travel. It can be navigated by pretty much any car type or truck with trailer. If you have an RV it may be difficult to get to this location. 

  

Overall we highly recommend you check out this spot as the view is absolutely gorgeous. There is animal activity in the area Moose, Elk, Grizzly so use proper animal safety,"be bear aware." The camp ambassador mentioned a few weeks prior to our stay a grizzly attached a mom and her baby Moose near campsite 14! 

  

Check out our video review: [https://youtu.be/8mVj1dxL5t4](https://youtu.be/8mVj1dxL5t4)

Beautiful Spot! Rough Road.

Camped here on the tail end of a two week overland trip through 8 states and 4 national parks. This was the best campsite. Spots are spread out from each other and the view is the best I've ever had from a vehicle accessible camp. Would recommend 4wd/offroad capable vehicle for the upper camps but RVs and such can get in to the lower camps. You can make most or all of the road in 2wd if you have enough ground clearance. The higher you climb the better the reward! Highly recommend if you're in the area. Also after a frustrating day battling crowds at Grand Tetons NP and Jackson this place was an amazing break from people.

Unbelievable 

Best view of the Tetons you can get while camping. Pretty easy to get to with amazing sunrise and sunsets  


Breath taking view!

A great view of the Tetons! A little windy but worth it! 

Beautiful! 

Found a spot with the perfect view of The Grand.  Road was a bit bumpy with a few big divots but made it up in my Promaster.  Plenty of campsites.  They were remote enough that you couldn’t necessarily hear the neighbors but could see their fire smoke.  It was absolutely beautiful. Stayed 3 nights. And will definitely go back again. 

Breathtaking 

Camping on Shadow mountain can be a game of chance. But it can be rewarding. As you drive off hwy 89 and head east toward Kelly you will beer north. This is not a campground, there are just places to pull off and camp as you drive up Shadow. I head there is a campground and RV park but we didn’t go there. 

We found a spot to camp nothing is provided, just a spot of dirt and views of the Tetons. 

The only problem in the summer is that there’s a late night party crowd that can swoop in and can be noisy. 

First come first served. 

Views!

This was a nice spot for a 3 day weekend, we got there early Friday so there were still a lot of spots. It was rainy and foggy so we didn’t drive all the way up the road as others suggested since you couldn’t see the view anyway. There are some nice fire rings built and the there are porta-potties by the first couple spots. Our spot was right next to a bear box where you can stow your food. We saw a few deer, but not much else. However I did hear a lot of howling the first night. Saturday night it got pretty packed, mostly just van campers looking for a spot to park so it was still quiet. Would love to camp here again when it’s not so foggy and rainy! The road wasn’t so bad for the lower spots, but if you plan to go further out you’ll definitely need 4x4. The trees were BEAUTIFUL!

Nice, quiet spot

How do you describe heaven, with bad roads. I would never go anyplace other than shadow mountain.

I have been here 3 times best view ever. It is primitive no water or toilets.

Awesome spot. Primitive camping, but neighbors are far apart. You can only Camp in designated spots, road is very rough to campsites but well worth it. 

Amazing views

saw these reviews and was so worried when we showed up at 8pm to climb these crap roads, low and behold we found the BEST campsite SOMEHOW not taken. check out our views in the pics! so worth it. stayed an extra night just because. 

it’s quiet, lovely, and clean. spots are super big and spread out, very different than other dispersed camping. 

new favorite place in the world

We biffed it coming up the front and hit bottom. It was rough going and we had to do some tight rope walking. But those views! The neighbors! The animals! Totally worth it! Once we set up we realized the back way was less rutted. (43.7445924, -110.6008458) Either way, prepare for a rough climb. 4x4s are gold! 

Go up the back way!! :)

In the Bridger Tetons National Forest, thus offering some sensational ~FREE~ campsites. Remarkable views of the Tetons at both lower and upper sites. Directions are easy and available online. Bathrooms available near parking spaces at the lower spots. Following the road up the hill leads to more sites. The road is rough, but our manual Honda Civic squeaked up there. There are not many sites available, SO GET THERE EARLY. People will try to cram into little flat spaces, but the forest rangers WILL show up and tell you to leave if you aren’t in a designated campsite.

Staggering View of the Teets

Imagine camping under the Grand Tetons... for FREE. This campsite is part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. You go down some long gravel roads to the entrance, where there are some campsites at the base of the mountain. There is a road that goes up the mountain- which is pretty rough. You probably don’t need 4 wheel drive to get up, but a higher clearance would make it less stressful. I still have no idea how my Honda Civic made it up... but she did. The views were worth the stress. The Tetons were right there, right across the valley from us. Gorgeous. Absolutely amazing views. All around. 

*WARNING* Although this is National Forest this area is designated camping only!! There are only a handful of sites at the base and along the road. The rangers are super strict about this as well. We had a Ranger come up to us (right before dark) and tell us we weren’t in a designated campsite. She was super kind about it, and thankfully the folks next to us at a designated spot let us join them! So make sure to get there early folks!!! So worth it! 

Whaaaaaat

My husband and I just spent two nights at Shadow and it was incredible. You seriously cannot beat the views.

We tried to go for one of the spots up the road but had no luck so we went with one right off the road. This place is SO popular- we had people driving through looking for space all day. We do a lot of dispersed camping at home in CO and I’ve never seen this many people vying for the same spots. If you come through around 11am-ish, that’ll be your best chance!

Also, it’s important to be really bear aware here. On our first night, there was one meandering around just behind all the sites. We slept with bear spray in our tent. 🐻

Enjoy!! 

Such a great spot!

Great camp site especially since it is free! Before going I read through the reviews and didn’t think the road would be as bad as people say but it was ROUGH going up. Definitely recommend AWD or 4WD. My outback made it up but did overheat so bring extra water. 

Beautiful

These spots are accessible by 4x4 and AWD in the summer. Truly breathtaking views, but spots fill up really quick!

Highly recommend 

There are 15 marked/designated sites at the base of the mountain and 23 more additional sites along the road up the mountain. 

The road up the mountain is very bumpy and rough... many people are saying 4 wheel drive is a must - both our Jeeps made it up fine in 2 wheel drive, but probably doesn’t hurt to have 4 wheel drive just in case. If you have a low profile vehicle it might be a little challenging to navigate. 

The sites are spread out enough to where you’re not right on top of other campers, and the views are absolutely amazing!! Highly recommend if you’re up to the drive!

Great Camping Spot!!

Stayed for 2 nights in late September in one of the spots at the base of the mountain. Got in around 11:00am our first day to pitch our tent before going on a hike. The sites are close to one another, so if you want privacy, this isn’t the spot for you. Met our neighbors at the site and had a great time chatting with each other, enjoying the stars over some wine at night, and the sunrise against the Tetons over coffee in the morning. 

Beautiful views

The views were the best part! And access to Teton Park and Jackson was very easy. The weather in September was all over the place, some light rain, a few fast moving storms, a day or two of wind, and a plenty of days of sunshine.  We were lucky to find a spot on a Friday afternoon, but saw many others trying throughout our time there who had no luck. Two ways to get in, the one that passes Mormon row is the way to go, the other way is very rocky and had some washed out areas, so be aware of that. There are 3 loops that you can go through to look for spots, the first one has portable bathrooms that were very well kept! 

Incredible views

This area is absolutely gorgeous and not too hard to get to. For our camper van we didn’t venture too far up, but the spots got even more beautiful the farther up the hill you went. There’s a porta potty available, as well as bear boxes and fire pits. 

There was tons of trash and lack of digging for the campers who didn’t venture to the porta potty. The place was packed and we were woken up by someone who came and parked on our camping spot around 9pm. With a night or two.

Beautiful views, lots of neighbors 

Rough ride up but worth the views. Arrive midweek for the best availability. 

Boondocking at its Finest

I live nearby and like to camp here. I would not expect to find a site here in the summer. It’s always just packed busy and even during the week too. It’s got great views so I see why it’s full. The road is pretty intense near the top, so if you don’t fond a spot, it kinda sucks having no camp spot and car sickness haha. But yeah if you get the chance to stay here it’s neat.  

This place is TOO great

You will find yourself traversing up a gravel hill, slowly passing campsites as you go up. I would say there are probably 6 with a decent view of the Tetons and 3 of those have a great view! A few more have a great view of the other mountain ranges like ours, #6. It’s complete luck of the draw with getting a spot. We arrived at 1pm and got our great spot. There were some others still open at the bottom and top. 

Great views IF you’re lucky. 

Oh my goodness! The views from our campsite are better than any we saw in the park itself! Very quiet and not too crowded! Arrived on a Wednesday and had our choice of 3 sites. By Saturday morning all the sites were full. You can stay 5 nights. Portapotties available and are serviced by the same company that does the park. No bugs. 10 minutes to Moose Junction. We hiked Jenny Lake and kayaked Sring and Leigh Lake. Signal Mountain has showers for 6 dollars! Worth it! There are shops at every lake! Loved everything about it here!

Best Views!

By far the best campsite views ever. We stayed at the first site at the bottom. The road in was a little bumpy, but not bad at all. Easily accessible to Tetons, Mormon Row, Jackson, and Gros Ventre. Had good cell service (AT&amp;T &amp; Verizon) mostly in the evenings. It is a sought after campground so be there early to get a site. We arrived early morning &amp; had a choice of two sites, but they fill fast.

Simply Amazing

We love to stay away from all the hustle from the parks and this was our most favorite spot in the Grand Tetons. Probably the best view of a campground that we've came across. Very majestic! This is a pretty primitive place with no water or toilets and the road gets pretty rough as you go up the mountain. We went in June and let me tell you, if you cant stand mosquitoes then you may want to try somewhere else.

Best View Campsite

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!

Amazing Location

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! 







Great quiet spot. 

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. 

Great views, if you can get a spot

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.

Beautiful Mountain View 

 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.

Hard to Get a Spot, Maybe Not Worth the Drive Out There

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!

Great views + made new friends

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. 

SO beautiful 

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

Little driving but worth it!

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 

Rough road, but worth it 

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!

Definitely recommend!

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. 

Amazing - Shadow Mountain

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!

Good camping with views of the Tetons

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.

Amazing Campground

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. 

Beautiful Views of the Tetons!

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. 

So incredibly busy

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. 

Site 9 & 14

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.