Perfection Between the Parks
If I could give this site 10 stars I would.
I lucked out and got spot 12 (if it is available, go for it). The spot was the perfect mix of public and private. Meaning that I felt totally comfortable changing without people seeing me and didn't overhear anyone else, but didn't feel so isolated that if a bear attacked me no one would know. Right next to the trailhead. A personal path down to the river. The sound of water flowing at night. SO MUCH FIREWOOD. I had three bundles of wood I had bought and literally didn't have to use a single log of my own- there's so much wood around that burns amazingly. I had the best fire of my entire road trip so far there and didn't even have to use my own wood. Each site has a firepit and picnic table. Some sites have bear boxes. The main loop has about six sites that are more exposed and on top of each other, but sites 11 and 12 are heaven. If you have horses, definitely go for site 11 or 12. There's one vault toilet. No frills. Only $10 and you are located directly between the parks. It was a great landing spot as I transitioned from the tetons to Yellowstone. Neighbors were all extremely friendly.
Cons:
- road in is very short and relatively safe, but there is one river crossing that if there was a heavy rain or snowmelt, I am not sure how passable it would be. I crossed in my subaru outback without issue but was slightly nervous and had to take it slow.
- my neighbors told me that people tend to arrive later in the day and kind of push it when it comes to the ethics and boundaries of camping. I had set up camp (tent, chair, etc) around 11am and then headed into Yellowstone. When I returned back around 7pm, my neighbors told me they had to tell multiple people not to try and camp in my spot, even though my stuff was clearly visible and my name was marked on the signpost. They had a similar issue with a campervan literally pulling up between their RV and their Horse trailer and try to park and camp there late at night. They had to put up a rope blocking off the entry to their site due to this. They had been camping there for 30 years and explained that the sites further back (11, 12) are relatively new, but since there are such few sites and they often serve as overflow for people who couldn't get a spot in the parks, people try and park and camp where they shouldn't.