Yellowstone and Tetons Camping suggestions

[Hulk]

Hi everyone,
My family will be taking our SMB, the "Hulk" out to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons area mid June. We have never been in that area. I'm looking for suggestions for camping and remote spots to get away from campgrounds. As I like to call "sneaky camping" SMB style. Any places or ides you can offer would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks,
Brett

[Jeffrey]

Good luck. There is virtually no dispersed camping in GTNP or Yellowstone NP. You'll have to research or bushwhack to find some in adjoining areas. I've camped along the Beartooth highway out of the Lamar Valley area of Yellowstone. Also found some places off the road to DuBois. Might find some along the road out of GTNP on the way to Kelly, or further up. I don't have much more experience there.

[GunniLuv]

Highly recommend Jenny Lake, in GTNP, just north of Jackson. No trailers or RVs at all allowed! You CAN DO camper vans. It’s first come, first served and fills by 11:00 in the summer. We’ve stayed there three separate times in our Eurovan. Beautiful setting. Lots of tents.

[AndrewInSeattle]

As Jeffrey said, dispersed camping inside the Parks is generally not feasible. Not only is it forbidden, it's strictly enforced. And the Parks campgrounds tend to be uncomfortably tight and crowded.

However, most tourists are so set on the Park they completely ignore the adjoining National Forests. When we drove through 3 years ago, we had much less trouble getting established campsites in Shoshone NF, and I expect dispersed camping wouldn't be too hard either. It really helps to be on an early schedule: getting good spots at 1 or 2pm is significantly easier than late afternoon.

FYI, mid-June might still be shoulder season at some elevations. Check road statuses vigilantly before setting out. It's usually worth calling up a ranger, too... the forest service websites are not exactly updated in real time, but a knowledgeable, helpful ranger (about half of them, in our experience) can make all the difference in finding recently opened areas or steering you clear of hazards and crowds.

[Hulk]

Thanks for all of the great info everyone.



I'm finding good options to SMB camp outside the N & NE entrances to Yellowstone. Eagle Creek/Jardine out the N entrance. Dirt roads out of Cooke City look good on Google Earth. I think we will just pop in and out of the NP each day for 5 days.



I reserved a camp in the GTNP area. At Gross Ventre and can explore from there as that's the start of our arrival in the area.



All campsites are booked in GTNP and Yellowstone as expected. I prefer out of campground live anyways. Just about all first come sites have been changed to reservations this year due to Covid. Except 11 sites at Pebble Creek in Yellowstone.



We will check roads, talk to rangers, locals and have an adventure for sure.

[Phish]

It’s been a few years since I have been down there but shadow mountain had plenty of spots to camp with awesome views of the Tetons and the snake river.

[Charliesmom]

The areas of Gallatin NF and Targhee NF north and west of West Yellowstone are also good options. I realize that maybe not on your planned agenda, but you might consider them since there is so much NF camping in those areas, as well. If you have dogs, remember that they are not allowed on hiking trails in the NP, but are able to be on trails in the surrounding NF. Get to the Park entrances early since there will be lines of vehicles waiting to get in. Be prepared for traffic jams due to buffalo, elk, moose, etc. Sit back and enjoy it. It’s all good.

[ConnieKat]

Hi,
There are some great Forest Service campgrounds on the way into Yellowstone from the East. One along the river is very nice and quite private as the spaces are well apart. There are some good ones along the NE route as well. We’ve camped in both areas several times. Sadly, We know very little about the South entrance or the West since we are coming in from Colorado. We found little or no camping until reaching the Tetons.There’s also a lovely mountain range to the east of the park ( about center of Wyoming) that
also has camping. It’s well worth seeing because it has the “ Medicine Wheel” included. It’s very, very old, but it’s also at
10,000 feet! The hike up isn’t long as you can drive to very close to the site. But the “ walking” stretch is pretty strenuous. The trail dips in the middle, so either going or coming, you end up having to hike uphill at each end! Amazing views from the top too!
Hope you have a great trip!
ConnieKat

[ConnieKat]

Hi,
We’ve camped inside the park and I wouldn’t recommend it.
A bit too noisy any busy for us...however, there are some very
nice Forest Service campgrounds to the East and Northeast
outside of the park. All we found to the South were near the Tetons and very expensive and crowded. The East entrance has some great ones along the river that are quiet, and at a good distance from others. NE, pretty much the same, but no river, plus it tends to have a lot of bears....and many incidents. So you need to be very careful.
Also to the East of the park is a lovely mountain range that
also has a good many campgrounds, mostly raw though. It’s well worth the trip just to see the very ancient “ Medicine Wheel” at the top. Some spectacular views, and you can get very close with car or RV. The rest is hiking, but is quite short, though strenuous in both directions since the trail “ dips” in the middle. We know nothing about the West side of Yellowstone so can’t advise you there, but hope you have a
great time!
ConnieKat

[KDB]

All kinds of wonderful off grid camping in the Gros Ventre wilderness just outside of Jackson. Higly recommended.