Camping

Where to Camp in Grand Teton

Because Grand Teton is so much smaller than its counterpart to the north, distances between campgrounds are reduced substantially. As a consequence, selecting a site in one of the five National Park Service campgrounds within the park becomes a matter of preference (rather than geography) and availability. There are five campgrounds in Grand Teton: the Grand Teton Lodge Company operates Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, and Colter Bay; Signal Mountain Lodge runs Signal Mountain and Lizard Creek. Two other campgrounds, the Colter Bay Trailer Village and the Flagg Ranch campground, are operated by park concessionaires and are the only campgrounds with RV hookups (Flagg Ranch has sites suitable for RVs as well as tents, while the Colter Bay Trailer Village is for RVs only). The only sites in the park where RVs are not allowed are those at Jenny Lake, which has a tent-only campground.

Getting a Campsite -- Campgrounds operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but reservations are available to groups of 10 or more from the Grand Teton Lodge Company, P.O. Box 250, Moran, WY 83013 (tel. 800/628-9988 or 307/543-2811; www.gtlc.com). You can get recorded information on site availability by calling tel. 307/739-3603. You may also make reservations for trailer sites at Colter Bay campground by contacting the Grand Teton Lodge Co. Additionally, Grand Teton Campground is a concessionaire-operated campground located in the Flagg Ranch complex on the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. The area has 97 sites with utility hookups, 74 tent sites, showers, and a launderette. For reservations, contact Flagg Ranch, P.O. Box 187, Moran, WY 83013 (tel. 800/443-2311; www.flaggranch.com).

The Campgrounds -- Note that where campgrounds accommodate RVs, they are not given a separate section away from tent campers.

All the park-run campgrounds but Jenny Lake can accommodate tents, RVs, and trailers, but there are no utility hookups at any of them. Jenny Lake Campground, a tents-only area, is situated in a quiet, wooded area near the lake. You have to be here first thing in the morning to get a site.

The largest campground, Gros Ventre, is the last to fill, if it fills at all -- probably because it's located on the east side of the park, a few miles from Kelly on the Gros Ventre River Road. If you arrive late in the day and you have no place to stay, go here first.

Signal Mountain Campground, with views of the lake and access to the beach, is another popular spot that fills first thing in the morning. It overlooks Jackson Lake and Mount Moran, as well as a pleasant picnic area and boat launch. There are a store and a service station nearby.

Colter Bay Campground and Trailer Village has access to the lake but is far enough from the hubbub of the village to offer a modicum of solitude; spaces are usually gone by noon.

Lizard Creek Campground, at the north end of Grand Teton National Park near Jackson Lake, offers an aesthetically pleasing wooded area near the lake with views of the Tetons, bird-watching, and fishing (and mosquitoes -- bring your repellent). It's only 8 miles from facilities at Colter Bay, and its sites fill by 2pm.

Where to Camp near Grand Teton

There are several places to park the RV or pitch a tent around Jackson Hole, and a few of them are reasonably priced and not too far away from the park. Most charge around $40 per night, although prices seem to change at the drop of a hat, just like local motel prices. Your best bets are outside of the city limits, away from the crowds and the constant buzz of traffic.