THE MANY TYPES OF CAMPING

People use the term “camping” loosely. It can range from living in an RV complete with a shower and toilet to setting up a tent after carrying all of your gear 15 miles to the middle of nowhere. Here’s a breakdown of different camping options available around Jackson Hole.

COMMERCIAL RV PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS offer the most developed camping options and typically include amenities such as showers, hookups, laundromats, and picnic tables.

Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest maintain DEVELOPED CAMPGROUNDS for RVs, vans, and tent campers. The amenities offered vary by campground and can range from hookups, bathrooms with flush toilets and running water, and dump stations to pit toilets and picnic tables.

In response to crowding at its dispersed-camping sites and campers creating new sites by parking on any flat area they could find (and disturbing the land), the BTNF took the step of DESIGNATING

CAMPSITES WITHIN DISPERSED-CAMPING AREAS. At these sites, which are free and first-come, first-served, you can pitch a tent next to your car or sleep in your van, camper, or RV (if your vehicle can handle the road). These sites do not have any facilities beyond the occasional fire ring. Find this type of campsite at Shadow Mountain, Curtis Canyon, Toppings Lake and Spread Creek, and Pacific Creek.

In response to increasing demand, the BTNF has opened two

UNDEVELOPED CAMPGROUNDS—Moran Vista and Blackrock Meadows—that offer space for large recreational vehicles and porta potties for a nominal $10 fee.

In many parts of the national forests around Jackson, campers may use pullouts along forest roads to camp freely. While these DISPERSED FRONTCOUNTRY CAMPING sites are not formally designated, campers are requested to use hardened, previously used areas rather than creating new sites by driving into pristine areas. Such camping does not include any amenities, so campers must be self-sufficient and abide by forest regulations such as fire bans.

In Grand Teton National Park, backpackers must camp in

DESIGNATED BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES. Reservations can be made in advance through recreation.gov ($45 nonrefundable processing fee). In addition, two-thirds of each camping zone in the park is saved for first-come, first-served permits, which are available for $35 at one of the park visitor centers.

In the national forests around Jackson, DISPERSED BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING is allowed. This includes wilderness camping in the Wind River Mountains, the Absarokas, and the Gros Ventres. Some regulations—distance from water and trails, fire bans, etc.—may apply, so check into regulations before you hit the trail.