Buffalo Bill State Park – Two Campgrounds To Choose From

We fell in love with Wyoming and ended up spending the bulk of our month in the Cody area. Buffalo Bill State Park has 2 campgrounds to choose from, and we stayed in both!

If you have followed us on social media for a while, you may have seen our reel in the summer of 2024 where we accidentally booked dry camping spots because we were focused on the view–this was the place!

There are two campgrounds to choose from–North Fork (the larger) and Lake Shore (the smaller). Both have amazing views and give you amazing views of mountains on both sides. North Fork is along the Shoshone River, and Lake Shore is along the reservoir and has the boat launch. The site sizes vary, but they parallel park the road and have nice gravel patio areas. Many sites are big-rig friendly, but some are not, so be sure to check carefully when you make your reservation.

At both locations you’ll find grills and picnic tables, as well as vault toilet bathrooms. There is also tent camping and dump stations at both campgrounds. Some of the sites have electric and/or water hookups, but not all, so check carefully! We did have clear skies for solar panels, so only needed our generator on when it was overcast a few days, or when it got hot and we needed the AC for a couple of hours. Note that it is higher elevation here, so be sure you have a proper sized fuel nozzle for your generator. We did not and ended up having to pick one up from one of the shops in town.

Lake Shore has 3 smaller loops, and a double dump station and water spot. North Fork also has a double dump station, has two loops to choose from, and this is also where you’ll find the showers. The campgrounds are about a 10 minute drive apart, so if you need to use their showers, be prepared to drive.

These campgrounds are open May through September and are not available year round. You can make reservations through their website, or call them. We called and it helped us figure out that getting an annual state park pass would save us quite a bit since we wouldn’t have to pay day use fees for each night of camping, along with camping fees since we were staying for 10+ nights. We ended up extending our stay, and then coming back between other trips, so it definitely worked out in our favor.

This park is located a short drive from Cody, and is only about an hour out of East Yellowstone. It is right on the reservoir and a short distance from the dam, a free attraction to visit and learn history about the area, and if you time it right, enjoy a hike along the old road behind the dam center and parking area. Cody has much to offer, whether you are looking for touristy things to do, restaurants and stores. The local Wal-Mart stays pretty busy with RVers–some days we drove past and it looked like an RV park with so many people there, and with full outside set ups (side note: don’t do that!).

This is dark sky area, so we were treated to some beautiful starry nights, a brilliant full moon, views of the Milky Way, and even some Northern Lights! If you are a geocacher, there is a loop road to the other side of the reservoir with several geocaches to find, and a great way to spend an afternoon seeing a quieter side of the town, and wildlife.

Whether you are passing through the area heading for Yellowstone and Teton, or this area is your destination, you will enjoy a visit to either of these state park campgrounds!

Be sure to check out the Travel Map on our home page for other campground and attraction reviews! You can also find FREE resources on the Printables page, or order your copy of Our Travel Planner to have all the resources conveniently at your fingertips!