Gros Ventre Campground – Grand Teton National Park

We had hopes of spending a lot of time in Grand Teton, and getting to boondock in some of the great spots available, but dreams and reality don’t always align, especially when our off the cuff travel style coincides with peak season and high wildfire activity during fire season. But since we travel with the mindset of leaving ourselves something to come back for, we know we will get to do those again!

We had some friends that traveled through Grand Teton a month or two ahead of us and suggested trying to get into Gros Ventre Campground (pronounced Gruh Vaunt if you want to sound like a local) and we lucked out, scoring 2 nights with electric hook ups. Since it was warm when we went, this worked out well to have AC for both the pup, and to avoid the wildfire smoke with my asthma. It wasn’t too bad the first couple days, but the day we checked out and were going to move to our boondocking spot, the smoke was so bad, we couldn’t see the mountain views we had been enjoying!

This campground was under construction improving the dump station, so there was a bit of traffic, especially since there aren’t many full hook up sites. Be prepared to be patient since you have to check in, then wait to dump and get water before going to your site. Likewise for checkout, if you’ll need to dump again. The check in process was pretty easy and the campground staff/hosts were friendly and welcoming.

The sites are all varying sizes, and you do choose when you book, so be sure to check Google maps, their website and even review sites like Campendium to make sure you fit in your site, if you are larger like us. We had no issues getting parked into our spot, and loved the spacious outdoor area and picnic table we had that had beautiful views and tree cover.

The bathrooms area a short walk in each loop, but keep in mind they don’t have showers. Some sites are non-electric, so if you are using solar, be mindful of trees, or have a portable panel or generator to recharge if you’re staying for a bit. All the sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and bear boxes, which is great for those tent or car camping! RV spot prices run $60-$80 a night, tent camping is $16 a night, but if you have a National Park Pass, don’t forget to get your discount when you book your reservation (do that through Reservation.gov, like any other national park campground).

There are trails and an amphitheater with Ranger talks to teach you about so many amazing things in this area. It is a short drive to many attractions, like Mormon Row, Jenny Lake, and downtown Jackson Hole, which should definitely be a stop on your visit!

They do stay booked up in the busy season, and are not open year round, so either book well in advance, or be flexible or prepared for a short stay or moving sites.

While we would love to stay at this campground again, we hope to snag boondocking spots at some of the great locations around the area. If you try those, scope them out first–we were going to go to Upper Teton View, but we just weren’t sure our big ole rig would make it up, so were going to stay at Lower Teton View, until we got smoked out.

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!