GROS VENTRE CAMPGROUND, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

Our Opinion: Recommend.  No hookups, just a pretty campground in a gorgeous national park.

Date of Stay: September 16 through 21, 2010.  This is our second stay - the first was in June of 2004 and nothing appears to have changed.

Weather During Stay:  Mild fall weather: mostly sunny days in the 70’s and cool nights.  

Site Description:  Located at the south end of Grand Teton National Park, Gros Ventre Campground has over 300 sites, arranged in seven loops and along the “main road” that ties the loops together.  Just one of the loops has utilities, and it houses national park employees and volunteers – no campers. 

None of the remaining 6 loops have utilities, and three of the loops do not allow generators.  At the time of this visit, generator use was allowed in loops A, C, and D, and in sites along the main road linking the loops. 

Each loop has two bathrooms with flush toilets (no showers), a water faucet, and a bear-proof trash container.  A dump station is located at the park entrance/exit, with potable water.

Loop roads are narrow and paved.  Sites are mostly level and graveled, all back-ins of varying sizes.  Many small sites, many medium sites, and far fewer sites for big rigs.  VERY few sites to accommodate rigs over 40 feet.  All sites have a heavy picnic table and a fire ring, and spaces are backed by cement and log barricades.  To allow our rear end to hang over the barricade (so our front end was off the road), we set the jacks manually WITHOUT dumping the air suspension.  It was obvious many diesel motor homes had taken the same precaution to avoid fiberglass damage on the barricade.

Rate: $20/night, $10/night with a Golden Age pass.  No reservations; all sites are first come, first served.  This is one of the last campgrounds in the park to fill, and frequently doesn’t fill.

Phone/radio/TV:  Verizon phones and aircard worked without a booster or amplifier.  Our satellite TV dish was able to find a signal through the trees.  We didn’t bother trying the air antenna.  Local NPR on 90.3.

Elevation/landscape/terrain: Located around 6,500 ft., this flat campground is a very short walk from the Gros Ventre River.  Very tall deciduous trees throughout the campground provide shade and obstacles for satellite dishes.  Views are of you neighbors, the tall trees, distant hills, and the occasional moose.

Lighting/noise:  VERY dark and quiet at night!  Each bathroom is lit by inside lights and a few dim outdoor lights, so not a problem.

Favorite Sites:  We were in site 147, barely long enough for us.  No real favorites here, though we preferred Loop C.  Loops A, which seems to have most of the longer sites, is very open with little privacy or shade.  Most of the rigs there were big.  Loop B didn’t allow generators, so that was not a choice for us.  Loop C has trees, but is not too heavily forested, while Loop D was quite shady.  If you are in a big rig, your choices will be somewhat limited.

Hiking/Walking:  Plenty of exercise walking the loops of the campground and exploring the river, but the park is loaded with good hikes, most within no more than a 30 minute drive.

Comments:  Stop at the office to register when you enter.  If you have a specific site in mind, they know whether it is open or not.  Otherwise, you will be assigned a site based on the size of your rig and any special requests.  Pay, and proceed to your site.  There is plenty of space to hook or unhook a towed in the amphitheatre parking area just off the main road - a good idea since the campground roads have NO place to do so.