Jackson Hole help

Danne · 08-14-2020, 08:28 PM

We have reservations already set in Yellowstone for 9/10 - 9/14. We are picking up my daughter at Jackson airport on 9/8, so we are hoping to explore JH for 2 days before heading into Yellowstone.

SO MANY of the JH parks are 'first come first served', which seems silly to me.

Any suggestions on places to stay (boondocking, public, rivate, anything)?

Any suggestions on how to successfully play the first come first served game?

Thanks!

Goodspike · 08-15-2020, 10:16 AM

I can't help you, but I would advise against going up/down Teton Pass (31) which is to the west of there, unless your vehicle can handle some nasty grades. There's a route to the south that isn't as bad, but not as direct. My wife will kill me if I ever take her through there again.

hank857 · 08-15-2020, 10:27 AM

used to be a KOA there but last time thru it was not a KOA. They were very good at taking care of folks and helpful. They were/are a rafting business also. Was on SW side of town as you go in. Look for an old lodge looking building (log sides).

Are you planning on hiking etc in yellowstone? If not this would be a good place to daytrip from, particularly for Grand Teton park. The nat'l elk refuge is located in Jackson and the visitor center is great. The airport if I remember right is about 1/2 way to tetons turn off.

**creativepart** · 08-15-2020, 11:56 AM

Land in and around Jackson is hugely expensive - which makes it difficult to operate a RV Park in the area.

There are of course campgrounds in the National Park - not all are First Come.

Colter Bay is reservable and some of the Headwaters Campground is reservable as well.

The Gros Ventre Campground is first come but fills up slower than others. (by the way, it's pronounced Grow Vah-nt)

There are a number of National Forest CG around the area - most south of Town.

Granite Creek Campground
Hoback Campground

In Star Vally, WY which is south of Jackson there is a reservaable NFS campground that takes reservations from www.recreation.gov the Alpine North Loop Campground. There are sites available right now, I just checked.

It's near the Town of Alpine, WY which is 35 miles south of Jackson. Though they close on the 14th of Sept. So, you'd just make it.

Here's a link: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232210

It's in a loverly area. On a big reservoir and near the town of Alpine which is tiny but nice. The area around there is fantastic.

I realize it's a long way away from Jackson, but at least it's reservatble.

k9jkfham · 08-15-2020, 11:58 AM

In Jackson The have the Virginian RV Park. It is a Good Sam Park, South of Jackson is the Jackson/Snake River KOA. It is only rated with 2 stars.
2 years ago we stayed in Alpine, WY that is south of Jackson and drove each day to the Tetons and Jackson area. We saved a lot on the camp site cost at Grey's River Cove RV park in Alpine. Nothing fancy but nice, clean and with full hook ups for less than 1/2 the cost of the Jackson area RV parks.

al1florida · 08-17-2020, 05:14 AM

Plan on arriving 2 or more days before your daughter arrives and go to Gros Ventre Campground. There are always open campsites that don't fill until later in the day.
Plan on arriving about 11am. Checkout time is 11am so all empty sites should be available.
The registration booth staff will insist on assigning you a campsite, so just accept that site. Drop off your RV in that site and then look around to see if there is an open site you like better. If there is go back to registration booth and ask to change sites.
If you want a view of the mountains, try to get a site in the "A" loop. And/or on the morning after you arrive, go to the "A" loop and see if someone is leaving and try to take their site. BTW the registration booth is very strict about not assigning empty sites until the person leaving actually brings the registration tag to the booth or drops it off in the box as they leave.
There is one loop in the trees that has elect hookups. It is usually full, but there is a wait list for future days, so ask at the registration booth what you need to do to get an elect site.
One other note, Gros Ventre is the most convenient CG to the sights in the park.
If you like to hike anywhere from 2 to 6 miles, round trip, on a trail that is not very steep, take the Inspiration Point/Cascade Canyon trail. Take the shuttle boat across Jenny lake. Other wise add about 4 miles RT to the hike.

In both Grand Teton and Yellowstone, bite the bullet and plan the start of your day to be at whatever walk or hike you are going to take about 15 minutes before sunrise or at about sunrise. If you wait until 9am or later you will be fighting the hordes of other people wanting go the same place. Trails are wonderful when you are just about the only people on the trail.

In Yellowstone, be sure to do more than just a quick stop at Old Faithful to view geysers. Plan for a 2 to 4 hour visit to the geyser basin. There are several geysers that erupt on a predictable basis (plus or minus 45 minutes) that you can view from 50-100 feet away. There is an app for your phone that shows the eruption times. Old Faithful is about 200 yards away from the viewing area, so you just get to see a column of water and steam going up in the distance. Also you are crowded in with 50 to hundreds of other folks.

Danne · 08-18-2020, 08:45 PM

Wow - thank you everyone for the great info! Looking forward to an awesome time in JH and then a few more days in Yellowstone. Thx!

Journey cat · 08-18-2020, 10:00 PM

And don't miss the evening shoot out

Goodspike · 08-19-2020, 09:04 AM

Since you're going to Yellowstone, one more thing. When I was there 3-4 years ago they were doing road construction, so two things that were ordinarily 5 miles apart would require going around the entire park. Given that we stayed in two different parks. One of them had no cell phone coverage, but I don't remember which one (I think it was northeast of the other), so look into that before making reservations.

**creativepart** · 08-19-2020, 11:10 AM

Here's some local knowledge that will add to your JH Visit.

There is a road, Moose Wilson Rd. It runs from Hwy 22 near Wilson to the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. BUt, after you pass the Ski Resort it runs all the way to the main entrance of the Teton National Park. Much of the way it follows the Snake River. it goes through the woods and is a slow driving small road.

When we lived in Jackson (by the way, the town is Jackson, the Ski Resort is Jackson Hole and it's become a marketing name for the area). This back road is part paved and part well maintained dirt road. It's not an RV road, but you don't need 4-wheel drive or anything special.

This is a great drive and if you go in the evening you'll see tons of wildlife. Moose especially. Early mornings are great too. It's not unusual to see bears, too. But during the day you may not see much. The wildlife is seen at the River in the mornings and evenings (and at night, too).

As you get to the main National Park Entrance you will be near the "town" of Moose. There are a number of small businesses there - but a special place is Dornan's restaurant and Wine Shop.

It's an old log building. With windows and a patio centered on the Tetons. Wow, what a view. The food is good. The bar is a fun place and the Wine shop is out of this world. Mr. Dornan traveled the world and bought great wines, especially French wines, and brought back cases to store in the cellar. Then he brings them out after the wines he bought cheap are ready to be sold as great wines. It's a real treat.

Even as locals, we'd drive the Moose Wilson Road out to the park and go to dinner at Dornans to watch the Sunset. It's so fun. Highly recommended.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...k_Wyoming.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-zH6DGOkIQ

Here's inside Dornan's Pizza and Pasta Bar/Restaurant:

hank857 · 08-19-2020, 12:52 PM

what size are the 'mouse' you found so enjoyable? Are they anything like the JACKALOPES found here and in Texas?

wyocamper · 08-19-2020, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

Here's some local knowledge that will add to your JH Visit.

There is a road, Moose Wilson Rd......It's not an RV road, but you don't need 4-wheel drive or anything special.

Important to note that not only is it not an RV road, but RVs are explicitly barred from entering. I learned this the hard way earlier this month, unfortunately. There is a sign on Hwy 22 before the turnoff, but I assumed it was referring to Teton Pass. If there were other signs along the way I just flat missed them. All I was trying to do was bypass downtown Jackson, didn't work out so well, but at least the scenery was nice.

Goodspike · 08-20-2020, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyocamper

Important to note that not only is it not an RV road, but RVs are explicitly barred from entering.

That's one of the advantages of a travel trailer over a motorhome. Something I discovered 4-5 years ago when we went to Yellowstone. Not to mention parking at the various sites is a bit easier too.

**creativepart** · 08-20-2020, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodspike

That's one of the advantages of a travel trailer over a motorhome. Something I discovered 4-5 years ago when we went to Yellowstone. Not to mention parking at the various sites is a bit easier too.

You'd never take a travel trailer down Moose Wilson Rd. either.

I really loved my travel trailers (all 3 of them) especially when we were living in Jackson, WY with out of this world camping in every direction. but the advantages of the motorhome far outweigh the travel trailer routine.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it Goodspike.

Goodspike · 08-20-2020, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it Goodspike.

I've rented a few, and agree there are advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Besides this road issue (which could be resolved with a tow vehicle) another is if you break down, your living space is going to the mechanic, which can be problematic if you have pets.

My parents used to have motorhomes too. One thing they did was switch drivers without stopping. Probably not the safest practice!

**creativepart** · 08-20-2020, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodspike

Besides this road issue (which could be resolved with a tow vehicle) another is if you break down, your living space is going to the mechanic, which can be problematic if you have pets.

All motorhome issues mentioned are answered with a car in tow. Which you probably didn't have with a rental. And, these are the reasons most MH owners bring a Toad with them.

But, to each his own poison.

Goodspike · 08-20-2020, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

All motorhome issues mentioned are answered with a car in tow. .

Not the having your home in a shop issue. With a trailer you'd need to have a bearing or axle issue for that to be an issue.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. I don't claim one is better than the other, or the right answer for everyone.

But I'll raise another advantage of a trailer. If you have a motorhome then the issue of engines sitting comes up, and if diesel things like DEF getting old. That means you're more likely to run into powertrain problems on the road than with a vehicle you use for other purposes. Anytime you have a problem with that powertrain it will almost certainly be when you're travelling and needing to get somewhere.

wyocamper · 08-20-2020, 06:59 PM

We were towing a car, but our route took us to Moose and then through GTNP, so I thought I could bypass downtown Jackson by taking the Moose-Wilson road. DOH! No big deal, there's a turn around spot right at the gate, it just added some time to our drive and we had to drive through Jackson anyway. And I missed the turn for the truck route, so it sucked even more lol.

I spent two college summers living and working in Jackson. Kept a canoe on the roof of my car and drove up to Jenny almost every morning, paddled across the lake and fished by the inlet while keeping an eye on the moose, then paddled back just as the motor of the tour boat was firing up. Load the canoe and back to town in time to be at work at 9am. That was in 1982 and 3, wish I was still living that life now.

JoeC · 08-23-2020, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyocamper

Important to note that not only is it not an RV road, but RVs are explicitly barred from entering. I learned this the hard way earlier this month, unfortunately. There is a sign on Hwy 22 before the turnoff, but I assumed it was referring to Teton Pass. If there were other signs along the way I just flat missed them. All I was trying to do was bypass downtown Jackson, didn't work out so well, but at least the scenery was nice.

And I thought that I was the only one who tried that. I feel better now. :-)

Accipiter · 08-23-2020, 04:57 PM

There are a few RV sites at Kudar Log Cabins right in JH and walking distance around town. They were full when we went in June. We did find FS Hatchet campground just west of Moran WY but they only have 12 sites with one pull through. But they have a very large overflow lot that can hold a bunch of RV's. There is water in the campground you can haul if you need to. If you want there is boon docking up the FS road too but the size of your rig maybe an issue, so I would check it out before you go up. We did see some large rigs and Class C's up there while we explored the area.