We’ve taken our Airstream travel trailer to 49 states, camping in a wide variety of locations. We are often asked the question: “What’s your favorite place to RV camp?”
Good question! Today I’m going to give you a specific answer. I’ll tell you our favorite campground, and explain why it’s our favorite.
LOCATION
Sunset in our favorite campground. Ah, life is good.
Our favorite place is located in the Western United States, in a popular national park. As you might expect, it’s located in a rural area. However, there’s a delightful small town mere minutes away. The campground elevation is rather high at 6237 feet above sea level.
AVAILABILITY
We’ve never had any problem getting a campsite in this campground. Sites are available on a first come, first served basis. Often we just grab an available spot first and then complete our paperwork at the front office. It’s a large campground with some 350 campsites. Even during the busy summer season, we’ve always been able to find a spot.
CAMPSITES
The stars at night are big and bright (and no, we're not deep in the heart of Texas)...
Although it’s an older campground, the sites are large enough to accommodate our rig. I can’t vouch for huge motorhomes, though they seem to get along just fine. There’s a healthy amount of space between campsites. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. One side of the campground offers partial mountain views, while the opposite side is an easy walk to the nearby river.
WEATHER
We visit this place in the summertime, when the weather is mild. During this time of year, we’re guaranteed warm sunny days and pleasant cool nights. Humidity is very low. We love this place because it offers a wonderful respite from the thick summer heat that blankets most of the country.
Once autumn arrives, the weather turns dramatically. The campground closes for the season in late September, when (believe it or not) it has been known to snow. It’s impossible to RV camp here in the winter due to the extreme conditions.
LANDSCAPE
This hike is just minutes away...
This place features one of the most spectacular landscapes in North America. It’s dominated by one of the world’s most iconic mountain ranges. The mountains are surrounded by a variety of beautiful lakes and rolling hills, all of which contain fantastic hiking trails to explore. The air is always clean and crisp.
On a clear night, the canopy of stars hanging overhead is simply staggering. Just up the road a few miles from this place is a sister park that contains some of the world’s most spectacular geothermal features, along with stunning mountain, canyon, river and lake views. Together there are enough hiking trails in this region to keep one busy for a lifetime.
WILDLIFE
Wildlife? You betcha.
This place is teeming with wildlife, including moose, antelope, deer, bison, wolf, and bear (of both black and grizzly varieties). People travel from around the world to this area for the wildlife viewing alone. If you enjoy viewing and photographing wild animals, this location promises some of the most memorable encounters you will ever enjoy. We’ve had moose stroll right through our campsite on more than one occasion.
FOOD & CULTURE
In town you can get upscale burgers made from free range cattle that were regularly massaged, exfoliated, and pampered with brown sugar scrubs. Snooty and pretentious, but absurdly delicious.
If you like Western culture you’ll love this place. The nearby small town boasts a wide variety of dining opportunities, ranging from good old fashioned hamburgers to upscale fine dining that’s worthy of any major metropolitan area. If you just want to wet your whistle at a local watering hole, there’s no shortage. Some of ’em even include saddles at the bar. Many feature live music.
The town is home to many enjoyable live events and festivals, from fun runs to art shows. There are a couple of nice grocery stores. There’s even an excellent public library where those so inclined can get some work done.
COST
Expensive? Nope. This place is one of the most affordable campgrounds we’ve found. During our most recent stay we were paying about $20 a night. Sure, it costs more than boondocking, but as campgrounds go it’s quite reasonable. Alas, the camping price is low for a reason – which I will address in the “Negatives” portion of this article.
NEGATIVES
We're dry camping here. Ration your water, folks!
No place on planet Earth is perfect. Even in this place, our own Shangri-La, there are a few negatives for RV campers.
The primary negative is that this campground only offers no hookup camping. There are no electrical, water, or sewer connections available for RV hookups. So it’s kind of like boondocking in a campground. With regard to facilities, there is a dump station, and there are a couple of water spigots for fresh water. There are public bathrooms, but they lack showers.
When we stay at this place, water management is even more critical than usual. We’ve been known to stretch our modest 54-gallon freshwater tank out for 9 straight days of camping. (We have learned many techniques to conserve water, but those will be the subject of a different post.)
We use our generator for electricity (between the hours of 8AM and 8PM), but the high altitude makes for thinner air – so our generator doesn’t deliver quite as much juice. Thankfully, we rarely need air-conditioning in this relatively cool climate.
What about cellular coverage? It’s spotty and inconsistent, which is either a plus or a minus depending on your point of view.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that you can’t stay at this campground all season on an uninterrupted basis. There’s a 14-day cap on time allowed at the campground.
THE PLACE… REVEALED!
Have you guessed our favorite campground? Most of those who follow our website probably knew it right off the bat.
The place I’ve been describing is (wait for it) Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton National Park.
The campground next opens on Friday May 2, 2014. It closes on Friday October 3. See you there!
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