New to long term boondocking

[ktn1966]

If you are unable to find camping inside of the Park, there are plenty of forest lands in the vicinity of each park. Some have forest service campgrounds others are just spot in the forest you can camp. With that also do not give up on looking for a spot inside the National Parks. Many make reservations a year in advance and then cancel.

Several apps give you the information you need for camping, dump and fresh water. I use Allstays (paid version), Campendium, but most of all freecampsites.net. At Zion we boondocked near Laverkin. There are a ton more of Boondocking spots around most of the National Parks.

Best of luck and my only real suggestion is add more days to your trip.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by ktn1966

If you are unable to find camping inside of the Park, there are plenty of forest lands in the vicinity of each park. Some have forest service campgrounds others are just spot in the forest you can camp. With that also do not give up on looking for a spot inside the National Parks. Many make reservations a year in advance and then cancel.

… and by doing that you're preventing someone else from reserving that site during the year!

[RunningHard]

Perfect plan. We dry camped every trip last year. It’s easy to find water, and places to dump. We prefer dry camping over an RV park...

[ginar695]

Originally Posted by RunningHard

Perfect plan. We dry camped every trip last year. It’s easy to find water, and places to dump. We prefer dry camping over an RV park...

Thank you. After looking at the reservable RV parks, I'm sure we'll prefer the openness of dry camping! I've found a potential spot near each of the parks we plan to visit. The only one I'm leary of is Shadow Mountain near Jackson, WY just because our rig is 40 feet so I'm hoping we can find a spot lower in the Shadow Mountain area so we don't have to venture too far and run into problems with our rig.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by ginar695

The only one I'm leary of is Shadow Mountain near Jackson, WY just because our rig is 40 feet so I'm hoping we can find a spot lower in the Shadow Mountain area so we don't have to venture too far and run into problems with our rig.

Why not stay in the park at Gros Ventre campground. It's only about 8-10 miles to Jackson. There are 300+ non-reservable sites.

[ginar695]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Why not stay in the park at Gros Ventre campground. It's only about 8-10 miles to Jackson. There are 300+ non-reservable sites.

We looked at that campground but I wasn't too fond of some of the reviews. Some people said it was crowded with trailers on each side of you. I looked on Campendium and I think we're going to go with Upper Tetons camping area. It's free and looks like more of an open space which is what we're hoping for. But, if when we get there, it doesn't look like that will work out, we just might end up at Gros Ventre. Thank you for the tip though

[RunningHard]

Originally Posted by ginar695

Thank you. After looking at the reservable RV parks, I'm sure we'll prefer the openness of dry camping! I've found a potential spot near each of the parks we plan to visit. The only one I'm leary of is Shadow Mountain near Jackson, WY just because our rig is 40 feet so I'm hoping we can find a spot lower in the Shadow Mountain area so we don't have to venture too far and run into problems with our rig.

We have never had a problem finding a nice place to dry camp. I am talking West Coast, not East Coast. I can't imagine camping in a RV park, as we like the outdoors. If I wanted neighbors I would stay home. Most people feel the opposite, and thats what makes the world go round! We go to the Oregon coast a few times a year to ride sand toys with friends, been going for many years. I fill up my DP before camping as I will use about 1/4 tank of fuel in 10 days from my generator. Usually need to go to a dump station, and fill up with water every 7-10 days, depending on length of showers. Headed to Arkansas in April, for 3 weeks, then home for a week, then to Oregon beach for 3 weeks, I know we will have no issues finding places to stay that are nice and safe on the trip to Arkansas...I have more heartburn finding easy places to fuel up, than a place to sleep. Have a great trip and enjoy!

[twogypsies]

Your choice but we, also, love boondocking spots without neighbors and we don't find Gros Ventre to have crowded sites. Keep it in mind. It's so convenient for the park activities and for even going into Jackson to shop, fuel, etc. (Big fuel stations on the south side of town along with big groceries)

https://www.campsitephotos.com/campg...y/gros-ventre/

[UTTransplant]

The electrical sites at Gros Ventre are closer than I like. That is the reason we stay there in non-electric sites. Much roomier. Evaluate reviews by the type of site being used, and I would guess the ones complaining of crowding were in electric sites.

[profdan]

Gina --

This is my first post as a new member! Anyway, there is a lot of big-rig friendly boondocking near the Tetons -- there is an area near the Triangle X Ranch, off
Forest Road 30310. Great views, lots of room, lots of other folks boondocking, too. (Oh, well.)

You probably already know this, but you can find boondocking spots yourself by first downloading the MVUM maps from the national forest site. Then, look for areas on that map that show where boondocking is allowed.

Next, go to Google Earth and fly slowly along those roads, looking for visible pullouts. Time-consuming but fun! You can also go back in time and see shots from prior years, which often reveal RVs in the places you are looking at. Drop pins on the best looking sites -- note the coordinates and stash them in your GPS.

Once you get to the area, you will need to take a toad or a tow vehicle to scout the sites you have pinned to make sure they are suitable for your rig.

Good luck!

Dan

[USAMTBR]

To the OP, the biggest obstacles you have is adhering to a schedule and the size of your rig. Finding a location can be time consuming. A mountain bike is great for scouting locations. The NPs are crowded. I’ve done it, but dry camping in a NP or a close state park gives you quicker options. But I’m with my daughter, and she wants to do a big hike on the day of arrival. If you can find someone to give you local advice that can help much. The BLM rangers are typically extremely helpful.

[Reed Cundiff]

A mountain bike can be extremely useful for scouting. Have used mine in Yucatan and Yucatan: can we drive in
Can we turn around
Reed and Elaine