This is our view from the Tetons Range Resort. Ever campsite has a beautiful view of the Tetons! If you are every in the area and need a campground, this is the one!!
Along the way I had discovered that there was a Costco in Pocatello, ID and so we stopped there and did some shopping and then I found something on sale I wanted to shop for at Target and discovered there was a store at Idaho Falls, so we stopped there as well. That turned it into a long day and we ended up getting into the Grand Tetons pretty late, so rather than bother Scott we stayed at a dispersed campsite in the Bridger-Teton National Forest just right next to the park.
If you are looking for dispersed camping with a view, it doesn’t get any better than waking up looking at the Grand Tetons!
Both Judy and I are so appreciative to Scott for his generosity. For the most part we’ve had this section of the campground all to ourselves and it has been wonderful!! I gotta admit, having running hot water and a shower only 3o feet away is a luxury I could get used to!! After we’d been here for a few days we decided to stay until after the Memorial Day Weekend so we could avoid the Holiday traffic on the roads. So we are staying here until Tuesday, May 27th then we’ll head north again.
Scott is a wonderful host and if you are ever in this area and need a campsite you can’t do better than this wonderful campground, Teton Range Resort! Here is the website for reservations:
http://yellowstonerv.com/reservations/
Or their phone number is either:
800-563-6469 or
307-733-1980
I’ve made several Photography trips into the GTNP this week and the next two posts will be photos from those trips. One of the main reasons to come here in the spring is because of all the wildlife that is in the Park this time of the year. The high country is still snowed in so they are all down in the valley eating the new spring plants after a long hard winter. I bet I’ve seen at least a hundred elk and buffalo so far and many antelope. But what’s really special about the spring is that the Grizzlies are out and hungry and you are almost guaranteed to see one this time of the year. Later, many of them will go up into the high country for solitude, but right now they are all over the Park. Here are some shots I took of a sow and her cubs. Stay tuned for the next posts with more pictures than you could ever want to see of GTNP!
Here’s mamma bear.
Here’s mom with her cubs.
I was shooting at the Moultan barn in the Park and there was a herd of buffalo there. This guy was giving me the evil eye the whole time and was walking towards me. I was actually a little scared and moved further away. Eventually he went back to grazing.
This is a map to dispersed camping extremely close to the Grand Tetons.
Wow, Bob, those close encounters with huge beasts and huge mountains are wonderful! ….As are your photographs. I can well imagine that, in-person, such sights would awaken the spirits of those, like me, too long limited to seeing landscapes no more majestic than plains and hills, and animals no more imposing than house cats and pet dogs.
Thanks for the tantalizing glimpses.
GrinningPanter, thanks for you kind words! I don’t think there is anything as life-changing as reconnecting to the Earth in every way you can. We were born and evolved in constant contact with it and without we become the neurotic, depressed horrid creatures modern man as a whole has become.
Bob
Thanks for the great pictures. The wildlife is what fascinates me, although I will include the caution about getting too close. Few are likely to approach mother grizzlies, but I doubt everyone realizes the hazards of bison.
Calvin, I’ve got to be honest and say there were Park Rangers on both ends of the road where the bear was directing traffic and controlling people. These things are so common that it’s just routine to the Rangers, “Oh well, another grizzly on the road.” They were very good at their job controlling the crowd and keeping traffic moving.
Bob
The “Evil Eye” is an interesting experience when you experience it first hand from a wild animal who is truly telling you to back off. Scary and exhilarating at the same time.
I was hiking in Glacier National Park with a bunch of Mountain Goats around. A child of about 6 wanted to pet one of the goats, so he walked toward it. At about 12 feet away, the goat gave him the Evil Eye. The child instinctively recognized it, and, surprisingly calm, walked back toward his dad. He was scared, though, as evidenced by the bear hug he put on his dad’s leg. I also felt that thrill of fear the instant the goat told the child to respect his boundaries. I also overheard a lady say, “He sure gave him the Evil Eye,” so it was obvious to many if not all of us there. A cool experience.
Canine, yes, wild creatures can be very expressive with their warnings! I gave that buffalo a wide berth!
Bob
I was very close to bison in Yellowstone 2 years ago.
I was on a motorcycle, so I did my best to stay clear.
I understand they harm more people per year than any other animal in the park.
That wouldn’t surprise me at all John! They are dangerous animals if approached too close.
Bob
Wow!
Rob, thanks!
Bob
Very cool!
Thanks Openspaceman!
Bob
Ohhhh, ahhhhh, great pictures, Bob! I’m jealous!! Never seen a grizzly before and yup, I’d keep my distance. Love the shot of the bison…I’ve never seen them before either. Looks like the one giving you the evil eye was the guardian of the group. I’m sure he could’ve charged at any moment so you were right to be a little scared. Can’t wait to see the rest of your pictures!
Thanks Peggy. Grand Tetons is famous for it’s wildlife and best in the spring. Maybe one of these days you can make it!
Bob
Thanks for the details on all of your dispersed camping spots! I’m saving them for future reference. I’m curious about the bad conditions on the road to this spot. Is it just rutted and muddy or are there other problems. From Google satellite view it looks like it’s a pretty good dirt road with no obstructions.
Thanks again. Love your photographs!
Karen, it was a good road right to the very end and then it got very deeply rutted. Remember it is still spring and the snow has just melted off. It may get better later in the summer with use.
I think your RV would make it to where we were, but not much further up the Forest Road.
Bob
Great shots! Have you thought about getting a zoom lens for your camera? I saw bison one winter when we rode snowmobiles through Yellowstone; they are impressive animals and I would not want to tangle with them.
Thnaks Debbie. Those shots were taken with a zoom lens.
Bob
nice wildlife photos! I haven’t come across grizzly or bison yet, it’s something I look forward to.
Count me among the “terrified” when driving down dirt roads, mainly due to inexperience and owning a low clearance, small city car carrying a very heavy tent up top. We also have logging trucks up here, who can run you down before you know what is happening. You don’t have that down there in the BLM lands, do you?
Are you down to one van yet? The pictures show 2 vans.
Ming, I’m not really a wildlife photgrapher but if given a chance I don’t turn it down!
I’m rarely in logging areas. I spend the summers in Nationall Forests with lots of trees, but most aren’t being logged.
We still have both vans but we’ve been living in Judys van for about two weeks. My van is just dead weight. We are dropping it off tomorrow and will be down to one.
Bob
ah, that explains the photos.
Wow! Gorgeous photos, Bob! What a magical place and great looking dispersed camping site.
You don’t seem at all concerned about the bears breaking in, or did Scott ask you to use bear boxes while there?
Perhaps they’re not as interested in our food as much as the rangers here scare us to think??? I reckon I can relax more in bear country than I thought. Heck! I bet bears only break into vehicles of people that come to destroy their environment! That’s it! Yeah, I know I must seem OCD with this issue. I just like to be prepared and I’m still researching the bear issue as a full timer.
Gloria, I don’t think bears are an issue here in the RV Park. No, I don’t consider bears to be much of a threat to me. Just take all the normal and reasonable precautions and you should be okay.
I do carry bear spray in the van and when I hike.
Bob
The Grand Tetons were the first mountain rang I ever saw in person when my mom and 13yo me took a two-week camping trip, sleeping in the back of her Valiant station wagon, from Minnesota to Yellowstone. I was hooked for life! That trip was the main inspiration and motivation for me to become a vandweller, 54 years later. Can’t wait to get back there!
You aren’t that far away LaVonne! It’s calling your name, I can hear it! There is lots of dispersd camping around jackson, but the traffic will become a nightmare later in the summer. We’re camping in Montana now, lots of great camping in beautiful mountains!
Bob
*range
I hope you didn’t get stuck in creeping bumper-to-bumper traffic on US89/191/25 like I did the last time I was there. Maybe it was early enough in the season.
No, Al, hardly any traffic now, even over Memorial Day. In most ways it is the perfect time to visit.
Bob
I really enjoy these photos and articles. Usually if you respect the animals they will respect you. I give them a wide berth at all times. I get the urge to roam, but mostly within the state of Arizona, but I do go to new mexico and texas occasionally.
Agreed, Douglas. There is very little real danger from wild animals. The worst places are the National Parks where they don’t hunt and they lose their fear of man.
Bob
Thanks for the post. Loved the pictures.
Thanks Dan!
Bob
Tom Lennon / The argument that Jackson is more than a toiurst destination presented here is weak. The activities mentioned are the same that draw toiursts. These toiursts then often decide to move there for those activities. For it to be more than a toiurst destination, it would need to have some other type of economic sector driving it. It does not.