One question you never thought you’d have to answer to pitch your tent at Grand Teton National Park – “do you have a reservation?”
Starting Jan. 26 at 8 a.m., camping in Grand Teton will be by reservation only. Park officials announced that the days of the spontaneous camping trips will end, to provide a better visitor experience for all the park’s visitors.
This move was suggested by private concessionaires Grand Teton Lodge Company and Signal Mountain Lodge – which manage the campgrounds within Grand Teton – and approved by park administrators.
Moving forward, the first stop of any Grand Teton camping trip will be a visit to recreation.gov, either online or through their mobile app.
The reasons are simple and many:
- Predictability—Visitors will have the ability to plan in advance with confidence.
- Certainty—Visitors know they will have a place to camp when they arrive.
- Choices—Visitors will be able to see site-specific information and photos and can choose their preferred campsite.
- Convenience—Visitors will no longer need to call or drive around trying to figure out if there is availability at the various campgrounds.
- Improved park experience-Visitors will no longer need to arrive before dawn during busier periods or wait in line for hours.
- Decreased Congestion and Improved Safety—remove most congestion and traffic in campground areas which have, in the past, had a negative impact on park visitors. Reduced congestion will also allow for a safer experience.
Visitors will be able to reserve a spot at any of Grand Teton’s campsites – Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, and Lizard Creek – for any date between the campgrounds’ opening (which varies by site) and July 26. Reservations will be made available on a six-month rolling basis from there until the campgrounds’ closures (which also varies.)
Anyone wanting to stay at the Colter Bay Campground or RV Park go directly to the Grand Teton Lodge Company website. Reservations for Headwaters Campground are handled by the Flagg Ranch Company.
The reservation system will also apply for all advance backcountry reservations in Grand Teton.
Grand Teton officials know how popular these campgrounds are – it’s one of the reasons they are enthusiastic about a reservation system. Its recommended that if you want a camping spot, you plan accordingly as they are very likely to fill quickly.
While this is a bold and exciting move for Grand Teton National Park, it seems isolated for now. There’s no word on if Yellowstone National Park will adopt or is even considering a transition to a reservation system.
Enhancing and improving the visitor experience is one of the highest priorities of the national parks. Yellowstone will be implementing its own plans in Summer 2021 by experimenting with autonomous tour shuttles at Canyon Village and Old Faithful.
Grand Teton’s campground reservations will go live on recreation.gov on Jan. 26.
