2016 a parasitic amoeba was found in Kelly Warm Springs and Huckleberry and Polecat Springs in Grand Teton National Park. Dubbed the “brain-eating bacteria,” the amoeba can enter the body through nasal cavities and cause fatal meningitis-like symptoms. The park has closed all springs to the public.
See page 49 for the full list of our favorite Greater Yellowstone hot springs where soaking is allowed.
Free Wi-Fi is available in Yellowstone at Mammoth’s Albright Visitor Center and in Grand Teton at Craig Thomas Visitor Center in Moose, Colter Bay Village, Signal Mountain gas station, Jenny Lake Lodge, and Jackson Lake Lodge. Paid Wi-Fi is available ($5 per hour) at several of Yellowstone’s lodges, including the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Lake Hotel, Grant Village lodges, and Canyon bar.
Park Entrance Fees
The park entrance fee ($30 per car, $25 per motorcycle/snowmobile, $15 per hiker or bicyclist) is valid for seven days’ admission to either Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park. A seven-day pass to both parks is also available ($50 per car, $40 per motorcycle, $20 per hiker or bicyclist). The annual National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass ($80, $10 for US citizens ages 62 and older, free with proof of permanent disability) grants entrance to federal recreation sites for one year from the date of purchase. Yearlong, park-specific passes ($60) allow entrance to a single park, so you are better off with a federal pass if visiting both parks.
Camping
Myriad camping opportunities exist throughout the Greater Yellowstone region. The challenge can be securing a spot, as the most popular campgrounds fill to capacity early in the day during the summer, especially on weekends. Where available, reservations are strongly advised between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
In Yellowstone, the National Park Service runs seven first-come, first-served campgrounds ($15–$20 per night). Call 307-344-2114 for details. The concessionaire Xanterra manages four reservable campgrounds ($23.50–$28 plus tax per night) and the Fishing Bridge RV Park ($50 plus tax), which can be booked online. Call 307-344-7311 or visit yellowstonenationalparklodges.com for details. With the exception of Slough Creek, all campgrounds have a few first-come, first-served hiker/biker sites ($4), which camp hosts might offer to car campers late in the day. The National Park Service sites are much smaller and less developed, most with basic vault toilets and prohibitions against generators. The more developed sites allow generators and have flush toilets, dump stations, and showers and laundry nearby. Campgrounds at Canyon and Grant Villages include two hot showers in their site fees. There is a 14-day limit on camping June 15–September 15 everywhere except Fishing Bridge, and a 30-day limit the rest of the year.
In Grand Teton, there are five first-come, first-served frontcountry campgrounds ($24–$25 per night) with hiker/biker sites ($10–$11 per night). There are also concessionaire-operated “trailer villages” (reservable RV parks with showers, laundry, and full hookups) at Colter Bay Village and at Flagg Ranch, between Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Download the Backcountry Trip Planner at tinyurl.com/yellowstonebackcountry for details on current reservation procedures.
Beyond these two parks, plenty of private campgrounds afford ample opportunity for primitive and dispersed camping in the nearby national forests and wilderness areas.
Signs at the entrances to both parks will tell you which campgrounds have spaces. Check nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm for live information on which campgrounds are open and at what time they filled, and plan your arrival accordingly. For Grand Teton campground status, visit gtlc.com/camping.
Backcountry Permits
Permits are required for all overnight stays in the backcountry of Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Backpackers can stay only in fixed campsites in the back-country. Fees are also charged for mandatory boating and fishing permits. Permits are not required for day hikes in either park.
In Yellowstone, advance reservations for the more than 300 backcountry campsites are accepted (for a $25 fee) only by mail or fax or in person, starting April 1. Fortunately, several backcountry sites in each area of the park are left open for in-person reservations, which can be made not more than 48 hours before the first date of the trip. For a full rundown of the extensive regulations, contact Yellowstone’s Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160 to request a free Backcountry Trip Planner, or download a copy at tinyurl.com/yellowstonebackcountry.
Family-Friendly Overnight Backpacking Favorites
Yellowstone has more easily accessible family-friendly backcountry overnight camping options, thanks to sheer size and topography, but Grand Teton has its fair share of alluring options—if you can score a reservation. Here are our personal favorites; advance reservations are highly recommended for all these sites.
Only 1.7 flat miles from the trailhead, campsite OD1 en route to Fairy Falls (Trail 28) is tucked away off the main trail in a mature stand of lodgepole pines that survived the 1988 fires. Drawbacks include no easy water access and little shade, but it’s only a mile from Fairy Falls, and you can even bicycle the first mile from the trailhead. Nearby site OD5 at Goose Lake is even more accessible as a disabled-access site. Rangers release the site to the able-bodied public after 4 p.m. on the day of use.
Just under 3 miles from the trailhead near Lone Star Geyser (Trail 29), campsite OA1 also includes the option to cycle the majority of the way to a pleasant overnight setting. To avoid the possibility of sharing the site with stock parties, you can head nearly 0.5 mile farther along the lovely Upper Firehole River to hiker-only campsite OA2.
If you’re really looking to escape the frontcountry hubbub and see what Yellowstone looked like before the 1988 fires, head for Cascade Corner and Bechler Meadows. Boy Scout troops have long recognized the beauty of the region, so you won’t be alone, but you will be surrounded by beautiful, lush country at hiker-only campsite 9B1, 3.4 flat miles from the trailhead. This route gets you into the heart of the wildlife-rich meadows while avoiding tricky stream crossings. If your family is up for a longer two-night loop, equally appealing campsite 9C1 is only 0.5 mile farther along.
In Grand Teton, a series of three campsites fronting the east shore of Leigh Lake (Trail 40) is about 3 flat miles in from the String Lake Picnic Area trailhead. Swimming is a joy after the water temperatures rise a bit in July, and boating is popular.
The Hermitage Point Loop (Trail 37) features Grand Teton’s next most accessible, low-elevation backcountry campsite. It’s 4.5 nearly flat miles from the trailhead in Colter Bay via the most direct route, or 4.9 miles via a more scenic route heading west along the lakeshore, for a total of 9.4 miles for the full loop. It can get windy, but the Teton views are fantastic. It’s technically a group site, but rangers at Colter Bay will book it for nongroups.
Unfortunately, the campsite fronting the north shore of Bradley Lake (Trail 35) is available only to backpackers doing multiday loop trips. Nearby, the rustic bunks at the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch (see page 276) could be a fun way to rough it without fully camping out.
Backcountry Use Permits are available at most ranger stations and dedicated backcountry offices. Permits cost $3 per person per
