More campgrounds at Grand Teton National Park will be available by reservation months ahead of your visit/GTLC file
Visitors to Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway in Wyoming will soon be able to reserve campsites in advance at all concession-operated campgrounds. Reservations will go live on Recreation.gov beginning January 26 for the 2021 operating season. All park campgrounds that were first come, first served are moving to this advance reservation system.
The new system responds directly to public requests for a reservation system at park campgrounds, prompting a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, Grand Teton Lodge Company, Signal Mountain Lodge, and Recreation.gov. Visitors will now have the ability to plan ahead with confidence and know they will have a place to stay and camp when they arrive, improving the visitor experience, and reducing wait times and associated traffic congestion at park campgrounds. The reservation system will streamline the camping process, allowing park visitors to check the availability of sites in real time and receive immediate confirmation.
Visitors wishing to reserve a campsite in the park for the 2021 season at Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, and Lizard Creek campgrounds will be able to do so by visiting Recreation.gov beginning January 26 at 8 a.m. MST. On that date, reservations will be available for applicable campgrounds for stays through July 26, 2021, and then on a rolling six-month basis thereafter. Campsite reservations are expected to fill quickly, and visitors are strongly encouraged to plan ahead.
Visitors must create an account on the Recreation.gov website prior to making campground reservations. Those who already have an account are encouraged to confirm their login and password information. This is the same reservation site to obtain an advance backcountry reservation in Grand Teton National Park, which begins accepting reservations on January 6. For more information about backcountry reservations visit www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bcres.htm.
Campgrounds that have previously been reservable, including the Colter Bay RV Park and Tent Village, as well as Headwaters Campground, will continue to be reservable at gtlc.com or by calling 307-543-3100 for the 2021 season. However, reservations for these areas will transition to Recreation.gov for the 2022 season.
Once a campground has launched on Recreation.gov, reservations will no longer be available through the local campground call centers or websites.
Campgrounds in Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway are operated by concessioners. Grand Teton Lodge Company operates Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, and Colter Bay campgrounds. Flagg Ranch Company operates Headwaters campground. Signal Mountain Lodge LLC operates Signal Mountain and Lizard Creek campgrounds.
For more information on camping in Grand Teton National Park, visit the park website at nps.gov/grte. Visit the Grand Teton Lodge Company website, the Flagg Ranch Company website, and the Signal Mountain Lodge website for additional information.
Comments
I prefer a reservation system, but with some reservations reserved until, say, 24 hours before the day. As I recall something like this is what RMNP did last year with it's entrance reservation system. Also, I suspect that a 50% non-refundable deposit would discourage a lot of the no-shows. For 'wanders' this is going to be a hassle, no doubt about it, but for the vast majority of visitors who have limited time, having to spend half a day hunting for a campsite is a really big hassle and waste of their limited time. I don't see how reservations have a big "negative impact on the poor." I have observed conversion vans parked in parking lots early in the morning, and suspect there were people sleeping inside. So, I wonder about opening some of the parking lots for overnight stays to people in conversion vans or car camping, although there'd have to be some regulartions. With the growing visitor load on the parks, I think there are going to have to be more reservation systems, both entrance and camping. People are just going to have to plan ahead.
Being someone who travels without a timeline, this is disconcerting. I have very much enjoyed my stays at Gros Ventre and am dismayed I may not get to stay there again. Perhaps a way to weed out people who reserve and then don't show would be to charge the first night's stay as hotel/motels do when making a reservation. As mentioned previously, a split between reserved and first come/first served would also be a solution.
All kinds of stuff is open for public comment in Garnd Teton National Park except for the big change to an all reservation system for Park campsites. https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkID=68
As a camper in both Yellowstone and grand teton natl -arks since the 90s I think this was a great move and a much needed move due to the increase in camping and visitation tho the national parks,,I got tired of having to get to a campground at 3am in the morning so I can have a campsite..the reservation system opens the chance to get a campsite to everyone..
As one of those "wanderers" for more than a decade, and a volunteer campground host the past six years for most of the agencies, up to three campgrounds per year, there's one aspect I haven't seen addressed here. First-come campgrounds, especially remote ones, might fill up but often less than half the sites get paid for (a tear-off slip on the site post means nothing if they didn't drop the corresponding envelope with money into the Iron Ranger). I have been told that the payment rate goes up to 80% or so if there's a campground host. We're like scarecrows, but like scarecrows we can't actually do anything if someone doesn't pay--I've had people ignore my reminders or promise to do so then throw empty payment envelopes on the ground as they leave. Etc. They know they'll get away with it and are brazen enough to do so in the open.
It's hard to turn someone away when there are reserved but no-show open sites, but is it preferable to have the campground full with a substantial percentage taken by scofflaws and freeloaders? I used to be strongly for first-come systems; I am now pro-reservation. Neither is perfect, nor any mix of the two, but at least with reservations the park gets the much-needed fees.