Fully 97 percent of Jackson Hole is publicly owned, primarily within Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. So many options exist that campers can pitch their tent in a new campground every night for three weeks. Private RV parks are considerably more limited, but a half-dozen are scattered around the valley.

Public Campgrounds

Most public campgrounds on Forest Service and Park Service lands around Jackson Hole are on a first-come, first-camp basis with no reservations. In addition to these campsites, many people camp for free on dispersed sites on Forest Service lands; contact the agency for locations and restrictions.

Bridger-Teton Campgrounds

Bridger-Teton National Forest (307/739-5400, www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf) has a number of campgrounds ($10-15; open mid-May-Sept.) located around Jackson Hole. Closest is Curtis Canyon Campground, seven miles northeast of Jackson up a gravel road with a fine view of the Tetons.

Three popular Bridger-Teton campgrounds are southwest of Jackson in the Snake River Canyon, with access via U.S. Highway 26/89. They include East Table Creek Campground and Station Creek Campground, both 24 miles south of Jackson and 11 miles southwest of Hoback Junction, along with Wolf Creek Campground, 26 miles southwest of Jackson and six miles from Hoback Junction.

Three more campgrounds are northeast of Jackson in the Gros Ventre Valley. Atherton Creek Campground sits along Slide Lake, 18 miles northeast of Jackson and seven miles northeast of Kelly up Gros Ventre Road. Red Hills Campground and Crystal Creek Campground are near each other along the Gros Ventre River, approximately 23 miles northeast of Jackson and 13 miles up the partly gravel Gros Ventre Road.

In the Buffalo Valley area 45 miles northeast of Jackson, pitch your tent at Hatchet Campground, eight miles east of Moran Junction; Turpin Meadow Campground, 10 miles east of Moran Junction; or Box Creek Campground, along Buffalo Valley Road.

Forty-nine miles north of Jackson, Angles Campground is a small site just uphill from Togwotee Mountain Resort on U.S. Highway 287. Another small camping place, Sheffield Creek Campground, 55 miles north of Jackson, is off U.S. Highway 89/191/287 near Flagg Ranch Resort (poor road access until late summer). Remote Pacific Creek Campground is 46 miles north of Jackson and nine miles up Pacific Creek Road, with access through Grand Teton National Park.

Two campgrounds are approximately 20 miles southeast of Jackson along the Hoback River: Kozy Campground, seven miles southeast of Hoback Junction, and Hoback Campground, eight miles east of Hoback Junction.

Close to Granite Hot Springs—a delightful place for a soak—Granite Campground is 35 miles southeast of Jackson and nine miles up the gravel Granite Creek Road.

Caribou-Targhee Campgrounds

Trail Creek Campground and Mike Harris Campground are in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest (208/354-2312, www.fs.fed.us/r4/caribou-targhee, $10) on the west side of Teton Pass, approximately 20 miles west of Jackson. Both are open mid-May-mid-September, with reservations ($9 fee) available at 518/885-3639 or 877/444-6777, www.recreation.gov.

RV Parks

As land values have soared, the number of RV parks in Jackson has dropped. Today, only two RV resorts remain, with two more a dozen miles to the south and three more north of town in or near Grand Teton National Park.

The private RV parks around Jackson can be surprisingly expensive: Some places charge more for a tent space than it would cost to stay in a motel room in many Wyoming towns! Even more expensive is a ticket for parking RVs overnight on Jackson city streets. It’s illegal to do so, and police strictly enforce the ordinance.

On the south end of town behind the Virginian Lodge, Virginian RV Park (750 W. Broadway Ave., 307/733-7189 or 800/321-6982 in summer or 800/262-4999 in winter, www.virginianlodge.com) is the biggest RV parking lot in the area. Full hookups at more than 100 sites (many pull-through spaces) cost $65; no tents. Guests at the RV park can use the Virginian Lodge’s outdoor pool and hot tub. Wi-Fi is available in the hotel lobby. The park is open May-mid-October.

The best local option—by far—is Jackson Hole Campground (2780 N. Moose-Wilson Rd., 307/413-0495, www.jacksonholecampground.com, $35 tents, $65 RVs, open year-round), with a quiet, shady location near Calico Restaurant on the road to Teton Village. There’s a shower house, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and a camp store, but no laundry. Call ahead for reservations.

Two private campgrounds are in the Hoback Junction area, 12 miles south of Jackson. Lazy J Corral (307/733-1554) is right on the highway at Hoback Junction, but the rates are low: RV sites with full hookups cost just $27. It does not have tent spaces but is open year-round.

Snake River Park KOA (307/733-7078 or 800/562-1878, www.snakeriverpark.com), 12 miles south of Jackson at Hoback Junction, has RV spaces for $43-59 d, tent sites for $38 d, and simple “kamping kabins” for $77-89 d. It’s open early April-November. The KOA has a riverside location and a game room. Snake River Park Whitewater rafting company is also based here.