Grand Tetons - Jackson Hole RV Park Recommendation

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All advice much appreciated. I'll do the on-line research from here.  Always good to hear the odds and ends and details from those who have gone before.
 
The best thing about Grand Tetons (IMHO) is a pull out called Oxbow Bend. Every night at sunset it turns into a zoo without bars. It is one of the best spots for the critters to come down and get a drink of fresh water.
 
[quote author=kdbgoat]Kinda like a small town here in Delaware, "Townsend".[/quote]

No such issue with towns and villages in the olde country. The place names are descriptive of the area, although some get abbreviated in everyday speech. One small town has the longest (or 2nd longest) name in the world. The sign at the railroad station has a phonetic spelling for tourists who can't get their tongue around some of the words. Locals often revert to the abbreviated version: Llanffair PG.
 

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SeilerBird said:
But there is always vacancies at the Colter Bay campground. No hookups but plenty of spaces.
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That's not quite true, Tom. We arrived at Coulter last summer, but it was late morning and they had just filled the last empty site, so that's why we had to go to Gros Ventre, and we probably didn't have a lot of time margin there, either, before they filled up -- there were only a few sites left. Early morning at either of those campgrounds is much better.

So while that's generally true, there are exceptions.
 
You might also consider Flagg Ranch. Its about 2 miles south of the Yellowstone south entrance - about 20 miles to Jackson Lake Dam in Teton. They have full hookups in a forested campground. We were there last summer and there were quite a few 40ft motorhomes and more than few really large 5th wheels. Sites are mostly pull through. You do need to get your reservations in. Its a bit pricey - I think around $75/night but we got in for $50/night with our National Parks Senior Pass. No cell service and only minimal WIFI in the main building.

We've also stayed at Coulter Bay in the regular campground (not the RV Park). They have sites that can accommodate larger motorhomes and one or two loops have power. They go fast. Coulter Bay generally doesn't fill up, but the quality of sites available goes down fast. The general campground doesn't take reservations, so you need to be there early for the best available. I think its a bit of a gamble as I don't think they give out a site until its been cleared by the prior occupant.
 
I also agree on Colter Bay as it is a very nice CG and centrally located for activities and sightseeing within the park.  We made reservations well in advance and glad we did as when we arrived there were no vacancies.  Having said that, my favorite is Gros Ventre, the only down side is driving to many of the places within the park you will want to visit, though a nice scenic drive.  I recall seeing some pretty large rigs at Gros Ventre.  One of the many nice things about Gros Ventre is the flexibility of finding a spot, so if for example when you check in the staff assign a space for you and you for whatever reason find it unsuitable or to your liking, you can ask for another.
 
Larry N. said:
That's not quite true, Tom. We arrived at Coulter last summer, but it was late morning and they had just filled the last empty site, so that's why we had to go to Gros Ventre, and we probably didn't have a lot of time margin there, either, before they filled up -- there were only a few sites left. Early morning at either of those campgrounds is much better.

So while that's generally true, there are exceptions.
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Nope, there are no exceptions to the rule. If you are there early there are always spaces. Every morning many people leave and empty out spaces. Arriving late morning is never a good idea in any campground. Spaces are reduced.
 
SeilerBird said:
Nope, there are no exceptions to the rule. If you are there early there are always spaces. Every morning many people leave and empty out spaces. Arriving late morning is never a good idea in any campground. Spaces are reduced.
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This is not me experience when we went. Sure there may be times when what you say may be true, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, we luckily made reservations and when we arrived early morning the campground was full.  Yes people were leaving, but it seemed those spots were already reserved.  Better safe than sorry, if it is important to stay there, make reservations for peace of mind,
 
Gizmo said:
This is not me experience when we went. Sure there may be times when what you say may be true, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, we luckily made reservations and when we arrived early morning the campground was full.  Yes people were leaving, but it seemed those spots were already reserved.  Better safe than sorry, if it is important to stay there, make reservations for peace of mind,
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You must be thinking of a different campground. They do not take reservations at the Colter Bay Campground. It is usually completely empty in the morning.
 
while We have stayed at the Virginian before it wasn't in our motor home as we know the owner, who's name , incidentally is Virginia,and is a friend of ours... the park is nice but i don't remember seeing anything as large as yours in the rv area... just sayin....most were trailers and smaller r v's...but I'm sure she has a web site just google it and maybe they do have space for your size rig....
 
SeilerBird said:
You must be thinking of a different campground. They do not take reservations at the Colter Bay Campground. It is usually completely empty in the morning.
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If I recall correctly, there are two Colter Bay campgrounds, the one we stayed at takes reservations and highly recommended.
 
Gizmo said:
If I recall correctly, there are two Colter Bay campgrounds, the one we stayed at takes reservations and highly recommended.
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Yes, you stayed at the commercial RV park with hookups. The other one is a National Park campground with no hookups.
 
I should have been more specific. There is the Colter Bay Campground in which there is almost always plenty of empty spaces and does not take reservations and there is the Colter Bay RV Park which is almost always full and does require reservations. They are located right next to each other and many people do not even know they are separate and not the same place.
 
SeilerBird said:
You must be thinking of a different campground. They do not take reservations at the Colter Bay Campground. It is usually completely empty in the morning.
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Not sure, but I believe that Colter Bay Village Campground (no hookups) is first come, first served....as you say.  Colter Bay Village RV Park (full hook ups and hard surface roads) takes reservations but they are nearly full already.  Daughter is taking the g'kids (in my rig) back again this year for another 10 days (since they blubbered up when they had to come home last year) and a few days ago she found the Colter Bay RV Park only has a few days here and there available.  So they will go back to "Headwaters" (at Flagg Ranch near the So Entrance) again.  Not real great (dirt roads and lots of dust) but they can get 10 consecutive days there.  No cell phone service ...... probably a good thing? RVers have to  drive about 20 miles to make a cell call.

My 13 year-old g'son caught his fist ever trout fly fishing up there so I believe he is convinced that is where God lives.  ;D

Safe travels.
 
Tom said:
Just a heads up ...  the yuppies/millennials who have moved in and have driven up real estate prices decided they don't want "hole" in the name of their town. As a result, there has been a drive to get it called "Jackson". I smile when I drive out of town and see the end of a building plastered with Jackson Whole Meats. Don't know if that's the proprietors joke or not.
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The town has always been just Jackson. Jackson Hole refers to the valley that runs up past the Tetons. The term "Hole" was an old fur trader's word for valley. Much like Colorado uses the word Park to describe a big meadow area, which is a Flat in California. All names given by early fur traders and miners. Its the tourists (and the tour industry) that has persisted in appending Hole to Jackson.
 
If someone was going there and just said "Jackson", nobody would really know where you were going. It could be in several different states. If you "Jackson Hole", most would know exactly where you're headed.
 
We stayed 1 night at Jackson Hole Campground in Wilson WY. About a 10 min drive to Jackson. It was $95.00 full hookup at the end of June 2016. It was all we could find in the area for an advance booking.
 
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