Camping in Grand Teton National Park: Campgrounds, Reservations and Tips

Grand Teton campgrounds at a glance

Site counts, features and 2026 dates come from NPS. The NPS campground pages don't currently show nightly prices, so the fees below are 2026 rates published by National Parks Traveler. Recreation.gov shows the exact total, including any utility fee, when you book.

Hiker/biker sites are for people arriving on foot or by bicycle. Max RV length counts the RV and tow vehicle together.

How reservations work

Every park campground is reservation-only, and you book on Recreation.gov up to six months before your arrival date. Summer weekends at Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain and Colter Bay fill quickly, so plan to book as soon as your dates open. If your dates are taken, check again: cancellations come back into the system.

Stays are limited to 7 nights at Jenny Lake and 14 nights at the other campgrounds, with a 30-night total per year across the park. Check-in is at noon and check-out is at 11 a.m.

NPS has not posted 2027 campground dates yet. In 2026 the season ran from late April at Gros Ventre to mid-October at Signal Mountain, so early-season 2027 dates will open on Recreation.gov around late October 2026 if the six-month window works the same way.

Choosing a campground

Jenny Lake is the most popular: a small, tent-only campground within walking distance of the Jenny Lake trails. Trailers, campers, pop-ups and generators aren't allowed, and each site fits one vehicle up to 14 feet long and 8 feet high, two tents and six people.

Gros Ventre, the park's largest campground, is near the south end of the park and the closest to Jackson. It opens earliest and closes late, and generators are allowed only in loops A, B and C.

Signal Mountain sits on the shore of Jackson Lake, in the middle of the park. Its 30-foot limit rules out big rigs. Colter Bay, farther north on Jackson Lake, is the biggest camping hub, with a campground, an RV park, tent cabins, a visitor center, showers and laundry.

Lizard Creek, near the north end of Jackson Lake, is smaller and quieter, with a short season and a 30-foot limit. Headwaters, at Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, is the closest option if you're heading on to Yellowstone.

RV hookups, dump stations and showers

Only two places have full hookups: Colter Bay RV Park (water, sewer and 20, 30 and 50 amp electric) and Headwaters. Gros Ventre, Signal Mountain and Colter Bay Campground have some electric-only sites. Colter Bay RV Park has no campfires or generators, though gas and charcoal grills are allowed.

• Dump stations: Gros Ventre (limited use), Signal Mountain and Colter Bay.
• Showers: Headwaters includes showers with your site. Colter Bay and Signal Mountain have pay showers and laundry nearby, and Jenny Lake has token-operated showers.
• Most sites have a picnic table, fire grate and bear box, with flush toilets and drinking water nearby.
• Quiet hours start at 10 p.m. at Jenny Lake, Gros Ventre and Colter Bay RV Park.

Group sites, hiker/biker sites and first-come camping

Group sites are at Gros Ventre (4) and Colter Bay (10). They are tent-only, and National Parks Traveler lists the 2026 rate as $17 per person per night. Jenny Lake doesn't accept groups and points them to these two campgrounds.

The park's developed campgrounds have no first-come sites. The one first-come option NPS lists is Grassy Lake Road in the Rockefeller Parkway, west of Flagg Ranch, which has 14 free primitive sites. The road opens around mid-June and closes in spring until at least May 31. They are primitive, so bring everything you need.

Backcountry camping permits

Any overnight stay in the backcountry needs a permit. That includes lakeshore sites on Jackson and Leigh lakes, Teton Crest Trail camping zones and Garnet Canyon. For the May 1 to October 31 peak season, about a third of permits can be reserved ahead on Recreation.gov. In 2026, reservations opened January 7 at 8 a.m. Mountain Time. NPS hasn't announced the 2027 date yet.

The other permits, about two thirds, are walk-ups given out first-come at permit offices the day before your trip starts. The offices are at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, Colter Bay Visitor Center and the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. You must pick up a reserved permit in person by 10 a.m. on your start date, or it may be canceled as a no-show unless you tell the permit office you will arrive later.

• Fees: $20 per permit, plus $7 per person per night.
• Group size: up to 6 per permit. Groups of 7 to 12 must use designated group sites.
• Stay limits: 2 nights per site (3 at Jackson Lake), and no more than 10 nights between June 1 and Labor Day.
• Food must be stored in an approved bear-resistant canister. The park lends them free.
• Campfires are allowed only in metal fire rings at Jackson, Leigh, Bearpaw and Trapper lakes.
• Winter permits (November 1 to April 30) are issued by phone at 307-739-3309.

Food storage and bear rules

Grand Teton is grizzly and black bear country, and food storage rules apply all day, every day. When anything with a scent is not in use, keep it in your site's bear box or in a hard-sided vehicle with the windows closed and doors locked. That includes food, coolers, empty drink containers, trash, cookware, toiletries, sunscreen, bug spray and pet food.

Never keep these items in a tent or a soft-sided camper. Rangers can confiscate unattended food, and violators can be fined. Keep at least 100 yards from bears and 25 yards from other wildlife, and carry bear spray when you leave camp.

Camping outside the park

Bridger-Teton National Forest is next to the park and has several campgrounds. In the Jackson district, Atherton Creek on Lower Slide Lake takes reservations for some sites. Curtis Canyon and Crystal Creek are first-come. Near Moran, the Blackrock district has Hatchet and Pacific Creek (first-come) and Turpin Meadow (partly reservable).

The forest also has designated free dispersed sites, where you may camp only at marked spots. Shadow Mountain, Toppings Road, Spread Creek and Curtis Canyon are the best known, and they fill quickly in summer. Curtis Canyon and Toppings Road don't allow trailers over 30 feet.

From May 1 through Labor Day, the busy Jackson and Blackrock areas limit stays to 5 days. A forest food-storage order requires bear-resistant storage there too. Yellowstone's campgrounds, north of the Rockefeller Parkway, are another option if you're visiting both parks.

2026 closures and what's open now

As of October 11, 2026, the camping season is essentially over. Signal Mountain is the only park campground with a closing date this late. Gros Ventre and Colter Bay RV Park closed October 10, and Headwaters closed October 4. NPS has not announced 2027 opening dates.

• Jackson Lake water levels are low. The Colter Bay and Leeks marinas and boat ramps are closed, and the Signal Mountain ramp is usable at your own risk.
• Death Canyon Road and Trailhead are closed until about June 2027, and the north Taggart Lake trail is closed through 2026.
• Moose-Wilson Road is closed between the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and Moose through November 15, and Teton Park Road closes to cars on November 1.
• Headwaters is in a multi-year upgrade, so expect construction noise during the day.

More Grand Teton guides

• Best Hikes in Grand Teton National ParkTwelve of the best hikes in Grand Teton, from Hidden Falls and String Lake to Cascade Canyon and Amphitheater Lake, with NPS distances and 2026 closures.