Base camp for Grand Tetons & Yellowstone

[amfdtp]

We celebrated our 25th anniversary in late August with a 4000 mile round trip through 10 states. One of our goals was to see the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, but we're not much on high traffic campgrounds (parking lots as we call them.) After much research, we decided on a secluded base camp in the Brooks Lake area of Shoshone NF. It required further drives to get to the parks (particularly Yellowstone), but there was so much to see along the way, it made for a wonderful adventure each day. There are two campgrounds on this lake; the Pinnicles being the best by far. We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon and had plenty of sites to choose from. We stayed in site 6; a pull through site (again not something we usually go for as we're pop-up campers) with the most awesome view we've ever had in 27 years of camping together. Our amazingly spacious site (large by even NF standards) cascaded down the mountainside at an easy pace to the water's edge, where there was a small stone landing to leave our canoe. Sunrises were a special treat as the mountains, colored in many shades by the sun, reflected off the still lake (I wish I could figure out how to attach a picture of it to this posting.) So if you don't mind long scenic drives through the mountains to get to the parks, this quiet mountain retreat is highly recommended. -- One word of warning on getting there. The road off the main highway is actually sort of a loop taking you back to the campground entrances. The southeastern entry point is the only safe way of getting a trailer to the campgrounds. We took our SUV out the northwestern way for a day trip to the park and found it to be little more than an overgrown horse trail up and down the mountain with sheer drop offs along the way. It was certainly a beautiful adventure, but very scary when passed by a truck coming the other direction. We used the southeastern entry point the rest of the trip. [/img]

[Suzi]

amfdtp - I have to agree with you - Pinnacles is a fabulous campgrounds. Your description is wonderful. We stayed at Shoshone's Falls, where our dog met her first moose (and I think this young moose was meeting its first dog), Three-mile, and Beartooth Lake campgrounds and concluded the Shoshone has a lot of super great campgrounds. Thanks for passing on your experiences.
_________________
Co-author of US National Forest Campground Guides

[Ed]

That sounds like a magnificent area. I'm sure many of us would like to see some of your photos. You mentioned having a tough time figuring out how to post them. Have you read Fred's post of Jan 17, 2008? It's under Tips for Posting Photos in Photography Corner. It seems a little daunting at first but if you follow step-by-step, it really works! If you have already tried that but would like any help, I'd be happy to offer more detailed help. I'm sure Fred would too. I hope you'll give it another try.

Ed

[cadjak]

I'm pretty familiar with the area, and until your post, I never thought of camping up there. I second Ed's requests for some pictures. Thanks for the tip.

We just finished our own 5000 mile trip and could have gone further except for the inevitable "family emergency" that seems all too frequent after reaching a "certain age".