Shadow Mountain Designated Dispersed Campsite #10

I mistakingly Made a Jackson camping reservation for one night when I needed a two night stay. That mistake led us to seek disbursed camping. Shadow Mountain Road Disbursed camping was close so we took the chance. OMG…it was amazing. We arrived at around 10:00am Saturday, June 17, 2023. Some of the dispersed camping sites are located in a group just off the main road, next to a parking lot, that is a favorite for mountain bikers. The best sites, however, are located up a winding dirt/gravel road to the right of the parking lot.

We have a 25’ airstream trailer pulled by a Silverado diesel truck. The road was rough, but passable, and narrow. We had to pull to the side, hugging the edge of the road to allow cars to pass. Be aware there are bikers and ATV’s sharing the road. The dispersed sites along the road are clearly marked. Note that some pull-offs are designated for multiple parking sites. They will be labeled as 10, and 10A for example. You may need to send a spotter into the camp to discover if all sites are occupied. Also, some people will mark their sites with a camp chair so that they can drive their motor homes into Jackson. We parked at 10 A. It’s close to site number 10; it’s side by side with a fence in between. Although it’s close, it’s a drop dead gorgeous site. There are views of mountains from every perspective and the western view, which is the main view, is of the white capped Grand Tetons.

We walked along the road heading to the top and we’re told by other campers in a passing car that there was a large Grizzly bear wandering through the empty camps. We promptly walked the other direction and spotted another brown bear in the trees approximately 50 yards away. The bear wasn’t at all interested in us, thankfully, so we changed course again and returned to our site. The couple in site 10, upon hearing our story, drive down to see the bear and spotted a mother and a cub. Bears are very prevalent here!

Finally, the flowers in the fields along our camp site were breathtaking. I’m guessing it was a super bloom. I highly recommend a mid June visit.

So, it’s a 45 minute, exceptionally beautiful, drive into Jackson. Get to the camp early and enjoy!!!

I arrived on the first Saturday in June around 3pm and there were plenty of open sites including #10 and #10A. The site is located in a grassy hilltop (not trees at site) which makes for a completely unobstructed panoramic view of the Tetons. There were lots of beautiful yellow flowers and Aspen groves just outside the spot. I camped in my 20’ truck. The ground was fairly level, but I used a lever for a slight improvement. No water nearby. The road up was great. No problems even for cars that came up. That is, when it’s dry. This site is right next to #10A and about 50 yards from #9, so you may have close neighbors. I had a few neighbors come and go. All were tent campers and were cool and quiet.

A decent number of mountain bikers came up the road to ride down Shadow Mountain trail (link below). I rode my mountain biked down the trail and into the park (roughly 15 miles to Taggart Lake trailhead). The decent and ride into the park was great. The ride back up kicked my butt, but I’m not the most in shape for climbs.

I stayed 4 nights. No issues. No bear sightings around camp, but one driver reported seeing a grizzly just down the road from the site. If you want to sit and stare at the majesty of the Tetons, this is a wonderful spot.

This is the place you dream about when doing dispersed camping. It has an amazing view of the Teton range across the valley. If I had my choice of spots the three on this ridge (9, 10, 10A) are the ones I would pick.

My last night here it did get windy and there was some freezing rain/snow which made the road down fairly difficult.

My car had no issues getting up and down the fire road when it was dry. I even saw someone in a Prius.The road is a typical fire road. I was able to make it up in a AWD Subaru Impreza. Road conditions will vary wildly month by month.The last two turns are the worst ones. First to get muddy if it rains, last to dry out and typically rutted as a result.

I had good Verizon cell service but it does get spotty over the weekend and in the evenings when there were more people using the same tower.

We arrived the day before the 4th of July (also fell on a weekend) and could not find a spot. Stayed a couple of nights in Buffalo Valley nearby (nice and secluded but no view). We had our hearts set on Shadow Mountain so we arrived around 10-11am the day after 4th of July and were surprised to find several sites open. I stayed and held our spot while my husband went to get our camper. By the time my husband was back all of the open spots we saw were taken. We decided on 11A because of its incredible views of the Tetons. Bonus - there is a large grassy area for our dogs to run around and no one camping directly on either side of you. Definitely a rocky, bumpy road going up. Our Jeep Wrangler and camper with off-roading tires/lift did just fine. Our items in the camper were jostled when we arrived but to be expected. Only downfall are the horse flys and mosquitos but I’m sure those are everywhere in the area this time of year. Highly recommend!

The road/path up is very rough and rocky. As is down if you plan to do some exploring we Averaged 4 miles an hour down In a jeep grand Cherokee after we disconnected our tab Boondock 320.

There are several sites on though valley floor that fill up fast with larger rv’s.

Our main objective on our road trip was to stay on this mountain. Totally worth it. Be back from your excursions early so you can witness the sunset behind the Tetons. Morning is when the sun is on the mountains. So brew some coffee and get up early get your chairs out. Kick back and enjoy A once in a lifetime view.