I'm in the Virginian now as I type this. I needed to come to Jackson on short notice and found this thread so thought I would just add to it rather than start a new one. We planned on Thermopolis but the smoke and ash from nearby fires was unbearable so we found clean air in Jackson Hole.
A free tip: I was not arriving until 3am. The lady at the Virginian (I called ahead) said Kmart was ok to park at overnight. I didn't see any others there but I parked in an out of the way corner and was fine. Due to signage restrictions it is tough to find. My GPS took me to a grocery store across the street and further S. It is a actually at Broadway and Maple Way near Motel 6. Another idea; today I did see three campers in the high school parking lot a mile or so S of the Kmart. They even had some afternoon shade.
Our plan was not to "camp" but to explore town and just bring our motel on wheels. For that, the Virginian is excellent. Spaces are not roomy but are adequate, facilities are clean and the pool at the motel is just across the park. The restaurant on premesis is reasonable as well. Two adults and three kids ate supper for $43 and change plus a tip. Much better than a two hour wait, cranky kids and a hundred dollar bill in town.
On our way home I plan to check out Gros Ventre and Colter Bay. Maybe we'll use those when we come back to explore the park.
A discovery I made today, Teton Village is too rich for my blood but if you have kids, there is a great play area above the tram near the base of a couple of the lifts. I'm not a skier, whatever the enclosed chair lift is. At the base of that one is stuff to occupy kids for a little while. This is a nice area to explore. The kidos loved it and it didn't cost a cent. Most of the shops were closed and we left our $ in the car. Dogs are allowed to explore this area as well if you keep them leashed.
Jackson also has nice city parks. Town Square is a landmark but if the kids want to play, there are some good city parks. South of the Square by the scenic Snow King lift and NW of the Square is another one.
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mac, we just got back from nine days at the Colter Bay campground in the no-hookup part. They are just redoing some of the water and sewer lines in the no-generator part of the campground, but the generator area has over 200 sites. Our FW is a Jayco Superlite HT 26.5 and fit into the space quite well. The campground can accommodate very large RVs so you would have no worries. There is no campground swimming pool, but Jackson Lake is pretty large and is a short walk from the campground. We have camped at this campground for about 50 years and go back almost every year. While there this year, we did take a trip down to Gro Ventre campground and it is really large and was no where close to full. If you get to Colter Bay around 9:30 to 10:00 am, you will have your choice of spaces in which to put your FW. If you have a National Parks Senior Pass, the site costs $10.25 per night, same for Gro Ventre. I would highly recommend the Colter Bay campground over anything close to or in Jackson Hole for convenience in seeing the park as well as cost, if that's a factor. If you really want to go into Jackson Hole, it's about an hour away and has the National Museum of Wildlife Art and is a great place to spend a few hours. Might not be your cup of tea if you have kids though but they just might like it if you could get them in there. Have a great trip whatever you decide.
With our 40' motorhome we always use either Colter Bay campground (not the RV park which is next door and very pricy) or Gros Ventre, which is closer to Jackson. Neither one has hookups but they are IN the park which is important to us because that's where we prefer to stay. Each campground has many sites which are unreservable so we always seem to find a spot. Have a great trip!
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I guess it depends on what you want to see or do while in the "Hole." If you want to explore the city of Jackson, either The Virginian or Gros Vertre are good choices. If you want to explore Grand Teton NP, either Colter Bay or Gros Ventre. I was able to check out Gros Ventre and both versions of Colter Bay. GV is about 11 miles N of Jackson, very sagebrushy, some shady spots but more sunny spots than shady. I didn't care for this CG but it would do in a pinch. Colter Bay has one side with full hookups and the other without. Both sides have nice spots and it is basically forest not sagebrush. This is on the N side of Jackson Lake inside Teton NP. It is about 40 miles from CB to Jackson. However this is a great place to explore Teton NP from.
This was my first visit but we are already planning a couple more trips here. Two days is not even enough to explore either the town of Jackson or the NP. We did the city thing this time and next time will explore the park from Colter Bay. Another trip, we will base camp at The Virginian or Gros Vertre or maybe splurge on a motel and do more in the city; Ripley's, the Alpine Slide, the scenic lift to the top of Snow King Mtn, watch a shoot out a the Town Square, maybe the Tram at Teton Village. There is a lot to to do here and that short list is just some of the hi lights of in town, no mention of everything in the National Park(s).
Watch "Any Which Way You Can" before visiting, you'll recognize some of the sights from the movie while you are in Jackson. BTW, Jackson Hole; the Hole is the hole in the Earth, or the valley where Jackson and lots of other stuff is, or the whole valley. Jackson is just the city.
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Not a Clue wrote: There is a FHU in Colter Bay and a no hookup campground next to it.
Gros Verde campground is also no hookup.
We were at a FHU in Colter Bay for 2 weeks last year and loved it. You're just a short walk from the shores of Jackson Lake. I'm not sure what availability would be this late in the season, however.
x3 or 4 Great campground
x4 - We just got back from Colter Bay on Monday. It's a GREAT campground with FHU. We loved it there. We drove by The Virginian when we were in Jackson Hole, so happy I chose to add 2 days to Colter Bay instead of moving to The Virginian to visit the area! (Also, it was in the 80's when we were there.)
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