Shadow Mountain Tetons

[agesilaus]

We had our first boondocking stop, three days at Shadow Mountain in the Tetons NF. The sites are spectacular you are looking right at the mountains over that grassland strip. Sunset over the peaks each night. Unfortunately the first two nights were rain but the second night's storms didn't start until late so we had a campfire. Thw last night was clear. We got there on the afternoon of 7/3/19 and were happy to find a site--number 15 at the lower three cg. There are upper cg but I did not want to pull our TT up that dirt road unless we had to do so.

To find this place turn right on Antelope Flats road the one after Moose Junction. Go down past Mormon Row to the tee and turn left. Follow that until you see a dirt road to the left with a big dirt turn around. Follow that and you'll see three cg to the right. Near the end the road has big ruts.

I was semi surprised at the number of optimists driving thru looking for a site on 7/4 and 7/5. I was surprised to grab one of the two left in the early afternoon on the 3rd. One knocked on our door on the 4th and said the ranger told them they could camp on our site if we gave permission. I said OK and they pitched a small tent up in the trees.

And alternative is to continue way past antelope flats to the Cunningham cabin, turn right and go to the Triple X Road cg. Do not turn at the Triple X dude ranch.

We were mildly concerned about the dirt road condition with the rain but the last day was dry.

The AF 25Y with 2 6V Trojan batteries made it thru three days easily and probably could have done 1 or 2 more days. We found this spot because our blogging member posted about it last year IIRC

It was on to Idaho from there to Challis Hot Springs commercial CG. No sewer connection!?

[profdant139]

So just for the sake of comparison, this is probably the best "view from a boondocking site" we've ever had -- this is Sonora Pass, in California:


Click For Full-Size Image.

Not bad, but not the Grand Tetons!

[profdant139]

Agesilaus, I have done a lot of boondocking -- just for 14 years, not 30. But probably 30 nights a year for the last ten years, all over the West.

I would have to say that I have never seen a view that good from any of our sites.

[joelc]

Wonderful pics. Thanks for sharing.

[agesilaus]

Yeah that's the campsite, I've seen comments calling this the best boondocking site anywhere. I don't have the experience to confirm that but it is the most scenic spot we've ever had in 30 years of camping. And it's free for 6 days

[profdant139]

Oh my goodness. Is that first picture the view from your CAMPSITE?? You got me beat by a mile. Wow!!

And a beat-up tow vehicle is a good thing -- it means you are pushing the limits and having lots of fun. We call the scratches on our truck "Sierra pinstripes." Maybe call those dents "Rocky Mountain dimples."

(Just a suggestion.)

[agesilaus]

Here you go, showing my beat up F350

[profdant139]

Those antelope sure are skittish -- we saw one about nine years ago on Antelope Flat, and then on our most recent trip we didn't. This is the guy who was posing for us in front of the mountains:


Click For Full-Size Image.

A friend of mine calls them "speed goats." He says that they are much faster than they need to be to outrun coyotes and wolves because they evolved to escape from saber toothed tigers. The tigers are gone, but the antelope are still running at 60 mph, because they can!

By the way, we saw herds of pronghorns in the hills north of Stanley, Idaho -- they were all over the place.

Agesilaus, how were the views of the Tetons from the Shadow Mountain boondocking sites?

[agesilaus]

Ivylog wrote:
Did you check out Antelope Flat while you were there?

Just the Mormon Row site which is on both sides of the road and has some old farm buildings. Quite popular. No antelope seen but a few jackalopes were in the area.

[Ivylog]

Did you check out Antelope Flat while you were there?

[profdant139]

Last year, we boondocked in the Triple X area, mentioned above by the OP. The view from the bluff was pretty good:


Click For Full-Size Image.

But the bluff was very crowded (due to the view, I think!), so we snagged a very quiet boondocking site about a half mile east of the busy area. The view was not as good (lots of trees), but not too bad, either:


Click For Full-Size Image.

I should note that the access road to this particular site was really bad -- even with extra ground clearance, we had to creep along at one mile an hour for a hundred yards or so, watching to make sure that nothing bottomed out. And there were branches of aspen trees overhanging the "driveway" -- I used a pole to lift them up and over the air conditioner so we could get past them.

[joelc]

We were at the Tetons during our cross country trip. Beautiful country.