Campsite Pics

[renodesertfox]

Sorry I wasn't smiling for this snap, but was tending the little fire we made and my honey said "lookie here quick," gotta start smiling more! haha

This is Lizzard Creek Campground, Labor Day Weekend 2012 a no reservation campground for $18 per night. Since I'm a disabled Vet the camping in national forests & parks is 1/2 of that. We were only about 200' from the shores of Jackson Lake. Thanks for looking!

[GlitterHiker]

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That picture is just so iconic. It totally embodies what camping is all about.

[renodesertfox]

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Thank you Glitterhiker, your words are too kind!

Originally we had planned to go camping in the Uinta Mountains around Moosehorn or Butterfly Lake at 10,000' but around 9 PM the night before my bride said: "We should just go some place special! We can get into the Uinta's on a weekend." So since we do not like to make reservations anywhere I said we should go north to the Tetons National Park and camp at Lizzard Creek Campground. It's a no reserved campground and kinda of remote for the Tetons, most everyone else goes to the more popular places to see the sites of that National Park. We go camping to get away from people & popular attractions. The next morning we were up at 4 AM & on the highway by 5 AM. In 5 hours we were inside the Teton National Park Boundary and all the site-seers! A little after 10 AM we pulled into Lizzard Creek Campground and found few other campers there.

Campground is on first come, first served basis. Bear-proof food storage emphasized. There are a total of 62 sites with a maximum spur of 30 feet. Those with camper trailers, pop-ups & small RVs may camp there but their area is away from the tent area. The tent only area is closest to Jackson Lake.

[renodesertfox]

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[renodesertfox]

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So we pitched camp at site #23. Metal fire-ring, picnic table, bear proof box provided. Drinking water was very close and to our surprise the toilet facilities were almost first rate modern flush, the step away kind, they didn't have flush handles. Almost seemed like we were in some fancy hotel in Vegas. Campfire wood was available for $4 a bundle and each bundle had about 10 pieces of wood. By Thursday morning, the campground was filling up fast. People passing our site stopped to ask for matches, coleman fuel, give their car battery a jump, little kids were asking if they go could out on the kayak, all sorts of questions. I don't understand it, seems everytime we camp, there are people needing things and they see how organized we are, I guess, they think we are always well supplied. haha!

While looking at the map of the Teton National Park, I saw a small road a few miles north of Lizzard Creek Campground and imprinted on the map, it said. "This area is for primitive camping and no-fee area." Then a few miles west the map showed a small lake called Grassy Lake. We finished breakfast and off we went to check out this dirt road.

[renodesertfox]

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Jackson Lake Sunset & Our 17' Tandem Kayak. First afternoon & evening we paddled 8 miles and saw many moose, elk, two black bear but no grizzly. Also saw a family of otters in the shallows of one bay. Had rod & reel so no pics by me, but my wife had her point and shoot, and got a few fair shots! On the way up stopped at the visitor center and got my Wyoming fishin license. Had 2 Walleye but I let the smaller one go and kept the largest for our dinner. Thanks for looking!

[renodesertfox]

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Thursday, morning after dishes were done & campfire out we headed for the dirt road that was shown on the map. Actually the turn off was only eight miles north of Lizard Creek Campground and took us into the area between the northern entrance into the Grand Tetons National Park and the southern entrance in Yellowstone Nation Park. In between, is a big valley and Flagg Ranch Resort Lodge, Cabins & campground is located. We saw a small sign that said Grassy Lake Road. I confirmed it with the map and we pulled out our topos maps of the area and said lets go!

[renodesertfox]

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At first the roadway was extreme rough for the first mile, mostly pot-holes from backtop laid years ago. We crawled through this with care and crossed a little stream that begins at South Boundary Lake in Yellowstone called "Polecat Creek." Then after that bridge it was good old-fashion dirt.



The roadway opened up some, wide enough for two vehicles to pass easily and got our first glimpse of this area. After mile three we came to a couple of small spurs that came to dead ends and there were spaces to camp that had concrete vault toilets, picnic tables & firerings provided and signs stating that this area is non-fee use...the Teton National Park version of Dispersed Camping. The first areas were already filled with small RVs & trailers from other campers. Then at about mile marker 5m the road became very narrow.


Snake River Valley


Grassy Lake Rd narrows.

More sites were found that only served one vehicle but had the same admentities.



We almost decided to return immediately to Lizard Creek Campground, strike everything & reload the vehicle quickly and beat feet back to one of these spots, but we decided to drive as far as Grassy Lake and see what we could see!

Thanks for looking and following along with our little adventure! There's more to come.....

[ddrinik]

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RDF- great pictures, looks like it was a great outing.

Not to throw off the flow of your travel story, but I have a question for you. In the picture in post #3, I see you are using C-clamps to hold down your table cloth. Do these serve any additional purpose? Or are they just handier to have around that then cheap table cloth clamps Coleman, and I’m sure other manufactures make?

Dan

[renodesertfox]

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No worries Dan, we have had many less expensive, not sturdily made clamps through the years. These clamps are steel 6" clamps and will fit just about any table we've come across in our camping travels. Since we vehicle camp weight isn't an issue and they work every time. Before we purchased these at a local hardware store we had all kinds of clamps to hold a table cloth down. None have never worked so good as these. At home these clamps are put to work in the workshop but have no other purpose when camping! If I needed one to use around camp my wife would say: "Go get another one from your toolbox mister! Don't mess with what's mine! It won't be a fair fight!" She'd win too!

Thanks for the feed-back on the story I'm spinning, hoping to post more in a day or so. This last campout was really special!

[TNONMYMIND]

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RENO: What kind of pan are you using to make the pancakes on in the picture you have posted?
wondering if a half-sheet pan could be used for cooking on a campfire or stove...
by the way, the campsite and scenery is gorgeous...need to find me some places like that
when I(we) get on the road...shooting for the end of OCTOBER 2012...

[renodesertfox]

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It's a steel griddle(9lbs 9 oz) from Camp Chef($35.95) through Amazon. It's designed to work on that dual burner propane stove & oven. But it only cost us about 20 clams from all the Amazon Rebates we had coming! For campfire cooking I would recommend a cast iron girdle because cast iron transfers heat evenly, even though I have never met a campfire that cooks evenly throughout it's cooking(ember) area. Thanks for your vote on the pics & story! We have been looking a long time for a spot like we finally found, except in the most northern reaches of Idaho & Montana! The last camping trip was the best ever, in more than one way!

Of the pics, these are all tonemapped hdr(high dynamic range) images. Colors are enhanced and the dynamic areas between shadows and highlights are greatly reduced. The images are not the typical hdr images that most people see and most dislike. I really try to keep them as realistically as possible and enhance only certain areas without stepping out-of-bounds with wild exaggerated colors!

[renodesertfox]

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The other thing too, is that as a retired underground mining photographer who worked for United Mines at the Nevada Test Site and during my Army daze - I always bring all of my experience, taste and schooling to every image I either expose in multi-shots or single shot hdr techniques to every dance I'm invited too.

[renodesertfox]

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We passed 8 small spur roads with a total of 14 little areas that anyone with the proper gear could use as a non-fee base camp to explore the more familiar sites of Yellowstone and/or the Grand Tetons National Park. This dirt road ends in Ashton, Idaho after 47 miles.



Then we discovered an almost secret space called Grassy Lake Reservoir, that's not in the Grand Tetons National Park but is located in the Targhee National Forest. Very few spurs, mostly rugged 4x4 roads down to lakeside and not another living soul around. After spotting Osprey and an American Bitern, birds that eat fish, and bear sign, we decided then & there that this is the area that we had only dreamed about, but finally found! Back to Lizard Creek Campground, by 3:30 PM! Didn't pay for the second night of camping there but struck camp and had everything loaded in 1 1/2 hours of constant work! Yes we jeep camp but we take alot of happy crap(our camping gear) with us! Besides Lizard Creek Campground was filling up fast, since it was the start of Labor Day Weekend and we really like to disperse camp away from everyone and enjoy ourselves! We finally found a piece of paradise!

[TNONMYMIND]

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FANTASTIC! Incredible shot...
So, did this spot get crowded or did you have it all to yourselves for the weekend? Lucky you!!!
Did any bears visit while there?