Signal Mountain Campground in the Heart of Beautiful Grand Teton National Park

Looking for more to explore near Signal Mountain Campground?
Head to Jenny Lake for a hike to Hidden Falls or drive to the top of Signal Mountain for a fabulous sunset view.

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets
• Drinkable water
• Dishwashing sinks located in some restrooms
• Hot showers at an additional cost
• Laundromat at an additional cost
• Picnic tables and fire rings at all sites
• Bear boxes at most sites — please store all food or scented items in the bear box or in your vehicle
• Limited cell service
• 25 campsites with electrical hookups
• No water or sewage hookups
• Semi-paved parking pads
• Garbage & recycling services
• Dump station for RVs
• General store selling firewood, ice, and other supplies — scavenging for downed dead wood is also allowed

ABOUT THE SITES

• Signal Mountain Campground has 81 campsites.
• 25 of the sites include electrical hookups. There are no water or sewage hookups.
• Campsites are available for reservations online up to six months in advance. Book online through www.recreation.gov. Advance reservations are highly recommended and sites fill quickly for summer camping.
• Signal Mountain Campground is open from early May through mid-October.
• Standard campsites cost $55.00 per night.
• Campsites with electrical hookups cost $79.00 per night.
• Since Signal Mountain Campground is located within Grand Teton National Park, you must either pay an entrance fee of up to $35 (valid for up to seven days) or use the America the Beautiful pass (or other national parks pass) to enter the park. You can purchase an annual American the Beautiful pass ahead of time online, or in person at any entrance station to Grand Teton National Park.
• Check ahead of time to see if you qualify for a free or reduced price pass — seniors, fourth graders and active military do! Fourth graders must print a voucher ahead of time to qualify.

• Campsites at Signal Mountain Campground run on the small side, but it varies by site. Overall, the feel is cozy, but not too cramped.
• Many sites are close together. Vegetation provides some separation between most sites.
• Most sites are very shady, but some offer more sun. Check the photos for each site on the reservation website to get an idea of what to expect.
• Only a couple of campsites, notably sites #12 and #15, offer partial lake views. Although most sites have no views, Jackson Lake is only a short walk away.
• Our campsite, #61, was modest, but not too small. The driveway won’t accommodate a long RV, but it had more than enough space for us, as we were able to park our SUV next to our teardrop trailer.
• Bonus points: Signal Mountain Campground has both showers and a laundromat. Shower and laundry tokens can be purchased with cash or credit card, and the prices are quite reasonable. Shower rooms are spacious, private, and the water is hot! Truly, this is heaven for anyone on a long camping trip.

FUN STUFF

• Play at Jackson Lake. A short path on the lakeshore side of Signal Mountain Campground leads to the lake, where you can stroll the shore, enjoy a picnic, or skip stones across the water.
• Go boating. A boat launch is conveniently located just south of Signal Mountain Campground. In summer, a variety of boats are available for rent at Signal Mountain Lodge. You can also bring your own boat, but you must purchase a Grand Teton boat permit and display a Wyoming Aquatic Invasive Species decal. Motorized and non-motorized boats are allowed.
• Go fishing. For the down-low on fishing in Grand Teton National Park, visit the National Park Service website.
• Go swimming. The weather in October wasn’t quite warm enough for us to take a dip, but Jackson Lake’s clear waters would be a real treat on a hot summer day. And no worries if you brought the float tubes — a permit isn’t required for water toys and inflatables less than 10 feet in length.
• Dine at Trapper Grill. This restaurant offers gorgeous lake views and from what I’ve read, the food’s not bad, either. We didn’t sample the food during our stay, but I can confirm that the view really can’t be beat.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Signal Mountain offers stunning views of the Tetons from its summit (especially at sunset), located a 15-minute drive from Signal Mountain Campground. The paved road to the summit is narrow and winding, so no trailers or RVs are allowed. You can also hike to the summit if you prefer a more challenging approach.
• Jenny Lake may well be the most popular spot in all of Grand Teton National Park. The main parking area for the lake is a 15-minute drive south of Signal Mountain Campground. From here, you can hike halfway around the lake to reach Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. In summer, boat shuttles take visitors across the lake, offering easier access to the many incredible trails.

• The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is located 17.5 miles south of Signal Mountain Campground. This is the primary visitor center for Grand Teton National Park, with excellent exhibits, a gift shop, and stamps for your national passport books. The center’s evocative architecture perfectly frames the Teton Mountains.
• Mormon Row is another iconic stop within Grand Teton National Park. Here you’ll find the picturesque Moulton Barn, famed as the most-photographed barn in the U.S. Believe me, you’ll know it when you see it. Along with Moulton Barn, a number of other historic homes are preserved here, with the cut-glass peaks of the Tetons as a unforgettable backdrop.
• Jackson is the upscale mountain town found just south of the park. This region has long been a popular rural escape for the rich and famous, so expect that the restaurants and shopping in Jackson will be a couple notches above what you may encounter elsewhere in Wyoming, in both quality and price. We enjoyed a delicious brunch at Café Genevieve, salivated over French pastries from Persephone, and dined on delectable burgers at Liberty Burger. Even when camping, it’s fun to treat yourself now and then!
• Keep in mind this is just a start — there is so much more to explore at Grand Teton National Park!

THE VERDICT

Signal Mountain Campground a good central location from which to explore Grand Teton National Park. The campsites lay nestled in a pine forest only a short walk from the shores of Jackson Lake. Very few sites have lake views, but the tree canopy provides ample shade and a little privacy between sites.

The main downside to Signal Mountain Campground, in my opinion, is the price. $55 per night for an unserviced campsite is steep! But if you want to stay within Grand Teton National Park, you may, like us, decide the location is worth the splurge. You get easy access to Jackson Lake, a boat launch, the general store, Trapper Grill (if you need a break from camp food), a laundromat, showers, and more.

Yes, you have to pay for the laundromat and showers, but I can tell you right now that my shower at Signal Mountain was the absolute best camp shower I have ever had! The water was hot, the pressure was just right, and I had my own private shower room complete with a sink and an abundance of wall hooks and benches to keep my things dry and off the floor. The Signal Mountain showers are truly the Goldilocks showers of the camping world.

All in all, we loved our brief stay at Signal Mountain Campground, and would definitely camp here again on future trips to Grand Teton National Park.

To borrow a phrase from my 13-year-old: I’m not going to lie, our arrival to Grand Teton National Park was a bit of a letdown. After a gorgeous fall drive following the Snake River upstream from Idaho Falls, a haze settled across the horizon as we pulled into the town of Jackson. We paused for a delicious (and surprisingly crowded, considering it was October) brunch in town, and were dismayed to find the smoke lingering over the Tetons as we headed into the park.

Thankfully, by the time we arrived at Signal Mountain Campground, the smoke had cleared. Well, mostly. And regardless of the haze, we were all glad to settle into our new campsite and check out the lake. It didn’t take long to park the trailer and pop up the rooftop tent. We circled our camp chairs around the fire pit in anticipation of an evening campfire, and filled our water jug at the nearby restroom. Sure, the picnic table at our site could use a little leveling, but I’ve seen worse.

Once settled, we followed the forested path behind our campsite toward Jackson Lake. I spied a glimpse of the water on our initial drive through Signal Mountain Campground, so I knew it couldn’t be far. Sure enough, a sign titled “Day Use Only” at the edge of the campground road showed the way.

By this time, the smoky haze had lessened, and we were treated to a lovely view of the Tetons on the far side of Jackson Lake. The kids and I ambled slowly up the shore, looking for the perfect skipping stones, and both boys had good success skipping them across the calm, clear water.

We soon reached Signal Mountain Lodge, which lies to the north of Signal Mountain Campground. The boat rental was closed for the season, but the lodge itself was still in operation, as was the Trapper Grill. Across the parking lot, the general store was well stocked with ice and basic supplies. It even offered a coffee bar and free wifi! Sadly, there was no soft serve, but eight-year-old T was happy to choose a treat from a freezer full of ice cream bars.

That evening we drove to the summit of Signal Mountain for an epic sunset. The following morning, skies were blue as we headed out to explore, but sadly that was not to last. The smoke returned with a vengeance, obscuring the mountains over nearby Jenny Lake.

We had only one more night at Signal Mountain Campground. But before we left camp, there was one final task to accomplish: taking a shower. Our next destination, Madison Campground in Yellowstone National Park, had no shower facilities. Here at Signal Mountain, I had only to insert my credit card in the wall-mounted machine in the laundromat in exchange for a few tokens.

With these magic tokens in hand, I took my pick of the available shower rooms and enjoyed the most luxurious camp shower I have ever had the fortune to experience (and I’ve had some pretty good camp showers in my time). It was pure, blissful, heavenly hot water on tap.

The haze began to creep across the Tetons once more as we left Signal Mountain Campground and made our way north. Luckily, we left the smoke behind as we passed through the southern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Someday, I hope to return to Grand Teton National Park and see these majestic mountains in their full glory. And when that time comes, I’ll be booking another campsite at Signal Mountain Campground.