Shadow Mountain (Camp 1)
Shadow Mountain Rd, Moose, WY 83012
GPS: 43.704327, -110.621945
See Campsite Location Page Here

I was driving through West Yellowstone, MT and I had stopped at a local McDonald's to grab lunch. As I sat there eating my Quarter Pounder, I hear a voice say "Is your name Abel?". Uh-oh... I slowly look up and say "Yes". It was a local Vanagon owner that lived there in West Yellowstone that recognized my van as he drove past. How cool is that? I'm horrible with names so please forgive me that I don't recall his.

We chatted for a bit and checked each other's vans out. That's a thing. That's what we do! lol. He asked where I was headed and I explained I planned to drive through Yellowstone National Park and then head south to Jackson and find a place to camp.

It was then when he said "I know of a perfect spot for you to camp at!". I was all ears as he explained Shadow Mountain Campground located on BLM land. He sent me the GPS coords and I now had a place to stay for the night.

That evening I pull into the camp area and the first thing I see is another Westy there camping too. Score! We all know camping in Westy packs is better! The dirt road to get to the camp area wasn't bad at all, it was definitely doable even with a car. The scenery was awesome and the sunset that night was amazing.

The next morning I woke up to this view. Wow. Absolutely one of the best views I've had camping and it was FREE! Shadow Mountain Campground is on BLM land which allows you to camp on for free for up to 14 days in one spot. Can't beat that.

Cooked a little lunch while enjoying the view.

There isn't much shade here at the base of Shadow Mountain but you can drive further up Shadow Mountain Rd which will lead you to about a dozen more campsites up the hill. At the time of year I went (May 25th) the gate to the upper portion was still locked.

My Westy neighbor and I had to get a photo together before he hit the road and continued on his trip. As I mentioned earlier, I'm horrible with names so I don't remember his.

One thing I didn't realize until I left the next day was that the campsite was about 4 miles from the Historic Mormon Row. This is one of the most photographed places in the U.S. and is definitely worth a stop. Walk around, explore and take some great photos.

This is one of my favorite camping spots that I had no idea existed. I just so happened to run into a fellow Vanagon owner that pointed me in this direction. Completely lucked out. Now when other Vanagon/Bus owners I know are traveling in this area, I be sure to pass along this information to them as well.