Summer in Bridger-Teton National Forest With Dogs
It may still be winter, but it’s a great time to start planning a summer trip to the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in Wyoming. We visited in July, but started planning and making reservations in January. BTNF is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem-3.4 million acres of mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, and wildlife encounters. And unlike Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks which are also epic places to visit, BTNF is dog friendly, not crowded, and we think just as beautiful!
While Linus’ reactivity guided our decision to stay clear of regular campgrounds to have more privacy and space, it ended up being amazing for all of us! Thanks Linus! We spent 5 nights at the Meadows Cabin near Bedford, Wyoming, a rustic 2 room log cabin built in 1933. It is about a 1.5-2 hour drive from Jackson, Wyoming. We spent our days hiking mostly without another person in sight, and our evenings around the camp fire. The dogs were able to explore for miles, swim in streams, run through meadows, and were exhausted and fulfilled by the end of each day. BTNF is a reactive dog’s paradise!
Linus & Luna sleeping on the porch of the Meadows Cabin
It is hard to capture the beauty, vastness, and tranquility of BTNF in words and pictures, but we will do our best to outline the highlights.
Lodging
The Meadows Cabin has 3 bunk beds, a stocked kitchen, refrigerator, stove, dining table and chairs, and because we visited in the summer, we had a flushing toilet, potable water and a hot shower as well. We had enough room for 3 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs.
The cabin is in a shaded area of the Grey River valley surrounded by meadows, wildflowers, and tall pines. Meadow creek is also just steps away from the cabin. The dogs loved playing in the water everyday! Outside the cabin is a large fenced area with a campfire pit, picnic table, and piles of wood ready to be chopped. And miles of beautiful hiking is also very close to the cabin.
There are several other pet friendly cabins as well as campgrounds and dispersed camping throughout BTNF. The cabins fill up quickly in the summer, and we had to make our reservation 6 months in advance.
Getting there
Many of the roads throughout BTNF are gravel forest roads. While 4 wheel drive was not necessary, it was helpful in some spots. The cabin was far off the highway and required some slow driving for a very dusty 30 miles. It usually took us about 45-60 minutes to get back onto the paved roads. We made a couple trips into Jackson to do some shopping, eat some pizza, and take a scenic drive through the Grand Teton National Park.
Bridger-Teton dusty roads
Other notes
There is no cell service or electricity
We did not see any park rangers near where we stayed. We talked to a park ranger in Jackson to get some hiking recommendations.
There were a lot of mosquitos out during the day. We wore mosquito head nets while hiking.
The doors on the cabin did not have screens. So to keep the bugs out but also get some air flow, we tacked up a sheet which was helpful.
A couple of our most exciting wildlife sighting were a family of red foxes and a couple great grey owls-the biggest owls we’ve ever seen!
BTNF is great for seeing and photographing the Milk Way as there is very little light pollution. This is the camera set up we use-tripod, camera, and wide angle lens. Photography is just a hobby for us, so this isn’t professional level gear, but we had fun taking some Milky Way and cloudy night sky time lapses.
And even though the Grand Teton National Park isn’t too dog friendly, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit the park, so we took take a scenic drive through the park with the dogs. The dogs were able to walk along the road and in the parking areas. We enjoyed seeing the Tetons, elk, moose, pronghorn, and even a grizzly bear and cub off in the distance.
Our Dog Camping Essentials:
Travel Crate-Great for giving the dogs a safe place to sleep and decompress
Place Cot-A nice place for the dogs to be able to relax during the day
Water Proof Blanket-For wet and dirty dogs
Steve’s Freeze Dried Raw-Easy to pack freeze dried food that’s easy on our dogs’ sensitive stomachs
Dog Bowls with Covers-The lids help with being able to store the bowls in camping bins
Treats & more treats-We bring these hiking
Chews & more chews-We use these as a distraction when we’re doing chores around camp or as a reward
Pet Wrap-In case of injuries, good for the humans too
This trip was over 2 weeks long, so we also brought some grooming supplies:
We only explored a little portion of the BTNF, and would love to go back! We’re sure Linus and Luna would love it too.
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