Campgrounds and RV parks near Arapahoe, WY

Water and fishing dominate the summer schedule. Boysen Reservoir is the largest reservoir in Wyoming, and the park has 76 miles of shoreline. Anglers can catch walleye and trout, along with sauger, perch, crappie, ling, and other species. The Wind River and Little Wind River offer additional trout water close to the reservation. Sinks Canyon State Park is the marquee day trip. The park sits along the middle fork of the Popo Agie River, where the river disappears into a limestone cavern and reappears downstream in a pool. The canyon supports hiking, rock climbing, fishing, and mountain biking. Cultural stops on the reservation include Fort Washakie, Sacajawea's gravesite, and interpretive sites tied to the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. A tribal fishing permit is required for non-tribal anglers to fish reservation waters.

The Wind River Basin has four distinct seasons with short shoulders on either side of winter. Riverton has four distinct seasons, but at times spring and fall can be rather abbreviated, and summers are rather long and quite warm with normal highs in the mid to upper 80s and lows around 50, with the mercury frequently topping 90 degrees about 36 times per year on average. Peak RV travel runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with July and early August the busiest weeks. Spring brings the wettest weather of the year and lingering snow at elevation. Daytime highs climb from the low 50s in March to the low 70s in May, while overnight lows move from the low 20s in March to the 40s in May. Roads and campgrounds at higher elevations may not fully open until late May. Fall cools quickly. Fall is a variable-length transition period before a relatively harsh winter, with snow possible as early as September and temperatures typically in the 70s at the start of the season decreasing rapidly to near 30 degrees by the average first day of winter. Winter camping is largely limited to a few private parks with hookups.

Elevation matters. The basin floor sits above 5,000 feet, and campgrounds near Lander and in Sinks Canyon are higher, so cool nights are normal even in July. Bring layers, a windbreak, and sun protection; UV is strong at this elevation. Most public sites are dry camping. Boysen State Park offers hundreds of RV and tent sites spread across multiple campgrounds, and these sites do not offer any hookups, though a dump station is located near park headquarters and restrooms are available throughout the campgrounds. Sinks Canyon State Park sites are similarly primitive. Plan on filling fresh water and dumping tanks at private parks in Riverton or Lander before heading out. Expect wildlife on and near roads at dawn and dusk, and store food properly in the mountains. Grocery, fuel, and propane are easy to find in Riverton and Lander but sparse elsewhere on the reservation.