Campgrounds and RV parks near Basin, WY

The Bighorn Mountains dominate the eastern skyline and are the main draw. US-14 climbs from Greybull through Shell Canyon past Shell Falls, then crosses the Bighorn National Forest toward Sheridan. North of Basin, US-14A crosses the Medicine Wheel Passage; the grade is steep, with a sustained 10 percent descent on the west side, and is best planned in advance for larger rigs. Paleontology and geology anchor several in-town stops. The Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, on BLM land near Shell, is the largest dinosaur tracksite in Wyoming and dates to the Middle Jurassic. It is reached by heading about eight miles east of Greybull on US-14, then roughly five miles south on the Red Gulch/Alkali National Back Country Byway, a dirt road. Greybull also hosts the Greybull Museum and the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting. Water-based recreation includes floating and fishing the Bighorn River and day trips to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, with its South District Visitor Center in Lovell.

Basin has a cold, dry climate driven by its position on the floor of the Bighorn Basin, classified as cold desert (Koppen BWk). The lower Bighorn Basin runs hotter than most of Wyoming in summer, and snowfall is among the lightest in the northern Rockies, with annual totals of roughly 15 to 20 inches on the valley floor. That combination makes late spring through early fall the practical RV window, with July and August warm on the basin floor and noticeably cooler up in the mountains. Summer is the peak season. Forest Service campgrounds in the Bighorns run a short season keyed to snowmelt: many open in early June and close in mid September, with limited self-supported camping possible afterward at sites that are not gated. Bald Mountain Campground, for example, remains open to self-supported camping as long as weather permits, without trash service, water, or cleaning. Shoulder months of May and September bring quieter private parks and cooler daytime highs, but mountain passes can see early or late snow. Winter travel is possible on the basin floor, though services thin out and most mountain campgrounds are gated shut.

Basin is a small county-seat town, so expect fuel, groceries, and hardware in Basin and Greybull rather than big-box services. Greybull is the practical resupply point on US-14/16/20 and is set up for travelers routing between the Black Hills and Yellowstone, with Yellowstone reached via US-14/16/20 to the west. The basin floor is dry, open, and warm in summer, with wide day-to-night temperature swings driven by low humidity. Snowfall is light by regional standards, and the landscape is dominated by sagebrush, irrigated hay fields, and long sightlines rather than shaded forest at most private parks. Driving into the Bighorns changes the rules. Grades are long and steep on both US-14 and US-14A, brake and coolant temperatures matter, and afternoon thunderstorms roll through quickly. Cell coverage drops off once above the plains, so download maps before leaving town.