Source
r/hiking•
_jt

Teton Crest Trail - Camping Reservation Shitshow!

Question

Hello! I'm curious if anyone was able to snag camp spots this morning on recreation.gov for the Teton Crest Trail? & If so, dear god how did you do it??? Myself & 4 buddies have been dreaming about doing this hike for awhile now & the camping reservations went live this morning at 8AM. I didn't sleep last night stressing about this & was online & ready to go as soon as the clock struck 8am - picked our campsites, clicked book, & and then got error messages saying nothing was available for any goddamn date I picked. It would show spots available before I clicked book though! This was my first time trying to navigate the online reservations & it was a total failure. I feel horrible! I'm just curious if anyone else had issues or has tried doing this hike in the past without permits in hand? I'd hate to get my buddies to fly up there this summer & attempt to get walk-up permits only to get turned away. Thanks!

Posted Jan 10, 2023, 4:15 PM UTC · edited

29
Awanderingleaf•

If you can manage it, portions of the Teton Crest trail go through National Forest and Wilderness land. You don't need permits to camp in those sections.

3
Cloud_Ripper•

The same thing has happened to me two years in a row. You need to be fast to book after you sprint to click each box. I ended up getting my third date choice in the late september shoulder season. 2 people.

2
Aggravating-Carrot90•

Is that for this September or prior? I got the 3rd week which was a little further back than I had hoped for and am slightly nervous for some snow

1
Cloud_Ripper•

Same here. Late this September. Sure, it might be chilly. Even snow. Or it could be glorious fall weather. Hope for the best!

2
Due_Truth3684•

My additional thought after reading other comments - was it 8am in your time zone that it opened? Or 8am in a time zone earlier than you? I have done things like that where it turns out I am hour late.

2
AZ_Skunk_Ape•

I did get permits this morning for 08/22-08/25. Four days and three nights. There are only two people in my party, so that may have been the difference. I had no trouble with the website except my first option was gone by the time I needed to check out.

1
_jtOP•

Congrats! Ok well I guess that means it wasn’t a website error or something. Man I’m so bummed - those were snatched up instantly. I need to make a bot or something to do it for me next time lol

1
Embarrassed-Plate499•

Yeah, most of the rez systems for the national parks are a mess. You should check back in every day or so, though. People cancel all the time, so you might be able to pick up a route closer to your preferred date.

1
TweedyTreks•

Off the top of my head, if I remember right. Only 1/3rd of reservations are for advanced permits. Also, the Jediah Smith Wilderness runs adjacent to the park. So you can camp in the wilderness, without a permit, each night - which, logistically can be challenging. But if you can do some miles then, it's not that crazy really. I'm likely going to do this. Missed my alarm clock this morning for the permit bonanza.

1