The North Boulder Lake Campground is a recreational site managed by the BLM near Pinedale in Wyoming. The campground is located on the northern shore of Boulder Lake, a four-mile-long reservoir in Sublette County. The lake was formed when the Boulder Creek Dam was constructed impounding Boulder Creek. Sitting at an elevation of over seven-thousand feet, the lake lies partly within the Bridger-Teton National Forest and is bordered to the east by the Wind River Mountain Range. It's a landscape that has an almost alpine quality to it with the surrounding steep pine-covered slopes reflected in the pristine crystal-clear blue lake waters. It's the perfect BLM campground to choose for a breath of pure mountain air when you're RV camping in Wyoming.
Pitch camp at the North Boulder Lake Campground and you'll really be getting back to basics, but in one of the most beautiful spots in Wyoming for an RV vacation. The campground has just five campsites right on the edge of the lake, surfaced with leveled dirt and almost hidden among a thick of tall pine trees. Peace and quiet are guaranteed and you'll also get a picnic table, fire ring, and grill, though not a lot of anything else other than the use of a vault toilet.
While the North Boulder Lake Campground is the ideal place to spend a few tranquil days, there's also plenty to do there or in nearby Pinedale. It's an area with superb hiking trails, first-class fishing, excellent off-roading and lots of winter sport opportunities. Whether you want to go horse riding, rock climbing, sledding with your team of huskies, go scenic driving or have a game of disc golf with the kids, you'll be in the right place to do it. There are lots of interesting cultural events happening in Pinedale throughout the year too as well as the has-to-be-seen-once-in-a-lifetime pronghorn antelope migration through the Pronghorn Wildlife Corridor. It's an incredible twice-yearly occurrence no wildlife spotter will want to miss.
While the North Boulder Lake Campground is an idyllic, remote and little-visited location in Wyoming, it is not too difficult to get to if you're okay at map reading. If you're coming in from the north of the state, program Pinedale into your navigational app and you'll almost be there. Almost being the operative word. Pinedale is located on the US 191 and once you reach the town, you'll have just another fifteen miles to motor before you can pitch camp. The turn-off for the campground is signposted on the US 191 and will take you through a mini-maze of a housing development until you hit the Burnt Lake Road which eventually leads to the campground. You'll find signs for the campground at the junction of Burnt Lake Road with Boulder Lake Dam Road from where, after a short distance, you'll need to veer off onto County Road 771.
Anyone not too good at navigating might find it easier to head down to Boulder and join the Burnt Lake Road directly from there. While it may be a few miles out of your way, you'll find it a lot easier to stay on the right road. Another option, especially if you're arriving from the south of the state, is to join the Boulder Lake Road from the WY 353 east of Boulder.
If you're heading to the North Boulder Lake Campground after RV camping in the Ashley National Forest in Utah, you can join the US 191 northbound in Red Canyon. From there it's more or less a straight drive to Pinedale that will take you around three hours. You won't be passing through many towns on the way so you might want to stop off in Rock Springs to stock up on provisions. If you've been over in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, head for Laramie where you can hit the I 80 westbound to Rock Springs. From there you'll be able to get on the US 191 and motor on north to the campground. Allow yourself around five hours for the trip.e
If you arrive at the North Boulder Lake Campground and all the pitches are taken, continue driving around seven miles along Boulder Lake Road which runs along the southern shore of the reservoir and you'll come to the Boulder Lake Recreation Area. The recreation area is near Boulder Lake Dam on the eastern shore and there you'll find an alternative site, the Boulder Lake Campground. The campground is open all year and operates throughout the twelve months on a first-come, first-served basis.
There are fifteen campsites in total at the Boulder Lake Campground, all with picnic tables, grills, and fire rings. The campsites are distributed around a single, one-way loop with either views of the lake or Boulder Creek. The pitches are of varying sizes and can accommodate rigs or trailers from twelve to one-hundred and twenty-six feet, though large rig campsites are limited.
There is no availability of drinking water on the site and the only amenity is a block of vault toilets. The campground is located in bear country so all food supplies must be stored properly as advised by the forestry commission.
The North Boulder Lake Campground is a great place to pitch camp if you're planning on doing lots of hiking during your RV vacation in Wyoming. At the eastern end of the reservoir, about seven miles from the campground, you'll find the trailhead for the Boulder Lake Trail. It's a dirt and gravel track that leads out into the backcountry for around ten miles.
Hike the Scab Creek Trail and you'll be able to enjoy the fantastic scenery of the Bonneville Basin and if you pack enough provisions to make a day of it, begin to explore the lakes and mountains of the Bridger Wilderness. Those are just two of the hikes in the area. You can discover more great treks near Pinedale and in the Wind Range Mountains here.
The waterside location of the North Boulder Lake Campground makes it an ideal spot for anglers to pitch camp for some peaceful fishing. There's no boat ramp at the campground, so fisherfolk wanting to launch a craft need to head over to the recreation area at the eastern end of the reservoir. Boulder Lake is renowned for its trophy-sized rainbow and lake trout as well as kokanee salmon so be prepared to hook a big one.
The region around the campground is, in reality, a fisherman's paradise and if you're an angler who is happy to hike, then you'll discover an almost endless amount of lakes and streams along the trails that are literally teeming with fish.
Camp at the North Boulder Lake Campground and you'll be perfectly located to enjoy one of the best scenic drives the US has to offer. The Centennial Scenic Byway winds its way from Pinedale along the northbound US 191 for almost one-hundred and fifty miles through the Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest to the Yellowstone National Park.
It's a good idea to plan on the trip taking a full day as there's so much to see and photograph on the way, you'll be pulling off the road frequently just to take in the sheer beauty of what you're seeing.
Anyone towing a trailer with their OHV onboard will be happy to discover that there are some great trails in the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest near the North Boulder Lake Campground. Test your skills on the Meadow Lake ATV Trail, the Seven Lakes ATV Trail or the Sweeney Creek ATV Trail to name just three. To make the most of all the places to ride or drive off-road in the area, download the trail map and study it before you go.
Visit the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale to discover all about the area's fascinating role in the history of the fur trade. The museum has indoor and outdoor exhibits ranging from Native American tipis to fur trapper's rifles as well as numerous other artifacts dating back to the early nineteenth century.
The museum opens seven days a week from May to October from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon. During the wintertime, viewing is by prior appointment only.
Winter visitors to Boulder Lake will find they can participate in almost every type of winter sport under the sun. Just outside of Pinedale there are parks with numerous groomed trails for cross country skiing and sledding. For sledders with husky teams or snowmobilers, there's over a hundred miles worth of trails on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail running through the Bridger-Teton National Forest as well as access to a twenty-six-mile long ungroomed section.
Downhill skiing and snowboarding can be practiced at the free to use White Pines Ski Area. The fun doesn't stop in Pinedale even when there are ten feet of snow on the ground.
