Grand Teton Climbers Ranch - American Alpine Club — Hotel in Jackson

If you like luxurious lodgings with valet parking, room service, and a finely mixed cocktail at the hotel bar, the Climbers Ranch is probably not for you. But if you are looking for an ideal access point to hiking trails, clean bathrooms with showers, well maintained spartan sleeping quarters, drinkable water, and a community of hikers/climbers sharing stories and tips in a communal environment….bullseye! Add to that: a one-of-a-kind rustic library with hiking resources and historical memorabilia (and the jawbone of a bear), a shared cooking utensil supply closet, free use of bicycles you can ride to Jenny Lake or Moose Pond, dedicated staff who maintain the grounds like they are on a mission, and breathtaking daytime and sunset views at the foothills of the Tetons.

Having traveled to many of the National Parks, I have never visited a place quite like the Climbers Camp. By writing this I’m a little worried that the next time I try to stay there it will be booked solid, but in the interest of the greater good I have to report that it delivers a combination of services and access to the back country that can’t be beat.

One final note/story, while walking along the road by the camp, my four person hiking group ran into three scientist-climbers on their way back from summiting the Grand Teton. They work in a liquid xenon lab deep within an abandoned coal mine searching for evidence of dark matter in the universe. On their day off they drove all night to the Climbers Ranch as their staging ground for the 16+ hour trip up and down the mountain. They were weary and trail-worn but triumphant! We toasted them with our tequila and shared a few splashes from our bottle. Their hike made my own 10 mile trip through the backcountry seem like child’s-play, but we both found shelter at the Climbers ranch. You will probably not find a story like this at the Four Seasons in Teton Village, but sometimes the best treasures are found off the...

Location is great and staff are friendly and helpful BUT if u book here expect that what ever cabin you reserve (we SPECIFICALLY reserved a cabin with a toilet) you will 99.9% of the time NOT get what u signed up for. It is at the sole discretion of the person taking the reservation to MOVE other paid campers to accommodate anyone booking AFTER you have been confirmed. In our case, we reserved a cabin with a toilet. We were confirmed in Cabin 9, south (this is a cabin with 4 on each side and a shared toilet in between) - so I fully expected two other campers in with us and a toilet - in the cabin. We got Cabin 4 with 8 other campers, half of which came trudging in after 11 pm - I’m sure they tried to be quiet. The shared toilet was not close by at 3 am in the freezing dark. Be advised that some requests, like a group of four that want to be in the same cabin that book AFTER you r confirmed is more important than a request for a toilet in the cabin. Disappointing at best. Of course, if u r ok with this type of treatment - no explanation other than “I’m not the one that moved u”, u might like this place. Cabins creek when u walk - so it is noisy - b sure to have good earplugs!!!! Headroom on the top bunk is minimal at best, arrive early to scoop up the bottom!!!! Or expect to bang your head at least once. Some bunks r twin and some are larger by about 12” wide - again, come early so u can grab one of these and have more space. Ample parking. Other campers were also friendly and helpful. Shared spaces were clean. If not for the poor treatment of our request with no valid explanation - I’d have given higher marks. I’m sure the folks that took out spot is writing...

I stayed here three nights recently. It's a cool place and in a great setting with nice amenities, and it totally beats the stress of the overcrowded campgrounds and the outrageous lodging prices.

However, unless you go to sleep easily and are a deep sleeper, it's not a great place to sleep. As some other reviewers have noted, people come in at all hours of the night, and even if they're trying to be quiet, the creaky floors negate those efforts.

People leaving really early also seem to make no attempt to minimize the noise they create. One person actually left the cabin door open, shining light into the cabin.

But the biggest issue is the lack of privacy. I stayed in a similar locale in Pinedale, but the bunks were basically crates closed on both ends and with a curtain you could draw across laterally for privacy. So you could read a book or watch a show without the glare intruding on other people's rest, and the teenage girl sleeping across from me wouldn't have been so on display to the middle-aged men in the cabin. How awkward-- my own 16 YO daughter would have been creeped out.

It would be really easy and cheap to implement similar privacy measures. And maybe there should be a gate at the road entrance that gets locked at, say, midnight, so that people can't barge in at 3 a.m. and wake others up. Or at least don't provide check-in info for people arriving that late, requiring them to sleep in their cars instead.

I'd stay there again, but that's because of the dollar value, and I'd bring an extra sheet or curtain to create...