RV Parks In Kemmerer, Wyoming

Kemmerer sits in the Hams Fork valley of southwestern Wyoming with several RV parks and campgrounds serving travelers in the fossil-rich high desert between I-80 and the Star Valley corridor, including some free camping options. The Lincoln County seat is best known as the birthplace of J.C. Penney -- James Cash Penney opened his first Golden Rule store here in 1902, and the original store building and Penney's modest home are preserved as historic sites that tell the story of one of America's great retail enterprises growing from a small Wyoming mining town. Fossil Butte National Monument about 10 miles west of Kemmerer preserves one of the world's finest deposits of freshwater fish fossils from the 52-million-year-old Fossil Lake, and the monument's visitor center displays exquisitely detailed fossil specimens that rival any natural history museum collection. The surrounding area has produced commercial fossil quarries where visitors can dig for their own fish fossils during summer months, creating a hands-on paleontological experience that's unique in the national park system. The Hams Fork River and its tributaries provide fishing and green riparian corridors through the otherwise dry sagebrush landscape, and the surrounding BLM land offers vast open spaces for dispersed camping and exploring the high desert terrain. RV camping near Kemmerer provides access to world-class fossil sites, frontier retail history, and a genuine small Wyoming town that hasn't been polished for tourism. The community's coal mining heritage remains an active part of the local economy, with the Kemmerer Mine visible from the surrounding hills. The Oyster Ridge Music Festival each summer brings live bluegrass and folk music to town in a community celebration that draws visitors from across the region. The Fontenelle Reservoir about 25 miles north provides boating, fishing for rainbow and brown trout, and waterfront camping in a high desert reservoir setting along the Green River.

Camping near Kemmerer is very affordable, reflecting the genuine small-town economy of southwestern Wyoming. Of the available options, a portion% are free while a portion% charge fees, with paid parks running $20 to $35 per night for hookup sites. Fossil Butte National Monument has no entrance fee, making it one of the best free attractions in the National Park Service system. The commercial fossil quarries charge dig fees typically ranging from $25 to $75 per person depending on the quarry and duration, and you keep what you find. BLM land surrounding Kemmerer provides extensive free dispersed camping for self-contained rigs in the open sagebrush landscape. Fontenelle Reservoir campgrounds are modestly priced at $10 to $15 per night. Wyoming's lack of state income tax and low overall cost of living keeps fuel, groceries, and dining at genuine local prices throughout the Kemmerer area.