Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
FIRE BAN: WGFD flags this area as 'Fire Ban is in Effect for this Area' -- check before you plan on any open flame. SEASONAL CLOSURE -- READ THIS FIRST: NO UNAUTHORIZED HUMAN PRESENCE December 16 - 8:00 AM May 1. Wyoming closes many of these areas in winter and spring to protect wintering big game, and a closure is not advisory. Confirm the current dates with Game and Fish before you drive out. This is a designated campground on the Sunlight Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area in Park County, land acquired or administered by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. The area runs about 1,410 acres. Camping here is genuinely free and first come, first served -- and unlike neighbouring states, Wyoming does NOT make you buy a license or a habitat/entrance pass simply to be on the land or to camp. (If you intend to hunt or fish while you are there, that is a different matter: you need the appropriate Wyoming license and a conservation stamp for that activity.) The rules that bind: you may only camp in the designated spots, no more than 14 consecutive days, and you cannot leave a camp unattended more than 48 hours. After you hit the limit you have to be off that same Game and Fish land for at least 72 hours before returning. Some areas post a limit shorter than 14 days on the sign at the entrance -- if the sign says less, the sign wins. Area-specific regulations from Game and Fish: 14 day camping limit. Exceptions noted for this area: Open year-round to foot access for fishing along Sunlight Creek. Amenities listed by Game and Fish for the area: Handicap Accessible Comfort Station These are working wildlife areas first and campgrounds second -- they exist for habitat, so expect gravel, expect stock, and leave it cleaner than you found it. We have not visited; confirm current conditions and closures with the Wyoming Game and Fish Cody regional office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area · Shoshone National Forest · WY
- GGrocery14 mi
- WWater18 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- ShShower25 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- DDump27 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- @Mail28 mi
- EVEV fast charger28 mi
- HHardware28 mi
- LLaundry47 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
Nearby & resupply — around Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area · Shoshone National Forest · WY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSunlight Creek (stream) · nearby
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~26.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.2 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~26.4 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~27.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicClinic · ~26.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~28.1 mi
EV charging — from Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area · Shoshone National Forest · WY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger27.6 mi straight-line SE — DENNY MENHOLT CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, CODY, WY · EV Connect · CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 17 within 100 · 36 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)74.2 mi — Laurel, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Laurel
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO64.3 mi — GARDSINCLAIR DC FAST LEVEL 3, Gardiner
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)26.9 mi — Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY (at a museum) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-03-08 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 330020 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area · Shoshone National Forest · WY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomSunlight Rangers Cabin · ~1.5 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLittle Sunlight · ~3.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSunlight Creek · ~5.0 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDead Indian · ~5.4 mi E · USFS
Open Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area elsewhere
Other camps near Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sunlight Basin WHMA — Grizzly~1.3 mi
- Little Sunlight~3.4 mi · fee
- Dead Indian~5.6 mi · fee
- Hunter Peak~11.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area are set by Shoshone National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Wolverine at 7,660 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 904 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
What we don’t know about Sunlight Basin WHMA — Sunlight Camping Area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it