(Fort Washakie, WY) – Nestled along the base of the Wind River Mountains in Fort Washakie, you’ll find a neatly manicured piece of property with a handful of tipis setup for your glamping excursion on the Wind River Reservation.
Each tipi sits on a platform off the ground and houses at least one bed. Their traditional tipis sleep anywhere from 2-4 people, while their circle tent tipi can sleep up to 8 people.
In addition to the tipis, there is a small building on the property where you can purchase goods made by local artists.
After years of discussions, co-owners Jerry Warren and Jorden Giddings decided to open Wind River Basin Campground at #23 Trout Creek Road.
Jerry is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and is of Eastern Shoshone descent, and Jorden is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Tribe and is of Eastern Shoshone descent.
The two are not new to owning and operating businesses here in Fremont County. Jerry owns and operates J.A.C.E. Water Service, which he started 23 years ago. Jorden is the owner and operator of Salon 10 and is celebrating their 5th year in business.
The Wind River Basin Campground was created to help the reservation and community with economic development and inspiration, shared Erika Yarber, a partner in the operation.
“We just want to inspire everybody that wants to open a business or has questions or that has a good idea,” Yarber said. “We really, truly want to encourage entrepreneurship.”
As part of the experience, they encourage visitors to follow the Wind River Reservation guide provided by the Wind River Visitor’s Council.
“We are not selling our culture,” Yarber explained. “We are not selling our ceremonies and things like that. We want to welcome people. We want to educate people properly. We want to give them the opportunity to feel welcome coming in.”
The campground is located within walking distance to Hines General Store, 1.7 miles to the Fort Washakie Powwow Grounds, and only 5.9 miles to the Ethete Powwow Grounds.
They gave a special thank you to Helen Wilson and the Wind River Visitor’s Council for sponsoring their Grand Opening. The MOVE Committee, along with the County Commissioners for their support. And thank you to the Intertribal Committee and Tero.
The tipis can be reserved online here. Learn more about Wind River Basin Campground here.
