NEW CAMPGROUND AND AMENITIES COMING AT DRIGGS, IDAHO
RAF Idaho Liaison Tim Riley’s RAF grant was approved for camping amenities at Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (KDIJ), located in eastern Idaho at the base of the beautiful Grand Teton Mountains.
“Driggs is a world class destination for the pilot community, with access to hiking, biking, fishing, floating, golf and a small town with numerous shops and restaurants.” Riley said. “Teton Aviation located on the field is a full service FBO including a great restaurant and a collection of Warbirds in the adjacent museum.”
As an active member of the Driggs airport board, Tim began pursuing the dream of an airport campground to serve the pilot community a year ago. Persistent education and discussion with all stakeholders has paid off as the project has approval to move forward.
The airport camping project is a collaborative effort between the RAF, the Idaho Aviation Association, (IAA), the City of Driggs, and the Driggs Airport Board. A cedar pavilion will provide shelter and amenities include a picnic table, barbecue, fire ring, electricity, water, and a port-a-potty. Pilots will also have access to bicycles provided by the IAA Borrow-A-Bike program.
“For pilots seeking an overnight stop en route to the Idaho and Montana backcountry, this is camping with a view of the Grand Tetons and access to food, supplies and fuel,” Riley said. In addition to being a camping destination, the campground will be available for clubs or other group fly-ins.
“This project is well-aligned with the RAF mission of using aircraft to access recreational resources,” Riley said. “It also has the potential to be a base camp or an outpost for the RAF goals of creating regional flying locations with high recreational value,” he added.
Riley projects the completion date for this summer.
Submitted on April 29, 2020
Backcountry airplane camping is a great way to maintain isolation while seeing new things… hope this project isn’t delayed too long.
Hi Chuck – Project is on track. Put in the pathways and pilot shelter pad today. Electrical and water to follow and then tie downs. Should be good to go in first week of June. Look forward to seeing you in Driggs.
Excellent ! Thank you Tim
Thanks Greg – See you soon. Appreciate the support of the IAA for the bike shed and the project.
Well done. This is great news on a beautiful location.
Hi Lynn – Hope you get a chance to visit and enjoy the beautiful setting.
Hey Tim,
Sounds great! Hoping to make a trip that way from Watsonville sometime this summer.
Cheers
Hi Barry – Nice to hear from you. Look forward to seeing you in Driggs. And to getting to Watsonville when things get back to normal.
Hey Tim this is awesome and I know many pilots will appreciate all your efforts! I very much looking forward to when it will be operational. Please reach out to me to see how I could be of assistance to assist with the project. Thank You!
Thanks Joe for your offer to build picnic tables for the campground. It is an awesome contribution that is much appreciated. Look forward to seeing you in Driggs
Hi Tim, My wife and I are looking forward to visiting Driggs this summer to camp and hike. Hope to get our first plane camping of the year in this weekend on the RAF camping pads @ Bowstring Minnesota! Thanks for this new destination!
Pete and Andi
Curious if this project has been completed? This is a perfect for us flat landers to stop for the night before moving into the mountains!
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your note. Improvements at the airport camping facility are ready for use; here is a link to an ‘update’ article:
https://theraf.org/gateway-to-teton-recreation-gets-amenities/
Thanks!
Erin White, RAF Volunteer Coordinator
Aiming to head out for a couple of nights later this month. Can’t wait