nature’s favorite entrance to yellowstone national park

Gardiner is located in southwest Montana at the north entrance to the world's first national park—Yellowstone. In the early 1880's, Gardiner's northern boundary was laid by the cantankerous Yellowstone concessionaire James McCartney literally having the town abut up with the park's boundary. It is a land-locked community surrounded by the park and National Forest land.  Gardiner is not only surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape in the country; it also boasts a colorful history sprinkled with trappers, miners, mountain men and hunters including well-known western characters like Jim Bridger and Calamity Jane.  Since then, Gardiner has served as the original entrance to Yellowstone and is graced by the historic Roosevelt Arch, which was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

America’s first National Park is an all-natural resource for photographers, outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes and for those who simply appreciate the beauty and solitude of the American West.

Scattered across its 3,500 square miles are geysers, hot springs and geothermal features that have made Yellowstone world famous. Its diverse ecosystem sustains populations of bison, elk, bighorn sheep, antelope, deer, bears, coyotes and wolves. Towering trees, wildflower meadows, rushing rivers and roaring waterfalls offer some of North America’s most stunning scenery.

Make Gardiner, the Northern Gateway to Yellowstone, your adventure base camp any time of year. It’s a short hop to many of Yellowstone’s iconic attractions.

• Witness an eruption of Old Faithful, the famed geyser. Twenty times a day, Old Faithful sends a plume of hot water and steam 140 feet into the air. It’s just an hour and a half from Gardiner. En route, you can stop to see the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Hot Springs with Steamboat Geyser, and Midway Geyser Basin.
• Get in touch with your wild side in the Lamar Valley, 28 miles southeast of Gardiner. This valley is known as the 'Serengeti' of Yellowstone National Park for its wildlife viewing. You can go hiking, camping, backpacking or fishing. 
• Looking for something different? How about llama trekking or horseback riding?  All of these activities are seasonal, but available through business partners of Gardiner's Chamber of Commerce.  Likewise, in the winter enjoy wildlife-watching, skiing and snowshoeing throughout the wilderness.
• In the summer, take a drive over scenic Dunraven Pass to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where iconic Yellowstone Falls are located. The river plunges 308 feet into the canyon floor, twice the tumble of Niagara Falls.
• Traverse the Beartooth Highway between Cooke City, MT and Red Lodge, MT.  Mountain goats and late season skiers can be seen at the summit.

Montana’s backcountry beauty doesn’t end at the park boundary. The 3.1 million-acre Custer Gallatin National Forest’s stunning beauty picks up where Yellowstone’s leaves off. Within the forest, you can find the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness just east of Gardiner and the Gallatin Wilderness borders the town to the north and west.

The location is a very pretty one, at the junction of the Gardner and Yellowstone Rivers, sandwiched between the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness to the North, the Custer/Gallatin National Forest to the West, and the famous national park - Yellowstone - to the south. Gardiner is a land-locked town settled on 4 square miles.