Whether it’s your first visit to Gardiner, Montana or your 50th, this small but lively gateway town to Yellowstone National Park offers the perfect opportunity for a fun-filled extended weekend.…

An authentic Montana experience conjures up a vivid array of images. You picture scenic beauty - from inspiring peaks to…

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Gardiner, Montana—the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park—offers the only year-round access to Yellowstone with a personal vehicle. Although most park roads are closed to personal vehicles in winter, the road from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs and on to the park’s Northeast Entrance near Cooke City, Montana remains open year round. This incredibly scenic corridor offers some of the best wildlife watching in the park no matter the season.

By Car

Gardiner is located in southern Montana on the border of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. During the winter season, due to park road closures from the south, the only way to access Gardiner is from the north via U.S. Highway 89. From Livingston, Montana, take U.S. Highway 89 south for 53 miles. You’ll follow the beautiful Paradise Valley along the Yellowstone River (watch for elk, fox, deer, and more!) until you reach Gardiner, Montana and the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Driving Distances to Gardiner

• Billings, MT 167 miles
• Bozeman, MT 78 miles
• Butte, MT 159 miles
• Great Falls, MT 225 miles
• Idaho Falls, ID 239 miles
• Livingston, MT 53 miles
• Missoula, MT 280 miles
• Salt Lake City, UT 545 miles

By Air

Gardiner has one small, non-commercial airport.

You can take a commercial flight to one of these airports and finish the trip by car or shuttle. Public transportation is limited in Gardiner, so it’s a good idea to arrange a car rental or shuttle in advance.

• Bozeman Yellowstone International 83 miles
• Logan International in Billings 167 miles
  
  

Exploring the Park

Although the North Entrance road to Mammoth and on to the Northeast Entrance remains open to wheeled vehicles year-round, all other park roads are closed to car traffic during winter. If you’d like to explore the park’s interior attractions—such as Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—you’ll need to book a snow coach tour through Yellowstone National Parks and Lodges. Be sure to have transportation to Mammoth Hot Springs, as your snow coach will depart from this park community located five miles south of Gardiner, Montana.

Distance to Yellowstone Locations

• Canyon Village 38 miles
  By snow coach
• Cooke City, MT 56 miles
  By personal vehicle
• Mammoth Hot Springs 5 miles
  By personal vehicle
• Old Faithful 56 miles
  By snow coach
• West Yellowstone, MT 54 miles
  By snow coach
• Yellowstone Lake 54 miles
  By snow coach

 

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