Displaying items by tag: Gardiner

Whether you’re looking for a quick dip or a full-on hot spring adventure the North Entrance to Yellowstone features hydrothermal destinations that offer a chance to soak, relax, and enjoy the scenery the area has to offer. The North Entrance community of Gardiner, Montana, offers food, lodging, and other services to go along with your soak. An up-to-date list of businesses that are open after this summer’s flooding can be found in this travel guide. Pack your swimsuit, towel, water bottle, and enjoy the healing waters surrounding the park’s beautiful North Entrance!

Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa

Indoor Showers, Restrooms and Changing Rooms: Yes
Food and Beverage: Yes
Lodging Available: On Site

Famous for its fine dining, soothing mineral waters, and rustic flair, Chico Hot Springs provides a soaking experience for those looking to spend either a day or an entire weekend. The resort—a 30-minute drive from Yellowstone’s North Entrance—was established in 1900 as a hot spring destination but now offers other activities ranging from horseback riding to rafting to fly fishing to dogsledding. Chico features lodging, locally influenced menus, a saloon, a gift store, and a spa where guests can receive a massage or take yoga classes. Bands often play late-night at the saloon. Lodging ranges from affordable, dog-friendly rooms with shared bathrooms in the main building to group cabins to two-person covered wagons. Dining in the main lodge is a culinary experience with fresh herbs and vegetables from Chico’s greenhouses; a more basic, yet delicious, menu of pizzas and sandwiches is offered at the poolside grill and saloon. Day passes are available for those who’d simply like to stop in and take a soak. Two spacious, open-air, developed pools offer guests a chance to either relax in the hot pool or splash and play in the cooler, more kid-friendly pool nearby. The water is chemical-free, drained and refilled daily, and is surrounded by outdoor seating with easy access to changing rooms with toilets, showers, and cubbies and lockers for storing clothes and other items. Perhaps the hallmark of Chico, in addition to its western roots and hospitality, are the soaring, snowcapped Absaroka Mountains that soar over the hot springs and the surrounding Paradise Valley.

Yellowstone Hot Springs RV Park & Campground

Indoor Showers, Restrooms and Changing Rooms: Yes
Food and Beverage: Limited and Restricted
Lodging Available: Nearby in Gardiner, Montana and on-site camping 

Nestled along the banks of the Yellowstone River in Corwin Springs, Montana, a 10-minute drive from the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Hot Springs opened to the public in March 2019. Although a recent addition to the local business community, Yellowstone Hot Springs emerges from a longstanding past of previous hot springs at the location. The new facility features on-site parking, a check-in desk where guests can rent towels and purchase snacks, and spacious, indoor changing rooms with toilets, sinks, and showers. Outdoor walkways from the changing rooms lead guests past picnic tables, seating areas, and a fire ring to a large, developed pool with two smaller, inset circular pools—one hot and one cold. The main pool averages a comfortable 102℉, while the cold pool averages 67℉. The hot pool averages a steamy 104℉. The owners take great pride in the serenity of the location and the mineral-rich quality of the water, which flows from the outskirts of nearby Yellowstone Park; the water is said to contain crystals that closely resemble an experimental photograph that showed crystals from a different water sample that had the Japanese character for love and gratitude written on its container, according to the company website. Pets, alcohol, and smoking are prohibited, although plenty of fresh water is provided for guests. A daytime soak provides the opportunity to view wildlife, while an evening soak provides a star-filled sky.

Whatever destination you choose, enjoy your soak!

Chelsea DeWeese writes from her hometown of Gardiner, Montana, the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Mild spring weather, snow-capped peaks, and hundreds of hooves pounding dusty roads—these are the sights and sounds of Memorial Day weekend in Gardiner, Montana, where the annual Hell’s A-Roarin’ Horse Drive takes place each year.

“Since 1982 we have driven our horses through town and up to our ranch,” explains Susan Johnson, co-owner of Hell’s A-Roarin’ Outfitters along with her husband Warren. “We first did it because we didn't own a horse trailer. A semi would drop them at the rodeo grounds, and this was the only way to get them home. Folks in town always enjoyed watching.”

Since then, Hell’s A-Roarin’ Outfitters kicks off the summer season by driving the herd to their summer location in Jardine, Montana, 9 miles north of Gardiner. The drive begins at the Gardiner Rodeo Grounds and continues up the Jardine Road until it reaches the Hell’s A-Roarin’ Ranch. A barbeque dinner, raffle and auction, dancing, and live music round out the annual event.

In 2013, thanks to its popularity and ability to bring the community together, the Drive became a way to raise funds for nonprofit organizations in the Gardiner area. Past proceeds have benefitted the Gardiner Food Pantry, Park County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, and the Gardiner Rodeo. This year proceeds will be used to purchase an Action Trackchair for a disabled Montana Veteran.

“Each year a committee of five votes on a cause to raise money for,” says Johnson. “When we decided last year to buy a Track Chair for a disabled veteran, we had overwhelming support. So, we decided from now on, this is what the Horse Drive will stand for—veterans and first responders.”

This year’s Horse Drive will take place on Saturday, May 25. Spectators will have the opportunity to view the horses at the Gardiner Rodeo Grounds from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. At 1 p.m., the horses will leave the rodeo grounds and the outfitters will drive all 300 animals through Scott Street in downtown Gardiner. The fun doesn’t stop there, Johnson says.

“The venue this year is under big tents at the Jardine Rodeo Grounds. We have the Fall River boys, playing first, then Adrian Buckaroogirl, then Wylie and the Wild West will play for the dance. In the meantime, we have a woman bronc rider, an art auction with over 60 pieces of original art and amazing raffle prizes!”

A celebration of the town’s western heritage and connection to the land, the Horse Drive perfectly embodies Gardiner’s generosity and sense of community. And thanks to the event’s unique quality, the Drive has begun attracting spectators from far beyond the Gardiner area.

“Each year, the event gets bigger and bigger,” Johnson says. “Folks from all over the country are stepping up to make a veterans life more livable. This is all about folks caring for those that fight for our country and make us safer!”

Tickets for this year’s Drive will be sold at the gate and are $25 for adults and $20 for kids 16 and under. Learn more at www.hellsaroarinhorsedrive.com.

Photos courtesy of Jean Modesette.

Not so long ago, you’d be considered incredibly lucky to witness Steamboat Geyser blow its top. And despite a significant increase in the geyser’s eruptions, you’d still have to count yourself lucky today—the world’s tallest geyser puts on a spectacular show each time it erupts, spewing water up to 300 feet high and throwing huge amounts of mud, sand, and silica into the air. Even the steam phase that follows the eruption can last for several days.

Until recently, these dramatic eruptions generally only took place once every few years—if at all (with a few exceptions in the 1960s and '80s). But things took a drastic turn in 2018, when Steamboat erupted a record-breaking 30 different times.

The Hottest Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park

Steamboat is tucked away in Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin, approximately 20 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs. Norris holds the distinction of being the hottest and most volatile geyser basin in the park. Visitors who venture here will discover a little over two miles of vibrant thermal features dressed in sapphire blue, toxic-looking green, and fiery orange. Divided into two regions—Porcelain Basin and Back Basin—Norris is often punctuated by the sounds of hissing steam and the acrid smell of sulphur.

The Evolution of Steamboat’s Eruptions

Steamboat's eruptions have been sporadic and infrequent prior to the record-breaking year of 2018. In fact, the geyser experienced periods of complete dormancy throughout the 1990s and late 2000s. In the past year, however, Steamboat erupted on 30 different occasions—surpassing the previous all-time record of 29 eruptions in 1964. The most recent and record-breaking eruption took place on December 8, 2018.

“The heightened activity at Steamboat this year is uncommon but not unprecedented,” said Jeff Hungerford, Yellowstone’s park geologist, in a December 2018 press release. “We have seen similar activity twice previously; once in the early 1960s, and again in the early 1980s. Conversely, the world’s tallest active geyser has also exhibited years of quiescence or no major eruptions, with the longest being the 50-year period between 1911 and 1961. We’ll continue to monitor this extraordinary geyser.”

Tips for Visiting Norris Geyser Basin

Not surprisingly, the popularity of Norris Geyser Basin has shot up with visitors since the news of Steamboat’s record-breaking activity has spread. This time of year, when many of the park roads are closed to personal vehicles, visitors will need to book a snowcoach or join a snowmobile tour out of Gardiner or West Yellowstone to get to the basin. In the summer months when roads reopen to personal vehicles, visitors can reach the basin by heading in from the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and traveling south from Mammoth Hot Springs for approximately 20 miles. It’s a good idea to get to the basin as early as possible, as the parking area will often fill to capacity by mid-morning.

No matter what time of year visitors decide to go, it’s important to remember Steamboat’s eruptions—like most thermal features in Yellowstone—are still unpredictable. Here at the Gardiner Visitor Center, we recommend planning to stay in the area for several days and be sure to line out other attractions you’d like to see. But rest assured, if you are one of the lucky park visitors to catch a Steamboat Eruption, it's safe to say it's an experience you won't soon forget!

Other Trip Planning Sources

Hire a Yellowstone Guide
Nearby Lodging
Nearby Restaurants 
How to Prepare for a Yellowstone Winter Adventure
Yellowstone Snowcoaches: The Ultimate Ticket to Ride

As the sun rose over the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Linda Carney bent over a toilet, windshield scraper in hand.

“It’s the plumber’s daughter in me,” she joked, having used the scraper to remove frozen human waste from the side of the toilet.

In light of the government shutdown, a group of Montana residents have taken on the responsibility of keeping the park clean. Rachel Leathe/Bozeman Chronicle

Carney was one of about 10 Gardiner community members who decided to take matters into their own hands and clean up rest stops and remove garbage from Yellowstone Saturday morning, two weeks into the partial federal government shutdown. National parks across the country have been left with no one to care for facilities despite many still being open to visitors.

Mike Skelton, owner of Yellowstone Wonders, a company that offers tours of the park, said he and others noticed trash was starting to pile up while doing tours recently. So he and a few other Gardiner and Emigrant residents gathered a group to hit the northern part of the park, between Gardiner and the Pebble Creek area in the northeastern part of the park.

“We’re locals and we love this park, so we don’t want it to look like trash,” Gardiner resident Paula Rainbolt said.

Volunteers cleaned rest areas from Tower Junction to Pebble Creek Saturday. They’ll go from Tower Junction to Gardiner Sunday, eating pizza courtesy of K-Bar Pizza afterward. Conoco also donated gas cards to volunteers, and Yellowstone Forever donated some garbage bags. Many volunteers also paid for supplies out of pocket.

In light of the government shutdown, a group of Montana residents have taken on the responsibility of keeping the park clean. Rachel Leathe/Bozeman Chronicle

Trash around Yellowstone hadn’t piled up as much as they expected, volunteers said, though many bathrooms weren’t a pretty sight. One bathroom at the Hitching Post stop had human excrement all over the floor and a broken toilet seat. The other had puke and blood splattered all over the toilet and floor.

Despite the unpleasant nature of the work, Kelly Kirk said volunteers were happy to do it.

“People’s livelihoods depend on this — we’re all tied to the park,” she said. “And any excuse to get into the park, right?”

Volunteers brushed snow off entrances, cleaned toilets, replaced toilet paper and switched out garbage bags, and they’ll likely do it again most weekends, if the shutdown continues.

“I don’t know what happens if the [outhouses] fill up,” she said.

This article first appeared in the Bozeman Chronicle on January 6, 2019.

Located in the northern section of Yellowstone National Park between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City, Montana, the Northern Range is known for abundant wildlife, mature forests, and sweeping mountain vistas. Anglers flock to take advantage of blue-ribbon trout fishing on the Lamar River and Slough and Cache creeks. It's also one of the best places in the world to watch wolves in their natural habitat.

You could join the crowds of tourists lining the roads of this wildlife-watching mecca in the busy summer months, or you could see it the way early explorers first witnessed this beautiful area—by hitting the trail!

From family-friendly options to wildflower hot spots, here’s a round-up of our favorite Northern Range hiking trails.

Best Hikes for Families

Lost Lake Loop
Where: The trailhead begins behind Roosevelt Lodge; park at the Lodge parking lot.
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Highlights: This trail climbs through a mature lodgepole forest and meets up with Lost Lake after 0.2 miles. Often covered in lily pads, this lovely mountain lake makes for a great spot to get your feet wet or enjoy a picnic. Turn back the way you came or make it a loop hike by continuing on to the Petrified Tree parking lot. From there, the trail climbs through a meadow and on down to the Tower Ranger Station area, followed by a short 0.2 miles to meet back up with Roosevelt Lodge. See the full trail description.

Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail
Where: The trailhead is located at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area, 1.25 miles northeast of Tower Junction on the Northeast Entrance Road.
Distance: 3.7 miles roundtrip
Highlights: This hike follows the rim of the Narrows of the Yellowstone River. After a short but challenging climb to the rim, kids will love spotting marmots, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and birds of prey. Great views and dramatic geologic formations are highlights of this hike as well. See the full trail description.

Wraith Falls
Where: This trailhead is located at a pullout a half a mile east of Lava Creek Picnic Area on the Grand Loop Road.
Distance: 1.0 miles roundtrip
Highlights: Ideal for even the littlest of hikers, this mellow hike follows a boardwalk to Wraith Falls on Lupine Creek. Wraith Falls is also a nice early season hike when much of the park is still covered in snow. See the full trail description.

Best Hikes for Wildflowers

Specimen Ridge Trail
Where: The trailhead starts 2.5 miles south of Tower Junction on the Northeast Entrance Road.
Distance: 2.4 miles to Agate Creek Trail Junction; 10.1 miles to the summit of Amethyst Mountain
Highlights: More advanced hikers will love the rewards of this more strenuous hike: alpine meadows, carpets of wildflowers, and sweeping vistas of the park. Specimen Ridge Trail is not as clearly defined as other trails in the park; it’s a good idea to bring a map and keep an eye on the trail and for cairns and other markers. See the full trail description.

Trout Lake
Where: The trailhead can be found at a small pullout south of Pebble Creek Campground on the Northeast Entrance Road.
Distance: 1.2 miles
Highlights: This short but steep hike offers a big payoff—Trout Lake is one of the most picturesque easily accessed lakes in the park. Wildflowers like lupine, Indian paintbrush, and arrowleaf balsamroot decorate the trail during the summer months. Consider bringing a fishing pole, picnic, or nature journal and spend the day here. See the full trail description.

Pebble Creek
Where: Pebble Creek Trailhead begins 200 yards east of Pebble Creek Bridge on the Northeast Entrance Road.
Distance: 6.6 miles to Bliss Pass Junction; 9.5 miles to the upper meadows
Highlights: This is your chance to leave the more drier areas of the Northern Range and enjoy the shade offered by a mature forest of Englemann spruce, lodgepole pine, and sub-alpine fir. In addition to peaceful meadows and views of the surrounding mountains, hikers will be greeted with a variety of wildflowers along this more challenging trail. See the full trail description.

Best Early Season Hikes

Hellroaring
Where: The trailhead begins at Garnet Hill approximately 50 yards north of Tower Junction on the Northeast Entrance road.
Distance: 6.2 miles
Highlights: This trail is for more advanced hikers looking for an early season Northern Range adventure (the trail can get quite hot come August). Highlights include crossing an old suspension bridge over the Yellowstone River, and the trail's end at a peaceful spot at the confluence of Hellroaring Creek and the Yellowstone River. See the full trail description.

Blacktail Deer Creek to Rescue Creek
Where: Start at Blacktail Deer Creek Trailhead, 7 miles east of Mammoth on the Grand Loop Road
Distance: 7 miles
Highlights: This early season hike is best accomplished with a shuttle. Drop one car off at the beginning of Rescue Creek located just south of the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, then begin the hike at the Blacktail Deer Creek trailhead. Hikers will enjoy rugged Northern Range scenery and plenty of potential wildlife sightings on this through-hike. See the Blacktail Deer Creek hike in this guide for the full description.

Best Hikes for Anglers

Slough Creek (to first meadow)
Where: The trailhead is located along the road to Slough Creek Campground where the road bears left. Park at the pit toilet.
Distance: 3.4 miles roundtrip
Highlights: Slough Creek is a popular fly-fishing stream, but anglers and hikers alike will enjoy this pleasant day-hike to a scenic meadow. The trail follows an old wagon trail, so be on the lookout for stock users as well as bears and moose. See the full trail description.

Lamar River Trail
Where: The trailhead starts 4 miles west of Pebble Creek Campground.
Distance: 7 miles to Cache Creek Junction (roundtrip)
Highlights: Anglers, hikers, and wildlife all take advantage of this corridor located in Yellowstone’s famed Lamar Valley. The trail begins with a wide open meadow of sage and grasses and moves into a more forested area. The trail parallels the Lamar River and is a popular place to enjoy some off-the-beaten-path fly fishing. See the full trail description.

Handy Hiking Sources

Staying Safe in Bear Country
Where to Purchase Gear and Supplies
Hire a Hiking Guide
Fishing Information

All photos courtesy of Yellowstone National Park. 

 If you drive into Gardiner, Montana, after the hustle and bustle of the short three months of summer, you’ll notice a tranquility settle upon the town. The locals relax, the wildlife wanders in from the park, and the crowds disappear. Glancing at the passing license plates, the traffic is distinctly more Montana based. Yet spring, fall, and winter are ideal times to visit Yellowstone National Park. According to the Park Service, only 35 percent of the yearly visitation occurs outside of summer, which means that the off-season is the best way to avoid the crowds and experience Gardiner—and Yellowstone—in silence and solitude.

Spring

Walk through downtown as the ice breaks up along the Yellowstone River and you’ll hear echoes careening off the canyon walls below Gardiner. When March sweeps in, spells of mild weather and longer days settle into the northern district of the park. Spring is the perfect season to get out and enjoy one of the most photogenic times of the year.

It’s a time of new life in the park, and viewing Yellowstone’s wobbly legged baby animals can be a highlight of many people’s trip in the spring. With more than 60 different animal species in the park, you have a good chance of spotting these youngsters in the spring. Elk begin calving in late May and June, making them the most likely animals to spot for most people. Bison are usually born in April, able to stand within a few hours of birth. They will stay with the all-female herd for protection from predators for up to three years, so you’ll see the smallest members of the group learning the ropes. Bear cubs are born during winter hibernation, but step out with mom in the spring, usually around late March. They are one of the prized sightings in the park—but keep in mind that you never want to get too close to the mother and cubs. Bring binoculars and a zoom lense for your camera.

Another unique opportunity to explore presents itself as the Park Service plows the roads connecting Gardiner and Mammoth to the West Entrance. For a brief window, bicyclists are allowed into the park while the roads are still closed to motor vehicles. This is an amazing chance to pedal the park in silence. However, make a plan and come prepared because spring in the Rockies can still be unpredictable. If you happen to be caught without the proper gear, Gardiner has plenty of shops like the Flying Pig Camp Store where you can find warm and comfortable layers.

As the months advance into April and May, it’s a great time to get out on the lower elevation trails, such as the Black Canyon and Lava Creek, and search for waterfalls and wildflowers. Along the way, dig out your bear spray and keep your binoculars handy to watch elk calves and baby bison take their first steps. If you’re lucky, you may even see a mother grizzly and her cubs wandering down from their winter sleep or wolf pups emerging from their dens.

Fall

After Labor Day weekend, the line of cars disappears from under the Roosevelt Arch and a steady stream of visitors slows to a trickle through the North Entrance. Pausing to listen in the early morning light, you might hear a bull elk’s bugle resound from across the Gardner River.

Fall is the perfect time of year to drive up to Mammoth and hike the Hoodoos Trail or Beaver Ponds Loop. Autumn colors dot the mid-elevation landscape and, as you gaze towards Sepulcher Mountain, it’s a good time to look up and catch the passing raptor migration as they head south for winter. Keep your eyes peeled for golden eagles and goshawks traveling south in the afternoons.

After the first frost, get out for a final night of camping or a late-season backpacking trip. The cool temperatures are a great excuse for gathering around a campfire at the end of the day. Here are a few campground recommendations for every vehicle type and recreational interest, from just outside of Gardiner to inside the park to nearby Cooke City. Pack along your rod for a day of fall fishing or, if you prefer, enjoy a weekend of world class elk hunting near town. While camping please remember to be bear aware and keep your food secure because hibernation doesn’t begin until well after the first snowfall.

Winter

Once snow falls, Yellowstone’s magic comes to the forefront of the softened landscape. With the arrival of winter, head south from town to Mammoth and walk the Terraces. As steam billows into the frosty sky and warm water pools in blues and greens, the boardwalk is a spectacular place to explore and enjoy the silent beauty of Yellowstone’s winter.

If you crave a bigger adventure, pack up your car with warm food and a thermos and head towards the Lamar Valley, before first light, for a morning of wolf watching. The winter snow forces the elk and bison out of the higher country and closer to the road. With a good lens, it’s fairly common to see wolves hunting on the edge of these herds. Winter is an excellent time to catch a glimpse of these carnivores on the landscape.

Another great option for wildlife watching is to head to the trails around Tower Junction with skis or snowshoes. Across the Yellowstone Northern Range, there are miles and miles of groomed trails to explore and wander. Bison graze around the melted snow of Tower’s thermal features and the nearby waterfalls are stunning when they are paused as pillars of ice.

After a long day in the park, Gardiner provides year-round dining and cozy lodging to enjoy on a cold winter’s night.

This year, make it a goal to experience the magic of Yellowstone throughout the seasons. Gardiner serves as the perfect basecamp with plenty of options for food, lodging, and tour guides to help you explore. When you visit Gardiner outside of the busy summer season, you can enjoy small town Montana life and see the park with the locals. It’s an incredible experience that will stick with you for a lifetime.

Written by Anthony Pavkovich for RootsRated Media in partnership with Gardiner CVB.

The Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park has the claim to fame of being the only area of the park that’s accessible by automobile year-round. But that doesn’t begin to tell the whole story of what makes these 600 square miles in the Lamar and Yellowstone river basins so spectacular. Located between the Gallatin Mountains to the southwest and the Absaroka Mountains to the northeast, this scenic region is the best place to see bison, wolves, and other free-roaming wildlife. The 57-mile route from Gardiner to Cooke City is one of the park’s signature drives, offering breathtaking views any time of the year. Getting off the road, you’ll also find a wide range of activities to enjoy.

A Mecca for Wildlife

While the Northern Range is only 10 percent of Yellowstone’s area, it is one of the most important wildlife hubs in the region, having been described as the "Serengeti of North America," thanks to the large number of hoofed mammals (known as ungulates) who make the park home. In any given afternoon, you’re likely to spot bison, elk, pronghorn, and mule deer. You’ll also find the densest wolf population in the country, and visitors now have the chance to see these carnivores in the wild. It’s also one of the park’s best opportunities for spotting bears.

Seeing the wildlife in action is one of the biggest draws to this section of the park. The easiest way to do so is via the scenic drive that connects Gardiner to Cooke City through Yellowstone. Follow the park’s northern entrance road south to Mammoth Hot Springs. From there, head east on the Grand Loop Road, where you’ll get to see the rugged canyons between Abiathar Park and Amphitheater Mountain. You’ll find frequent pull-offs along the road to stop and get a better look. The trip should take you under two hours, and give you some of the Northern Range’s top highlights along the way.

For a closer look, daylong and multi-day wildlife expeditions can help you get nearer to the action. Outings differ by company, but most guides are well-versed in the area’s ecology and offer spotting scopes and binoculars. In Our Nature Guiding Services offers a trained wildlife biologist for your guide while Yellowstone Insight offers tours aided by the watchful eye of a wildlife photographer with decades of experience in the region.

"Having a knowledgeable, local guide who does this regularly—who participates in this daily routine—increases your odds of seeing your preferred wildlife," says MacNeil, founder and owner of Yellowstone Insight.

Winter Exploration

In the winter, a snowmobile or snowcoach is a great way to explore the interior of the park further, and guides offer a variety of options. For those interested in seeing wildlife, winter is a great time to visit, as the snowy landscape often makes it much easier to spot animals. Cross-country skis and snowshoes are another popular way to take advantage of Yellowstone’s snowy conditions, with many beginner-friendly trails for those getting started in either sport.

Hiking

Come summer, hiking is the best way to really get to see the Northern Range. Once again, guided excursions are available both inside and outside the park, with hikes ranging from daylong explorations to overnight adventures. Hiking with a guide provides visitors expertise into scenery, wildlife, and choosing the best trail for the time of the year. Most hiking companies provide bear spray as well as interpretive services and safety protocols for traveling in bear country.

Yellowstone Hiking Guides provides daily trips in the Northern Range as well as custom outings. Big Wild Adventures offers outfitted, multi-day backpack trips in areas around the Gallatin Mountains. Trips are available in a variety of lengths and difficulty levels. "The wildflowers in summer are just spectacular," says Howie Wolke, founder and co-owner of Big Wild. “It’s classic open Yellowstone backcountry in a mountainous environment.”

Towering over the town of Gardiner, Electric Peak is the crown jewel of the Gallatin Mountain Range. Named by an exploratory expedition that was almost hit by lightning on its summit, the peak stands tall at nearly 11,000 feet. You can find an experience near the mountain, no matter how much energy you want to expend.

For those looking for a mild adventure, a midday stroll in downtown Gardiner, complete with ice cream cones and gift shops, affords commanding views of the mountain’s rocky summit. Try walking the sidewalks around Roosevelt Arch, an historic stone archway, for family-friendly exercise.

For a more serious day hike in the Gardiner area, the Rescue Creek Trail just inside Yellowstone’s North Entrance gate is a nice out-and-back, relatively flat hike through high-mountain desert. For more of a challenge, the Lava Creek Trail is a four-mile (one way) hike, starting at the trailhead at the Lava Creek Picnic Area on Grand Loop Road. It’s a great trail for spotting elk, bison, and pronghorn, plus you’ll get some amazing views of Lava Creek and Mount Everts.

For those adventurous souls looking to summit Electric Peak, the multi-day hike requires a map and compass, some mountaineering ability, grit, and a backcountry camping permit from Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry information office. For those up for it, it’s an incredibly rewarding experience.

Fishing

The Northern Range is known for its pristine water, scenic surroundings, and world-class trout fishing. For those looking to experience fishing in the area, you’ll find several outfitters in Gardiner that offer trips both wade fishing or from a boat. The Flying Pig Adventure Company offers half- and full-day trips for beginners and experienced casters as well as horseback rides to secluded fishing destinations. Parks’ Fly Shop, which has operated in the Northern Range for more than 60 years, offers highly specialized flies and local insight. Both offer customized outings to lakes, rivers, and spring creeks throughout the region.

"The Northern Range is notable for the huge number and huge variety of fisheries it offers," says Walter Wiese, head guide at Park’s Fly Shop. “Most of our staff have been guiding in the region for 10 or more years, and we’re still finding new waters.”

The Gardiner Experience

No matter how you choose to experience the Northern Range and town of Gardiner, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself longing to come back for more. Thankfully, this entrance town is open every season, and its one-of-a-kind location has a reputation for capturing the hearts and minds of residents and visitors alike.

Written by Chelsea Deweese for RootsRated Media in partnership with Gardiner CVB.

If you follow the Yellowstone River as it snakes south through Paradise Valley, it’s easy to imagine early settlers pressing forward, by wagon and on horseback, deep into Yellowstone Country. When you make the journey now, you’ll most likely see herds of elk and deer grazing the valley floor before reaching the unassuming frontier town of Gardiner, Montana.

Cradled between the soaring peaks of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and at the northwest doorstep of Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner is a natural base camp for outdoor adventure. Bison wander the streets, marmots wrestle on the riverbanks, and owls serenade you as the stars come out. Roads through town and into Yellowstone stay open year-round, so there’s no need to fight the summer crowds here. Enjoy Gardiner’s laid-back vibe in fall, winter, and spring, when wildlife viewing is at its best and Yellowstone’s majesty is yours for the taking.

YELLOWSTONE’S FIRST GATEWAY

Gardiner is surrounded by scenic hiking options. - Yellowstone National Park 

Originally named Gardner’s Hole after fur trapper and reputed outlaw Johnson Gardner, Gardiner happens to be the first named destination in the region. The surveyors and politicians of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition of 1870 made it official, though Gardiner had been stomping grounds for trappers and mountain men for decades. It’s rumored that Jim Bridger himself was responsible for updating the name to its current spelling. Founded in 1880, Gardiner’s population boomed with the 1883 discovery of gold in nearby Bear Gulch and the 1903 extension of the Northern Pacific Railway to downtown. That same year, Theodore Roosevelt visited to place the cornerstone for the towering Roosevelt Arch. The iconic monument still greets you like a familiar friend as you enter the park.

Gardiner is so close to Yellowstone that the shops along Park Street straddle the park boundary. Five miles up the road, Fort Yellowstone, the 1880s base of operations for troops arriving to protect the park from developers and poachers, stands watch next to the historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Pass Mammoth’s ethereal travertine terraces as you turn east to follow the Yellowstone River to the famed Lamar Valley.

ADVENTURE BASE CAMP 

Gardiner offers you easy access to a huge and diverse population of free-roaming animals. - @rsseattle

Exploring Yellowstone from Gardiner, you have the only direct, four-season access to the Northern Range’s vast grasslands, one of the most diverse communities of free-roaming animals on Earth. While buffalo jams and selfie-obsessed tourists dominate the summer, the cycle of life across the plateau makes for magical and intimate animal encounters the rest of the year.

Listen for the massive bull elk’s autumn bugle call. In the fields around Mammoth and Gardiner, bulls spar with their huge antler racks, jockeying for dominance over herds of females and calves grazing nearby. As snow buries the park’s interior, the Northern Range becomes the winter home for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bison, and white-tailed deer. Major predators like grizzlies, black bears, gray wolves, foxes, coyotes, and eagles follow suit in search of their prey. And only in spring can you witness a baby bison’s wobbly first steps or a burly mama grizzly’s tender attention to her newborn cubs as they emerge from their den.

Spotting bison in the distance near Gardiner. - Yellowstone National Park 

The Gardiner community is passionate about Yellowstone, and a number of local tour guides and organizations are ready to transform your scenic drive into a wildlife safari. Cross-country ski, hike, and snowshoe the Northern Range; learn animal tracking, wildlife photography, and wilderness first aid with the Yellowstone Forever Institute; or book a tour with a local guide who knows exactly where and when you’re most likely to see wildlife.

If you’d rather explore on your own, rent your gear at Park's Fly Shop or the Flying Pig Camp Store in Gardiner, or The Bear Den Ski Shop at the Mammoth Hotel. 

HEARTY EATS AND AN OLD WEST SALOON

For a laid-back frontier town, Gardiner has a surprising variety of restaurants and shops, with no lines or crowds once summer ends. Stop for a breakfast burrito at Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe on your way into the park, and a jumbo waffle cone stuffed with local favorite Wilcoxson Ice Cream at Yellowstone Perk on your way out. The Gardiner Market will prep a bag lunch for your day treks, and there’s loads of downtown dine-in options for lunch and dinner, from Yellowstone Mine and The Corral to Yellowstone Safari Grill. Celebrate sundown Old West style with local microbrews and themed dance nights at The Two Bit Saloon.

CAMPSITES TO CABINS

The setting moon over an elk at Mammoth Hot Springs. - Yellowstone National Park 

Want to experience this rugged country like the frontiersmen did? Camp inside the park at Mammoth Hot Springs’ year-round campground or just outside the park in campgrounds around Gardiner, Montana. For the comforts of home, book a room in any of Gardiner’s many lodges and inns. Live like a homesteader just a few miles outside town at Bear Creek Cabins. Stay in the heart of downtown Gardiner at Cowboy’s Lodge & Grille. Or book a room inside the park at the newly renovated Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

No matter the time of the year you visit, Gardiner offers everything you need to enjoy America’s first national park—and one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Written by Jess McGlothlin for RootsRated Media in partnership with Gardiner CVB.

Here at the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce, we’re frequently asked for information about the Beartooth Highway--a National Scenic Byways All-American Road located on the Montana/Wyoming border near Cooke City, Montana.

And it’s no wonder - the Beartooth Highway is one of the most achingly scenic mountain passes in the country. It’s also home to an array of recreational opportunities including hiking, horse pack trips, backcountry skiing, and of course, camping.

If you’re among those adventurous campers seeking information on planning a camping trip along the Beartooth Highway, you’ve come to the right place. Part 3 of our Camping Series is all about camping near Cooke City, Chief Joseph Highway, and the Beartooth Pass.

Shoshone National Forest Campgrounds on the Beartooth Pass
These campgrounds are perched amidst the rugged terrain, alpine lakes, and craggy rocks that characterize the stunning Beartooth Pass. Elevation: 9,000 feet.

Beartooth Lake Campground is located on Highway 212, about 20 miles east of Cooke City. Island Lake Campground is located five miles further east. Both hosted campgrounds offer 21 units, access to water, and are open July 1 to September 14. The site fee for both campgrounds is $15.00

For more information on these sites, call (307) 527-6921.

Chief Joseph Highway Campgrounds

Southeast of the Beartooth Pass you’ll come upon the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, which links the town of Cody, Wyoming, with the Beartooth Highway and Cooke City, Montana. Here you'll find campgrounds perfect for a pit stop while traveling between the he towns of Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana, to Cody, Wyoming.

For more information on these sites, call (307) 527-6921.

These scenic campgrounds are located just two miles from the delicious restaurants, shops, and authentic western vibe that characterizes our neighboring town of Cooke City, Montana.

Colter Campground and Soda Butte Campground are each located only two miles away from Cooke City and are open from July to September 14. Each campground is made up of 8 units, and offers access to water as well as a campground host. The site fee for each campground is $9.00

These campgrounds require hard-sided camp equipment (no tent camping) due to bear activity.
For more information on these campgrounds, call (406) 848-7375.

Cooke City, Montana

The small communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana, make up the least-crowded entrance to Yellowstone National Park. These hidden gems offer year-round access to pristine Montana wilderness areas; restaurants, lodges, and shopping; and endless recreation opportunities.

Gardiner and Cooke City are both fortunate to share easy access to the incredible scenery and abundant wildlife of Yellowstone’s Northern Range. Learn more about this special area here.

Other Sources
Camping in Gardiner
Camping in Yellowstone
Staying safe in bear country
Purchase camping supplies