Yellowstone Camping and Backpacking
Information About Yellowstone Camping
Concessioner Xanterra Resorts runs four of Yellowstone's 11 campgrounds, and takes reservations online or by telephone. The rest of Yellowstone camping sites are operated by the National Park Service, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fees range from $10 for no-frills campgrounds to $20 for those with more features.
First-come spaces can be found in the morning and sometimes in early afternoon, but most fill up by about 6:00 p. m.
Yellowstone Camping Tips
- Store all food in bearproof containers
- Campfires are allowed only in campgrounds and picnic areas with grates. All campfires may be prohibited during times of high fire danger. Collect only dead, downed and detached wood for fires. Otherwise, buy it from a park store
- All campgrounds have tables, fire grills, drinking water and garbage cans, but toilets and other facilities vary. If flush toilets are not listed, the campground has vault toilets
- Campgrounds listed in red can be reserved through Xanterra Parks and Resorts
- Yellowstone camping is limited to 14 days between June 15 and September 15, and up to 30 days the rest of the year
- If you are camping in an RV, ask at the campground about evening curfews on generators
Yellowstone Camping Sites in the Park
| Camp Ground |
Open |
Nearest Area | Sites |
Amenities |
||||||
| Grant Village | late June-late Sept | Grant Village | 425 | A | F | L | S | G | ||
| Fishing Bridge RV Park | mid May-late Sept | Lake
Village 3 mi S |
346 Hard-sided RVs only |
F | D | L | S | G | ||
| Canyon Village | early June-early Sept | Canyon Village | 272 | A | F | L | S | G | ||
| Bridge Bay | late May-mid Sept | Lake
Village 3 mi NW |
431 | A | F | D | W | |||
| Madison Junction | early May-late Oct | Old
Faithful 16 mi S |
280 | A | F | D | W | |||
| Indian Creek | early June -mid Sept | Mammoth
Hot Springs 8 mi N |
75 | W | ||||||
| Mammoth | Year round | Mammoth Hot Springs | 85 | F | W | |||||
| Norris | mid May - late Sept | Canyon
Village 12 mi E |
116 | F | W | |||||
| Lewis Lake | mid June-late Sept | Grant
Village 12 mi N |
85 | |||||||
| Pebble Creek | mid June-late Sept | Roosevelt 20 mi W |
32 | |||||||
| Slough Creek | late May-early Nov | Roosevelt 10 mi W |
29 | |||||||
| Tower Fall | mid May-late Sept | Roosevelt 3 mi NW |
32 | |||||||
Amenities available at the campground or nearby: F = Flush toilets, D = Dump station, W = Firewood sold, L = Coin Laundry, S = Pay shower, G = LP gas
Yellowstone Camping Sites Outside the Park
| Location | Name |
| Outside North and West entrances | Gallatin National Forest |
| Gardiner, MT |
Rocky Mountain
Campground Yellowstone RV Park |
| Outside East and Northeast entrances | Shoshone National Forest |
| Outside South entrance |
Bridger-Teton
National Forest Grand Teton National Park |
| West Yellowstone, MT |
Rustic Wagon RV Campground Wagon Wheel RV Campground Yellowstone Park KOA Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park Madison Arm Resort Yellowstone Holiday Resort |
Yellowstone Camping in the Backcountry
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Backcountry Yellowstone camping and overnight hiking requires a permit, which you can get from the visitor centers or ranger stations.
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Yellowstone streams are infested with Giardia. Boil any water before you drink it for at least three minutes.
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So far, no Lyme disease-carrying ticks have been found in the park, but take normal precautions.
Yellowstone Camping Information Courtesy National Park Service
