Stop #39: Yellowstone RV Park & Campground, Gardiner, MT

While we had visited Yellowstone in the winter on a snowmobile tour we had only seen a small part of the park and knew we had to return to see more of it. Last time we stayed at West Yellowstone and visited via the West entrance of the park. This time around we towed the RV through the West entrance to camp in Gardiner, located at the North entrance of Yellowstone. This was also the original main entrance to the park when it first opened, also where you'll find the iconic Roosevelt Arch.

Yellowstone RV Park and Campground was our homebase during this part of our adventure. A small campground with gravel sites and no amenities. We did have beautiful mountain and river views and a few pregnant elk roaming around the campground. The kids loved this spot but mostly because they befriended some fellow RVers with whom they enjoyed fun play dates - as did us with the parents. :)

Gardiner, MT campground — A pregnant elk at our campground

Similar to West Yellowstone, Gardiner is not super happening but the North entrance to Yellowstone is indeed more picturesque than that of the West. Once you drive past Roosevelt Arch you are greeted by beautiful hills which this time of year were a beautiful green and alive with wildlife including elk, deer, and bison. The winding roads that were nervewrecking when we drove through with the RV were much more enjoyable when visiting the park with just the truck - these roads had little to no shoulder which left little margin of error when traveling on the side of the road next to the cliff. We decided to see as much as we could on one day stopping at Mammoth Springs, Porcelain Basin, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

When we visited in the winter we missed Old Faithful's eruption while on a bathroom break and while a bit of a drive from the North entrance we decided to give it another go. Funny enough, we did cut it close this time around by stopping to get food before walking over to the geyser but we got there with about 5 minutes to spare giving us enough time to find a spot (on the ground... all the benches were taken) to sit at in order to take in the show. It was fun to finally see Old Faithful in action but to be honest we found Mammoth Springs and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to be more impressive. The later had beautiful waterfalls and scenery that looked straight out of a postcard. Plus, walking along the boardwalk overlooking the steaming travertine formations at Mammoth Springs was unreal. Porcelain Basin also was outstanding with small geysers and beautiful geothermal pools. A cool part about visiting in the spring was all the baby animals we saw during our visits including baby bison. At one point we encountered a group of bison walking towards us on the road, one of which was a baby giving us a very upclose look at these amazing creatures.

Old Faithful Yellowstone National Park — Front row seat at Old Faithful

Wow, Yellowstone is truly a beauty. We enjoyed visiting during the winter - which looked like an extraordinary winter wonderland but we also absolutely loved it in the Spring. We were so glad we returned. Could probably visit several more times to see other spots we missed - it's such a big park.

Bison at Yellowstone National Park — Bison gazing

We had seen that Yellowstone Hot Springs (which is also a campground) was 9 minutes from us so we decided to give it a try during one of our days in Gardiner. Similar to our campground, these Hot Springs also overlook the mountains which provides a nice setting. It offers a big pool for soaking in, a smaller one with warmer water, a cold plunge pool, and two wading pools. However, we soon realized that the big pool was a bit on the cold side which is not what you have in mind when visiting a hot spring. The hot tub on the other hand was almost scalding making it hard to get into. We overheard a regular visitor complaining to the manager who admited that they had a problem with the pump which would've been great to know when paying for our entrance. Alas, we were there so we enjoyed as best we could, jumping between the cold plunge and the big pool, taking in the views plus a few elk we saw roaming around on the mountains. As long as the pool temperatures are in order, this is a fun option for unwinding with the family after a day of adventuring in Yellowstone.