Best Campgrounds & RV Parks Near Yellowstone’s North Entrance

If you’re entering Yellowstone through the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, you’ve got a great selection of campgrounds and RV parks to consider for your home base. From rustic National Park sites at Mammoth Hot Springs to full-service private RV parks in Paradise Valley and Livingston, there’s something to suit every camping style.

Having spent a lot of time in the area, I thought I’d look at some of the best RV campgrounds near Yellowstone’s North Entrance. Including a few gems that sometimes have last-minute openings available.

Why Camp Near Yellowstone’s North Entrance

Yellowstone’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, is one of the most popular ways to get into the park. I also think this is the area with the best rafting and horseback riding. The town of Livingston is just an hour away and offers tons of arts, culture, festivals, and shopping.

Camping near Yellowstone’s north entrance gives you easy access to the Park’s “Upper Loop” as well as the Lamar Valley. It’s a great home base for exploring Mammoth Hot Springs, Mount Washburn, Dunraven Pass, Blacktail Plateau, and Yellowstone Canyon. Especially if you're renting an RV and want a fifth-wheel or Class A motorhome.

Yellowstone’s North Entrance Road

The road between Yellowstone’s north entrance and Mammoth can be a little challenging for novice mountain drivers. It’s not just the traffic, but the road itself has a lot of switchbacks and steep inclines that can be a little stressful driving up. Then they’re equally hard on your brakes going down.

So, if you have a travel trailer, fifth-wheel or other towable RV, or you’re towing a car behind you, I’d recommend camping north of Gardiner. Then you can drive in without worrying about your trailer or toad.

If you do have to take your RV up from Gardiner to Mammoth, make sure you’re following best practices for towing on mountain roads.  Then I would recommend driving along the western side of the upper loop, which is less challenging than the eastern upper loop.

Top 5 RV Campgrounds Near Yellowstone’s North Entrance

The following are my top 5 RV campgrounds near Yellowstone’s North Entrance. If you’re an angler, love the arts, or enjoy hiking, I would recommend staying closer to Emigrant, Chico, or Livingston. If you want quick access to rafting and horseback riding, I would stay closer to Gardiner, with outfitters in walking distance of the RV parks.

Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park

Website: https://yellowstonesedgervpark.com/

Address: 3502 US Highway 89 S, Livingston, MT 59047.

Amenities: A range of RV sites with water, sewer, and electric 30/50A options

This river-valley RV park sits about 18 miles south of Livingston and is an easy staging area for a North Entrance day trip. Being in the Paradise Valley, there are a lot of great hiking opportunities to delve into on a day when you want to take a little break from the crowds. Chico Hot Springs is close by as are several secret gem restaurants.   

Campsites at Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park include a mix of back-in and pull-through RV sites. Many can accommodate larger rigs with several pull-thru sites and big-rig-friendly pads.

On-site amenities are family-oriented picnic areas and campground services. There’s Yellowstone River access right there, as well as several other fly-fishing hot spots that let you fish for brown and rainbow trout without the heavy pressure that’s common in many other stretches of the river.

Livingston / Paradise Valley KOA Holiday

Website: https://koa.com/campgrounds/livingston/

Address: 210 Riverbend Rd (near Livingston), Livingston/Paradise Valley KOA Holiday

Amenities: Full hookup pull-through and back-in sites with water, sewer, and electric 50/30/20A available.

The Livingston KOA is a classic full-service campground on the Yellowstone River. I think this is a solid option if you want comforts like showers, laundry, a camp store and even an indoor pool.

Many sites are pull-through with tons of big rig-friendly sites with 50A service. However, it does feel a little open with other RVs close by, and it comes with the usual KOA rules.  

One of the things I appreciate about the Paradise Valley KOA Holiday is that you also get easy access to Livingston’s restaurants, affordable supplies, and cultural scene.

The 45-minute drive through the Paradise Valley to the North Entrance at Gardiner goes fast, and is gorgeous. Especially when there’s snow on the peaks of the Absaroka Mountains.

Yellowstone RV Park & Campground (Gardiner)

Website: http://rvparkyellowstone.com/

Address: 121 US Hwy 89 S, Gardiner, MT 59030

Amenities: Many sites with full hookups, water, sewer, and electric.

The Yellowstone RV Park & Campground in Gardiner gives you a home base that’s literally minutes from the North Entrance. Perfect for early park entry or late returns. They have many RV campsites with full-service hookups, and there’s even good Wi-Fi!

I appreciate the closeness to Gardiner’s small-town markets, outfitter shops, and restaurants. It’s also very close to what I think are the best rafting and horseback riding opportunities near Yellowstone. With Flying Pig and Hells-a-Roarin’, both headquartered in Gardiner.

Sun Outdoors Yellowstone North RV Campground

Website: https://www.sunoutdoors.com

Address: 109 US-89, Gardiner, MT 59030

Amenities: Full hookup RV sites with 30/50-amp service. Pull-through and back-in sites available.

Sun Outdoors Yellowstone North is one of the most polished RV options near Gardiner, just minutes from the North Entrance gate. The campground offers large, level RV sites, which include multiple pull-through pads suitable for big rigs up to Class A size motorhomes.

Amenities include a heated swimming pool, hot tub, laundry facilities, a well-stocked camp store, Wi-Fi, and modern restrooms, giving it more of a resort feel than a rustic base camp. With its close proximity to the Yellowstone River and walkable access to Gardiner’s shops and restaurants, it’s a great choice for families.

Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone National Park

Website: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/mammothhscg.htm

Address: Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

Amenities: Mostly non-electrical sites for tenting or boondocking with smaller rigs.

Mammoth Campground is the only Yellowstone campground open year-round and has a classic National Park feel, spacious. Many of the sites are open and include bear-proof food lockers and picnic tables. The majority are standard non-electric, and a few can accommodate longer rigs, but there are limits, so it’s best for campervans and RVs comfortable without sewer/water hookups.

The big benefit is the location. You’re inside the park within minutes of the Mammoth terraces, the visitor center, and the Lamar Valley wildlife corridor. You don’t have to worry about getting stuck in line at the entrance gate, and you presumably only have to drive the entrance road connecting Gardiner and Mammoth twice.

Final Thoughts on RV Campgrounds Near Yellowstone’s North Entrance

Camping near Yellowstone’s North Entrance gives you a great home base for exploring the Upper Loop, the Lamar, and Paradise Valleys. There’s a lot to see and do here, including great rafting opportunities, horseback riding, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

The road up from Gardiner to Mammoth is a bit of a gatekeeper with steep twists and turns. If you’re camping in the Paradise Valley or Gardiner area, you can leave your trailer or toad behind to make the ascent from Yellowstone’s North Entrance easier.  

If you want to learn more about Yellowstone and other outdoor adventures, you should follow Eric Beuning's Author Page.

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