Yellowstone National Park Outdoor Recreation

Camping

Bridge Bay Campground
The Bridge Bay Campground is nearly 30 miles from Yellowstone National Park’s eastern entrance near the Bridge Bay Marina. It doesn’t have hookups, but there are pay showers and a coin laundry within four miles of the campsite. There are 430 sites available, and each costs $15 a night. Bridge Bay Campground is open from May through September.

Canyon Campground
This campground is located in the center of Yellowstone National Park. Canyon Campground has stores, restaurants, pay showers, and a coin laundry. The site doesn’t have utility hookups, but does provide a gas station and a vehicle repair service. Canyon Campground is open from June to September. It has more than 200 spots that each costs $15 a night.

Cody KOA Campground
The Cody KOA Campground is at 5561 Greybull Highway near Yellowstone National Park. The complex has a pool, a playground, and a game room. Tent and RV spaces are available. This campground is open from May through October. Visitors can call (307) 587-2369 for more information about rates.

Fishing Bridge RV Park
Fishing Bridge RV Park is situated near Yellowstone Lake. It has full hookups, but the campground’s 344 sites are designed for hard-sided units that are less than 40 feet. It costs $28 per night to camp here. Fishing Bridge also has a coin laundry, pay showers, a store, and a sanitary dump. Electricity and water are also available. The campground even offers sightseeing tours. Fishing Bridge is open from May through September. Guests should call (307) 344-7311 for more information.

Grant Village Campground
This campsite provides a sanitary dump station, but doesn’t have utility hookups. Stores, restaurants, pay showers, and a coin laundry are less than a mile from the campground. There are more than 200 sites available at Grant Village. It costs $15 a night to camp here. Grant Village is open from June to September. It is 22 miles from Yellowstone National Park’s south entrance.

Lewis Lake Campground
Lewis Lake Campground is located 10 miles south of West Thumb. It has 85 sites that are available for $10 per night. The closest restaurants, showers and gas stations are located in Grant Village. This campground is open from June through November.

Madison Campground
Madison Campground is in a prime location to see Old Faithful. It is just 16 miles north of the famous geyser, and only 14 miles east of Yellowstone National Park’s western entrance. Madison has a sanitary dump station, but it doesn’t have utility hookups or showers. The campground is open May through October. Madison Campground has 85 sites that each costs $12 per night.

Norris Campground
Norris Campground is one mile north of Norris Junction. The campground has 116 sites that each costs $12 per night. The closest showers, restaurants, and gas stations are in the Canyon area of the park. The campground is open May through September.

Hiking Trails

Canyon Area

Cascade Lake Trail
This hike is a three-hour walk through open meadows and over small creeks. Hikers should look for wildlife and blooming flowers during the spring. Previous visitors say this trail can be very wet and muddy during the spring and summer months. Cascade Lake Trail begins at the Cascade Lake Picnic area hear Tower-Canyon Road. It is nearly five miles long, roundtrip, but it is an easy hike.

Grebe Lake Trail
This is an old trail that travels through meadows and forests. Grebe Lake Trail is nearly four miles west of Canyon Junction on Norris-Canyon Road. The trail is six miles long, but it is a moderate hike.

Washburn Trail
This is a strenuous hike that begins at Dunraven Pass and ends at Glacial Boulder on Inspiration Point Road. Those who have heart or respiratory problems should not visit Washburn Trail. It will take hikers six to eight hours to complete this trek, which is more than 24 miles long. Hikers will also see mud pots as they travel along Washburn Trail.

Mammoth Area

Beaver Ponds Loop Trail
Beaver Ponds Loop Trail winds up a creek near Clematis Gulch, traverses through a Douglas-fir forest and meadows, and ends at several beaver ponds. Hikers will see elk, mule deer, moose, black bears, and beavers as they walk along this five-mile trail. Beaver Ponds Loop Trail is a moderate hike.

Sepulcher Mountain Trail
The 11-mile-long Sepulcher Mountain Trail is a strenuous hike that rises 3,400 feet through pine trees and open meadows. It also takes hikers to the 9,652-foot summit of Sepulcher Mountain. The trail begins at Clematis Gulch between Liberty Cap.

Wraith Falls
Wraith Falls is a one-mile hike through open sagebrush and a Douglas-fir forest. This easy hike begins near the Lava Creek picnic area, which is near Mammoth-Tower Road.

Norris Junction Area

Cygnet Lakes Trail
Guests should only walk along the Cygnet Lakes Trail during the daytime. The trail winds through a pine forest, past several ponds, and ends in a meadow. Cygnet Lakes Trail is an easy eight-mile hike that begins on Norris-Canyon Road nearly five miles west of Canyon Junction.

Grizzly Lake
Grizzly Lake is a pleasant trail that takes hikers through meadows. The area is heavily wooded and full of mosquitoes during the spring. Grizzly Lake is also a popular fishing spot. This trail is only four miles long, but there are some steep climbs and rolling terrain. It begins south of Beaver Lake on Mammoth-Norris Road.

Monument Geyser Basin
Monument Geyser Basin is a trail that hugs the Gibbon River’s shores, and then climbs 500 feet to the top of a mountain. This trail starts out easy, but becomes more difficult because of steep inclines along the trail. This is a two-mile hike that begins on Norris-Madison Road near the Gibbon River Bridge.

Old Faithful Area

Fountain Paint Pot Trail
Hikers will see geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles when they traverse the Fountain Paint Pot Trail. Tourists can request that a guide take them along the trail. This easy hike is less than a mile long. It begins at a parking area eight miles north of Old Faithful.

Mallard Lake Trail
Mallard Lake Trail doesn’t feature any ducks, but will take hikers through meadows, pine forests, and over rocky slopes. This 6.8-mile hike begins at the Old Faithful Lodge’s cabin area. This trail is categorized as a moderate hike.

Tower Junction Area

Mount Washburn Trail
This is one of the most popular hiking trails in Yellowstone National Park. This hike is made up of two three-mile trails that take guests to the top of Mount Washburn. Hikers can see most of Yellowstone from the top of the mountain, but only on clear days. The northern trail begins at the Chittenden Road parking area, while the southern trail starts at the Duvnraven Pass parking area. The Mount Washburn Trail is moderately strenuous to hike.

Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail
This trail will give hikers a view of some of the major attractions in Yellowstone National Park, including the Overhanging Cliff and Tower Falls. It begins at the Yellowstone Picnic area, which is less than two miles northeast of Tower Junction, near the park’s northeast entrance. This hike is moderately strenuous even though it’s less than four miles long roundtrip.

West Thumb Area

Shoshone Lake Trail
Shoshone Lake Trail takes hikers through Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry. The trail is along the Shoshone Lake’s shores, which wind through meadows full of wildlife. This six-mile hike begins at DeLacy Creek, which is eight miles west of West Thumb Junction. Shoshone Lake Trail is a moderate hike.

West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail
Hikers will see colorful hot springs and geysers when they walk along the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail. This trail begins less than a mile from West Thumb Junction. It is less than a mile long and considered an easy hike.