Camping in Yellowstone National Park: Campgrounds, Reservations and Tips

Yellowstone campgrounds at a glance

Yellowstone has 11 developed campgrounds with about 2,000 sites. Ten are operating in 2026. Pebble Creek, in the northeast corner, was badly damaged in the June 2022 floods and NPS says it will stay closed until further notice for flood recovery work.

Five large campgrounds are run by the park's lodging concessioner, Yellowstone National Park Lodges. The other six are smaller, NPS-run and booked on Recreation.gov. Dates and fees below are from the NPS campgrounds page for 2026. Max RV length counts your RV plus any towed vehicle.

Which campground to choose

For geysers, Madison is the closest campground to Old Faithful, about 16 miles north, and to the West Entrance. For the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Hayden Valley, Canyon is central and has showers and laundry. Bridge Bay and Grant Village sit on Yellowstone Lake; Grant Village is also the closest to the South Entrance and Grand Teton.

For wildlife, the small NPS campgrounds in the north are the best bases. Slough Creek, with 16 sites at the end of a dirt road, is a favorite with wolf watchers heading into Lamar Valley. Tower Fall and Indian Creek are quieter alternatives, and Mammoth is the only campground open all year. Lewis Lake, south of Grant Village, has 84 sites in the trees near the lake and suits tents and small RVs only.

How to reserve a campsite

Yellowstone campsites open on a rolling basis exactly six months before your arrival date, and summer dates often sell out the day they open. For the six NPS campgrounds, book on Recreation.gov. Set a reminder for the morning your date opens and be logged in beforehand.

For 2026, Bridge Bay, Canyon, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Grant Village and Madison are booked through Yellowstone National Park Lodges, online or by phone. That changes in 2027: the concessioner says all five move to Recreation.gov for the 2027 season, opening about six months in advance, and you will be able to reserve a specific site rather than a loop. The concessioner will still run the campgrounds. Its posted 2027 dates include Bridge Bay from May 21, Fishing Bridge from May 14, Canyon from May 28 and Grant Village from June 18, all subject to change.

There are no first-come, first-served campgrounds in summer. Mammoth switches to first come, first served from mid-October to mid-April. The concessioner campgrounds keep a few walk-in sites for hikers and cyclists without cars, which cannot be reserved. NPS does not allow car camping or overnight parking anywhere outside a campground.

RV camping, hookups and dump stations

Fishing Bridge RV Park is the only campground with full hookups: water, sewer and 30- or 50-amp electric. It is for hard-sided units only, with no tents or tent trailers, because it sits in prime grizzly habitat. The renovated upper loop has paved sites up to 95 feet long. It costs $94 a night plus tax, and Senior and Access pass discounts do not apply.

Bridge Bay, Canyon, Grant Village, Madison and Fishing Bridge have dump stations, which may shut early and late in the season if pipes freeze. Generators are allowed at those five and at Mammoth; at the concessioner campgrounds they may run only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at RV sites. Generators are not allowed at Indian Creek, Lewis Lake, Slough Creek or Tower Fall.

Size limits are strict at the small campgrounds: 25 feet at Lewis Lake, 30 feet at Tower Fall (a hairpin curve on the entrance road) and Slough Creek, where NPS says to assess the road first.

Showers, laundry and group sites

Pay showers and laundry are at the camper services buildings at Canyon, Grant Village and Fishing Bridge. Sites at those three include two showers per night. Bridge Bay and Madison have flush toilets but no showers; Madison campers use Canyon's facilities. The NPS campgrounds have vault toilets except Mammoth, which has flush toilets.

Group sites are tent-only and booked through the concessioner: four at Bridge Bay, eight at Grant Village and three at Madison. Canyon has none. Shower access is not included in group rates.

Bear safety and food storage

Every Yellowstone campground is in bear country. Keep all food, drinks, coolers, cooking gear, dishes, pet food and toiletries locked in a hard-sided vehicle or a campground food storage box unless you are using them. Nothing with a scent stays in your tent, and a cooler left on a picnic table can get you a citation.

Put trash in bear-proof cans. Pour dishwater into a restroom utility sink or toilet, not on the ground or at a water spigot. Campfires are allowed only in established fire grates, must be attended at all times, and are banned during fire restrictions.

• Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Stay limit: 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, 30 days the rest of the year
• Maximum six people per site at the NPS campgrounds
• Check-out at 10 a.m. at the Recreation.gov campgrounds

Backcountry camping permits

Yellowstone has about 300 designated backcountry campsites, and every overnight trip needs a permit. The fee is $5 per person per night plus a $10 reservation fee. For the peak season of May 15 to October 31, NPS runs an early-access lottery on Recreation.gov in March, then opens general reservations around April 26. The NPS backcountry page lists the lottery period as March 1 to 20; confirm the 2027 dates before you apply.

About a quarter of peak-season sites are held for walk-up permits, issued in person at a backcountry office no more than two days before your trip. Offices include Mammoth, Tower, Grant Village, Bridge Bay, South Entrance, West Yellowstone and Bechler. Reservations for the non-peak season (November 1 to May 14) opened October 6. Each backcountry site has a food storage pole or box, and NPS requires hanging or storing food away from your tent.

2026 closures and the rest of the season

As of October 11, 2026, most campgrounds have closed for the year. Lewis Lake's 2026 season ends October 11 and Slough Creek's October 12. Madison and Fishing Bridge RV Park stay open through October 17, and Mammoth is open all winter. Pebble Creek did not open in 2026.

Expect overnight lows below freezing and possible snow. Dunraven Pass is projected to close for the season on October 12, and the park closes most roads to regular vehicles in early November. The North Entrance to Northeast Entrance road, which passes Mammoth, stays open all year. Biscuit Basin, between Old Faithful and Madison, remains closed after its 2024 hydrothermal explosion.

Camping outside the park

When park campgrounds are full, national forest campgrounds sit just outside several entrances. Near the West Entrance, Custer Gallatin National Forest runs Baker's Hole, 3 miles north of West Yellowstone, with 73 sites including 33 with electric hookups (open about May 1 to mid-October, reservable on Recreation.gov), and Rainbow Point, about 10 miles away on Hebgen Lake.

Near the North Entrance, Eagle Creek is about 2 miles from Gardiner and open year-round. Near the Northeast Entrance, Soda Butte (hard-sided units only, first come, first served, July to early September) and Colter sit near Cooke City. Outside the East Entrance, Shoshone National Forest's Threemile Campground is about 3 miles from the gate and is also hard-sided only. To the south, Grand Teton National Park has its own campgrounds.

More Yellowstone guides

• Best Time to Visit Yellowstone National ParkWhen to visit Yellowstone, month by month: road opening and closing dates, crowds, weather, wildlife timing and what is open in each season.
• How Many Days Do You Need in Yellowstone?How many days to spend in Yellowstone, with 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-day itineraries by area, NPS drive times around the Grand Loop and where to base yourself.
• Best Hikes in Yellowstone National ParkThe best day hikes in Yellowstone, from the Grand Prismatic Overlook to Mount Washburn and Avalanche Peak, with NPS distances, elevation gain and 2026 closures.