Gardiner offers a smaller, quieter lodging scene than West Yellowstone, with motels and inns clustered near the Roosevelt Arch and the Yellowstone River.

","Winter in Gardiner","

Because the North Entrance stays open to regular vehicles year-round, Gardiner is the easiest way to see Yellowstone in winter without booking a guided snowcoach or snowmobile tour — you can drive to Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley any time of year.

","Getting Into the Park","

Gardiner's North Entrance leads directly to Mammoth Hot Springs, about 5 miles and a 14-minute drive away, and beyond that to the Lamar Valley — one of the best wildlife-viewing areas in the park for wolves, bison, and elk.

","created_at",["D",1789351246811],"updated_at",["D",1789351246811],"google_maps_uri","google_primary_type","google_types","submission_token","is_service_area","seo_noindex","seo_nofollow","canonical_url","og_title","og_description","og_image","twitter_title","twitter_description","twitter_image","breadcrumb_title","schema_product_price","schema_product_currency","USD","schema_product_availability","schema_product_condition","schema_product_sku","schema_product_gtin","schema_product_brand","schema_event_start","schema_event_end","schema_event_location","schema_event_attendance","schema_event_status","schema_event_price","schema_event_performer","schema_review_item_name","schema_review_item_type","schema_review_rating","schema_review_body","schema_type","auto","has_no_google_place_id","meta_title","Gardiner, Montana: Yellowstone's Year-Round Gateway","meta_description","Gardiner sits at Yellowstone's North Entrance, marked by the Roosevelt Arch — the only gateway town with year-round vehicle access to the park.","focus_keyphrase","gardiner montana","faqs",[223,228,231],{"_224":225,"_226":227},"answer","About 5 miles, roughly a 14-minute drive. Mammoth Hot Springs sits just inside the North Entrance that Gardiner borders.","question","How far is Gardiner from Mammoth Hot Springs?",{"_224":229,"_226":230},"Yes — Gardiner's North Entrance is the only one of Yellowstone's five entrances that stays open to regular vehicles year-round, via the road to Mammoth Hot Springs and on toward Cooke City.","Can you drive into Yellowstone from Gardiner in the winter?",{"_224":232,"_226":233},"A stone arch marking Yellowstone's North Entrance at Gardiner, with its cornerstone laid by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. It's inscribed with a line from the park's 1872 founding legislation: \"For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.\"","What is the Roosevelt Arch?","social_caption","category_name","Gateway Town","category_slug","gateway-town","location_name","location_slug",{"_22":242,"_100":96,"_119":243,"_107":244,"_122":245,"_124":246,"_126":127,"_128":-5,"_129":-5,"_130":247,"_132":133,"_134":248,"_136":249,"_138":250,"_140":-5,"_141":29,"_142":-5,"_143":-5,"_144":-5,"_145":251,"_147":-5,"_148":-5,"_149":-5,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":29,"_154":-5,"_155":156,"_157":156,"_158":29,"_159":-5,"_160":161,"_162":156,"_163":-5,"_164":-5,"_165":-5,"_166":252,"_174":257,"_176":258,"_178":-5,"_179":-5,"_180":-5,"_181":-5,"_182":29,"_183":29,"_184":29,"_185":-5,"_186":-5,"_187":-5,"_188":-5,"_189":-5,"_190":-5,"_191":-5,"_192":-5,"_193":-5,"_194":195,"_196":-5,"_197":-5,"_198":-5,"_199":-5,"_200":-5,"_201":-5,"_202":-5,"_203":-5,"_204":-5,"_205":-5,"_206":-5,"_207":-5,"_208":-5,"_209":-5,"_210":-5,"_211":-5,"_212":213,"_214":29,"_215":259,"_217":260,"_219":261,"_221":262,"_234":-5,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_239":-5,"_240":-5},"27b17f30-5cf3-48b2-916e-e1d1f81bede0","West Yellowstone, Montana","west-yellowstone","The busiest of Yellowstone's five entrances, and the closest gateway town to Old Faithful and the geyser basins.","West Yellowstone sits directly against the park's West Entrance, the busiest of Yellowstone's five gates and the natural base camp for visitors headed to Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and the Upper and Midway Geyser Basins. It has the largest concentration of lodging, dining, and outfitters of any gateway community, and it's the hub for winter access into the park.\n\nThe town's origins trace to November 1907, when railroad magnate E. H. Harriman's crews began building an Oregon Short Line Railroad spur to the park's edge; the line was completed in June 1908 and the settlement (originally called Riverside, then Yellowstone, before West Yellowstone was settled on around 1920) grew up around the depot. It wasn't formally incorporated as a town until 1966, when it took over 10 acres and several historic buildings from Union Pacific after passenger rail service ended. That original depot district is now the Oregon Short Line Terminus Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and home to the Yellowstone Historic Center museum.\n\nAt 6,667 feet elevation with roughly 1,272 year-round residents (2020 census), West Yellowstone punches well above its size during peak season, when the town's population effectively multiplies many times over with summer visitors. In winter, it becomes the primary departure point for guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours into the park's interior, since regular vehicles can't reach Old Faithful once the interior roads close.","West Yellowstone","59758",44.6621,-111.1046,[],{"_168":253,"_172":254,"_255":256},"

West Yellowstone has the widest range of lodging of any Yellowstone gateway town, from budget motels to full-service hotels, almost all within a few blocks of the historic downtown and the park entrance itself.

","

West Yellowstone's entrance leads directly onto the road toward Madison Junction and, beyond that, Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin — about 32 miles and 45 minutes to an hour away. Unlike Zion or some other national parks, Yellowstone has no shuttle system; every visitor drives their own vehicle or books a guided tour.

","Winter in West Yellowstone","

From roughly mid-December through early March, West Yellowstone is the park's primary winter gateway. Regular vehicles can't reach the park's interior once the roads close for the season, so guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours departing from town are the main way to see Old Faithful and the geyser basins blanketed in snow.

",["D",1789351246731],["D",1789351246731],"West Yellowstone, Montana: Yellowstone's Busiest Gateway","West Yellowstone sits at the park's West Entrance, closest to Old Faithful and the geyser basins — where to stay, what to know, and how winter access works.","west yellowstone montana",[263,266,269],{"_224":264,"_226":265},"About 32 miles from the West Entrance to Old Faithful, roughly a 45-minute to 1-hour drive depending on wildlife traffic and road conditions inside the park.","How far is West Yellowstone from Old Faithful?",{"_224":267,"_226":268},"No — West Yellowstone is an independent Montana town sitting right at the park's West Entrance. It's a gateway community, not part of the park itself.","Is West Yellowstone the same as Yellowstone National Park?",{"_224":270,"_226":271},"Not by regular vehicle — the West Entrance closes to wheeled vehicles for winter along with most of the park's interior roads. West Yellowstone is instead the main departure point for guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours into the park.","Can you get into Yellowstone from West Yellowstone in winter?","categories",[274,279,284],{"_22":127,"_119":236,"_107":238,"_275":96,"_276":-5,"_277":-5,"_124":-5,"_174":278},"listing_type","parent_id","icon",["D",1789347123401],{"_22":280,"_119":281,"_107":282,"_275":96,"_276":-5,"_277":-5,"_124":-5,"_174":283},34,"Nearby Town","nearby-town",["D",1789347123401],{"_22":285,"_119":286,"_107":287,"_275":96,"_276":-5,"_277":-5,"_124":-5,"_174":288},35,"Regional Town","regional-town",["D",1789347123401],"locations",[],"totalCount",2,"totalPages",1,"currentPage","search","sort","name_asc","mediaMetadata",{},"seoOverrides",{"_303":106,"_304":106,"_305":106},"metaTitle","metaDescription","ogImage","pageContent",{"_308":309,"_336":337,"_338":339},"hero",{"_101":102,"_103":104,"_310":311,"_312":106,"_313":314,"_315":314,"_316":317,"_318":319,"_320":321,"_322":323,"_324":325,"_326":327,"_328":329,"_330":331,"_332":333,"_334":335},"search_placeholder","Search gateway towns near yellowstone national park...","bg_image","bg_image_focal_x",50,"bg_image_focal_y","gradient_from","#111827","gradient_via","#1f2937","gradient_to","#92400e","gradient_opacity",85,"gradient_direction","to-br","height",300,"title_size_mobile",48,"title_size_desktop",64,"title_color","#ffffff","subtitle_color","#f3f4f6","blocks_before_grid",[],"blocks_after_grid",[],"actionData","errors"]

Gateway Towns near Yellowstone National Park

Gardiner, Montana

West Yellowstone, Montana