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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Gardiner
Gardiner, Montana
Base here 2 nights for Yellowstone's North Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs; the town itself is a 15-minute walk, not a destination.
Gardiner sits at Yellowstone's North Entrance, the only gate open to cars year-round, and the Roosevelt Arch marks the boundary. The town is small enough to cross on foot in 15 minutes, so people use it as a bed base for Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley wildlife and the Boiling River, not as a sightseeing stop in itself. Two nights covers the gateway sights; three or more if you want Lamar Valley at dawn.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Gardiner, Montana
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for full park access; May and Oct for fewer crowds with some closures
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr for the park road south of Mammoth (closed to cars); Jul–Aug for peak crowds and lodging prices
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $90–150 excl. bed · Mid $150–260 excl. bed · High $260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Elk or bison burger | $15–22 |
| Sit-down dinner main | $18–35 |
| Draught beer in a bar | $6–9 |
| Whitewater rafting trip, half day | $70–120 |
| Motel room, summer weekend | $200–350 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BZN · Bozeman Yellowstone International
- About 1.5 h drive to Gardiner; year-round nonstops from Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle and more.
- BIL · Billings Logan International
- About 3.5 h drive; the state's busiest airport, useful for eastern Montana loops.
Typical fares
- Yellowstone 7-day vehicle pass
- $35 per private vehicle (check)
- BZN airport → Gardiner taxi or shuttle
- about $150–250 one way (check)
- Rental car, one day
- $60–160 depending on season and size (check)
Get around
The town is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes, and several trailheads start from the streets. For Yellowstone you need a car: Mammoth Hot Springs is about 5 mi (8 km) south, Lamar Valley about 40 mi (65 km) east. No public bus serves the park from Gardiner.The town is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes, and several trailheads start from the streets. For Yellowstone you need a car: Mammoth Hot Springs is about 5 mi (5 mi) south, Lamar Valley about 40 mi (40 mi) east. No public bus serves the park from Gardiner.
See and do
Known for
- North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park
- Roosevelt Arch
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Boiling River soak
- Elk and bison on the town edge
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mammoth Hot Springs | Drive US-89 south through the North Entrance, about 5 mi (8 km)Drive US-89 south through the North Entrance, about 5 mi (5 mi) | About 15 min |
| Lamar Valley | Drive the park road east from Mammoth, about 40 mi (65 km)Drive the park road east from Mammoth, about 40 mi (40 mi) | About 1.5 h |
| Boiling River | Drive south from Gardiner, park on the east side, then walk about 0.5 mi (800 m) upstream | About 20 min plus the walk |
| Livingston, Montana | Drive US-89 north, about 50 mi (80 km)Drive US-89 north, about 50 mi (50 mi) | About 1 h |
| Cooke City | Drive the park's Northeast Entrance road via Lamar Valley | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- Park Street / North Entrance strip
- Closest to the Roosevelt Arch and the park gate; walk to the entrance in under 10 minutes.
- Scott Street (main drag)
- Most motels, cafés and shops; 5–15 min walk to the gate depending on where you stay.
- Hellroaring Street / west end
- Quieter motels and lodges; still a short walk to the centre.
- Jardine Road and Maiden Basin
- Cabins, RV parks and tipi stays outside the town grid; you need a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Is the road open? | Is the road open? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the nearest restroom? | Where is the nearest restroom? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Wildlife is wild: keep at least 100 m from bears and 25 m from bison, elk and moose — every year visitors are injured by getting close.
- Weather flips fast; a warm morning can turn to cold rain or snow, and hypothermia is a real risk on exposed trails.
- Lightning injures and kills people in the park area — if you hear thunder, get inside a building or vehicle.
- Boiling River closes in spring for hazardous high water and often does not reopen until mid-summer; daylight hours only, swimsuit required, no alcohol.
- Petty theft happens in busy park areas: lock your car and keep valuables out of sight.
- Cell service and wifi are patchy outside town; download maps and park info before you drive in.
Gardiner is a small, low-crime town; the real risks are wildlife, fast weather changes and lightning in the park, plus petty theft in busy lots. Keep your distance from animals and lock your car.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Gardiner yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park
- Roosevelt Arch
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Boiling River soak
- Elk and bison on the town edge
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Gardiner MT: www.visitgardinermt.com/
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport: bozemanairport.com/
- National Park Service — Yellowstone: www.nps.gov/yell/
- Wikivoyage: Gardiner (Montana), revision 4697037 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4697037
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
GardinerGardiner, Montana
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Gardiner; the nearest consulates are in Denver and Salt Lake City, embassies in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/gardiner-montana). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.