Yellowstone National Park Fees & Reservations

Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park offers great value for money (isn’t that what we all need these days) . . . because when you buy an entrance ticket to Yellowstone National Park, not only does it last for a full seven days, but you can also visit Grand Teton National Park with the same ticket . . . it won’t cost you another dime. You can also buy your tickets at Grand Teton National Park if you visit their first, and then use the same ticket for Yellowstone National Park – brilliant! But how much is it gonna’ cost you?

  • $25 per private, non-commercial vehicle, including passengers
  • $20 each per motorcycle or snow-mobile
  • $12 per person for any visitor entering Yellowstone National Park on foot, ski-ing, by bicycle etc . . . under 15’s enter free of charge
  • $50 will pay for an annual pass, valid for 12 months from the date of purchase and including the pass holder plus any passengers in a private, non-commercial vehicle.

Commercial groups are, of course, welcome to visit Yellowstone National Park, but they have their own, different table of fees to pay;

  • $25 plus $12 per person for a sedan with a seating capacity of 1 – 6 people
  • $125 (including the people) for a van carrying 7 – 15 passengers
  • $200 (including the people) for a minibus carrying 16 – 25 passengers
  • $300 (including the people) for a coach carrying 26 passengers or more

Camping at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a campers paradise, and with 12 campgrounds (not including the back country camping sites) offering in excess of 2000 campsites, there’s sure to be room for you and your tent. Some campgrounds do accept some reservations in the peak season, others operate strictly on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are recommended for anyone driving an RV vehicle which is over 30′, because there are limited spaces available for something of this size. 

Always be on the look-out for unexpected guests!

RV Campground Facilities

  • The only campground which offers water, sewer and electrical hook-ups is a Fishing Bridge RV Park, which is open to RV’s and the like only, no tents or tent-trailers are allowed at this site.
  • Large campsites for the over 30′ are available only at Fishing Bridge RV Park, Flagg Ranch, West Yellowstone or Gardiner.

General Campground Facilities

  • Seven of the campgrounds at Yellowstone National Park are strictly available on a first come, first served basis; Lewis Lake, Indian Creek, Norris, Mammoth, Slough Creek, Pebble Creek and Tower Fall. You’d better be early to be sure of a site, sometimes these campgrounds are full by 11am and you’re not permitted to camp overnight outside of designated campgrounds.
  • The maximum stay permitted is 14 days between the beginning of July and the first Monday in September, after that the limit is 30 days. Fishing Bridge Campground, however, has no limits.
  • Drinking water is available at most campgrounds, most of the time, however, there are occasional exceptions.
  • Wood and charcoal fires are allowed at all campgrounds except Fishing Bridge RV Park, but there may be special restrictions in place at the times when the danger from woodland fires is the greatest. If you want to light a campfire then check about current regulations when you check in at the entrance station.

Hee hee, some people will film anything (and others include them on their web pages) . . . I just love the sound of that campfire cracklin’.

Yellowstone National Park – Individual Campground Details

  • Bridge Bay Campground – is open from May 25th – September 9th, and has 432 sites at a price of $20.50 per night (not including tax or utility fee). Accessible sites are available, as are flush toilets, dump station and generators are allowed between 8am and 8pm.
  • Canyon Campground – opens June 1st until September 3rd. 273 sites are available at a cost of $25 per night (not including tax or utility fee). There are some accessible sites plus flush toilets, onsite laundry and pay showers, dump station and generators permitted between 8am and 8pm.
  • Fishing Bridge RV Campground – opens May 11th through to September 23rd for RV’s only, at a price of $45 per night. More than 325 sites are available and reservations are advised. The site has flush toilets, showers and laundry onsite and dump station, generators are permitted between 8am and 8pm if necessary, although there are hook-ups available on this campground.
  • Grant Village Campground – is open from June 21st until September 23rd, with 430 sites available at a cost of $25 per night (not including tax or utility fee). Some accessible sites are available, other facilities include flush toilets, pay showers and laundry onsite, dump station and generators permitted between 8am and 8pm.

Looks nice doesn’t it?

  • Indian Creek Campground – has 75 sites available for a charge of $12 per night, and is open from June 8th until September 4th. Vault toilets are available at Indian Creek Campground, as well as space for 10 RV’s at 40′ and 35 RV’s at 30′ pull through sites. No reservations, strictly first come, first served.
  • Lewis Lake Campground – opens between June 15th and November 4th, with 85 sites available at $12 per night. Vault toilets are available, and there’s room for a few RV’s with a maximum size of 25′. No reservations, strictly first come, first served.
  • Madison Campground – open from May 4th until October 21st with 278 sites at a cost of $20.50 per night (not including tax or utility fee). Facilities include some accessible sites, flush toilets, dump station and generators permitted between 8am and 8pm.
  • Mammoth Campground – is open all year round, at a price of $14 per night for any of the 85 sites available. Accessible sites are available, as are flush toilets and generators permitted between 8am and 8pm. Most of the RV sites are pull through, but no reservations, strictly first come, first served.
  • Norris Campground – opens on May 18th until September 24th, with more than 100 sites for $14 per night. Flush toilets are available at this Yellowstone National Park campground, and generators are permitted between 8am and 8pm, plus there are 2 RV sites available for 50′ vehicles, and 5 for 30′ vehicles. No reservations, strictly first come, first served.
  • Pebble Creek Campground – is open from June 15th until September 24th. There are more than 27 sites available at a price of $12 per night, vault toilets only, no reservations, strictly first come, first served. There are some long pull-through RV sites.
  • Slough Creek Campground – opens June 15th through to October 31st. With 23 sites at a price of $12 per night, only vault toilets are available. There are some RV sites available for up to 30′, but you are advised to walk in and check it out before pulling on. Reservations are not available at Slough Creek Campground.
  • Tower Fall Campground – opens May 18th until September 21st, and has 32 sites at a cost of $12 per night each. Vault toilets are available at this campground, with some RV sites available although they are only suitable for vehicles of 30′ or less.


 

Back Country Camping at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park has more than 2000 campsites available on 12 campgrounds, but for some people the whole idea of a camping or backpacking trip is to get away from life’s little luxuries like flush toilets and hot showers, getting into the back country for a little camping of the primitive variety, and if that’s what camping is all about to you . . . then Yellowstone National Park is the place to be.

There is a designated back country camping system in place at Yellowstone National Park, and you must have a back country permit for any overnight stay in the park. Each designated back country campsite has a maximum number of people allowed each night, and you’re only allowed to stay at each site for between 1 and 3 days. Campfires are only permitted in established firepits, and the majority of these back country campsites provide a food storage pole to keep the food well away from the local bears.

Reservations are available for some back country campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park, the reservation fee is $25 irrespective of the number of people, or the number of nights. Around 300 back country campsites can be reserved, but you may prefer to wait until you get to the park before you buy your permit and reserve a back country site. Back country permits are available from;

  • Bechler Ranger Station
  • Canyon Visitor Center
  • Bridge Bay Ranger Station
  • Grant Village Visitor Center
  • Old Faithful Ranger Station
  • Mammoth Visitor Center
  • South Entrance Ranger Station
  • Tower Backcountry Office
  • West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center

It is extremely important that strict guidelines are followed by anyone who wants to enjoy a spot of back country hiking or camping in Yellowstone National Park . . . particularly where bears are concerned. These guidelines are put in place for the good of all concerned, the campers and the bears.  Please check all information before setting off on your back country camping trip.

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