MontanaHikes.com
Brand new in 2022 is the Cutler-Sphinx Trail located north of Gardiner, MT, and west of the Yellowstone River in Yankee Jim Canyon. The roughly 5.5-mile point-to-point trail takes hikers and mountain bikers through sagebrush, grasslands, and juniper forest.
Yellowstone Park has closed the North entrance at Gardiner, MT, and the Northeast Entrance at Silver Gate due to flood damage. While visitors to the area won’t be able to use these entrances to visit the park, there are still lots of great ways to enjoy a visit to this special area. Here are some ideas for an alternative to a Yellowstone Park Visit.
Most visitors look for private or national forest campgrounds when they visit the Gardiner, Livingston, Paradise Valley area in Montana. However, there are a few opportunities for free camping in this area just north of Yellowstone Park. Keep reading for our guide to free camping in Paradise Valley and along the Upper Yellowstone River.
Tom Miner Campground is in south-central Montana close to Yellowstone Park and the Yellowstone River. The campground is on the Custer Gallatin National Forest and has 16 campsites all available on a first-come, first-served basis. A trailhead from the campground leads to the Petrified Forest Trail as well as into the wild forests of the Gallatin Range.
Canyon Campground is a Custer Gallatin Forest campground located just across US 89 from the Yellowstone River in Yankee Jim Canyon. The campground has 17 sites that are available on a first-come-first-served basis. It’s 16 miles to Yellowstone Park making this one of the closest public campgrounds to the park.