Here are my top finds for Gardiner, Montana (North Entrance of Yellowstone)
🏨Hotels/Lodges: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins (inside the park)
📍Tours: Lamar Valley Safari Hiking Tour, Guided Yellowstone Wildlife Tour
🐻 Save time! Buy your National Park Pass before your trip
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel islocated in the northern portion of Yellowstone National Park just south of Gardiner Montana.
This hotel underwent a multi-year renovation that was completed in 2019, and additional room and public spaces updates that were finished in 2023 after regional flooding and repairs.
A stay in the Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge offers the perfect place to stay to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs area and have easy access to the Lamar Valley.
Room Types
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel has Hotel Rooms and Cabins.
Hotel Rooms
The hotel rooms at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel have private bathrooms and elevator access. Deluxe Rooms come available with one king bed, one queen bed, or two queen beds and include a mini-refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and a fan. Suites add a seperate sitting room with a sofa bed and satellite television, along with complimentary beverages. The rooms do not have air-conditioning.
Hotel Rooms come in the following confugurations:
- Deluxe Room with One King Bed
- Deluxe Room with One Queen Bed
- Deluxe Room with Two Queen Beds
- Suite with Seperate Sitting Room and Satellite TV
- ADA Accessible Hotel Rooms (two available)
Cabins
The Cabins at Hammoth Hot Springs Hotel offer a range of options from a fully equiped private units to more rustic shared-bath accomodations. All cabins include a front porch and fan. Hot Tub Cabins are available year-round and feature a private fenced outdoor hot tub accomodating six people. Frontier cabins include a private bathroom with shower , sink, and toilet, along with two queen beds. Cabins without baths are available in one-room and two-room configurations with shared bathroom facilities nearby. Select cabins include a coffee maker. Cabins do not have air conditioning.
Cabins come in the following configurations:
- Hot Tub Cabin with Private Outdoor Hot Tub (year-round)
- Frontier Cabin with two Queen Beds and Private Bathroom
- One-Room Cabin without Bath
- Two-Room Cabin Without Bath
- ADA Accessible Cabins (Four Available)
Click Here to Book Your Stay at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
We Stayed in a Deluxe Room with Two Queen Beds
We stayed in a 2 queen bedroom on the 2nd floor of the hotel. The room included 2 queen beds, a reading chair and ottoman, a nice size closet with a luggage rack, a private bathroom that included a clawfoot tub, a coffee set up, and a mini-fridge.
The room was nice sized with space to spread out and relax. The bed was firmer than we like but great if you like a firm bed.
The coffee station was perfect for starting the day with a hot cup of tea and coffee. There is a variety of organic Tazo tea blends available along with organic Rainforest coffee in both caffeinated and decaf.
The water glasses are made from recycled wine bottles that have been turned into water glasses. There is a soda machine down the hall and an ice machine on certain floors.
Location - The location is amazing, just down the street from Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. You can walk out the front entrance of the hotel and see the hot springs, along with elk all over the place. The hotel is located in the northern part of Yellowstone with easy access to the rest of the park.
Amenities - The clawfoot tub in the bathroom is amazing. There is shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the tub ready for you. The coffee set up had organic Tazo tea and organic Rainforest coffee available with multiple packets. There is a mini-fridge in the room. There is a USB plug on the lamp next to the bed for easy phone charging. There is an electrical plug next to the bed in case you need to plug in a c-pap machine.
Book Your Stay at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
Mammoth Hot Springs Dining Room
The dining room is located across the street from the hotel, next to the Terrace Grill. The dining room is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are large windows to gaze out at the elk and the people taking pictures of the elk.
The dinner menu has a nice variety of menu items available, including items marked vegetarian. I enjoyed the bison burger with bacon, and it was delicious. It came with shoestring fries that were cooked perfectly.
My wife tried the macaroni and cheese, and it was not her favorite. It was slightly bland in flavor and just a bit blah.
The burrata cheese platter looked amazing. Multiple people ordered it around us, and we wished we had ordered it
The Map Room off the lobby was designed by Robert C. Reamer and his associate, W. H. Fey. The map contains 2,544 pieces of wood from 16 types of trees from 9 countries. Each type of wood is identified on the left side of the giant map in a frame. One thing to look for is what capital on the map is shown incorrectly!
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Information
Season: Open Year-Round
Check-in: 4:30 pm
Check out: 11:00 am
Address:
2 Mammoth Hotel Avenue
Yellowstone National Park, Wy 82190
Pets: Pets are not allowed in Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins.
Smoking: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins are completely non-smoking, and non-vaping
WiFi: There is a WiFi connection. It is strongest in the lobby area and the map room. It sort of worked in our room, but it was not very fast.
Time Zone: Mountain Time Zone (MST)
Cribs: Cribs and crib sheets are available from the front desk upon request
Firearms: firearms, both open carry and concealed weapons under permit, are prohibited in Xanterra-operated properties.
Reserve Your Room at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
Things to do at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins
🌋 Walk the Upper and Lower Terraces boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs, among the most visually striking thermal features in the park
🦌 Watch elk roam freely through the village and hotel grounds year-round
🥾 Hike the Beaver Ponds Trail through forest and meadow for wildlife and solitude
🚗 Drive the Grand Loop Road north to Lamar Valley, the finest wildlife watching corridor in Yellowstone
🐺 Wolf watch in Lamar Valley, one of the best places in the world to see wild wolves
🦬 Spot bison, pronghorn, bears, and raptors throughout the northern range of the park
🏛️ Explore the historic Fort Yellowstone buildings, the original headquarters of the U.S. Army's administration of the park
📸 Photograph the travertine terraces at dawn when steam and morning light create extraordinary conditions
🎿 Cross-country ski and snowshoe in winter on groomed and backcountry routes
🛷 Join winter wildlife tours and snowcoach excursions into the park's frozen interior
🍽️ Dine at the Mammoth Hot Springs Dining Room, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
☕ Relax in the historic Map Room lounge with a drink and a look at the remarkable wood map
🛒 Visit the Mammoth General Store for supplies, gifts, and park essentials
Book the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Before it Fills
Best Yellowstone National Park Tours & Activities
Lamar Valley Safari Hiking Tour with Lunch
⭐️ Rating: 4.8 out of 5 Stars (208+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🥾🦬 Check Rates and Availability
Take a guided small-group hike into the Lamar Valley is the wildlife-watching experience that serious Yellowstone visitors come back for year after year. Often called America's Serengeti, Lamar Valley is the best place in the park to spot bison herds, pronghorn, coyotes, badgers, wolves, and grizzly bears, and having an expert guide from Yellowstone Hiking Guides on your side dramatically increases what you see and understand. Guides consistentaly earn extraordinary reviews for their knowledge of animal behavior, their ability to navigate around bison safely, and their genuine passion for the park. A packed lunch including sandwich, fruit, nuts, and snacks is provided, along with bear spray, binoculars, and trekking poles.
Montana Whitewater Rafting on the Yellowstone River from Gardiner
⭐️ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 Stars (381+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 3 hours | 🚣🏔️ Check Rates and Availability
This is by far the most popular non-park tour among visitors staying in Gardiner at the North Entrance. The Yellowstone River runs right through town, and this half-day whitewater rafting trip on Class I to III rapids is a perfect complement to a full day inside the park, giving guests an exciting, active afternoon on the river without sacrificing a full day of sightseeing.
Guided Yellowstone Wildlife Tour from Gardiner
⭐️ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 Stars (107+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 8 hours | 🔭🐺 Check Rates and Availability
This wildlife-focused guided day tour departs from Gardiner at Yellowstone's famous Roosevelt Arch entrance and takes small groups through both Hayden and Lamar Valleys with a professional wildlife guide who uses inter-guide communication to track animal locations in real time across the park. Guides earn extraordinary reviews for finding wolves, grizzlies, and other wildlife that most self-guided visitors never spot, with one reviewer noting their guide located 10 grizzlies and 5 wolves in a single day. The guide provides a spotting scope, binoculars, and deep commentary on animal behavior, ecology, and Yellowstone's geology throughout the day. A genuinely different and more focused experience than the van sightseeing tours, built for travelers who want maximum wildlife encounters.
Click here to find more great Yellowstone National Park Tours.
Lodging Options in the Mammoth Hot Springs Area
Lodging options inside the park include
⭐️ 4.3 of 5 Stars - Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins - Click here for Rates and Availability.
The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel has hotel rooms and cabin accommodations. (Cabins are seasonal) and steps away from Mammoth Hot Springs and a great option for exploring Lamar Valley and wildlife viewing.
⭐️ 3.7 of 5 Stars - Roosevelt Lodge & Cabins - Click here for Rates and Availability.
These Cabin accommodations is the closest lodging in the park you can get to Lamar Valley! Caution, these rooms are hard to get as they are very popular. They also have an Old West Dinner Cookout, offer horseback rides, and Stagecoach Adventures.
Lodging Options in Gardiner include
⭐️ 4.9 of 5 Stars - Dreamcatcher Tipi Hotel - Click here for Rates and Availability.
One of the most unique places to sleep near any national park in America, a luxury glamping resort featuring 20 individually decorated tipis tucked in the Montana mountains just minutes from Yellowstone's North Entrance!
Each tipi features memory foam beds with down comforters, premium bedding, rainfall showerheads in the private-use bathrooms, eco-friendly toiletries, free WiFi, and a furnished private patio with mountain views. Every evening guests gather around a communal campfire for s'mores, wine, and beer under some of the darkest skies in Montana, and a free continental breakfast with grab-and-go hiking options is served each morning. Additional amenities include BBQ grills, a garden, gift shop, EV charging, concierge services, and free parking. Steps from Gallatin National Forest, the Yellowstone River, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and fly fishing. Pet friendly and open seasonally!
Check out my Yellowstone Lodging Guide for a complete Guide to Yellowstone Lodging options inside America's first national park!
Click this link or the map below for a complete list of hotels and vacation rentals in the Gardiner, Montana Area.
https://www.stay22.com/embed/699ccfc98a014664584ca03dMammoth Hot Springs Hotel History
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is located within Yellowstone National Park, near the north entrance. It stands near the stone buildings that were once Fort Yellowstone.
Of all the hotels in Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth has been transformed both in name and appearance the most over time. Five name changes over a span of 139 years began as the National Hotel and is now called Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins.
The McCartney's Hotel opened near the current hotel in 1871, a year before the area was declared a national park by Harry R. Horr and his partner James C. McCartney. Mr. Horr named the Mammoth Hot Springs.
Yellowstone became America's first National Park in 1872. Pressure to protect the newly established park was strong over the coming years and by 1910, Fort Yellowstone housed over 300 soldiers.
In 1918, the army moved out and transferred the fort to the newly developed National Park Service. Just north of the Fort is where the National Hotel was built, and the history of the now Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel began.
As America's first National Park grew and brought in droves of visitors each year, construction of lodges and hotels was necessary, and multiple locations began coming to fruition in the late 1800s.
In 1883, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was the first high-class hotel to be built. The construction of the hotel was the beginning of the end for the Yellowstone Park Improvement Company.
The company's goal was to control the park by renting miles of land to extract timber and other materials to build the grand hotels. The construction of the Queen Anne-style Mammoth Hotel was done during the winter of 1882-1883.
Workers used local lumber and lived off game hunted from the park. By the time summer hit and the hotel was scheduled to open, the YPIC could not pay the workers for the job they had done all year and subsequently went bankrupt.
The hotel was taken over by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Eventually, in 1886, it was taken over by the National Park Association.
The original hotel was over 400 feet long and 50 feet wide. It had four stories and was painted green with a red roof.
It enjoyed a few years of grandeur as one of four high-class hotels in Yellowstone alongside Lake Hotel, Canyon Hotel, and the Old Faithful Inn.
Visitors who arrived on the Northern Pacific Railroad would land at this location upon arrival at the park. Stagecoaches brought guests from the depot straight to the hotel.
Between 1911 and 1913, the hotel was greatly scaled back. Seattle architect Robert C. Reamer supervised renovations to the hotel.
The fourth floor was removed and the roof flattened. A north wing was added next to the main building.
By the 1930s, due to the growth of touring the park by car, remote cabins, and other facilities offered by the park, the hotel saw declining business and most of it was torn down in 1936, with the exception of the added North Wing. Robert Reamer returned and designed a new complex of cabins to meet travelers' interests.
A newspaper out of Helena, Montana, called the Helena Independent, wrote an article about the project in August of 1936.
"New buildings to be erected include one to house the lobby, lounge, and general offices, a huge recreational hall connected to a small lobby with public service units housing a curio shop, barber shop, hairdressing parlor, and similar departments, and a large modern dining room. . . A two-story building will house the [hotel] lobby, lounge, hotel office, telegraph and telephone divisions, news and cigar stands, and other public services. . .
A new dining room will rise on the site of the present one, but the structure will be rebuilt from the ground up with a second floor constructed as living quarters for general office employees. A new front and complete renovations to the newest hotel addition [current North Wing] will provide accommodations for upwards of 200 guests."
The renovation essentially cut the hotel in two - the dining room was separate from the main lobby, which is still the case today. The recreation hall and cottages built during this time are still standing behind the hotel today.
The new buildings were painted grey and remodeled to what is known as the Art Moderne style. The Mammoth Hot Springs hotel is one of the only hotels in the National Park System that depicts this style of horizontal structures with flat roofs.
One unique detail that was originally showcased in the hotel lobby was a massive wooden United States map created by Robert Reamer, made from 15 different types of wood.
Today it can be seen in what is the Meeting Room - now generally known as the "Map Room."
Visiting the hotel and the surrounding area today feels much like visiting what it was 100 years ago.
As visitors in the beginning years would pile into 6-horse stagecoaches and ride the Observation Coaches around a loop to experience the "grand hotels," the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was an important part of the beginning of park visiting history.
Yellowstone National Park Entrance Fee
New in 2026: Each Non-US Resident aged 16 and older visiting Yellowstone National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an annual or America the Beautiful Pass. This includes nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, commercial use authorization (CUA) group, or concessioner tour group.
Park entrance fees are separate from camping and lodging fees.
Park Entrance Pass - $35.00 Per private vehicle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Park Entrance Pass - Motorcycle - $30.00 Per motorcycle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Park Entrance Pass - Snowmobile - $30.00 Entry for one driver and one passenger (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Per-Person Entrance Pass - $20.00 Visitors 16 years or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or as part of an organized group not involved in a commercial tour.
Annual Park Entrance Pass - $70.00, Admits pass holder and all passengers in a non-commercial vehicle. Valid for one year from the month of purchase.
$20.00 for Non-Commercial Group (16+ persons)
$20.00 for Commercial Sedan with 1-6 seats and non-commercial groups (16+ persons) ($25.00 plus $20.00 per person)
$125.00 for Commercial Van with 7-15 seats
$200.00 for Commercial Mini-Bus with 16-25 seats
$300.00 for Commercial Motor Coach with 26+ seats
Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.
$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the free entrance days the National Park Service offers for US citizens and residents.
Additional Yellowstone National Park Information
- Yellowstone National Park Guide - Your complete guide to exploring the world's first National Park!
- Things to do in Yellowstone - These are the top things to do that you don't want to miss, including exploring the Mammoth Hot Springs, the Museum of the National Park Ranger, Yellowstone Waterfalls, Kayaking in Yellowstone, fishing in Yellowstone, Fairy Falls Trail, and more!
- Yellowstone National Park Facts - Learn more about our 1st National Park and fun facts about the wildlife in the park.
- Yellowstone Wildlife Guide- Complete Guide to seeing wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, including the most popular wildlife viewing areas, including Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley.
- Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Lodging Guide - This complete guide to all of Yellowstone National Park's Lodges and cabins
- Ultimate Yellowstone Camping Guide - This complete guide to camping in Yellowstone includes all front country campgrounds
Yellowstone Geyser Basin Areas
- Upper Geyser Basin, including Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, and Old Faithful Geyser.
- Midway Geyser Basin, including Grand Prismatic Spring and Firehole Lake Drive.
- Lower Geyser Basin, including Fountain Paint Pot Trail and Firehole Canyon Drive
- Norris Geyser Basin-This basin is known for having some of the hottest water and springs in the park. It is actually two basins: Porcelain Basin and Black Basin, with famous geysers, including Ledge Geyser, Cistern Geyser, and Steamboat Geyser.
- West Thumb Geyser Basin - Beautiful boardwalk trail with hydrothermal features right next to Lake Yellowstone!
- Mud Volcano - The Mud Volcano area is Located south of Canyon Village and North of Lake Yellowstone. It has several hydrothermal features, including a mud volcano and Dragon's Mouth Spring.
Additional Montana National Parks
- Complete Guide to Grand Teton National Park - Your complete guide to go explore Grand Teton National Park before or after you visit Yellowstone!
- Epic Guide to Glacier National Park - Complete guide to exploring Glacier National Park
- Little Bighorn Battlefield - Also known as Custer's Last Stand, a place where the Plains Tribes fought their last major battle and won.
- Big Hole National Battlefield - site of the pivotal battle in the Nez Perce War of 1877 between Colonel Gibbon's troops and five bands of the Nez Perce Indians led by the famous Native American Leader, Cheif Joseph.
- Grant Kohr's Ranch National Historic Site - See what ranch life was like in the 1800s in Montana
Check out all of the Wyoming National Parks along with neighboring National Parks in Utah, National Parks in South Dakota, National Parks in Nebraska, National Parks in Montana, Idaho National Parks, and Colorado National Parks.
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