Norris Campground

Here are my top finds for the Old Faithful Area of Yellowstone NP
🏨Lodges: Old Faithful Inn, Old Faithful Snow Lodge, 1872 INN
📍Tours: Full-Day Guided Yellowstone Day Tour from West Yellowstone, Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone including Grand Prismatic & Old Faithful
🐻 Save time! Buy your National Park Pass before your trip

Park Alert: Norris Campground Closure

Norris Campground is currently closed indefinately and shut for the foreseeable future. It is closed due to Infrastructure Issues as the site faces challenges with water systems, power, and maintenance needs.
The National Park Service has removed the campsite from its main website and active reservation systems

The Norris Campground in Yellowstone National Park is located near the Park Ranger Museum.

This campground is first come first served with sites spread around a couple of loops. Some of the sites in this campground have epic views!

Centrally located near the Norris Geyser Basin and hot springs this campground is the perfect location for exploring the park.

Norris Campground Map

Norris Campground Camping Fees

Make sure to check with the park for the most updated camping fees.

Interagency Access Pass (Disability) and Senior Pass (formerly known as the Golden Age or Golden Access Pass) holders receive a 50% discount.

Rates do not include taxes or utility fees and are subject to change.

Norris Campground Reservations

Are campground Reservations Available? No, All sites are first-come, first-served.

Check out our ultimate Yellowstone Camping Guide for information on the campgrounds that take reservations.

Campground Information

Season: The campground is only open during summer. May - September

Number of Sites: 111

Latitude/Longitude: N 44 44.27088 W 110 41.6169

Elevation: 7,500 feet (2286 m)

Accessible Sites: Two accessible campsites; accessible restroom with flush toilets at the campground entrance.

Location in the park: Located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north of Norris Junction.

Norris Campground Amenities

Flush Toilets: Yes

Showers: No

Payphone: Yes, next to the entrance

Is wifi available? No

Is cellular Phone Service Available? No

Is camp host available on site? Yes, Site #20 while we were there

Is firewood available for purchase? Yes, near the front entrance.

The campground also has ice for sale near the front entrance.

Amenities at each campsite:

Firepit in the site? Yes

Picnic Table in the site? Yes

Bear Box in site/area? Yes, Bear boxes are available for most tent sites.

Potable Water? Yes

RV Camping at Norris Campground

RV Length: Two signed sites at 50 feet (15.2 m) and five sites at 30 feet (9.1 m).

Both RV's and Trailers are allowed in the campground.

Dump Station: No

Generators: Generators may only be operated from 8 am to 8 pm (60 dB limit).

Hookups: No

Norris Campground Regulations

The maximum number of people in a campsite: Maximum 6 persons per site

The number of cars per campsite: Tent sites allow for up to two tents and two vehicles. RV sites allow for one RV (tow included) only. (For reference, 2 motorcycles = 1 vehicle)

Check-in Time: check-in any time of day that there is an unoccupied site.

Checkout time: 10 AM.

Quiet Hours: Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Maximum Stay: Camping is limited to 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, and 30 days for the rest of the year. There is no stay limit at the Fishing Bridge RV Park.

Pets Allowed: Yes, You will want to be aware of the park pet policy

Best Yellowstone National Park Tours & Activities

Full-Day Guided Yellowstone Day Tour
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (677+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 12 hours | 🚐🦌 Check Rates and Availability

One of the most booked and highest-reviewed full-day Yellowstone experiences, this comprehensive guided day tour covers every iconic sight in the park in a single well-organized 12-hour journey.

The tour guarantees Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and all the must-see highlights, with the guide staying by your side throughout, never leaving guests to figure things out on their own. A lunch is included. Recommended by 98% of travelers across nearly 700 reviews. Booked an average of 40 days in advance. Pickup is included from hotels in West Yellowstone.

Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone: Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (385+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 8 hours | 🚐🌋 Check Rates and Availability

This full-day van tour is the go-to choice for visitors who want to see the Lower Loop's greatest hits without worrying about driving, parking, or navigation. Departing from West Yellowstone at 7 AM with hotel pickup included, the day begins with an early-morning wildlife sweep through Shadow Canyon of the Madison River, where bear and elk are regularly spotted. From there the tour hits the Grand Prismatic Hot Springs overlook, Old Faithful and the historic Old Faithful Inn, West Thumb Geyser Basin on Yellowstone Lake, the bison-filled Hayden Valley, Mud Volcano, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Artist Point.

Hotel pickup included from West Yellowstone. Booked an average of 30 days in advance.

6-Mile Geyser Hiking Tour in Yellowstone with Lunch
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (93+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🥾🌋
Check Rates and Availability

Most visitors to Yellowstone spend their time at Old Faithful watching the eruption from the crowded viewing area and then heading back to the parking lot. This tour goes somewhere completely different. Starting at the Daisy Geyser Trailhead and following the Firehole River through the Upper Geyser Basin, your guide takes a small group of up to 14 guests past hissing steam vents, vivid hot springs, and geysers that most park visitors walk right past without knowing what they are looking at.

The route covers 6 miles and about six hours on your feet, passing Grotto Geyser, Observation Point, Daisy Geyser, and a climb up to the Observation Point overlook above Old Faithful where reviewers consistently say the view puts the standard ground-level crowd experience to shame. One reviewer watched Old Faithful erupt twice from two completely different vantage points on the same tour. Another caught Grand Geyser erupting up close after their guide rerouted around a bison blocking the trail.

Click here to find more great Yellowstone National Park Tours.

Things to do When Camping at Norris Campground

🌋 Walk the Norris Geyser Basin boardwalk system, just steps from the campground, through the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in Yellowstone, home to Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser
💨 Watch Steamboat Geyser, which when it erupts sends water and steam up to 300 feet into the air in one of the most powerful natural spectacles on Earth, though eruptions are unpredictable
🥾 Hike the Back Basin and Porcelain Basin loops at Norris for vivid colors, violent mud pots, and steaming vents spread across an alien landscape
🏛️ Visit the Norris Geyser Basin Museum, one of the finest small interpretive facilities in the park, with excellent exhibits on hydrothermal geology
🎣 Fish the Gibbon River running through and below the campground for brown and rainbow trout in a beautiful mountain stream setting
🦬 Drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs, about 21 miles away, for the extraordinary travertine terrace boardwalks and reliable elk viewing in the village
🚗 Drive east to Canyon Village and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, about 12 miles away, for the park's most famous waterfall and vivid canyon scenery
🌊 Head south to the Madison Junction area and the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, about 14 miles away, for Old Faithful and the park's greatest concentration of geysers

Lodging Options in the Old Faithful Area

⭐️ 4.2 of 5 Stars - Old Faithful Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.

The most iconic hotel in the American national park system, a National Historic Landmark and the largest log structure in the world, sitting just steps from Old Faithful geyser!

Built in 1903 from local rhyolite stone and lodge pole pine, the soaring 7-story lobby with its massive stone fireplace and hand-crafted copper and wrought iron clock is one of the most breathtaking interior spaces in any hotel anywhere. Choose from historic Old House rooms, some with shared bathrooms straight out of the early 1900s, to modern Deluxe rooms, Junior Suites, and Geyser Basin View Suites. Live music fills the lobby each evening, and the elegant Old Faithful Inn Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with dinner reservations required. Also on site are the Bear Pit Lounge, Bear Paw Deli and Coffee Bar, & gift shop. No TVs, WiFi, or air conditioning keeps the historic magic intact. Open early May through mid-October, book up to 13 months in advance as this is the most requested lodging in Yellowstone!

⭐️ 4.2 of 5 Stars - Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins - Click here for Rates and Availability.

One of only two lodges open in winter inside Yellowstone, a stunning award-winning parkitecture masterpiece with heavy timber construction, exterior log columns, and a cedar shingle roof, just a 5-minute walk from Old Faithful!

The newest full-service lodge in the park, completed in 1999 and winner of the Cody Award for Western Design, it features a cozy lobby fireplace, the elegant Obsidian Dining Room serving wild game and regional cuisine, the casual Geyser Grill, Firehole Lounge with a second fireplace, Bear Den Gift Shop and Ski Shop with cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals, free WiFi, and free parking. Rooms and cabins feature mini-fridges, coffee makers, hair dryers, and modern bathrooms, with pet friendly cabins available. In winter, heated snowcoach tours depart right from the lodge for park-wide sightseeing. Open late April through late October and mid-December through early March!

⭐️ 4.9 of 5 Stars - 1892 Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.

West Yellowstone's most refined boutique hotel, a gorgeous adults-only mountain lodge just 1 mile from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, named after the year America's first national park was established!

The 18 rooms feature gas fireplaces, premium bedding, bathrobes and slippers, dual towel warmers, flat-screen satellite TVs, mini-fridges, and walk-in showers, all wrapped in rustic-chic Montana style with cowhide chairs and western throws. A complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning, and the cozy lobby lounge with a stone fireplace is perfect for unwinding after a long day in the park. Sauna, fitness center, business center, free WiFi, and free parking included. Open year-round!

Click this link or the map below for a complete list of hotels and vacation rentals in the West Yellowstone, Montana Area.

https://www.stay22.com/embed/61f07ec196333b001540b97a

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.

2024 America The Beautiful National Park Pass

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 Montana National Parks along with neighboring National Parks in Wyoming, National Parks in South Dakota, North Dakota National Parks, and Idaho National Parks.

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