Gardiner is a town of about 900 people that sits just outside the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park, five miles from Mammoth. There are approximately 500,000 visitors to Gardiner every year.
Gardiner is known as the historic 4-Season Gateway to Yellowstone, since the northern entrance to the park does not close and wheeled vehicle access to the park road remains open even in winter. The north entrance here was also the first entrance to the park, and contains the Roosevelt Arch dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.
The Yellowstone River also runs through Gardiner as it heads north out of the park. The Boiling River section of Gardiner River is a few miles away, between the town and Mammoth on the border of Montana and Wyoming.
Gardiner is convenient to Mammoth, Tower-Roosevelt and the northeast section of the park including the Lamar Valley. The town of Gardiner is located:
~ 5 miles from Mammoth
~ 24 miles from Tower Roosevelt
~ 27 miles from Norris
~ 38 miles from Lamar Valley
~ 40 miles from Yellowstone Falls
~ 56 miles from Lake Village
~ 57 miles from Old Faithful
Gardiner also has a number of bars, pizza joints, a Subway restaurant, a cafe and other dining options.
Gardiner Montanta Hotels
National hotel chains in Gardiner include the Super 8 by Wyndham, Comfort Inn and Travelodge. Gardiner also contains a number of other hotels, lodges, inns and other overnight accommodations.
Our Visit to Gardiner
We traveled to Gardiner for a short time during our Yellowstone vacation. We were exploring the Mammoth area and made a quick run across the border after we stopped at the hot springs. We did some shopping and picked up a coffee at the cafe, before retracing our steps and looping back to Tower Roosevelt on our way to our campsite in Norris campground.