If you’re visiting Yellowstone National Park in winter, Gardiner, Montana, is one of the best places to base yourself. It sits right at Yellowstone’s North Entrance, the only entrance open to regular vehicles in winter.

While most of the park is only accessible by snowcoach or snowmobile, staying in Gardiner gives you driving access to Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, and some of the best winter wildlife viewing in the park.

We’ve spent many winter weeks in Gardiner, including the stretch between Christmas and New Year. This guide focuses on what you can realistically do from town in winter, from fun guided tours to outdoor recreation and the best scenic drives.

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👋 Meet Your Guides: We're Jonathan and Kelly, and we love Yellowstone National Park! So much so that we've been a dozen+ times, bought fixer-upper cabins outside Yellowstone’s North Entrance, and turned an old park ranger hut into year-round Christmas magic. Now, we’re on a mission to make Yellowstone simpler and more magical for everyone who visits.

1. Drive into Yellowstone through the North Entrance

This is the single biggest reason Gardiner shines in winter!

From town, you can drive straight into Yellowstone on the only road open to regular vehicles all season. That road gives you access to Mammoth Hot Springs, the Northern Range, and Lamar Valley, all of which include some of the best winter scenery in the park.

This area is also famous for winter wildlife. Bison, elk, coyotes, foxes, and wolves stay active year-round, and in winter, they move down into the valleys, making them easier to spot against the snow.

Best of all, you can experience all of this from your car. No snowcoach or snowmobile required. It’s one of the main reasons we base ourselves in Gardiner every winter, and why our Cozy Yellowstone Compound, including the Yellowstone Christmas Cabin, is located here.

2. Visit Mammoth Hot Springs in winter

Mammoth Hot Springs is about fifteen minutes from Gardiner and feels completely different in winter.

Steam rises off the terraces, snow collects along the boardwalks, and elk often wander right through the area. It’s one of our favorite places to take winter guests because it delivers classic Yellowstone scenery without crowds or long walks.

Plan to take your time here and walk all open boardwalk trails. Slow walks go a long way in winter. And don’t forget to visit the upper terraces, too!

ice and snow covering "Cupid Spring" in Yellowstone

3. Drive from Gardiner to Cooke City

Once you’re settled, this is one of the best winter drives in the park.

The route from Gardiner to Cooke City follows the Northern Range through Mammoth, Tower Junction, Lamar Valley, and out the Northeast Entrance. Frozen rivers, wide open valleys, and snow-covered peaks line the entire drive.

This stretch is especially good in the morning or late afternoon, when wildlife is most active. For one of the best winter road views in all of Yellowstone, we love the quieter stretch near Icebox Canyon past Lamar Valley. It’s worth the extra drive if you’re looking for a winter postcard, with snow-dusted trees lining the road.

We like to drive all the way through Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance to Cooke City for coffee or a hot meal, then retrace our route back to Gardiner. Cooke City Coffee makes a perfect pitstop!

4. Take a snowcoach into Yellowstone’s interior

Even though Gardiner gives you road access to Yellowstone’s Northern Range, the park’s interior still requires over-snow transportation in winter.

From Gardiner, you can board a snowcoach in town or at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Snowcoach tours take you to places like Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the interior geyser basins.

We’ve done this ourselves, and it’s one of the most memorable ways to see Yellowstone in winter! If Old Faithful is on your list, this is how you’ll reach it. Read more about seeing Old Faithful in winter here.

5. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing

Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are some of the easiest ways to experience winter landscapes around Gardiner.

You can go out on your own or book a guided trip. For rentals, Parks’ Fly Shop in Gardiner and the Bear Den Ski Shop at Mammoth Hot Springs are reliable options. For guided tours, check out Yellowstone Safari Company, Yellowstone Wild Tours, or Yellowstone Forever.

Good areas to explore include the Upper Terrace Loop, Tower Fall to Calcite Springs Overlook (pictured below), and Blacktail Plateau. Tower Fall to Calcite Springs Overlook is one of our favorite trails for snowshoeing in Yellowstone; it’s easy to access from Tower-Roosevelt Junction. There are parking and rest areas right near the trail.

groomed snowshoe and cross country ski trail in Yellowstone

6. Go snowmobiling near Yellowstone

Snowmobiling is a major winter activity in this region, though most riding happens outside Gardiner itself.

Popular areas include Cooke City, Big Sky, and West Yellowstone. These are longer drives from Gardiner, but they’re possible add-ons if you want snowmobiling to be part of your winter plans.

Unless you ride often, renting proper snowmobile gear is worth it. Speed amplifies cold, and staying warm makes the experience far more enjoyable. (The best tip we can give you is to wear a buff and snow goggles. Both make a huge difference in comfort.)

We went snowmobiling to Artist Point during our first winter trip to Yellowstone, and it was a fun adventure. Here’s everything you need to know about snowmobiling through Yellowstone.

7. Watch wildlife in Lamar Valley (or right from town)

One of the most surprising things about winter in Gardiner is how close wildlife comes!

Elk regularly move through town and graze near the river, homes, and lodging. Bald eagles line the Yellowstone River through Paradise Valley. Pronghorn and bison are often just a short drive—or even a short walk—away, near Roosevelt Arch.

For bigger wildlife drives, Lamar Valley is the crown jewel. It’s about an hour from Gardiner and is one of the best places in the park to see wolves, large bison herds, coyotes, and foxes moving through wide, snow-covered valleys.

Some days, wildlife watching happens five minutes from your front door. (The picture below is an elk I watched grazing by the gas station in town.) Other days, it’s a slow, relaxed drive with binoculars and patience. Both are part of the magic of winter in Gardiner.

elk grazing next to a gas station in Gardiner, MT

8. Soak in nearby hot springs

Montana’s hot springs are especially enjoyable in winter!

Yellowstone Hot Springs and Chico Hot Springs both stay open year-round and are a short drive from Gardiner. We love soaking in Yellowstone Hot Springs after a long day exploring the park. It’s especially picturesque the hour before and after sunset.

9. Enjoy the town

Winter changes the pace of Gardiner in the best way. Some businesses close for the season, but the ones that stay open feel unhurried and genuinely local.

Plan a simple day around town: breakfast at Bear’s Brew, stroll to the Roosevelt Arch, lunch at Tumbleweed Café, and dinner at Wonderland Café or The Corral. Spend the afternoon or evening at Yellowstone Hot Springs (outside the park), and you’ve had a full winter day enjoying town.

10. Ski or snowboard at Bridger Bowl

If skiing or snowboarding is part of your winter visit, Bridger Bowl is about an hour and a half from Gardiner near Bozeman.

It’s a local favorite with a laid-back feel and reliable winter conditions, typically operating from mid-December through mid-April.

Why Gardiner works so well in winter

Gardiner’s biggest advantage is access. It sits at Yellowstone’s only year-round road entrance, which lets you drive into the park daily without booking tours.

You’re close to Mammoth, wildlife stays active nearby, and town services remain open. In winter, that flexibility makes trips much more flexible.

Where to stay in Gardiner in winter

Gardiner offers a mix of hotels, motels, and vacation rentals, all within minutes of the North Entrance.

We host winter guests at our Cozy Yellowstone Compound in Gardiner, including our Yellowstone Christmas Cabin. Winter guests love being able to come back to a warm, comfortable place after a day in the park.

Is winter in Gardiner worth it?

If you’re looking for wildlife, self-driving, and winter sports, winter in Gardiner is absolutely worth it.

You get daily park access, the most flexibility, and proximity to some of the best wildlife watching Yellowstone has to offer.

As you keep planning your winter trip, these guides help everything fit together:

And if you want everything in one place, our All-Seasons Yellowstone Travel Guide walks you through exactly how to plan your trip, from where to stay and what’s open to wildlife routes, winter access, and day-by-day itineraries. It’s the guide we wish we had when we planned our first Yellowstone trip.

Learn more about our All-Seasons Yellowstone Travel Guide here.

10 Best Things to Do in Gardiner, MT, in Winter