Camping in Yellowstone National Park is mainly first come, first served – like in Grand Teton. We approached from the south and decided to visit Madison Junction Campground near the west entrance first. As we pulled in we saw a sign noting that the campground was full. We booked it around the park to Norris Campground. I never expected to disregard signs for Old Faithful or Grand Prismatic Springs, but I became laser focused on securing a campsite and zipped right past iconic attractions without hesitation.
Norris Campground
When we arrived at Norris there was a line of people outside the camp office. People that had a site in the campground the night before had the option to walk up and renew their site before any new people could be assigned a site. Imagine walking past a line of hopeful, and yet kind of desperate, wannabe campers on your way to take a spot away from them. Everything was civil…but also kind of awkward…
The line moved quickly when the office opened as people stepped inside and claimed the first available spots. To our advantage, we were tent camping. We didn’t have an RV. We didn’t have a camper. We didn’t even have multiple tents. We wanted to, but didn’t need to, be near our car. A campground host stepped outside of the office and asked if there were any tent campers that would take a walk-in site. “How far of a walk are we talking?” we thought. But it didn’t matter people in front of us claimed the spot. A few minutes later the host appeared again and offered another walk-in spot. We were the next tent campers in line. The spot was ours. We had a campsite in Yellowstone National Park!
I still wasn’t sure that to expect from this “walk in” site. Would we have to carry all of our gear a mile or more? Would we be isolated in the quasi-backcountry? Was I ready for either of those? We drove around to the backside of Loop A and parked in the designated lot. We took the path towards our site and were in our new home in less than 50 yards!
The site was perfect! It was slightly downhill from the parking lot and bordered a field with a river in it. Our neighbors were close but unobtrusive. The restroom was located near our car, just at the end of the parking lot.
No Room in the Lot
The only problem we had came after a full day of exploring. We had been out past sunset and we arrived back at camp and found the parking lot completely full. Just as I was attempting to park on the curb/sidewalk/grass a woman popped out of the RV parked at the site behind the parking lot. “You can park at our site,” she offered. All of the spots are double-wide; enough room for a camper and a car. Since our new friends, Lisa and Chris, only had an RV we had enough room for our 4 Runner next to them.
The RV was named Betsy. Her owners were the nicest people! They didn’t just offer us a place to park they also shared their wine and invited us to join their campfire.
Chris was a retired member of the Canadian military. Lisa was a retired school teacher. They had met a few years earlier at a campground in Arizona. She was trying solo camping for the first time and Chris was staying in the same campground. He invited her to join his campfire. Despite the distance, the separate countries, and the fact that all of her friends told her he was too old for her, they started a relationship. They had been married a year when we met them.
After a long and entertaining chat by the fire, it was time for bed. I hadn’t been up this late the entire trip! I was trying to wake up for the sunrise so that meant I was ready for bed shortly after sunset. On the walk back to our tent I noticed all of the stars. I love being in dark places with clear skies. There is so much above us and around us that is hard to see; hard to see through the pollution – light and air – and hard to see through the distractions. Out here it was dark and clear and the sky was ablaze.
I spotted two shooting stars that night.
The Rooster Crows, The Buffalo Roams
The next morning, I walked to our car parked next to Betsy. There was a buffalo just beyond the fire where we had sat and chatted just a few hours before! Probably the coolest neighbor I will ever have!
I love everything about our National Parks, but the wildlife viewing opportunities are my favorite thing! It doesn’t get any better than spotting wildlife right at your accommodations.
Go
All 100 sites at Norris Campground are first come, first served. Reservations are not accepted.
Sites are $20 per night. If you decide to stay an additional night, sites can be renewed at 8 am at the camp office.
Showers, flush toilets, potable water, and a sink for washing dishes are onsite.
More information can be found on the Yellowstone Campground Site managed by the National Park Service.
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Learn More
Check out these posts for more information about visiting Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park Overview
Geysers in Yellowstone National Park
Secret Swimming Spots in Yellowstone National Park
Best Photo Spots in Yellowstone National Park
