Yellowstone National Park North Entrance Attractions

The North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park has amazing features to offer. You will get to see some glorious hot springs. You will also be able to get out away from the Sulphur smell and go to Lamar Valley to view the most amazing views and some of the best wildlife Yellowstone has to offer. Here I will list the top 4 things we loved at the North Entrance area.

Lamar Valley

Wanting to see the Wolves of Yellowstone National Park? You are going to want to check out Lamar Valley and the Northern Entrance to the park. Lamar Valley is a valley in the mountains that contains some of the best chances of seeing animals. Including wolves, bison, pronghorn, bald eagles, bears, and many more species of animals in the park.

It is a lush valley full of beautiful vegetation, streams, and perfect scenic drives. Make sure you bring a good camera and even better binoculars. You have a lot to view out here and there is huge open areas where you can see miles in any direction.

Lamar Valley Hikes

Looking for a hiking trail? The Lamar Valley trail is a 7-mile hiking trail that is rated as a moderate difficulty. There is no way in hell I would take my kids on a 7-mile hike. With that said, even if you decide to only hike a mile or two, it will be very enjoyable and worth the effort.

This trail does not have much shade, so please pack a backpack accordingly. Bring plenty of water, a snack, bug spray, and sunscreen. This trail can get you close to some wildlife for great photos. Please make sure you have your bear spray and know how to use it. Also, never get too close to the animals! These are wild animals and do not want you to try and get close……these animals will kill you and not think twice.

If you are wanting to get out there and see the animals, you are going to want to get here early……very early. Once the sun is up and the heat is setting in the animals are much harder to come across. If you cannot get here early then come right at dusk. This is when animals will be moving again before nightfall. Keep in mind this may be closed for safety reasons at any time. Usually that would be because Bison are on the trial or Bears are spotted on the trail.

If you have the time to spare, I would spend at least one whole day in Lamar Valley. The number of animals you can see plus the amazing views will make it time well spent.

Gardiner Montana

During the midday when animals may be hard to spot, head through the North Entrance to Gardiner, Montana. Named after a fur trapper from the 1800’s Gardiner Montana is the only entrance to Yellowstone that is open year-round. It offers a small town feel and even the town in full of animals.

Seeing all the wildlife in the area as well as the Rangers, led my oldest son to want to become a park ranger. In his words he wants to “protect the animals and the people”. We absolutely love that he recognized the importance of the job. I hope both boys always have that mindset. I pray they always recognize the beauty of this world.

Any who back to Gardiner. No matter if you are looking for a gift shop, visitor center, or restaurant Gardiner will have what you need. Also, some things you didn’t know you needed.

Roosevelt Arch

The Roosevelts Arch was the reason we visited the North Entrance. It was definitely worth taking the time to check it out. The arch was originally built in 1903 and is the grandest entrance to Yellowstone. There is a nice parking lot located nearby with a paved walking path. This makes getting up to the arch for some photos very enjoyable.

The Roosevelt Arch was built in honor of Theodore Roosevelt! Who, during his presidency, established 5 National Parks. These parks include Crater lake, Wind Cave, Mesa Verde, and Platt, Oklahoma, and Sully’s Hill in North Dakota. Roosevelt also established 18 National monuments, 51 bird reserves, 150 National Forest, and 4 National Game Reserves. This gave Roosevelt the nickname of “the conservation president”. Still to this day there has not been another president that has established more National Parks.

Right by the arch there is a small pavilion that we found to be a nice peaceful place to have lunch. It is located right at the parking lot for the arch, so it’s a perfect location for lunch. If you are wanting to do some drinking or a tour, this is the town you want to be in. There is a bit of different offerings within the town.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mommoth Hot Spring Yellowstone National park — Mammoth Hot Spring Area

On your way back into the park be sure to swing by Mammoth Hot Springs. These hot springs have a fabulous board walk that will take you right on top of the hot springs. They overlook the city of Gardner. These limestone hot springs offer vivid colors and formations unlike most of the other hot springs in the park.

Due to the hot springs being primarily in limestone, it causes a cascade of white powdery residue over the landscape. This causes an effect resembling snow surrounded by vivid yellows and oranges. Within the Mammoth Hot spring loops, you will see more than 40 hot springs. These springs are of different sizes contributing to this unique area.

The loops consist of an upper and lower loop. If stairs are a issue for you, then you might want to stick to the lower area. The upper area has a few more steps and elevation change you will have to deal with.

Unlike most places in Yellowstone this boardwalk is very family friendly. Boardwalk offers sides to not allow your children to walk off the edge. This was a nice surprise, since visiting the area we had to have our 2-year-old on a backpack carrier. The 4-year-old holding our hand to ensure their safety. I would not recommend taking strollers on the boardwalk. As it can get very busy and that is just one more thing to maneuver.

I do recommend young children in a backpack carrier and older children being attached to the hand of an adult. Even stepping off the boardwalk for a second could cause you breaking through thin surface into boiling, acidic water below.

No matter how you chose to enjoy the Yellowstone National Park North Entrance. You will enjoy the time you spend around this area. All of Yellowstone National Park is a amazing place unlike anywhere else on Earth. The North Entrance gives you a look at how diverse this park really is.