Madison Campground

Yellowstone National Park


The nearest campground to Old Faithful and the West Entrance occupies a sunny, open forest in a broad meadow above the Madison River. Bison and the park’s largest elk herd frequent the meadows to its west, making for great wildlife-watching, and it’s a fine base for fly-fishing the Madison. You can (and should) reserve your site in advance.

Tent-only sites are ideally placed nearer to the river. A junior ranger station and campground amphitheater lie just a short walk away and offer nightly ranger talks. The campground is just west of Madison Junction, 14 miles east of the West Entrance and 16 miles north of Old Faithful. There's an RV dump station, but the nearest food and showers are at Old Faithful.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yellowstone National Park attractions

1. Ojo Caliente Hot Spring

5.82 MILES

Just beyond the Fountain Flat Dr parking lot is this pool, which empties into the river. Just south of the bridge is the trail to Sentinel Meadows.

2. Artist Paint Pots

6.88 MILES

The multicolored springs and fountains along a pleasant 1-mile loop hike southwest of Norris are interesting, but it's the ill-mannered belching and…

3. Fountain Paint Pot

7.21 MILES

Just past pretty Silex Spring, Fountain Paint Pot is a huge bowl of plopping goop that ranks as one of the biggest in the park. The action is sloppiest in…

4. Grand Prismatic Spring

8.39 MILES

At 370ft wide and 121ft deep, Grand Prismatic Spring is the park’s largest and deepest hot spring. It’s also considered by many to be the most beautiful…

5. Back Basin

9.4 MILES

Two miles of boardwalks and gentle trails snake through Norris' forested Back Basin. The main show here is Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active…

6. Norris Museum

9.58 MILES

This tiny museum was the park's first, opening in 1930. Displays focus on the underground plumbing that makes Yellowstone's thermal features so unique.

7. Norris Geyser Basin

9.63 MILES

Norris Geyser Basin comprises Porcelain Basin and Back Basin, accessed through two connecting loops. If the world's tallest geyser, Steamboat Geyser, isn…

8. Porcelain Basin

9.71 MILES

One mile of boardwalks loop through Porcelain Basin, the park’s hottest exposed basin. (The name comes from the area’s milky deposits of sinter, also…