I am having a hard time deciding on campsites in Yellowstone. We are arriving from Cody on Sept 4th. Planning to camp 4 nights in Yellowstone then 1 night in OFI before heading to the Tetons. What campgrounds do you recommend? We are trying to stick with 2. I like flush toilets and would like to have showers nearby at one of the 2 sites. We would like tent only sites and animal viewing/quiet is what we are looking for when camping. We aren't planning to cook at the campsite so nearby food is also needed (driving to food is fine, doesn't have to be walking distance). I have read Norris is nice. Any help would be appreciated. Will the sites fill quickly this time of year? Please let me know if a particular loop is good at a site. Thanks!!

It's been a few years since I was in Yellowstone, but at the time there were a Several campgrounds were for "hard-sided" camping only. So you'll want to check out any possible tenting limits.

I should have mentioned I have narrowed it down to:

Bridge Bay
Canyon
Norris
Grant (too far south??)
Madison
Mammoth

Asugrad01,

I've camped many times at Grant and really like it. Large campground but most of the loops are very nice. There is a large, heated shower building and a restaurant and snack bar near the lodge area of Grant Village.

I also like Madison, and Canyon, but don't care at all for bridge Bay, it's more for boaters.

Fishing Bridge is hard sided only. I believe all the others allow tents, but check. That could change from year to year.

After Sept 4, camp spots will be easier to get, but I would plan on arriving before noon.

If it were summer, I would say be sure to get reservations, or be there by 8am.

Yellowstone has a wide variety of campgrounds to say the least. My favorites may not be your favorites, so take that into consideration. I like to flyfish and do photography, and my favorite campgrounds are Pebble Creek, Norris, Lewis Lake and Slough Creek.

I would say that your requirement of a more quiet campground and having food+flush toilets right there will be a tough thing to pull off. Usually the more quiet campgrounds have no showers, no food on site and no flush toilets. Pebble Creek is one of the more quiet campgrounds, but does not have flush toilets. It does have food about 12 miles away in Cooke City (sandwhich shops).

I've put direct links to visual pages of the sites you chose as well as my own personal comments based on your goals:

Bridge Bay
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

BIG. Really nice tent sites down at the lake and some relatively quieter sites way back on the back loops. Mostly a very popular and busy campground. The middle section is very noisy.

Canyon
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

Huge, busy and right next to a mall. The hub of action for the park. Good spot for touring all portions of the park, but not good for solitude.

Norris
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

Quieter than the others so far with flush toilets. 10 miles from Canyon for food and showers. A good place based on your criteria. And a quasi-centralized location.

Grant (too far south??)
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

Grant has a nice quiet loop way back along the bay in the forest. Good campground. Keep driving waaay back.

Madison
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

Very busy but not very quiett due to proximity with the main road from West Yellowstone.

Mammoth
http://www.parkcamper.com/Yellowston...Campground.htm

Just ok. Cramped, busy with really old bathrooms. My least favorite campground in the park. Convenient to food and such (just a half mile away).

Bridge Bay: Not just tent campers, showers at Fishing Bridge, near places to eat.

Canyon: Not just tent campers, has showers and places to eat.

Norris: Not just tent campers, showers are 12 miles away at Canyon and so are places to eat.

Grant (too far south??) Grant is not centrally located and really only near West Thumb area. Might be a good location for going to Grand Tetons.

Madison: They have a tent only loops but you will want to make reservations to make sure you get one. Showers will be 17 miles away at Old Faithful. Dining will also be at Old Faithful or at West Yellowstone only 14 miles away. This will probably be the best place for a varity of places to eat.

Mammoth: Not just tent only, nearest shower will be either Old Faithful at 50 miles away or Canyon at 35 miles away. There are places to eat near by. There could be showers in nearby.

We liked to stay in Madison for the easy access to the different areas of the park and if we wanted to choose two places we stayed at Bridge Bay. What we did was just take our change of clothes and do the shower when we were near one. You can do the same for eating and then drive back to camp to sleep.

Utahtea