Campground · Yellowstone National Park
A pine-forest base near Yellowstone Lake and West Thumb.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this area
The Superintendent Without a Salary“Yellowstone's first superintendent had to earn his living somewhere else. Nathaniel Langford accepted the job in eighteen seventy-two without a salary. He lived in Helena, Montana, and worked as a federal bank examiner.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Grant Village Campground in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
Grant Village Campground is a 430-site, summer-season campground in lodgepole pine forest on the southwest side of Yellowstone Lake. At about 7,800 feet and a few miles from West Thumb Geyser Basin, it makes a practical base for the park’s south end if you want developed services nearby. You can walk to the lakeshore, though the distance depends on your campsite.
Every site has a picnic table and fire grate, but shade and openness vary. Some campers find the sites close together, while others like the trees around theirs. If you have a large RV, check the site dimensions and leveling notes carefully: options for combined rigs up to 50 feet are limited, and many sites aren’t level. There are no electric, water, or sewer hookups.
The campground has flush toilets, potable water, food lockers, a camp store, laundry, and a dump station; showers are at Camper Services. Three accessible campsites are listed, with accessible restrooms nearby and an accessible shower at Camper Services. Grant Village is about a mile away for restaurants, fuel, and groceries; the campground itself has no restaurant.
West Thumb’s lakeshore boardwalk passes hot springs and other thermal features a few miles away. At 7,800 feet, summer nights can get cold. Grant Village takes its name from Ulysses S. Grant, president when Yellowstone became a national park in 1872. Elk sometimes wander near campsites, though sightings are occasional.
Wildlife
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateYellowstone Lake Overlook Trail1.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayClimb to a broad lake-and-Absaroka view above West Thumb
EasyWest Thumb Geyser Basin Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayA short lakeside boardwalk through vivid hot springs and geysers.
ModerateDuck Lake Trail0.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA short climb opens views over Duck Lake and the 1988 burn.
EasyRiddle Lake Trail4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA mostly level walk to lily pads and Mount Sheridan views.
Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayGrant Village Picnic AreaA lakeside picnic stop with 16 tables and fire grates.
Visitor center · 0.5 mi awayGrant Visitor CenterPark services and a lake view make this a useful southern stop.
Gas station · 0.7 mi awayGrant Village Gas and Service StationFuel, propane and seasonal repair help on the south shore.
Restaurant · 0.7 mi awayGrant Village Lake House RestaurantA seasonal meal stop with a wide West Thumb view.
Lodging · 0.8 mi awayGrant Village LodgeSleep near West Thumb, with two restaurants on-site.
Store · 0.8 mi awayGrant Village General StoreGroceries, camping basics, ice cream, and a grill under one roof.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayGrant MarinaThe lake launch for paddling trips out of Grant Village.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayWest Thumb Picnic AreaA handy picnic break beside the West Thumb geyser basin.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
