Yellowstone Camper Van Trip - Upper Loop Highlights
Take advantage of your camper rental and time in the park by getting an early start if you can. Beginning in Livingston and heading towards Gardiner seems like the appropriate approach into Yellowstone. The North Entrance was the original park entrance and includes the iconic 50 foot Roosevelt Arch. We always stop here because it is just that spectacular. Dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, the arch frames the beautiful Montana skyline in both directions and allows a moment of reflection of the park’s history.
Dedication Day brought a massive gathering to Gardiner, Montana in 1903. Spearheaded by local Masons, a time capsule was placed inside the arch during the ceremony. It contained local newspapers, coins, pictures of President Roosevelt and a Bible.
Jack Ellis Haynes’ automobile under the Roosevelt Arch.
Source: Montana Historical Society
Upon entering the North Entrance, you'll drive a newly-constructed roadway winding through the hillside on what was originally a stagecoach route for early park visitors. After historic flooding in June of 2022 destroyed critical infrastructure and caused a complete evacuation, the Park Service undertook a massive effort to widen and pave Old Gardiner Trail in order to restore access. Compared to a full-sized RV, your camper van will make easy work of the new road’s twists, turns, and climbs.
Below we’re sharing a counter-clockwise tour highlighting Yellowstone’s North Loop.
Mammoth to Norris
Mammoth offers something for everyone — history buffs, geology fans, and outdoor enthusiasts.
The steaming travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs are unmistakable and otherworldly. Created over thousands of years, as hot water cooled and left mineral deposits, the Terraces cover a huge hillside. Boardwalks and stairways invite exploration of this steaming, moon-like environment. Scenes from the planet Vulcan in the 1979 Star Trek movie were filmed in Mammoth — we think experiencing this place for yourself embodies the "live long and prosper" mindset.
The Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park
Many of Mammoth's structures were built in the 1890s and early 1900s when the US Army administered the park to protect it from poachers. Watch out for elk in the green spaces between the historic buildings — seriously, keep an eye out and don't get too close to the wildlife (25 yards minimum). They may appear tame and sleepy, but they're wild animals with the potential to charge. Have your camera ready for roadside sightings!
Bunsen Peak, to the southeast, invites hikers to a fun challenge with spectacular 360 degree views as a reward at the summit. The trail meanders for the first mile then begins to climb steadily for 1,282' in this 4.4-mile out-and-back. From the 8,564 foot summit, you can see the Gallatin Range to the north and west, the Blacktail Deer Plateau and Lamar Valley to the east, and the Swan Lake Flat to the south and west.
Heading south in your Yellowstone camper van, you'll soon reach Sheepeater Cliff near Indian Creek Campground. This fascinating geological formation is made up of six-sided rock pillars called "columnar jointing," created by lava that cooled, solidified, and cracked vertically. Named for the Tukudeka Shoshone (called Sheepeaters for their hunting of Bighorn Sheep) that have long called the area home, this spectacular rock formation is well worth a stop.
Roaring Mountain can be heard as well as seen. Its many steam vents, or "fumaroles," create a loud hissing roar, audible from the road.
South of Roaring Mountain and just inside the boundary of the Yellowstone caldera, Norris Geyser Basin spreads out from the road in a patchwork of boardwalks and trails. This area is one of our favorites! Brimming with energy — its geysers, vents, pools, and bubbling hot pots create an ethereal and impressive landscape. Just stop and listen, it’s kind of eery! Norris Geyser Basin is so dynamic that the hydrothermal features shift and transform year to year. Park your camper van then take a walk through the compact Porcelain Basin loop, or the sprawling Back Basin trail system, and take in the amazing hues, rock formations, and plumes of steam.
Norris Geyser Basin is also home to the tallest geyser in the world — Steamboat Geyser. Measuring nearly 400' in height, major eruptions are spectacular — but rare. In the mid-1900s, Steamboat went 50 years without an eruption, but as of 2018, it's entered a much more active period, with dozens of major eruptions yearly. Minor eruptions are more common, with a plume reaching 6 to 40'.
Norris to Canyon
When you reach Norris, a left turn will lead you to Canyon, continuing your Yellowstone Upper Loop journey. Just a couple miles east, watch for the Virginia Cascades Drive, a one-way road leading to a spectacular 60' waterfall. Then, park the camper van and stretch your legs at the Ice Lake trail, a very short and friendly hike leading to a tree-lined lake with opportunities to keep hiking and access more remote lakes to the northeast. Or, take in the scenery at Little Gibbon Falls further up the road.
When you reach Canyon Junction, bear left again as you head north to Tower.
Canyon to Tower
If you're craving more time on feet, trade your camper van for hiking shoes and enjoy a quick trip up to Cascade Lake. This short, popular hike leads to a 36-acre lake, known for good fishing, nestled at the foot of Observation Peak. It’s 2.7 miles to the north end of Cascade Lake with less than 300 feet in elevation gain.
The road then climbs up past Washburn Hot Springs Overlook to Dunraven Pass, where you'll find the trailhead for Mount Washburn. A great moderate hike with exceptional views, the trail tops off above 10,000' at Washburn's summit. Keep an eye out for wildflowers in early to mid-summer, especially in the month of July.
From here, the road boasts great views of its own as it hugs a ridgeline down towards Tower.
Tower Falls plunges 132 feet, the crystal-clear Tower Creek taking a spectacular drop between tall columns of ancient lava. The unusual rock formations were created by lava flow that cracked as it cooled. Take the trail to the Tower Fall overlook, with the option to follow the trail another ¾ mile to see Tower Creek meet the mighty Yellowstone River.
Beyond Tower Falls lies Calcite Springs, a beautiful overlook with an amazing vista that echoes the epicness of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, sans waterfalls.
Tower Detour: Lamar Valley
Tower Junction offers the opportunity to detour in your Yellowstone camper van rental, soaking up wide-open views and exciting wildlife spotting — a spur trip to the Lamar Valley.
Called the Serengeti of Yellowstone, the Lamar Valley is a long and wide valley with vast views across the flat river bottom that make for great wildlife-spotting. This area is one of the best for seeing large bison herds, pronghorns, bears, and even wolves. Near the valley's eastern elbow, the mountains get tall, craggy, and dramatic as the road approaches the vast and rugged Beartooth range. Scope out Soda Butte's ancient and now-extinct geyser cone, or hike to Trout Lake.
Now is the time to pull out those binoculars (stocked in all of our vans), and keep an eye out for folks gathered with spotting scopes — they're often watching megafauna. Don’t be shy about asking for a peek! Folks are typically eager to share their scope so you can experience an up-close look at the wildlife. In particular, the Slough Creek area and the road to the Slough Creek campground tend to offer a decent probability of sighting one of Yellowstone's wolf packs.
Tower to Mammoth
On your way back to Mammoth, the geothermal features fade into the background, and the road traces a path through classic western landscapes of evergreen forests, steep, sage-covered hillsides, and broad, wetland-dotted river valleys.
Make a quick side trip to Petrified Tree Spur. Cruise your camper van rental past several trails and scenic overlooks before reaching Wraith Falls, a short hike to a 100-foot cascade. Or make your way to Lava Creek for a picnic stop by the beautiful creek. Further west, you'll pass Undine Falls, a 60-foot waterfall on Lava Creek with three distinct sections.
Then enjoy the rest of your camper van journey back to Mammoth, Gardiner, and the northern park entrance.
Yellowstone Bison
Interested in more trip planning tips for your Yellowstone camper van adventures? Our next Yellowstone post will share the highlights of the Lower Loop of Yellowstone's Grand Loop road system.
