One of our favorite stops along our journey was Gardiner, MT.  Our campsite had this amazing view of Yellowstone outside our front windshield and its proximity to downtown was within walking distance.  We knew of wildlife in the area, but hadn’t expected to experience it up close and personal! Our first afternoon was graced by a female cow elk that loved grazing the grass just outside our door.  She even found a patch of loose soil in front of our camper a great resting spot. Her and Calli had a stare down for at least an hour.  Now these animals look docile, but they can do great harm. Keeping your distance is very critical.  Which also meant we couldn’t go outside the camper until she left.  And no, the word shooo, doesn’t work. This set the tone for the week and a greater awareness of where you walked as elk poop was deposited everywhere. As the days progressed it was apparent that Elk mom’s and their young felt safe in this area. They would visit and feed daily. 

The downtown of Gardiner is very small. Probably about 3 square miles. We did decide to take a visit to a couple of establishments for a drink and snack.  One was the Rusty Nail Lounge and Casino. The casino part consisted of maybe like 10 machines and this giant wheel.  After a little while there we realized that if you got the right combinations on the wheel you could win free stuff.   Kevins wild spin won him a free beer.  And trust us this combination to win was not an easy task.  Gardiner is both touristy and entertaining, restaurants, gift shops, bars and motels. The town has a great vibe, a cool bridge that crosses over the Yellowstone River and is home to the original entrance to Yellowstone National Park, now known as the North entrance with its famous Arch.

Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Geyser Basin are the closest attractions to this entrance. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in these areas or on trails in the park so we had to leave her resting at home these days.  On driving days through the parks, we certainly brought her to see all the sites, cool overlook spots and see the animals.

A definite highlight of this stop was the Flying Pig Rafting Company and Chico Hot Springs. We took the adventure to raft the rapids of the Yellowstone River with our guide and a young family from Nebraska. It was fun as we learned from the family about Corn Sweat.  It is the moisture that corn give off causing a high amount of humidity in that area. Crazy right.

 The next day we visited Chico Hot Springs a short ride from town.  When you arrive, you can sense the history of this place and the reverence attached to the healing waters. What a great visit and we left relaxed from the amazing soaking!