Slough Creek Campground
★4.7(44 reviews)
High DemandYellowstone National Park · Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming🚛Big Rig FriendlyRiver Access
Best For
Tent campers and small-rig owners who want the most remote, wildlife-rich experience available on a reservable site in Yellowstone. With only 16 sites at the end of a two-mile dirt road, this is unambiguously the most intimate campground in the park — and the one most likely to reward a strategic last-minute attempt.
16
Sites
No
Hookups
Slough Creek is Yellowstone's most coveted small campground — 16 sites tucked at the end of a two-mile dirt road at 6,250 feet, accessed via an unpaved spur near the Lamar Valley. Despite the max vehicle listing of 60 feet, the access road is best suited for tents and small RVs; large rigs attempting it do so at their own risk. The campground's booking data reveals the most last-minute-friendly pattern of any campground here: 43.6% of June's 163 reservations were booked last-minute, and even August — the hardest month — still saw 31.6% last-minute bookings. August is also where advance planning peaks at 14.0% booked 6+ months out, the highest rate for this campground, signaling that the most dedicated Slough Creek regulars are locking August dates the day the window opens. Wolves are frequently heard (and sometimes seen) from camp, and the Slough Creek Trail for blue-ribbon trout fishing begins just steps away. If you want Yellowstone without the crowds and can stomach a dirt-road approach, this is the site worth fighting for.
Content from Yellowstone National Park park guide
July and August are peak season with 5,670 and 5,603 reservations respectively, and last-minute rates drop to 16.0% and 19.2% — meaning your odds of grabbing a site without advance planning are at their lowest. June and September offer a meaningful step down in competition while still delivering full wildlife activity and road access. May is the wild card: 92.7% of its 413 reservations were booked last-minute, making it the most accessible month in the dataset, though some campgrounds and facilities are still ramping up for the season.
Yellowstone has no internal shuttle system in the traditional sense — a personal vehicle is essential for moving between campgrounds and major attractions. Tower Fall and Slough Creek both require navigating the Grand Loop Road's north corridor, while Lewis Lake is accessed via the South Entrance road. Slough Creek adds a two-mile unpaved spur that limits larger rigs; plan your vehicle size before committing to a site there. Roads in the northern part of the park, including access to Mammoth, are generally open year-round, while most other campground access roads close in late fall.
Total reservations in October 2023: 83
Address
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Coordinates
44.9488, -110.3069
Very high demand - sites typically fill up immediately when the booking window opens. Plan to book the moment reservations open.
Yellowstone National Park
Custer Gallatin National Forest
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
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Yellowstone National Park
Custer Gallatin National Forest
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Yellowstone National Park
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Yellowstone charges $35 per vehicle for a 7-day entrance pass. All five campgrounds covered here are non-electric and nightly rates vary — check Recreation.gov for current per-night fees at each campground. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) covers the entrance fee for the pass holder's vehicle and is worth it if you're visiting two or more national parks in a calendar year. Note that the America the Beautiful Pass does not cover camping fees, which are charged separately at booking.
Max stay limits vary: Indian Creek caps at 16 days while the other four campgrounds allow up to 30 days. Cell service inside Yellowstone is extremely limited and unreliable — download offline maps and your reservation confirmation before entering the park. Mammoth in Gardiner, MT is the nearest town for resupply on the north side; Jackson, WY serves the south. Generator hours and pet rules vary by campground and season, so check the specific Recreation.gov listing for your chosen site before arrival — the park enforces these strictly during peak season.