Camping in Yellowstone National Park can be a challenge during the height of the summer. Most campsites are either reservation-only or fill up by mid-morning. And the park campgrounds can be crowded and hectic. Many people stay outside of the park in a commercial campground or national forest campground. Baker’s Hole is one of the latter, and it is an excellent option for camping while visiting Yellowstone.

Located just 10 minutes from the west entrance to the park and 17 miles from Madison Junction, Baker’s Hole is pretty convenient. In addition, the spacious sites and beautiful location right on the Madison River make this a great campground in its own right. The sites closest to the river have no hookups, while some of the sites closest to the highway have electrical hookups but no water at the site.

Very few sites have an actual river view due to vegetation, but anywhere in the campground is a very short walk to the river. There are plenty of vault toilets and water spigots in the park but no dump station. The town of West Yellowstone is 10 minutes away for food and gas. The only negative about this campground is the highway noise, which is pretty constant but minor compared to the campground's many fine attributes.

Baker’s Hole is first-come, first-served only and can fill up by mid-day from mid-June through August, so getting here early is best.