Norris Campground - Yellowstone National Park

The Norris Campground is somewhat centrally located on the western side of Yellowstone, very close to the Norris Geyser Basin, and next to the Museum of the National Park Ranger. It seemed to be a pretty typical large national park campground, with most sites lacking in vegetation and privacy, although there were a few gems that I spied while walking the loops. There is a trailhead right in the campground and evening campfire programs in the summer. All sites are first-come, first served and fill quickly. Get more info here.

Lewis Lake Campground - Yellowstone National Park

A fine campground near the southern entrance to Yellowstone, but nothing to write home about. It was the only campground with space available in the park when we arrived late in the afternoon in July, which is often the case, I am sure. The lake is lovely, and our site was within easy walking distance to the shore. There were some walk-in sites here that looked to be prime real estate, and if you are a boater, this would be a convenient campground.

One bonus was that the mosquitos were a bit numerous in the early evening, so we packed up the crew and headed out to Old Faithful, where things seemed to be a lot less crowded than is typical during the day. So we spent the evening looking at the geyser, the Old Faithful Inn (with some requisite bison hanging out right behind the building), and enjoying some ice cream.