Tom Miner Campground

Tom Miner Campground is tucked away 12 mile west of U.S. 89 and only 17 miles from Gardiner and the entrance to Yellowstone NP.  This nice campground is set in a mature fir tree forest which provides plenty of shade.  The sites 16 campsite are nicely spread apart and each features a picnic table, metal fire ring and bear lockers.  Water is available from a hand pump and vault toilets are available.  This is a Trash-in/Trash-out camp gound.A small creek runs along the edge of the campground.  Tom Miner sits at the edge of the Gallatin Petrified Forest and has a nature trail that take you to some cliffs with petrified wood embedded in the rock.  Scavengers have taken most of the petrified wood along the trail but still some nice specimens can be seen.  A permit is required if you wish to search the forest for your own petrified wood.  The road to the campground is very well maintained most of the way, the last few miles are narrow and a little bumpier.  Right before the campground the road forks at a forest service information sign, turn right for the campground, turning left will take you to an area of disperse camping.

Tom Miner campground is tucked back about 12 miles off US 89 in paradise valley. Once you turn off 89 on Tom Miner rd it takes a good 20 minutes driving on a dirt road to reach the campsite. It's definitely an out of the way campground in the area but well worth it if you enjoy a more solitary campground and less of a crowd. We stayed there on a Sunday night in late July and was only accompanied by one other couple. There is a great and easy hiking trail near by called the petrified forest trail. Overall enjoyed our stay and love how close to Gardiner and Yellowstone this campground is without all the crowds.