With no reservation we drove into Yellowstone hoping to find open campgrounds. This was the closest open campground. We stayed at site 196, which was right across from the campground amphitheater. The campground was pretty standard. There were ample clean restrooms though this campsite had no showers, which meant we had to drive to another and spend part of our day adventuring to shower. This campground is right off the main loop of the park with relatively short drives to many of the main attractions. There was also a lodge just across the street that offered cheap breakfast items, because everyone deserves a plate of pancakes before sightseeing and hiking. There were ranger talks every night, which we could hear from the campground – made walking over to watch an easy choice. We had no major wildlife encounters at the campground but were extra careful to keep items with smells and food in the car out of sight – no grizzlies for us please! The sites were a bit crowded without much privacy but since we were away for most of the day this wasn’t to big an issue. Overall the campground was a bit pricy and pretty standard – nothing particularly special. I’m sure there are others in the park that are much nicer. As this was my first trip to Yellowstone I spent most of the time driving around taking in all the sites. I was of course wowed by all of the geysers, springs and colorful pools. However what was the most unexpected and favorite part of my stay was the grand canyon of Yellowstone the stairs down to see the waterfalls were awesome and it’s a part of Yellowstone that is not as well known. I would definitely recommend visiting!