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Every number below comes from the live Glacier and Yellowstone campground pages on this site, which track these recreation.gov campgrounds for cancellations.
Glacier is the easier family base: Apgar alone lists 187 sites right beside Apgar Village groceries and food, and Fish Creek adds 171 more near Lake McDonald. Yellowstone is the wildlife base: Mammoth has 81 sites that elk wander through, and Slough Creek puts you in wolf-heard-Lamar-Valley country with just 16 sites. No campground in this compare has hookups. Glacier releases new dates daily at 10 a.m. Eastern on a rolling 6-month window; every campground here books on recreation.gov.
Glacier gives families three monitored campgrounds against Yellowstone’s five, but Glacier wins on pool size: 462 total sites versus Yellowstone’s 277. The trade is character. Yellowstone’s small campgrounds sit inside the wildlife, and Slough Creek’s 16 sites come with wolves audible from the tent according to its own park page. Here is the full picture.
| Park | Campgrounds watched | Sites | Best family pick | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier | Apgar, Fish Creek, Many Glacier | 462 total | Apgar: 187 sites, Apgar Village groceries next door | No hookups; July and August dates go fast |
| Yellowstone | Mammoth, Lewis Lake, Indian Creek, Tower Fall, Slough Creek | 277 total | Mammoth: 81 sites, elk in camp, terraces nearby | Small pools; Slough Creek has vault toilets only |
Convenience and inventory. Apgar Campground is Glacier’s largest at 187 sites (184 standard plus 3 walk-to) at the south end of Lake McDonald, with a visitor center, shops, and a boat launch nearby. Fish Creek adds 171 forested sites a few miles from the west entrance. Many Glacier rounds it out with 104 sites near Swiftcurrent Lake, though its page warns this is serious grizzly country and calls it one of the hardest reservations in the park. All three are dry camping.
Wildlife from the tent door. Mammoth Campground lists 81 sites (64 standard, 17 tent-only) at $25 a night, and elk wander through regularly per its park page. Indian Creek adds 68 sites at 7,300 feet with views of Electric Peak. Lewis Lake has 81 sites and a boat ramp for canoes and kayaks. Tower Fall holds 31 sites minutes from Dunraven Pass. Slough Creek is the wildest at 16 sites: bison and elk in Lamar Valley, wolves at night, vault toilets only. None of the five has showers or hookups.
Glacier’s campgrounds release a new date each day at 10 a.m. Eastern, exactly six months out, and the pages warn that July and August go fast. Yellowstone’s campgrounds book on recreation.gov too; the practical edge there is pool size, because Mammoth and Lewis Lake at 81 sites each give you far more chances than Slough Creek’s 16. Whichever park you choose, set a free cancellation alert for your exact dates and camp.land emails you the moment a site reopens.
Apgar Campground (Glacier National Park) fills up fast — lock in a cabin nearby
West Glacier and Apgar Village have cabins and vacation rentals worth booking as backup if the campground is full.
See cabins & rentals near Apgar Campground (Glacier National Park) →We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone National Park) fills up fast — lock in a cabin nearby
Gardiner, just outside the North Entrance, has cabins and vacation rentals if Mammoth is full.
See cabins & rentals near Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone National Park) →We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Glacier is the easier family base: Apgar alone lists 187 sites right beside Apgar Village groceries and food, and Fish Creek adds 171 more near Lake McDonald. Yellowstone is the wildlife base: Mammoth has 81 sites that elk wander through, and Slough Creek puts you in wolf-heard-Lamar-Valley country with just 16 sites. No campground in this compare has hookups. Glacier releases new dates daily at 10 a.m. Eastern on a rolling 6-month window; every campground here books on recreation.gov.
Camp.land watches three Glacier campgrounds: Apgar with 187 sites, Fish Creek with 171, and Many Glacier with 104. We watch five Yellowstone campgrounds: Mammoth with 81 sites, Lewis Lake with 81, Indian Creek with 68, Tower Fall with 31, and Slough Creek with 16. All eight book on recreation.gov and none offer hookups.
Apgar Campground in Glacier is the lowest-stress option: 187 sites, and Apgar Village has groceries, gift shops, and food right next door, so forgotten marshmallows are a two-minute fix. Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone is the Yellowstone equivalent: 81 sites at $25 a night where elk regularly walk through camp and the hot springs terraces are close by.
Yes. All eight campgrounds compared here are recreation.gov campgrounds watched by Camp.land alerts. Set your dates once and we email you when a new opening posts. The first alert is free.