Guides6 min read

Yellowstone Campground Reservations in 2027: What Changes

Beacon Team · October 23, 2026

Starting with the 2027 summer season, five of Yellowstone's campgrounds move their reservations to Recreation.gov. They are the park's five largest: by our count of the Park Service's campground table, they hold 1,718 of the 2,028 campsites it lists (checked in October 2026).

Yellowstone National Park Lodges, the company that runs them and has taken their bookings until now, announced the move. It will keep running the campgrounds; only the booking changes. Beacon does not watch Yellowstone National Park Lodges' booking system.

The short version:

Which: Bridge Bay, Canyon, Grant Village, Madison and Fishing Bridge RV Park.
When: about six months ahead, the announcement says. No opening date had been announced when we checked in October 2026.
How: on Recreation.gov, where you will choose your own campsite.
What stays the same: the park's other open campgrounds are already booked on Recreation.gov in season, and lodge rooms are still booked through Yellowstone National Park Lodges.

Which Five Campgrounds Are Moving

Yellowstone National Park Lodges announced the move on its camping page: "Reservations for the 2027 summer camping season at Bridge Bay Campground, Canyon Campground, Grant Campground, Madison Campground, and Fishing Bridge RV Park will be made through Recreation.gov." It adds that "the campgrounds themselves will remain under our management."

The company's 2027 season dates for the five, which it says are subject to change (checked in October 2026):

Madison: May 7 to October 17, 2027.
Fishing Bridge RV Park: May 14 to October 17, 2027. For hard-sided RVs only, with no tents or tent trailers.
Bridge Bay: May 21 to September 13, 2027.
Canyon: May 28 to September 19, 2027.
Grant Village: June 18 to September 26, 2027.

Together they are every campground the Park Service lists as reservable through Yellowstone National Park Lodges.

When 2027 Booking Opens

The announcement says: "Recreation.gov reservations for 2027 will open approximately 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE." No date or time has been announced. When we checked in October 2026, Recreation.gov's page for each of the five still said the campground "does not offer reservations through Recreation.gov", and the Park Service's pages showed 2026 dates only.

Counting six months back from each campground's 2027 opening day gives a rough idea of when its first nights could open. This is our arithmetic, not an announced date:

Madison (opens May 7, 2027): around early November 2026.
Fishing Bridge RV Park (opens May 14, 2027): around mid-November 2026.
Bridge Bay (opens May 21, 2027) and Canyon (opens May 28, 2027): around late November 2026.
Grant Village (opens June 18, 2027): around mid-December 2026.

If the five go live on Recreation.gov later than that, many dates could open on the same day. That is our inference, not an announcement. There is a precedent: when the Park Service first put three of its own Yellowstone campgrounds (Mammoth, Slough Creek and part of Pebble Creek) on Recreation.gov in 2021, its news release said reservations would go live "starting March 24 at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard Time" and that visitors could book "up to six months in advance".

Each campground on Recreation.gov chooses how it releases dates: "Some may have a 3-month rolling booking window, others may offer monthly block releases, and others full season releases" (Recreation.gov's help center, checked in September 2026). When the five appear on Recreation.gov, look at each one's Seasons & Fees tab: Recreation.gov says that is where a campground shows how far ahead you can book it.

What Changes When You Book

You choose your own site. For 2026, Yellowstone National Park Lodges says "Campsites for the 2026 camping season are assigned at check-in" and "We are not able to reserve specific sites in advance of arrival." The announcement says the change will "allow for reserving individual sites".
A shorter booking window. Yellowstone National Park Lodges' reservation policy describes a window of "up to 13 months in advance": "on the 5th of each month, we'll begin accepting reservations for the same entire month of the following year." For these five campgrounds in 2027, the window becomes about six months.
A different site, with its own rules. Yellowstone National Park Lodges says it never charges a booking fee and takes the first night's rate as a deposit. It refunds in full with 30 days' notice, charges a $25 non-refundable fee for changes or cancellations less than 30 days before arrival, and keeps the whole deposit for cancellations within 7 days of a summer arrival (its reservation policy, checked in October 2026). Recreation.gov's rules for the five have not been published; its general rules for campsites are in our guide to the best time to book national park campgrounds.
Prices. For 2026 the five cost $38 to $94 a night plus taxes: $38 at Bridge Bay and Madison, $45 at Canyon and Grant Village, and $94 at Fishing Bridge RV Park (the Park Service's table, checked in October 2026). 2027 prices have not been published.
Pass discounts. Today, Senior and Access Pass holders get 50% off at Bridge Bay, Canyon, Grant Village and Madison, though not at Fishing Bridge RV Park. Nothing has been announced about how that will work on Recreation.gov.

What We Don't Know Yet

None of these had been announced when we checked in October 2026:

The date and time each campground opens for 2027 bookings.
How Recreation.gov will release the dates: a rolling window, monthly blocks or a whole season at once.
Whether there will be a lottery or any other special booking scheme.
2027 prices, and any Recreation.gov reservation fee.
2027 cancellation rules.
How the Senior and Access Pass discounts will work.
Whether the first-come, first-served sites that Bridge Bay, Canyon and Grant Village offered in the first week of the 2026 season continue.
Whether the group sites, and the hiker and biker sites, move too.

What Isn't Changing

The park's other campgrounds. Indian Creek, Lewis Lake, Mammoth, Slough Creek and Tower Fall are already booked on Recreation.gov in season. The Park Service's campground page says reservations "open on a rolling basis, meaning you can book your site exactly six months before the date of your stay".
Pebble Creek "will remain closed until further notice for flood recovery work", the Park Service says.
Lodge rooms. The announcement covers the five campgrounds only. For rooms in the park's lodges, Yellowstone National Park Lodges' reservation policy still describes booking up to 13 months ahead.

Where Beacon Fits

Beacon watches campgrounds on Recreation.gov and emails you when a site opens up. Beacon does not watch Yellowstone National Park Lodges' booking system, so it can't watch Bridge Bay, Canyon, Grant Village, Madison or Fishing Bridge RV Park until Recreation.gov takes bookings for them. When we checked in October 2026, Recreation.gov did not take bookings for any of the five.

Beacon can already watch the Yellowstone campgrounds that are booked on Recreation.gov today. They are listed on Beacon's Yellowstone page. An alert tells you that a site has opened up; you still book it yourself on Recreation.gov.

Sources

We read each of these in October 2026:

Watch for campsite openings

Beacon watches Recreation.gov campgrounds and emails you when a site becomes available. Two free scans, no credit card.

Try Beacon Free →

← Back to all posts