The Yellowstone River at 692 miles long is considered to be the longest undammed river in the United States. The river starts with tributaries on Two Ocean Plateau just south of Yellowstone National Park. The river flows for some 75 miles through the park before entering Montana at Gardiner. Boating on the river inside the park is not allowed. The section from Gardiner (river mile 551) to Big Timber, (river mile 464) Montana is considered a world-class cold-water fishery for rainbow, brown, Yellowstone cutthroat trout and Rocky Mountain whitefish. The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department maintains 18 Fishing Access Sites along this section of river, many with camping facilities. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management maintains a few other sites. The upper section from Gardiner through Yankee Jim Canyon is high gradient with a lot of class I and II whitewater. The entire section between Gardiner and Big Timber is floatable with kayaks, although the four mile Yankee Jim Canyon section has some serious class III rapids. Once the river leaves the canyon its journey through Paradise Valley is a long series of riffles, pools and runs with a lot of beautiful scenery provided by the Gallatin and Absaroka mountain ranges. As the Yellowstone is designated a class I river for stream access purposes, camping is allowed anywhere along the river below the high water mark as long as the campsite is at least 500 yards and not visible from occupied private dwellings. Food, Lodging and fishing supplies and information can be found in Gardiner, Livingston and Big Timber, Montana.
A complete description of MFWP access sites is found at: http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/guide/waterbodyDetail.html?llid=1039825479787
