LOCATION
Tucked right up against the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, Jardine abounds with hiking, fishing, horseback riding (through local outfitters) in the Summer, cross-country and backcountry skiing and snowshoeing in the Winter, and endless year-round wildlife watching and outdoor exploring. There are no services in Jardine (ie: fuel, grocery stores, restaurants, etc) so remember to top up your fuel tank, go out to eat, and grab some groceries and those last couple of essentials at the Gardiner Market before heading up the road to Jardine.
There is no public transportation to Jardine. You will need a car to get here. Closest car rental is in Bozeman, Montana.
While the Jardine Road is a maintained dirt/gravel road with incredible scenic views, it can be dusty with potholes and washboard in the Summer, and muddy, snow packed and icy in the Winter and Fall/Spring. Make sure you have a capable vehicle with all-season tires that is in good working order. While a good front-wheel drive will work in the Summer (June - August), we STRONGLY encourage 4-wheel or all-wheel drive for the Fall, Winter and Spring (Sept - May) as weather and conditions change rapidly and unpredictably.
Enjoy the view and drive carefully, and if you are going slow kindly pull off in one of the many scenic pull-outs (if safe to do so) to allow others to safely pass on by. Plan on 15-30 minutes one-way between Gardiner and Jardine depending on conditions.
Once here, dirt roads beyond lead to trailheads that connect to literally hundreds of miles of hiking trails to explore in the Summer, and groomed and ungroomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the Winter. Please respect all posted private property signs.
Be sure to allow PLENTY of extra time if you are traveling through Yellowstone as traffic moves slowly (max speed 45mph) and frequent construction and wildlife delays can easily last from minutes to hours. Seasonal and weather dependent road closures occur frequently year-round so be sure to check daily that your route is open.
All footage from the following video about Yellowstone's Northern Range was filmed within a 50 mile radius of Jardine Retreat
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Travel Planning Resources
Gardiner Chamber of Commerce
406-848-7971
Your Yellowstone Trip
Need help planning the rest of your trip? Putting all the pieces together for an awesome trip to Yellowstone can be overwhelming, and we know someone who can help! You’ve got the first step down by booking your lodging, but most folks still have SO many questions about where to go, what to see and do, and how to keep the whole family happy. If you’d like to talk to someone in Yellowstone who can guide you through the rest of your trip planning, we recommend booking a Yellowstone Trip Planning session with our friends over at A Yellowstone Life. Click the link for more info, and save $10 with the code YNP10. www.youryellowstonetrip.com. You’ll also get their awesome Yellowstone Resource Library.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Park Road Conditions
https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm
307-344-2117 (automated message with current road closures and pertinent conditions)
Cross Country Skiing
There are great options for skiing in this area. The closest is right out the front door, where you can ski up the road one quarter of a mile to a backcountry ski trail which connects to the whole network of Bear Creek Ski Trails. Or, you can drive about 5 minutes up the road to the main parking lot for the Bear Creek Ski Trails. There's about eight miles of groomed ski trails great or classic or skate skiing. There are multiple options for touring and back country skiing from the Bear Creek Ski Trails in Jardine.
Yellowstone National Park has a variety of ski trails, the closest being in Mammoth Hot Springs, a 30 minute drive from Jardine. Click here for more info about ski trails in Yellowstone.
Horseback Riding
There are two professional outfitters right in Jardine
Specimen Creek Outfitters
www.specimencreekoutfitters.com
406-848-9164
Hell's A-Roarin' Outfitters
www.hellsaroarinoutfitters.com
406-848-7578
Hot Springs
Chico Hot Springs Resort
406-333-4933
Historical Montana hot springs with poolside bar & grill, fine dining, horseback riding and a spa.
45 Minute drive from Jardine
Yellowstone Hot Springs
www.yellowstonehotspringsmt.com
833-977-7464
Montana's newest hot springs, opened in 2019. Relaxing outdoor pools that are alcohol and tobacco free.
20 Minute drive from Jardine
Boiling River
Currently closed - no reopening date sheduled
A natural hot springs in Yellowstone National park, where boiling hot water flows into freezing cold water. After a half mile walk to access the springs, make sure to wear good water shoes as you walk through hot and cold running water to find the right place to soak.
20 minute drive from Jardine
Wildlife Tour Guides
In Our Nature Guiding Service
406-579-3838
Yellowstone Wild, LLC
406-224-0001
Yellowstone Wonders
406-224-3561
Yellowstone Insight
406.640.1164
The Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a blue ribbon trout stream, with amazing fly fishing and the longest free flowing river in the lower 48. Whitewater rafting in the Gardiner Town stretch is one of our favorite local activities. There are multiple whitewater rafting companies in Gardiner to take you down the river.
Yellowstone Raft Company
406-848-7777
Flying Pig Adventure Company
888-792-9193
Wild West Rafting
(406) 848-2252
Montana Whitewater
406-848-7398
Paradise Adventure Company
888-722-6505
Massage Therapy
Your host at Jardine Retreat, Zondra Skertich, is also a massage therapist. She has just completed construction of a new massage studio in Jardine, just down the street from the Jardine Retreat Cottage. Jardine Retreat Cottage guests get priority booking for appointments. Add a massage right on to your lodging booking when you book your stay at the Cottage.
Open year round, with two convenient locations - in Gardiner & Jardine, you can always find time to relax. To schedule your massage, please text Zondra at 406-220-2201.
Zondra has been a massage therapist for over eighteen years with experience working with many different people and body types. Her training is diversified with many modalities ranging from Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Myofascial Release, Reiki, Reflexology, Hot Stone Therapy, and more. Each massage is a custom treatment blending techniques from multiple modalities to personalize every massage to what each client needs and wants at the time. The relaxing tranquil environment in her Gardiner studio is a perfect place if you just want to relax and unwind, or if you need specific deep tissue and therapeutic work.
Originally from Jardine and after many years of world travel and living all over the place, Zondra and her husband chose to settle down in this beautiful part of the world. She enjoys a lifestyle of hiking, skiing, boating and truly enjoying the outdoors. She understands what it's like to be sore and tired from traveling and embarking on adventures and is therefore sympathetic to and enjoys working on people who are sore from hiking, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, boating, or even sitting in the car all day. Did you forget to wear enough sunscreen and are now sunburnt, but still need a massage? No problem! Get a lavender/aloe sunburn treatment along with your massage. Please check out her menu for descriptions of the sunburn treatment, hot stone therapy and more.