Gardiner, Montana: Home Sweet Home (for nearly 5 months)

In spite of the epic floods of June 13th, there was so much good about living just outside of Yellowstone National Park.  This was the view for much of the summer, as Yellowstone celebrated the people native to this region long before there was a national park.

Gardiner is an interesting town, with a few hundred year-round residents . . . people who like the owners of YPSS, came to work seasonally and came back to live permanently or perhaps, just never returned to their home towns/states.

I can see the allure of living in what is essentially a valley encased by mountains on all sides.  I loved the views, and mostly the weather too (spring, summer and fall).  Winter, on the other hand would most likely be a deal breaker for David & me in terms of our final retirement relocation.

The climate was dry, which if you're unprepared, can cause some issues like nose bleeds and dry, cracking skin.  In the summer, I was surprised at the long stretch of high 80's and into the 90's temperatures.  But you know, it was a dry heat, so not really unbearable at any time.  Our apartment did have central air conditioning so that was helpful on hot nights.

With the floods washing out the North Entrance Road into Yellowstone National Park and the subsequent limitations with convoy access via the Old Gardiner Road, the town essentially became a dead end from the north, thereby cutting off most tourism through our town.  This adversely impacted the lodging and food outlets, as well as the operators of tourist related services.  It was a very unfortunate situation given the past couple of years coming through the COVID pandemic and all the disruptions that created.

Many have called Gardiner "the favorite gateway community of the wildlife" because of the variety of animals that can be seen throughout the year right in town!  From my window at work, I frequently saw elk, deer and pronghorn.

Late in the summer, bears appeared in town, creating concern and controversy.  To be honest, I didn't really understand why this became such a polarizing issue.  People living in Montana, and part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, KNOW they are living in bear country.  "BE BEAR AWARE" signs are throughout the areas, in local and state parks as well as the National Forests.  Why people living in Gardiner were not securing trash and other attractants, known to bring bears into areas where humans live, was unfathomable to me.  And if the presence of bears freaks you out . . . you probably shouldn't be living in bear country.

Being a remote and rural town, everything was a little more expensive, especially essentials like groceries and gasoline.  I did most of my food shopping in town, only buying when things I needed/wanted were on sale.  For some items, I shopped at the Albertsons in Livingston (about an hour north) or even WalMart in Bozeman (about 90-100 minutes away) when in those areas.

I did dine out in town a few times, wanting to support local business owners hard-hit due to the loss of tourists.  I will not mention names here, out of my desire to not create more financial adversity for them . . . but cannot help but to say that my experiences were less than what I expect when spending my hard earned money in restaurants or bars. (Again prices were very high . . . think $12-$15 for a burger with a side of fries!)  While the food was good to excellent, the service was lackluster and inattentive as a general rule.  When I'm eating out, and have to leave my table to go to the bar or service counter to get another beverage, that's a problem in my opinion.

All in all, I did enjoy living in Gardiner and having it as my home this past summer.