Gardiner is home to the first and northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The town is situated in breathtaking Paradise Valley with the Yellowstone River running right through town. Founded in 1880, Gardiner is a center of activity for visitors to the region, serving as the only entrance into Yellowstone National Park that remains open for vehicle use year-round. The inhabitants of Gardiner co-exist with frequent visits from elk, moose, and deer with sightings of bald eagles, black bears, grizzly bears, and bison.

Paradise Valley is a major river valley of the Yellowstone River in southwestern Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park in Park County, Montana. The valley is flanked by the Absaroka Range on the east and the Gallatin Range on the west. Thomas Wolfe described the expansive valley as "nude spaciousness" when he drove through on a western trip.

The Paradise Valley is separated from the Gallatin Valley and Bozeman, MT, by the Bozeman Pass. Interstate 90 passes through both communities. The valley lies predominantly along a north-south axis, is anchored to the north by Livingston, Montana and to the south by Yankee Jim Canyon, and is approximately fifteen miles north of Gardiner, Montana, and the north entrance of Yellowstone Park. US Highway 89 passes through the valley and into Yellowstone National Park. The valley was the route taken by early Yellowstone expeditions and the only recognized route into the park when it was created in 1872.

The unincorporated communities of Emigrant, Pray, and Pine Creek are located within Paradise Valley, and they each have their own special attributes.