As the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Some of the park’s most interesting features are its many geysers. In fact, half of the world’s hydrothermal features are located within Yellowstone. All of those hydrothermal features point to the fact that there is a lot of seismic activity in the region. So much so, that the park experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year. Hiding just below the surface of the land is the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. Although it hasn’t erupted in recent history, the volcano has erupted several times in the last two million years, with forces as much as 6,000 times larger than the eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s in 1980!
With such a diverse geography, including lakes, rivers, mountain ranges and canyons, plus all of the geothermal activity, Yellowstone has become one of the most popular National Parks in the country.
Getting There
Flying – The two main options for flying to Yellowstone are the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport and Jackson Hole Airport. Bozeman is located in Montana, just over 90 minutes from both the North and West entrances of the park. While Jackson, located in Wyoming, is about one hour from the South Entrance.
Driving – With five different entrances, you have many options for driving to the park. It just depends where you are coming from, although there are more options for lodging near the West and South entrances.
We stayed to the north of Yellowstone in Big Sky, Montana. From there it is a relatively short, beautiful drive along the Gallatin River to the West Entrance of the park.
Where to Stay
Outside the Park – One of the advantages of staying in Big Sky is the abundance of lodging and restaurants. Since Big Sky is a winter ski resort, the off-season affords a wide range of lodging accommodations.
Another option is to stay in the town of West Yellowstone, which is only minutes from the West Entrance. Although slightly higher lodging prices due to the proximity to the entrance, West Yellowstone is a fun and convenient place to stay.
If you are arriving at the South Entrance from the Grand Teton area, there are less options for lodging. A reasonable option though, would be to stay in the Jackson Hole area and ‘commute’ to the park.
The North Entrance to the park is very close to the Mammoth Hot Springs area. The closest town is Gardiner, Montana, where there are plenty of lodging options.
If you are entering from the North Eastern Entrance, the closest towns are Cooke City and Silver Gate. Both of these Montana towns are very small, but have plenty of western charm. Lodging and restaurants are available in both towns.
Finally, if you are entering from the East Entrance, the closest town is over 50 miles away in Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a small town of about 10,000 people, but you will find plenty of food and lodging options. There is even a small regional airport there that offers some limited flights from Delta Connection and United Express.
Inside the Park – There are several lodging options within the park. Of course the convenience of starting your day already in the park is desirable, but lodging within the park is much more expensive than outside and availability is challenging. Reservations typically need to be made a year in advance. So, you will likely need to secure a lodging reservation before planning the rest of your trip.
Itinerary
While you could easily spend a week or more exploring the Yellowstone Park and all of its wonders, we have scaled the visit to 3 days. While this is a relatively short time, this itinerary will include many of the iconic sites and things to do. The National Park Service has a great map of the area that includes the major attractions that you can easily reference.
The Yellowstone road system within the park looks like a large figure eight. Known as the Grand Loop, the major roadway consists of two large loops connected in the middle. The Upper Loop is 70 miles in length and the Lower Loop is 96 miles. Day one of the itinerary will cover the Upper Loop, while days two and three will cover the Lower Loop.
TIP: We have tried to include the main attractions within Yellowstone. However, everywhere you look are interesting features and hikes. If you see something that catches your eye, pull over and explore!
Yellowstone can get very crowded during the peak summer months, so you can expect congestion in the popular places like Old Faithful and some of the hiking trails. Our suggestion is to get an early start each day. I know it might not sound great to get up in the dark, but you will be rewarded with less crowds, beautiful photo opportunities and a chance to see more animals.
TIP: Wild animals are unpredictable and dangerous. Every year people are injured when they approach animals too closely. Animals that attack people may need to be relocated or even euthanized. To protect yourself and the animals, it is recommended that you always remain at least 100 yards (91 meters) from bears or wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 meters) from all other wildlife. Frankly, we recommend giving animals an even wider berth. Bears, elk, wolves and moose are much faster than you think. They can run from 25 to 40+ mph!
For the following itinerary we are starting from West Yellowstone, which is the West Entrance. But you can easily adjust this plan if you are starting from one of the other entrances.
– Day 1: Grand Loop North (Upper Loop)
From West Yellowstone we drove the northern part of the Grand Loop the first day (the Upper Loop). After you enter the park from West Yellowstone you will soon reach Madison Junction.
o Madison Junction – The Madison Information Station is located here and is an excellent starting point for orienting yourself to the park. The building itself is a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1930. From Madison you will turn left on the Grand Loop Road heading toward Norris.
o Gibbon Falls – Just 5 miles after leaving Madison Junction, you will reach the pull-off for Gibbon Falls. Located on the Gibbon River, the beautiful falls drops over 80 feet. This spot is a great place to stretch your legs a bit, but be prepared that it can be a popular stop so you will likely have plenty of company.
o Artist Paint Pots – The next stop is the Artist Paint Pots Trail, a one-mile loop that contains several unique thermal features. This trail is an easy hike and includes some great photo opportunities.
o Norris Geyser Basin – The hottest, oldest and most active of the geyser basins, Norris Geyser Basin is a must see. The area can get very crowded, but don’t let that influence your decision to stop.
There are two main areas in the basin. The first is the Porcelain Basin, which is barren of trees and filled with smoking geysers. This spot provides some of the best views in the park. This .75-mile hike is easy and most of it is on a boardwalk. The second area is Back Basin. Back Basin is more heavily wooded and its features are a little more spread out, but this area is still well worth your time. This easy 1.5-mile loop allows you to take in numerous hot springs and geysers.
o Mammoth Hot Springs – As you approach the Mammoth Hot Springs area, watch for a left turn on to the Upper Terrace Loop Drive. This roadway is a one-way loop that will get you close to all of the main geothermal features. Be sure to pull over at the trailhead to hike on the boardwalk across the Lower Terrace. The landscape truly looks like an alien world. There are some steps along the way, but the walk is fairly easy and you will be stopping frequently to view the incredible scenery.
No RVs, buses or trailers are permitted on the Upper Terrace Loop Rd, but no worries. Just a short distance further on the main road are several pullovers that have access to the boardwalk trails from the lower side of the basin. Larger vehicles can park here and still have access to the sites.
o Undine Fall – Heading east from Mammoth Hot Springs, you can stop by Undine Falls which is viewable from a pull-off right off the road. This 60-foot waterfall is very scenic and makes for a beautiful photo.
o Tower Fall – Just south of Tower Junction is the pull-off for Tower Fall. The fall plunges 132 feet and is framed by unusual rock columns that were created by a lava flow. A short distance south is the Tower General Store. It is a great place to stop for a snack and relax for a bit.
TIP: Near Tower Junction you will see a sign to see the Petrified Tree. Honestly, unless you are really in to petrified trees, you may want to skip it. We thought is sounded interesting, but it looks like any other dead tree that you may see in the area.
o Canyon Village – Continue south on the Grand Loop until you reach the intersection of Norris Canyon Road. Continue south of this intersection and the Canyon Visitor Education Center will be on your left. Another 1 mile south, turn on to North Rim Drive. This 2-mile drive follows along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This drive is usually very congested, but is definitely something not to be missed. The canyon is impressive and the views of the Yellowstone River offer move amazing photo opportunities.
When you finish the loop, you will find yourself back at the intersection of Grand Loop Drive and Norris Canyon Road. From this point, continue on Norris Canyon Road back to the Grand Loop at the Norris Geyser Basin. From there, Norris Canyon Road will lead you back to the exit at West Yellowstone.
– Day 2: West Yellowstone to Old Faithful
Day 2 will start with a drive back to Madison Junction (from the West Yellowstone Entrance), but today you will turn south on 191. Although the total distance from Madison Junction to Old Faithful is less than 20 miles, there is so much to see in this area that we spent most of the day hiking and viewing the scenery.
o Firehole Canyon – Turn right on Firehole Canyon Drive for a 2-mile drive along the Firehole River. This is a beautiful drive with close up views of Firehole Canyon and the river. After a brief drive, you will reach Firehole Falls. Next you will reach the Firehole River swimming area. This area will usually be very crowded and the water is pretty chilly, so we took a pass on the swimming hole. If you do want to stop though, you will need to park along the road, since there is not a designated parking lot.
o Lower Geyser Basin
- Fountain Paint Pot – The Fountain Paint Pots are probably the most famous of the paint pots in Yellowstone. The slow bubbling, gurgling, muddy clay pots along with the variety of their colors is stunning. You will also notice the strong odor of ‘rotten eggs’. This odor is due to the hydrogen sulfide gas that is emanating from all that bubbling mud.
- Firehole Lake – Next, look for the turnoff to Firehole Lake Drive, which will be on the left. This is a one-way loop drive that will exit in front of the Paint Pots. This loop is a very nice drive and you will be able to spot many hydrothermal features along the way.
o Midway Geyser Basin – Originally known as ‘Hell’s Half Acre’, it is now called ‘Midway’ since it is between the Lower and Upper basin. The Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser can be found here and are two of Yellowstone’s largest hydrothermal features.
o Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful – Yellowstone has approximately half of the world’s geysers, with most of them located at the Upper Geyser Basin. This area is the most densely concentrated geyser region in the world with over 150 hydrothermal wonders.
Start your visit at the Old Faithful lodge. Take the time to explore this historic inn before strolling over to the geyser itself. You can consult the geyser time schedule to see when the next eruption of Old Faithful is expected to occur, usually between 60 to 110 minutes. From Old Faithful there are pathways and boardwalks that allow you to walk through the basin. You can make the walk as long as you would like, but the 3-mile Upper Basin Geyser Loop Trail will ensure that you see all of the main sites. Take your time and be sure to explore all of the wonders before you. This spot is one of the truly wondrous areas of Yellowstone.
TIP: The water near the boardwalks may not look hot, but it is. In fact, the average temperature is 143 degrees, and some areas are much hotter. More people have been injured or killed in these hot springs than any other natural feature. There are also very sensitive, tiny life forms that live in and near these springs. So, for your safety and for that of all the wildlife, please stay on the path or boardwalk and keep an especially close eye on children and pets.
– Day 3: Yellow Stone River and Lake
o Fishing Bridge – Located off of Grand Loop Drive on the East Entrance Road, the Fishing Bridge has walkways on both sides of the bridge for pedestrians. With plenty of parking, you can walk on the bridge for beautiful views of the Yellowstone River, where it feeds the Yellowstone Lake. There is also easy access to the river’s shoreline and when the river is low, you can wade into the water.
The bridge is called the Fishing Bridge because of the great fishing for cutthroat trout back in the early 1900’s. But because of over fishing, the population declined and fishing was stopped in the 1970’s. An interesting question is how did the cutthroat trout, a Pacific Ocean fish, get trapped in a lake that drains to the Atlantic. Scientists now believe that Yellowstone Lake once drained to the Pacific Ocean via Outlet Canyon and the Snake River, and that fish swam across the Continental Divide at Two Ocean Pass.
o Lake Village – Continuing south on Grand Loop Road is Lake Village. Lodging is available there at Yellowstone’s oldest hotel, Lake Yellowstone Hotel. This hotel offers exquisite views of Yellowstone Lake. The Lake General Store is located right on the lake and is a great place to stop for an ice cream on a hot day.
o Bridge Bay – Only 3 miles further south on Grand Loop Drive is the Bridge Bay Marina. You can schedule a scenic boat tour or rent your own boat. Close to the marina is the trailhead for Natural Bridge. This one-mile hike will take you to an arch which is located at an elevation of 7,983 feet and crosses Bridge Creek. Or, if you prefer a short, scenic drive, turn left on to Gull Point Drive for a 2-mile drive along Yellowstone Lake.
o West Thumb Geyser Basin – The West Thumb Geyser Basin is located on Grand Loop Drive just before the intersection with Highway 191. Park at the Historic West Thumb Ranger Station for an incredible, short hike on the boardwalk along Yellowstone Lake. The geyser basin, located on the shore of the lake, will surely impress. So don’t miss this stop!
o Grant Village – Located on the West Thumb section of Yellowstone Lake, Grant Village is a convenient spot for easy access to many areas of the park. With a campground, lodge and many other amenities, you will find everything you need. If you are looking for a place to have a bite, check out either the Grant Village dining room located in the lodge or the Grant Village Lake House located on the lake.
Next month, we will take a look at Yellowstone in the winter. Winter transforms Yellowstone into a completely different world. From the abundant wildlife that gathers around the warm springs, to the many snow-related activities, winter can be even more amazing than summer in Yellowstone!
Thanks for joining us on our trip to Yellowstone. Once you have visited, it is easy to understand why so many people visit this park each year. There is so much more to see and we hope to return sometime soon.
Do not miss the Petrified Tree, drive only 1/2 mile off Grand Loop Rd., where else can you see a Petrified Tree still standing? https://www.google.com/…/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6…#
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Just depends what you like. We saw it, but with so much else to see and limited time, just didn’t seem worth it for us. Or maybe I was expecting something more grand. It basically looks like a tall tree stump. But if you like that kind of thing, then make sure you stop.
Surprised and disappointed that Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley were overlooked. You know, “where the buffalo (bison) roam.”
Thanks for the comment. These are both great spots and you are right we did not include them. Lamar Valley is about 15 miles off the Grand Loop toward the North Entrance, so a fair drive off the loop. For Hayden, it is on the loop, south of Canyon Village, but Bison may or not be seen there. Of course, if you drive by there and see animals then you should definitely stop.
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