Planning an Itinerary to Yellowstone National Park
Planning a trip to Yellowstone may be a little overwhelming at first. Yellowstone National Park is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined There are many great things to see so this article will help you plan and get the most out of your time.
How to get to Yellowstone
If flying into the park, there are a few options. There is an airport at West Yellowstone and Cody, but the larger airports are in Jackson, Wyoming and Bozeman, MT. Plan what works best for you and then you will plan your itinerary accordingly. Also, consider your lodging and rental car before deciding which airport. We had to plan our itinerary around rental car availability.
The best time to visit
You should plan on visiting Yellowstone between late spring and early fall as many of the roads are only open during this time (approximately mid-May to mid-October). We went early June and it was not overly crowded and all roads were open except those under construction. The park gets very crowded in the summer months, so consider going before or after the peak season.
Where to stay when visiting Yellowstone
Getting a reservations at one of the Yellowstone lodges is your best bet if you can. There is nothing as great at getting into the Old Faithful Inn. The park has quite a few options in the park ranging from hotels, lodges, cabins, and primitive camp sites. Look for reservations that suit your level and you can plan your itinerary around your location. These reservations do require planning in advance. NPS Lodging
For a last minute trip, you will most likely be deciding between West Yellowstone MT, Gardiner MT, Cody WY and Jackson WY. Our suggestion is to stay at different places to help with seeing the whole park. Most people find West Yellowstone has the larger selection of hotels and restaurants and is closer to the park. We chose Gardiner and Moran as we were able to get one night at Headwaters at Flagg Ranch.
How much time do you need in Yellowstone: You can find itineraries from 1 to 7 days. 1 day is barely enough time to drive from end to end. It will take at least 2 days to see the highlights and at least 3 to 4 days to really experience the park. Some of our best experiences were when we slowed down and just enjoyed the wildlife or taking a walk.
Know before you go
National Park Pass: You will need an entrance pass to Yellowstone. They can be purchased ahead of time or at the gate for $35 per private vehicle and the pass is good for 7 days. If you will be going to multiple national parks you may want to consider an America the Beautiful Pass for $80 good for all parks for 1 year. For those of you lucky like me to have a travel companion who is over 62 then by all means get the lifetime Senior America the Beautiful Pass. Park Passes
Park Conditions: Look on the website for any road closures or construction. When we were there in June 2021, the road between Canyon Village and Tower Roosevelt was closed. You can find road closures on the NPS website. Conditions
Other Tips
Wildlife: Viewing Wildlife is one of the most exciting activities. Please be prepared for the wildlife jams that occur. There are numerous requests to stay 100 yards away from bears and wolves and 25 yards away from other animals, but you will see many that do not respect that. The one tip for wildlife is to make sure you schedule down time each day to get to the less crowded areas and hopefully see some great animal sightings. See my article on wildlife viewing in Yellowstone
National Park App: Our number one tip is to download the park app. The app gives you a lot of great information, but most importantly will tell you when the geysers are scheduled to erupt. We found that there would be many eruption at the Upper Geyser Basin within a 2 hour period of time. You can then adjusted our day and was able to see 5-6 geysers in a small amount of time. It was such an awe inspiring experience but as we were leaving we saw people arriving knowing that they would most likely not get to see any eruptions
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Day 1: Explore the Park
We flew into Bozeman Montana and planned to stay in Gardiner, Montana.
• Roosevelt Arch: Take a few minutes to get a great picture of the arch that was the original entrance to Yellowstone.
• Mammoth Hot Springs: This area is very different from other areas and deserves a few hours to explore. Highlights include Palette Spring, the Upper Terrace, and Liberty Cap. We enjoyed walking the boardwalks and getting our introduction to the park.
• Boiling River: This was closed when we were there but a place where you can stop and take a dip or put your foot into the warm water.
• Undine Falls and Wraith Falls: Both great waterfalls that are fairly accessible and easy to see from Grand Loop Road.
• Hayden Valley: A great place for wildlife viewing.
• Tower Falls: Another site that was closed due to road construction. When the road is open you can get to the waterfall which is about 100 yards from the parking area.
Day 2: Geyser Day!
Our plan was to go north to south and spend the evening at Headwater’s Lodge at Flagg Ranch. We checked our app and saw the clustering of geysers in Upper Geyser Basin and changed our plans. I am putting things in order, but please make sure you are flexible and bounce around to take advantage of the geysers.
• Norris Geyser Basin: This was a quick stop for us. You can wind around the boardwalks and visit both Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. The highlight of this stop is Steamboat Geyser which is the world’s tallest geyser. Its major eruptions are rare, but they do occur. If it happens to be predicted while you are there plan your schedule accordingly. Minor eruptions are more common.
• Artist Paint Pots: Another interesting landscape that we enjoyed. Great colors and steam coming out of the ground everywhere. Take some time to walk around.
• Midway Geyser Basin: The highlight here is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is indescribable the effect of the heat, colors and smells. It was such an amazing site. You must take the hike to the viewpoint on Fairy Falls trail. Parking is nearby and a quick hike up to the viewpoint. It was one of our favorite moments. See my article on Grand Prismatic Spring
• Upper Geyser Basin: This is where we saw all of the geysers. People often go and wait for Old Faithful then walk around the rest of the area. Do the opposite. Go the less frequent geysers and end your time with Old Faithful. We were able to see Daisy Geyser, Grand Geyser, Castle Geyser, Grotto Geyser, Riverside Geyser, and Old Faithful in a 3 hour window. Worth every minute of it. Also take time to explore the Inn, shops, and food options. See my article on Upper Geyser Basin
Day 3 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
- West Thumb Geyser Basin – Similar to yesterday, but enjoyed many new and interesting things to see
- Mud Volcano – Just thought it would be a geyser with mud, but it was a great stop. The different colors and mudspots were worth the stop
- Sulfur Caldron – Easy stop on the side of the road. You have to stop to appreciate the smell of this site.
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River – Take time to see all of the stops. Artist Point and Inspiration Point were amazing. We also went to all of the viewpoints for both the lower and upper falls. We spend a few hours here and thought this was a perfect way to end our time here.
Additional Articles and Links
Yellowstone National Park Map
Guide to the Upper Geyser Basin
Guide to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Guide to Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Basin
Wildlife Viewing in Yellowstone
Gardiner Montana – Gateway to Yellowstone
