Planning a trip to Yellowstone? Don’t forget to check out this ultimate guide to Yellowstone National Park. You’ll find lots of great tips and things to do when visiting Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 and isn’t only the oldest national park in the United States, but also the oldest in the world. It covers a huge area of 8,991 km2 and spreads over the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. However, most of Yellowstone is to be found in northwestern Wyoming.
In Yellowstone National Park you’ll be greeted by an outstanding nature with high mountains, deep gorges, open valleys, rippling rivers, cascading waterfalls, and volcanic activity. There’s also rich wildlife with bison, bears, wolves, moose, deer, and more.
The biggest attraction in Yellowstone is the volcanic activity with splashing geysers, colorful hot springs. and bubbling mud puddles. In the underground, one of the world’s largest and most dangerous supervolcanoes is rumored to be a ticking bomb. With hundreds of geysers, Yellowstone is actually the most active geyser area in the world. That’s kind of impressive, right?
If you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone, there are probably many things you would like to know before your trip. That’s why I’ve made this complete and ultimate guide to Yellowstone National Park.
Table of Contents
The best time to visit Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone is open year-round, but there’s honestly not much about visiting the park during the winter months. Since Yellowstone is part of the Rocky Mountains, there are usually very low temperatures and large amounts of snow from around October until April or May. Unfortunately, this also means that many roads are closed during the winter months.
The most popular time to visit Yellowstone National Park is from June to August. At this time, millions of people visit the park. During these months, everything is open. But unfortunately, it also means that it’s crowded with tourists. So, if visiting Yellowstone in the summer, remember to set aside plenty of time to get around the park. To avoid the worst tourist crowds, it may be a good idea to arrive early in the morning.
In fact, the best time to visit Yellowstone is in late spring or early fall. In these months there aren’t as many tourists as in the summer months. Other than that, there’s usually no snow either.
Entrance fee to Yellowstone National Park
When visiting Yellowstone, you must purchase a 7-day pass at one of the entrances. The pass costs $ 35 pr. car and provides free access to the park for 7 days.
However, I highly recommend buying an America the Beautiful Pass if you plan to visit at least three national parks within a year. The pass costs $ 80 pr. car and provides free access for all passengers in the car. This also includes that you can visit all national parks in the United States as much as you want for a whole year.
Entrance fees to the national parks are usually somewhere between $ 15- $ 35 per car. So, you can actually save a lot of money by purchasing this pass. The America the Beautiful Pass can be purchased at the entrance to the parks.
Getting around Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is one of the largest national parks in the United States. And it’s seriously a huge national park! Therefore, a car or other type of vehicle is needed to get around the park. If you want to get the most of Yellowstone, it’s a good idea to spend at least 2-3 days in the park. We spent a whole day there but didn’t even manage to do everything we really wanted to.
The main road in Yellowstone is called Grand Loop Road and is shaped like a large octagon. The road is 228 kilometers long and leads past many of the major attractions and things to do in Yellowstone National Park. There are also several side roads leading to various attractions and hiking trails. When driving along the main road, there’s also easy access to the visitor centers.
You can merge onto Grand Loop Road from all five park entrances. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a free map of Yellowstone at the entrance. When visiting Yellowstone, you cannot rely on the estimated time of the GPS to get around the Grand Loop Road. The drive usually takes many hours, partly due to the traffic and partly due to the sights of Yellowstone.
Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park
In Yellowstone, there’s rich wildlife with bison, bears, wolves, moose, deer, and more. Most tourists encounter bison as they drive around the park. The bison can easily stop all the traffic because they’re walking around in the middle of the road. The wildlife has the top priority, so you may have to wait a very long time. They aren’t particularly afraid of humans and it’s crazy to be so close to the majestic wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.
If, on the other hand, you dream of meeting bears and wolves, you need to be much luckier. The greatest chance of seeing them is at sunrise and dusk. If you encounter wildlife, remember to stay calm and keep a safe distance of at least 25 meters to the bison and 100 meters to the bears. In fact, there are a few examples of some tourists who have lost their lives because they absolutely should have a selfie with a bison. Not smart!
Note that feeding wildlife in Yellowstone is strictly prohibited. If it’s discovered that an animal has been given human food, it will be killed. So please, don’t.
The best things to do in Yellowstone National Park
There are so many memorable things to do in Yellowstone National Park that you can’t possibly see it all. If you want to see it all, you need to spend a lot of days in the park. In this ultimate guide to Yellowstone National Park, you’ll get an overview of some of the very best things to do in Yellowstone.
1. Old Faithful
Old Faithful is the largest and most faithful geyser in Yellowstone. It erupts on average about every 91 minutes but takes anywhere from 35-120 minutes between eruptions. Even though the eruptions only last a few minutes, Old Faithful still manages to send 14,000-32,000 liters of boiling water up to a height of 30-55 meters with an explosive force.
2. Morning Glory Pool
Morning Glory Pool is one of the most popular hot springs in Yellowstone. It seriously has the most beautiful rainbow colors. It used to have a more bluish color but is, unfortunately, more greenish today.
Over the years, so many rocks and garbage have been thrown into the Morning Glory Pool that the hot spring has been blocked. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a drop in temperature and color changes.
3. Upper Geyser Basin Trail
To reach the Morning Glory Pool, follow the Upper Geyser Basin Trail from the Old Faithful Geyser. The trip takes about 25 minutes, but most likely ends up taking much longer. Along the path, you’ll pass many geysers and hot springs that will surely impress you.
Some of the most popular are Castle Geyser, Grand Geyser, Grotto Geyser, Beehive Geyser, and Riverside Geyser. If you’re lucky, you may arrive just when one of them is erupting. A walk along the Upper Geyser Basin Trail is without a doubt one of the best things to do in Yellowstone National Park.
4. Hayden Valley
One of the best places to spot wildlife in Yellowstone is in the Hayden Valley, the largest valley in Yellowstone. Here there’s ample opportunity to see bison that may find themselves walking along the roadside.
If visiting the valley at sunrise or sunset, there’s a greater chance of spotting bears and wolves. Please note that you’re only allowed to walk on the paved paths in the valley.
5. Lamar Valley
Another popular place to spot wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is in the Lamar Valley. The valley is said to be home to about half of the bison in Yellowstone. So, you should be sure to meet some of them here.
Besides bison, Lamar Valley is also home to wolves, bears, deer, moose, eagles, and more. A drive into Lamar Valley at dusk was definitely one of my favorite things to do in Yellowstone National Park.
6. Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is a unique natural phenomenon that can only be seen in a few places in the world. Despite the name, you cannot bathe in the hot springs. They’re actually so hot that they’ll easily be able to melt you away.
What is unique about Mammoth Hot Springs, however, is the many limestone terraces and hot springs formed by the underground volcanic activity. The terraces are formed in all shapes and colors making it a very special place to see in Yellowstone.
7. Grand Prismatic Springs
Grand Prismatic Springs is the third-largest heat source in the world. It is surpassed only by two sources in New Zealand. It has an impressive diameter of about 112 meters and a depth of more than 37 meters. Besides being huge, it’s also incredibly beautiful with its many rainbow colors. It’s definitely one of those things to do in Yellowstone that you must not miss.
You can get a glimpse of Grand Prismatic Springs by walking on the footbridge right down at the source. Another option is from the viewpoint at Fairy Falls Trailhead. From this vantage point, there are the most amazing panoramic views of Grand Prismatic Springs! The trail back and forth is only 1.6 kilometers long in total. But be prepared for the hike to be steep.
8. West Thumb Geyser Basin
Although the West Thumb Geyser Basin isn’t the largest geyser area, it’s still one of the best sights in Yellowstone National Park. The location right next to Yellowstone Lake makes it one of the most beautiful and scenic areas in Yellowstone. Some of the most popular geysers and hot springs are Abyss Pool and Fishing Cone.
9. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Another popular thing to do in Yellowstone is to visit Yellowstone’s very own answer to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The deep gorge is formed by the Yellowstone River and stretches for about 32 kilometers.
Besides enjoying the sight of the impressive gorge, you can also see Lower Falls with a drop of 94 meters and Upper Falls with a drop of 33 meters. There are also many great vantage points at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Some of the best vantage points are Artist Point and Uncle Tom’s Point.
10. Norris Geyser Basin
Norris Geyser Basin is the most active geyser area in Yellowstone. It’s home to the hottest and oldest geysers in the park. This is where you’ll find the Steamboat Geyser, the highest active geyser in the world. When it erupts, the boiling water shoots up to a height of 120 meters. However, it’s an extremely unpredictable geyser, so it’s difficult to know when it will erupt.
Accommodation in Yellowstone National Park
There are many different accommodations in Yellowstone National Park. I highly recommend having at least one night in Yellowstone. However, you should expect the price to be reasonably expensive.
In Yellowstone, you’ll find several hotels and campgrounds inside the park. But the accommodation is quickly sold out, especially during the peak season. So, if you want to stay overnight in Yellowstone National Park, you should book your accommodation well in advance.
Another and much cheaper option is to stay overnight in a town near Yellowstone. Some of the most popular cities that are relatively close to Yellowstone are Cody in Wyoming, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Curtains in Montana, and West Yellowstone in Montana.
That’s all in this ultimate guide to Yellowstone National Park. What are your favorite things to do in Yellowstone? What are you looking forward to if you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park? Feel free to leave a comment.
Like this article? Pin it for later!
I visited Yellowstone just before COVID in February 2020 and loved it. We were there during the winter, so it was far less crowded than normal. We took a van tour to Old Faithful and brought snowshoes so that we could snowshoe the last couple of miles–it was unforgettable. So, don’t rule out Yellowstone if you’re visiting the US in the winter!