THE PERFECT ITENARY FOR VISITING YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Yellowstone is the second largest national park outside of Alaska. With over two million acres of land, five park entrances, numerous geyser basins to visit, and scenic drives through valleys filled with elk and bison, there is A LOT to do here. If you are planning your trip to Yellowstone National Park, There are many different ways to plan the “perfect Yellowstone itinerary,” depending on your interests and how much time you have. Ideally, you need at least three or four days to visit Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is best to visit during the months of June through October because from early November through late May, many of the park roads will be closed due to snowfall. With that being said, you should know that crowds are huge during the summer months (especially July and August). In 2021, Yellowstone was the 3rd most visited park in the USA, receiving 4.9 million visitors. In 2022, visitation dropped to 3.3 million, but that was because of the flood that occurred in June. Expect major difficulties finding a parking space midday and be prepared to share walking trails with many other visitors. If you plan to visit Yellowstone National Park for at least three days, we recommend staying in two different locations. Yes, it can be a hassle packing and unpacking, but Yellowstone is so large that switching accommodations can minimize travel time in the park. Yellowtone is located 60 miles from Grand Teton Nationa Park, 80 miles from the towns of Cody and Jackson Wyoming, 6 hours from Glacier National Park, and 7 hours from Devils Tower Wyoming, 

Yellowstone is the second largest US national park outside of Alaska. With over 2 million acres of land and 5 park entrances, this place is massive. Yellowstone National Park is primarily located in Wyoming, although it does spill over, just a little bit, into Idaho and Montana. If you look at the map of Yellowstone below, you will see that the network of roads inside the park forms a figure of eight. The main loop is called Grand Loop Road. Bisecting this loop, and making the park roads resemble a figure of eight, is Norris Canyon Road. The majority of sights you will visit are located on Grand Loop Road. There are five park entrances, one on each side of the park (north, east, south, and west), with an additional entrance on the north side. It takes three to five days to see and do everything inside of the park. If you are staying for 3 or more days, I recommend staying at two different locations in Yellowstone to minimize driving time. You can stay within the park in lodge locations at Mammoth, Tower Falls, Canyon Village, Yellowstone Lake, Grant Village and Old Faithful, but reservations must be made in advance, so i would recommend staying outside the park in cities like Cody, WY or Jackson, WY, West Yellowstone, Gardiner or Cooke-City/Silver Gate, MT.  It costs $35 per vehicle to enter the park and this is good for seven days. If you have plans to visit Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks, it is worth it to purchase the America the Beautiful Pass. This annual park pass costs $80 and is valid for one year. Not only will you save money on park fees for this trip but you will also get free admission to any other national park or federal recreation sites that you visit within 365 days of purchasing this pass. 

BEST THINGS TO DO IN YELLOWSTONE

• Old Faithful & Upper Geyser Basin
• Grand Prismatic Spring & Midway Geyser Basin
• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
• Wildlife sightings in Hayden and Lamar Valleys
• Norris Geyser Basin
• Mammoth Hot Springs

The wildlife spottings in Yellowstone are incredible and every day offers a different experience. The best time of day to see the bison, elk, and bear are early and late in the day, so plan your visits to Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley during these times. 

Day One 

Morning: Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. Watch the geyser eruption from the boardwalk. For a unique view of the eruption (and much lower crowds), hike up to Observation Point. Take your time walking through the Upper Geyser Basin and Geyser Hill. Have lunch at the Old Faithful Inn or assemble a picnic lunch at the Old Faithful General Store.

Mid-day: Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin. Consider adding on the hike to Fairy Falls.

Afternoon: More Geyser Basins. Located in the same area as Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful are several more geyser basins to visit: Biscuit Basin, the Fountain Paint Pot Trail, and Black Sand Basin. Leave the crowds behind and hike to Lone Star Geyser, a geyser that erupts up to 45 feet every 3 hours.

Day Two

Morning: Visit West Thumb Geyser Basin and explore Yellowstone Lake. You can choose to take pictures or even go boating on the Lake.

Morning/Midday: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Visit both sides of the rim, either walking or driving to the overlooks. Midday, parking can be limited, so your best bet is to walk to the overlooks. Our top experiences here include Artist Point and Uncle Tom’s Trail on the South Rim and Brink of the Lower Falls, Lookout Point, and Red Rock Point on the North Rim. Learn more about the Grand Canyon and ideas on how to plan your time with this Guide to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Afternoon: Visit Norris Geyser Basin. A visit here consists of seeing two basins, Back Basin and Porcelain Basin. Unless you catch Steamboat Geyser in action, Porcelain Basin is more thrilling. Steaming hot springs, light blue thermal pools, and noisy fumaroles are what you will see here.

Late Afternoon/Evening: Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs that is located in north Yellowstone. Hot, steaming water spills out over travertine terraces, making this one of the most unique geothermal areas in the park. A visit here can be quick, with a short walk to one or two viewpoints. Or, you can spend an hour or two walking the boardwalk trails past each of the viewpoints.

Day Three

Morning/Midday: Drive through Hayden Valley, one of the best places in the park for wildlife viewing, especially for bison, elk, grizzly bears, and wolves. Known for its wide, open landscape and the Yellowstone River flowing through it, Hayden Valley is located in the Central part of Yellowstone National Park.

Afternoon/Dusk: Drive up to Lamar Valley, which is located in the Northeast part of Yellowstone National Park. Often referred to as the "Serengeti of North America" due to its abundant wildlife. Known for its large populations of bison, elk, wolves, and other wildlife. The scenic Lamar River flows through the valley, providing a picturesque setting.

Visiting from Grand Teton National Park on a Day Trip

If you are in Grand Teton National Park and have an extra day to spare, why not day trip to Yellowstone National Park? You will spend a lot of time in your car on this day trip. The stats below are for the round trip distance from Jackson is 6 hours, around 260 miles. Most of this drive is to get you to and from Yellowstone National Park. You will drive up through Grand Teton National Park, which is a gorgeous drive. Located near the north end of Grand Teton National Park, this is a popular sunrise destination for photographers. It is also a great place to spot wildlife. Since you will be driving right past this point near sunrise, it’s worth a quick stop. North of Jackson Lake, you will exit Grand Teton National Park and then enter Yellowstone through the south entrance station. Then it’s a straight shot up to Yellowstone, on the John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway. Once you arrive at Grand Loop Road, turn right to drive the lower loop in a counter-clockwise direction.

What is the best way to see Yellowstone National Park?

If you want to see Yellowstone’s top sights, plan on spending three full days in the park. This gives you enough time to drive the south and north loops, visit the long list of geyser basins and hot springs, hike a few trails, and spot wildlife in the park.  With one day in Yellowstone, you can see a few highlights of the park, so it is still a worthwhile experience. This can be done on a point-to-point road trip through the park or as a day trip from Grand Teton National Park. Read this Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide for important travel information, sample itineraries, and links to all of the useful articles about Yellowstone.