Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a huge place with a lot of different things to see and do. There is hiking, wildlife, geysers, waterfalls, and more! We loved every minute of Yellowstone and highly recommend it for people of all ages! We spent 3 days and 2 nights here and we saw everything we wanted to see. We did however, cram a lot into our days and I wouldn't spend less than 3 days here. If you like to move at a slower pace, or if you have kids, you could easily spend 5-7 days at Yellowstone. 

Tips

• It takes longer than you think to drive anywhere in Yellowstone. 10 minutes can easily turn into an hour. It is mainly one lane roads with cars stopping all the time. Wildlife often stops traffic and you may find yourself in a buffalo traffic jam! So plan extra time to get anywhere during the hours of 10am-4pm. 
• If you want to visit some of the popular spots and you don't want a huge crowd GO EARLY! We went to bed around 8/9pm every night (can't do much after dark when you are camping anyway) and woke up as early as 5/6am to get to the more popular places early! This was the best decision we made! We were able to enjoy Old Faithful erupting with only about 5 other people! It was amazing! Timing really is everything here! 
• It can get very cold at night here despite it being 70s and 80s during the day. If you are camping bring extra blankets. It got down to 33 degrees and we were cold! Also dress in layers as the mornings can be very chilly but midday can be quite warm! 
• Though we didn't see any bears, others have visited Yellowstone and seen quite a few bears. Therefore, I would error on the side of caution and bring bear spray. We brought it and were able to return it when we got home. 
• Do not get too close to the wildlife. They are very much wild animals and will not hesitate to attack if they feel threatened. Just be smart!
• Also be smart around the geysers. STAY ON THE PATHS! Though it looks like solid land off the paths, it is not. The land is very fragile and you can fall through into a boiling geyser. The geysers often erupt making the path slippery. Be careful and do not run. The geysers are not a place you want to be messing around. 
• Food is expensive in Yellowstone. If you are looking to save money, bring your own food! 
• Many people ask if it is worth doing a tour of Yellowstone on a tour bus. Personally I do not think it is worth the money. As long as you are comfortable driving in Yellowstone, it easier, cheaper, and more efficient to do it on your own. Then you can go at your own pace, see the things that interest you, and you are not surrounded by hundreds of people that are also on tours. 

Mount Washburn

Mount Washburn is one of the best hikes you can do in Yellowstone. It is a moderate hike uphill that provides an incredible view of the entire park. The hike is 6.4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet. While the hike is tiring because it is all uphill, it is not a hard hike because the trail is in excellent condition. The switchbacks are wide and there really are no areas where you feel worried about heights or falling off the side of a cliff! Perfectly reasonable for anyone to do, even those afraid of heights. Plan 4-6 hours for this hike depending on your physical condition. When you reach the top, the views make it worth it! There is even a lookout tower you can go up where you can see the park stretched out for miles. It really is a sight worth seeing! 

Half way there!

View from the top! You can see the trail! 

View from the lookout tower! 

Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley is a hot spot for seeing wildlife of all kinds. When driving near or through Hayden Valley, you will see many cars pulled over in random spots. My suggestion is to pull over with them because usually there is a reason they are pulled over! We were able to see wolves, coyotes, buffalo, and other wildlife. We didn't see any bears, but that can be dependent on when you go. Many people who went in early July saw numerous bears and cubs, but since we went in August we did not see any. Hayden Valley can be full of wildlife or just a valley. It all depends on the time of day you go, so it helps to go more than once as you are just never sure what you might see! 

Lamar Valley

We were itching to see more buffalo and someone told us the best spot to see them is to keep driving further up into Lamar Valley and we were SO glad we did! Though it is a longer drive it was worth it. We saw hundreds of buffalo! In Hayden Valley most of the buffalo and wildlife were at a distance, but in Lamar Valley you were just a few feet away! We got stuck in a buffalo traffic jam because they were just walking in front of cars. There really is nothing quite like this! 

We went in the afternoon which is a better time to go as you are more likely to see a lot of buffalo verses going earlier. It will be packed with cars, but sitting in a traffic jam isn't bad with buffalo surrounding you! The drive is also very scenic making the whole experience worth every minute in the car! Do not touch or get too close to the buffalo. They are wild and very large!! We also kept driving further and found a nice little stream (with no buffalo) and we were able to put our feet in while enjoying a late picnic lunch. Highly recommend visiting Lamar Valley!

Buffalo Selfie!

Artist's Point

Artist's Point gives you a stunning view of what is known as The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It will be busy and the parking lot is small and usually packed with cars. Fighting for a spot is worth it for this quick and gorgeous view of the waterfall. This is about 15 minutes from Hayden Valley.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

While Artist's Point gives you a pretty view of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, it is even better to actually go to it! It does include an easy hike with views of the upper and lower falls. It is worth doing both the upper and the lower falls. It can take about an hour or two and does get very busy. We did this in the late morning and had to park further away and walk to get to it but we still found that it was worth it! It is about a 9 minute drive from Bridge Bay Campsite. 

Old Faithful 

We woke up very early to see Old Faithful as this is one of the most popular things to see in all of Yellowstone. We arrived at 6:30 AM and were literally 1 of 3 cars in the parking lot! It was worth it to see Old Faithful erupt all by ourselves! Old Faithful is popular for a reason, it really is quite amazing to witness! It erupts every 35-120 minutes, but the rangers there have a sign predicting when the next eruption will occur. This is helpful so you aren't standing around waiting for an hour. You can see other geysers and make your way back to it when it is predicted to erupt. It also erupts for a good 5 minutes so if you aren't right on time, you will still will get to see it in all of her glory! 

Upper Geyser Basin

Right next to Old Faithful is a whole area of other geysers known as Upper Geyser Basin. We spent easily 2 hours here walking around and again we were happy we were here early, we had the place to ourselves! Some geysers do not erupt, but instead have remarkable colors that are just beautiful to look at. Other geysers only erupt once or twice a day and if you are lucky you might be able to see it! I really enjoyed seeing the large variety of geysers. It goes on forever and is truly quite remarkable! By the time we finished and starting making our way back, Old Faithful was erupting again and we got to enjoy it for the second time! The crowd was huge the 2nd time and this was at 9 am so if you want to avoid crowds, go early! Highly recommend this!!

Castle Geyser - erupts twice a day

Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic Spring is right down the road from Upper Geyser Basin. We were planning on visiting it, however after Upper Geyser Basin we were sort of fed up with geysers and when we saw the never ending line of cars and the mile long walk to get to it, we decided to forget it. DO NOT DO THAT!! We definitely regret skipping the Grand Prismatic Spring!! This is one of the major attractions of Yellowstone and the most photographed thermal feature in the park, due to the spectacular colors and enormous size. It is also the largest spring in the U.S. and the 3rd largest in the world. So no matter how long the line of cars is, do not skip this! Be smarter than us!! Click here to see for yourself!

Firehole River Swimming Area

We stumbled upon the Firehole River by accident! We were super hot after the geysers and just wanted a place to dip our toes in and with a little help from google we found the Firehole River. It isn't too far from Old Faithful and is one of the few places you can actually swim in Yellowstone. We went around 11am and the rangers had just opened the road to the river, so we were able to drive right to it. At the top of the river, there is a heavy current where people jump in and then you can ride the current down the river to where it slows. We had a blast doing this and again there were very few people here. We spent over an hour relaxing in the cold but refreshing water! Definitely one of my favorite things we did in Yellowstone! It was so isolated and unexpected! 

Mammoth Hot Springs

My favorite part of Mammoth Hot Spring was taking a dip in the water where the Boiling River meets Gardner River. The Boiling River is like what its name suggests, boiling hot. The Gardner River on the other hand is freezing cold river water. Put the two together and it creates a nice warm hot spring perfect for soaking in! You do however, have to do some searching and moving from rock to rock to find a just right spot to sit. Move too far to the right and you lose your breath from the icy cold river water. Move too far to the left and you are holding back a screech from the boiling hot water. My suggestion, walk a bit further down stream and you will find places where the water comes together at just the right spot for you to lay back and enjoy the natural hot tub! 

Where you get in

Natural hot tub!

After taking a relaxing dip, you can drive further to enjoy some unique views of the Mammoth Hot Springs, which is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of walks. It is very pretty to walk through and a good hour or two can be spent here. We did not spend long here as we were on a time constraint and on our way out of the park. However, if you do have the time I suggest spending an hour or so hiking the upper and lower terrace (click here for more information). It is what people describe as an "inside out cave" unlike an other thermal areas in the park. Definitely worth checking out! 

5 out of 5 Stars!

There you have it! Those are my must sees of Yellowstone National Park. As a whole Yellowstone is one of the most unique places on Earth and is a must see for National Park enthusiasts and for anyone who enjoys the beauty of nature! Definitely 5 out 5 stars for us!