We spent 3 days in Yellowstone National Park as a part of a week long road trip through 4 western states – Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. Our visit began at the north entrance and ended through the south into Grand Teton National Park. During our time, we managed to visit a number of unique spots throughout the park. Yellowstone is large at over 2.2 million acres and there are lots of ways to visit and explore. Here is how we broke it down into 3 days.
Yellowstone Day 1
After photos at the Roosevelt Arch and entering Yellowstone National Park, our first planned stop was at the Albright Visitor Center. We spent a bit of time there viewing the exhibits and both kids got their Junior Ranger books. Then we did a quick recheck of the map and decided the route that made the most sense that day was to head clockwise following the “Grand Loop.” This would enable us to see half of the Upper Loop and some of the Lower Loop before reaching our hotel in Old Faithful that evening.
Day 1 Morning
We began with Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces adjacent to the Albright Visitor Center. Parking near the trail, we followed the paths up, around, and through the hot springs. It was interesting seeing how the land changed.
Driving east across the top of the Grand Loop, our next stops were all short and just off the road. A couple of highlights:
- Undine Falls – easy to view from a roadside turnoff.
- Petrified Tree – surrounded by fencing to protect from further damage by visitors, this single petrified tree sits alone just a short hike uphill.
Day 1 Afternoon
We stopped at Roosevelt Lodge for lunch. Unfortunately the wait for a table was long. Instead of waiting, we opted for a few items from the store next door and food we’d picked up at the grocery store the day before. We had a quick picnic in our rental car, then continued onward – making stops along the route:
- Tower Fall – named for the tower like rock formations at the top, this waterfall is visible from a viewpoint just a short walk along a paved path.
- Canyon Village – visit to the Visitor Center, and then the General Store for ice cream before heading to the trails on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
- Hayden Valley – this is a great place to spot bison and we saw so many here both days we passed through.
- Mud Volcano and Dragon’s Mouth Spring – very fun to see and, surprise to us, where we encountered a single bison much closer than anticipated.
Day 1 Evening
We briefly considered visiting another spot along the way, but then took a look at the time and realized it was getting late. We left the Mud Volcano and headed directly to Old Faithful Snow Lodge. There we quickly checked in, unpacked, and grabbed some dinner before walking across the parking lot to enjoy the Visitor Center and, of course, Old Faithful geyser.
TIP: If you want to stay IN Yellowstone and/or Grand Teton National Parks like we did, plan to book early as reservations open 12-16 months ahead of time and fill up fast. I booked both a year before our trip. We stayed at Old Faithful Snow Lodge in Yellowstone and Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton.
Yellowstone Day 2
We focused our second day on the Lower Loop traveling clockwise from our hotel in the Old Faithful area.
Day 2 Morning
- Black Sand Basin – we were some of the first visitors to arrive for the day. This spot is also less popular the than area to the north with Grand Prismatic. It was a nice, peaceful, and quiet start to our day viewing the geysers and hot pools.
- We passed by Biscuit Basin as it is still closed following the hydrothermal explosion that occurred in July 2024.
- Midway Geyser Basin is home to Grand Prismatic Spring. There is a great hike option that takes you to higher elevation for a view looking down. We opted instead to visit it close up via the boardwalk. A different angle, but still quite beautiful.
- Fountain Paint Pot – this is a great spot to see all 4 types of hydrothermals easily in one place. The 0.5 mile boardwalk loop takes you past hot springs, mud pots, geysers, and fumaroles.
- Madison Information Center is tucked away and a charming spot to visit. It houses a small exhibit room and gift shop plus views overlooking the Madison River.
- Gibbon Falls – a pretty, roadside pull out where we could view the falls and into the valley.
- Artists Paintpots was our one “fail.” I had wanted to stop here to see the mud pots here, but when we arrived, the parking lot was beyond full. We circled twice and decided to skip it to explore other areas.
Day 2 Afternoon
Heading onward, we entered Norris Geyser Basin. This was another popular spot and a little patience paid off for getting a parking spot. We opted for a packed lunch this day so I moved the food from our cooler into my backpack. We thought we might find a picnic table. No such luck, but we did locate a bench behind the Museum. It was fairly shaded and provided a good spot to sit while we ate.
There are a number of paths and lots to explore here. We decided to focus on a few highlights – the Museum, a stop at the bookstore for cancellation stamps, and seeing Steamboat Geyser.
Leaving Norris Geyser Basin, we continued along the Lower Loop making a few more stops along the way:
- Museum of the National Park Ranger – this was a neat spot to visit and learn more about Park Rangers. We also happened to be there when a couple of bison strolled into the lawn to graze directly in front of the building. Perfect opportunity to view them and ask the Ranger on duty questions.
- Hayden Valley – we got stuck in a bison traffic jam. Unlike the day before where most were well in the distance, the bison were happily along the roadway and even crossing it. Park Rangers came along to clear the road and get vehicles moving again.
- Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center – this was a relaxing stop. The Museum focuses on birds and fish in the park. Directly behind it, visitors can walk right up to Yellowstone Lake. The view is beautiful and, pure luck in our timing, we saw a herd of elk directly across the lake from us.
Day 2 Evening
Our planned next stop was West Thumb Visitor Center. Unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic. Not animal made this time. A couple of vehicles crashed and fully stopped all traffic along the road. We debated our options, but waiting made the most sense. An hour and 40 minutes later, we made it through. By then both the West Thumb and Grant Village Visitor Centers had closed for the day. We returned to the Old Faithful area for dinner, enjoy seeing the geysers there, and get some rest!
Yellowstone Day 3
Our final day was a planned half day between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. This was intentional to give us travel time and see any sights between our two lodging locations. Our first stop though was just across the parking lot from our hotel. We knew we wanted to experience the Dining Room in Old Faithful Inn at least once. Breakfast made the most sense. It’s first come, first served buffet. No reservations required. We do recommend arriving early as it does get popular.
After fueling up ourselves and then our rental car at the gas station next to our hotel, we began our day. We were able to visit both Visitor Centers we missed the day before. We also stopped to take photos and read the information boards at Isa Lake. It’s a neat spot as it spans the Continental Divide so water from the east half the lake flows to the Pacific Ocean and the west half to the Gulf of Mexico!
TIP: Be sure to bring some cash with you. While we were able to pay with credit card in most restaurants and stores in the parks, the credit card system was down at the gas station in Old Faithful when we went to fuel up. Thankfully, we had cash so it was a nonissue for us, but this could pose a challenge as the gas stations are fairly spread out across the park.
We stopped at the Visitor Center and to get lunch in Grant Village before saying goodbye to Yellowstone and driving south into Grand Teton National Park.
