Yellowstone National Park

*Note- Due to recent flooding and rockslide damage, parts of Yellowstone may be closed. Make sure to check out the National Park Website for the most up-to-date information.*

Yellowstone National Park tends to make a lot of bucket lists. It is one of the most popular national parks in the US and stays busy from Spring to Fall. It was probably the place on our road trip itinerary that we had most thought of visiting and was the main reason we took this trip in the first place. So what did we think? Read on to find out!

First of all, if you’ve never been to Yellowstone, we have a couple of tips for you.

Don’t get in a hurry. It takes longer than you might think to drive through the park. Be prepared for traffic, and we’re not just talking about other cars. You will likely encounter at least one traffic jam caused by the wildlife. We spent a half an hour sitting in traffic while a bison herd crossed the street. This is, as previously stated, one of the most popular national parks in the US and is therefore often very crowded. It can be difficult to find parking at the more popular geysers. Expect people everywhere.

Divide and conquer. Though you probably won’t want a strict schedule, it is a good idea to plan your strategy ahead of time. Because it takes a while to drive around the park, split your days between the different basins. We would recommend spending one day at the Upper Geyer Basin, one at the Biscuit Basin and Midway Geyser Basin, and another day visiting the Norris Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs. If you have an extra day, check out Lamar Valley and The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Since we were not able to fit Lamar Valley and the Grand Canyon into our schedule, we cannot truly attest to which areas to make a must do. The basins are full of geysers and some are more spectacular than others, so that is why it’s best to know for sure what you want to do and do that first.

We started our time in Yellowstone at one of the more popular locations, Old Faithful & the Upper Geyser Basin. We ended up spending several hours wandering around the basin. If you want to see everything, plan to spend one day exploring this basin. They have posted signs to let you know when Old Faithful is expected to erupt each day. It typically erupts every 35-120 minutes. If you’re up for a hike, walk up to the Old Faithful observation area to watch it erupt from above. There are also shops nearby you can check out for souvenirs and several food options.

Important to note, the visitor’s centers at Yellowstone, much like the other parks, close early (usually at 4:00 PM) and right on the dot. If you want to check out the visitor’s center, go early.

The next day, we headed over to Mammoth Hot Springs. Best described as an inside out cave, Mammoth Hot Springs is a sight to behold. Take a stroll up and around the hot springs for more views. You will likely see bison, elk, and other wildlife wandering around in this area. It can be difficult to find parking here, so prepare to drive around a bit. There can also be long lines at the food establishments, but their deli sandwiches were really good.

After leaving Mammoth Hot Springs, we headed for the Norris Basin. Here you will find the unpredictable Steamboat Geyser. It can erupt anywhere from 4 days to 50 years. All of the trees around this geyser are dead and there are signs warning you that an eruption can damage the paint on your car. So what will happen to you if it erupts? Probably nothing good. Luckily, it did not erupt while we were there. It is a cool sight to see though if you’re willing to risk it.

Our third day, we headed to the Biscuit Basin. We decided to hike to the 70ft waterfall Mystic Falls. If you decide to do this hike, we recommend wearing good hiking shoes because there is a lot of loose gravel in places. (We saw a guy fall and almost slide off the edge of a cliff. Thankfully, he did not.) You may encounter wildlife on the hike as well. We saw a fox and a large bird that seemed angry at our presence.

After finishing the hike, we drove over to the Midway Geyser Basin. This basin is where you will find the stunning Grand Prismatic Spring. Hike up to the observation deck to really take in this large, colorful hot spring. Hopefully you can avoid a plethora of loud teenagers (we were not so lucky). Expect crowds in this area.

If you have extra days in the park, check out the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Lamar Valley to see even more wildlife. We did not have time to visit these areas because we had to head out for Glacier, but we’ve heard good things about both. Just drive carefully through Lamar Valley. As we learned in Custer, sometimes the animals just like to run amok in the road.

In case you need a reminder, do not approach the wildlife. Bison are not friendly.

Cost: $35 per car (pass good for 7 days). Yellowstone is also on the National Park Pass ($80 and good for one year).

Where to Eat/Drink: The Buffalo Bar (West Yellowstone), Wild West Pizzeria (West Yellowstone), Mountain Mama’s Coffee House (West Yellowstone)

If you have ever wanted to try buffalo or huckleberry, now is your chance. You will find both of these items at many of the restaurants in this area. Our first night in West Yellowstone, we had dinner at The Buffalo Bar. We tried the buffalo tacos and buffalo burger and they were both very good. Upon a recommendation, we also ate dinner one night at Wild West Pizzeria. Try their famous mac-n-cheese chicken dish or have a tasty pizza.

If you’re in West Yellowstone, make sure to grab breakfast from Mountain Mama’s Coffee House. They have an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, pastries and Starbuck’s coffee. The sausage, egg and cheese croissant is delicious. They also have a burrito made with all sorts of meats you probably don’t normally eat like bison, antelope, and others. It may not be for everyone, but I, Courtney, swore that I was going to eat some bison after the stress they put me through in Custer.

Where We Stayed: Airbnb- Tipi (East Yellowstone), Holiday Motel (West Yellowstone)

If you’re up for an adventure, consider staying in a unique place for at least one night. Yellowstone has many places to camp (though you have to make sure to secure a campsite) and you can find yurts and other similar places in and around the park. We opted to stay in a tipi in East Yellowstone one night of our stay. It was a bit like glamping and was definitely a fun experience.

The next few nights, we stayed in West Yellowstone at the Holiday Motel. This was a nice place aside from the shower (it was crazy hot one minute and ice cold the next…we did tell the front office so hopefully that is fixed now). It was very affordable for the area and convenient to a lot of restaurants and shops.