Hey there! Are you ready to plan an unforgettable trip to Yellowstone National Park?! From the geysers, hot springs, and pools to the lakes, forests, and wildlife, you are sure to find something that everyone in your group will LOVE.
Yellowstone is a place where memories are made and talked about for years to come. As a child, I visited the park with my family — what I remember most from that trip was the smell of rotten eggs from the geysers! But I had the time of my life and couldn’t wait to go back. I know that you want the same for your vacation!
There is so much to do. You may have already looked at a map and been a little overwhelmed — and eager — to make sure that you don’t miss the best sights.
I’m a former park ranger, and I’ll help you plan your vacation down to the details. I’ve extensively explored Yellowstone and am here to help! Whether this is your first time to Yellowstone or if you are returning after many years and would like to be reintroduced to the park, this list of 12 things is for you.
What You Need to Know About Yellowstone National Park
- Yellowstone is a huge national park (2.2 million acres!), and most people severely underestimate the time it takes to drive around the park. Don’t spend all your time in the car — be sure to have a solid plan to see the sights.
- Reserve a room at least one year in advance if you plan on staying in one of Yellowstone’s nine lodges. And even with 12 front-country campgrounds, competition for sites is fierce. Be sure to learn all about camping in Yellowstone National Park if you plan on camping in the park.
- This national park is extremely crowded — traffic is common, and parking lots are consistently full. If you want to find solitude and avoid the crowds, this itinerary will help immensely.
- Most roads are closed during the winter and don’t reopen until mid-late May. Park amenities follow the same schedule, so check the official NPS website for information on seasonal opening and closing dates.
- Established in 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s first national park! It protects half of the world’s active geysers and has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the U.S.
- Numerous hiking trails converge and overlap in this park, so you don’t want to be caught hiking without a map. This is the map I use and recommend for Yellowstone National Park.
Traffic and crowding in Yellowstone can be terrible.
Did you know that it’s common to sit in traffic in this park…sometimes for an hour or more?
Are you hoping to see the best sights without getting stuck in traffic, circling parking lots, or being surrounded by people?
Stay ahead of the crowds with this Yellowstone Itinerary. You will see all of the can’t-miss spots, plus get lodging and dining guides, driving directions, and insider tips!
I’ll make sure that you don’t miss the sights that make this park so famous, but I also want to provide a few treasures that are off-the-beaten-path as well. Let the adventure begin!
Click NEXT to see this list of 12 things you can’t miss on your first visit to Yellowstone National Park.
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My husband and I will be visiting and staying with friends in Cody next month and we want to visit Yellowstone while there and then before heading home return back to Cody for an additional night or 2. So basically needing advice/plans for Yellowstone, roundtrip from Cody. We only have time to visit Yellowstone for 2 days and expect this to be a “sneak peek” as we plan to return in the future. Does your trip itinerary include a plan entering and leaving from the East entrance?
Thank you.
It does and you can definitely make it work, but be aware that if you are coming into the park from Cody, you’ll need to add 1.5 hours of driving each way, so 3 extra hours of driving per day. So I don’t really recommend using my itinerary if that’s where you’re staying, just because it will require some very early mornings in order to follow my schedule if you’re coming in from there. If you can, I highly recommend booking your lodging closer to the park :)
I have read that July is incredibly busy for Yellowstone. I am taking a group of students this year. Which would be best, the first week of July or the first week of August?
Summer is wildfire season, so the skies can get smoky starting usually around the mid-end of July. So I like to be in the park as early in the summer as I can. Have fun!
Thank you for all the great information!
We are visiting Yellowstone for our first trip this June with our 13 year old daughter who is very excited to see wildlife. When we booked our trip a few months ago, we decided to stay in Cooke-City to be close to Lamar Valley (and also because of the pandemic we were worried of staying in a lodge/hotel, etc) I regret part of our decision because it seems like we will be far away from a lot of the attractions. Anyways! For your itineraries are there a lot of options for things to do/see for that part of the park? (We’ll be staying for 6 days.)
Thank you!
My 4-day itinerary includes 2 days in that area. The other two days take you down to the Canyon and Old Faithful areas of the park, so you’ll need to drive further for those days. Your daughter won’t be disappointed by all of the wildlife sightings you’ll experience near Cooke City though!!!
Hey there! Two of my friends are heading to Yellowstone at the end of March (March 29-April 1st). I know it’s not peek season, but will we still be able to see what you have in your 1 or 2 day itinerary?
Hey Brittany, my itineraries don’t work until the park roads are open. Roads start opening in mid-April, but it’s better to wait until mid-May if you are using one of my itineraries. Have a great trip though!
We were starting to plan a trip for early October but looking at the NPS site a lot of items are listed as close. Is that still an okay time to take a family trip in the RV?
As long as you can find somewhere to stay, then yeah! There will still be some things open by way of food/general stores in the most popular areas of the park, and the roads stay open til early November, weather permitting. Snow is not unheard of that time of year, but the crowds will be small and the wildlife will be plentiful!
We are planning a camping trip for July. We made reservations at Grant Village. Its saying due to covid the showers are closed. Is there water available to fill a portable shower? Also I saw something about sleeping in the vehicle. We have a tent that attaches to our car, is that considered sleeping in your vehicle?
There will be cold running water, but portable showers are discouraged. If you decide to use a portable shower, just remember to leave no trace and don’t let the soapy water run through your campsite — you’ll need to capture it and dump it properly :) Your tent should be just fine to use in an established campsite. Have a great trip!
Only visit to YNP was in May of 1972! So anxious to see again and share with my adult children, when I return in early October. We have only 3 full days, so hoping to see as much of the incredible wonders as possible, including some short to medium walks. Sunrise and sunset will be about 7:30am and 6:50pm. Are your itineraries suitable for this shorter daylight? Thanks.
Tom
Hey Tom,
Glad to see you’re heading back for a visit! The itineraries fit those daylight hours perfectly :) Have a great time and feel free to reach out with any other questions as you prepare for your trip!
Ash
Omg! I’m so glad I found this blog! My husband and I are planning on going to YNP next year.! Which month would you recommend going? June, July or August?
June is the least busy month of the summer, so I’d go then if you can!
Hi Ash, Three of us are planning a week in YNP during the first week of June 2019. We will be staying in a timeshare in Island Park, Idaho (30 min outside the West YNP gate), but plan to drive into YNP every day. We would like to do easy-moderate hikes to see wildlife & waterfalls, in addition to experiencing all the other great Yellowstone sites (geysers, springs, visitor centers, etc). Since it’s springtime will we see baby offspring around the park? Does your 4-day itinerary cover some scenic hiking trails, as well as, places to see wildlife during this first week of June?
It does! It covers all of the highlights :) You can find it here: https://dirtinmyshoes.lpages.co/yellowstone-itinerary/ Have a great time!
I’ve worked at YNP for three summers. One of our favorite easy hikes is storm point. It brings you by a pond, lake, “beach”, and wooded areas. Located going east just past fishing bridge.
I would also suggest trying to see the following geysers (all located in the upper geyser basin) Grand (the largest predictable geyser in the world), Beehive, Castle, and Riverside. Make sure to walk down to Morning Glory Pool at the end of the paved path. You can pick up an upper geyser basin map at the visitor center. They will also have the predictions for these geysers. A short ride south to Lone Star geyser trail is about a 2mile walk (one way) and if you can catch an eruption it’s definitely worth it. Old faith goes off regularly at approx 92 minute intervals. If you spend some time in the upper geyser basin you’ll likely see it. The other geysers are much more impressive IMHO.
A little further south another fairly easy hike (about 5+ miles RT) is to Shoshone Lake.
CARRY BEAR SPRAY AT ALL TIMES!
Hi there. Great post. Have a trip booked for late May.and reserved camp sites at the two locations available for pre-booking. I’m thinking of purchasing your itinerary. I see the most current question on this string way May 2018. If I get the itinerary and have questions, are you still available to reply? Thanks!
Hi there Lisa! I’m happy to answer questions via email. You can just reply back to the email you receive when you purchase an itinerary. Safe travels!
Ash
I’ve seen your itinerary for the park, but it doesn’t say if it is season specific or not. I am planning on visiting in April, so I didn’t know if the itinerary was still helpful if it was summer specific. I was wondering, even though not all the roads are open, hiking and snowmobiles can still be used to access other parts of the park, right?
April is a unique month in Yellowstone because snowmobiles are no longer allowed on the park roads because they start plowing. So you really can’t drive or snowmobile on most roads that time of year. You can always drive the northern road from Gardiner to Cooke City and it’s a great place to go for wildlife viewing and some hiking. The itinerary won’t help you much until the roads open up….thanks for asking!
We’ll be visiting Yellowstone in early May (similar to my comment on your Grant Teton post)…. do you have any input re: what on this is list is still available, or not, that early in the season? Thanks!
You won’t be able to get to a few spots because the roads won’t be open yet. Tower Fall and West Thumb don’t open til mid-May. To get to the Lamar Valley, you’ll have to drive north from Norris. The road north will be closed at Canyon. Many of the campgrounds and lodges don’t open until mid or late May as well. It’s a great time to be there as far as crowds are concerned…and you should see lots of wildlife!!
These are great stops and you’ll definitely get a feeling of the park even if you just went to these 12 places. I’d also recommend going to Observation Point and Solitary Geyser at Old Faithful. The first is a great place to watch the famous geyser erupt and the second often lives up to its name. I know that the geyser is solitary and away from the other hot springs, but I have been alone there almost every time I visit. And it’s just a short walk from the main boardwalk!
Great recommendations! I really think it’s crazy how fast you can get into the wilderness in Yellowstone….Solitary Geyser is a good example of that. I’ve always found that all it takes is a little hike to get away from the crowds most of the time!
It’s true! As soon as you leave the boardwalks everything changes!
We just returned this week from Yellowstone….also loved the Grand Tetons.
What really stood out is when we saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and
the waterfall…otherwise also known as Artist’s Point because of Thomas Moran
painting there. It was totally awesome!!! We gazed at it from every possible lookout! A ranger told us we needed to see it! The photos we took do not convey the true beauty and color of this canyon. I would encourage everyone to stop and
have a look as you cannot imagine when you walk back to see it…what you will see!
And I have seen the Grand Canyon of the West!
So glad you had such an amazing experience!!
Your site is very helpful. My family of 7 are making our first trip this July. I was curious as to which campground you would recommend coming from Billings area? My husband is also in a wheelchair, so any recommendations on accessible things to see/do would be fantastic! I am very grateful for your help. Thank you!
Hi Jewels,
If coming from Billings, you’ll likely be entering Yellowstone through the East Entrance or the Northeast Entrance. For camping, you’ve got quite a few choices, such as Slough Creek, Pebble Creek, Tower Fall, Canyon Village, or Bridge Bay. Most are first-come, first-served so it’s really going to depend on what’s available {you’re going to need to be there really early in the morning} if you can’t get a reservation at Canyon.
The park has lots of great resources on wheelchair accessible areas and you can read more here: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/wheelchairmobility.htm
Hope that helps!
Ash
I just found your site and am so EXCITED!!! I am planning my first trip, a camping trip to Yellowstone next June. I have my dates picked out and am ready to reserve a camp site in the Grant Campground. I want to be along the shore edge of the lake. Do you know any of the numbers at the sites that are ones you could suggest? (I am a single female, 67 yrs. old and travel a lot on my own with my 4 wheel drive Jeep, Neelie Bell, lol.) I sent for your booklet an can’t wait to read it cover to cover. Thanx so much for any info you can give me.
Hey Joanne! There are a few sites at Grant where you can see the lake through the trees, but as far as I know, I don’t believe any of the campsites are right on the lake. I would call the reservation number and talk to the agent though….ask them to get you as close to the lake as possible :)
Hi I got the 4 day etinerary attachment. Thanks! Can’t wait to bring my family at YNP next summer. We got our camps site book at Fishing Bridge for 6 days. Can you help me plan to make the etinerary work? Thanks again.
Hi! I sent you an email…please let me know if you didn’t get it!
Ash
Sorry did not get it. Can u please resend it again?
I resent it. If you did not receive it this time, please contact me at ash (at) dirtinmyshoes (dot) com. Thanks!
Hello!
My wife and I are currently planning our first trip to Yellowstone for our first anniversary! We’re not only new to the park, but new to camping. It looks like we’re only going to be there for about 3 days – do you recommend a particular campground to see the best things in a short amount of time? We like the idea of Lamar Valley, obviously Old Faithful, and some of the private trails you mentioned. We realize we won’t have time to see everything, but want to maximize our trip potential! We’re also hoping to avoid the crowds as much as possible and see the quieter side of Yellowstone – and are willing to adjust our timing to make that happen. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!
Hey Bryce!
I noticed that you purchased the itinerary, which is the best place to get answers to those questions! Email me if you would like more info though and I’ll answer any questions you have more thoroughly. As for the first-come, first-served campgrounds, I recommend Norris as the most central place to stay (and it’s beautiful)!
Stay in touch,
Ash
Hello! So happy to have found this site! My husband and I will be going to Yellowstone in mid-October for our 10th anniversary. After purchasing your itinerary, I went to one of the other links on your site about the closing dates in the park and I’m concerned about how much will be closed (specifically the places in your itinerary). The plane tickets are already purchased (was the best time for our work schedules, so it is what it is). I’m sure it will still be awesome but just want to make sure we make it the best it can be with these closings in mind. Can you help? Thank you for the great site! Sorry to make this a reply vs. a new comment … couldn’t see where to add a new comment (not the most technical) :) – Teresa
Hey Teresa,
I’m going to send you an email and we’ll work through everything…..you’re still going to have an AWESOME time :)
Ash
Thanks so much for the simple, honest info. I am heading west from Ohio in Mid July and visiting Rocky Mountain, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Bandlands on a 3 week adventure with my 2 boys (9and 13). I could and would hike all day, but they are not quite as enthusiastic. I love the info on family friendly trails and fun spots to see and explore. Will definitely be following.
Thanks Stephanie! That sounds like an incredible vacation — let me know if there’s anything I can do to help out with the planning!
Ash
This is such a thorough and helpful post! Thanks for writing out all your tips. We’re heading to Yellowstone for the week and I’m super excited to see all these places. :)
Also, it’s been a while since I’ve read your blog, but I definitely need to catch up!
Hey Esther! It’s great to hear from you — it has been a while!! Have an AMAZING time in Yellowstone!
Oh my goodness, Yellowstone is on my bucket list and this post makes me want to get there sooner rather than later! Especially all the trails you talk about. I think I’m going to spend about a zillion hours looking through all of your posts now! Thank you! <3
Thanks Courtney! I hope you make it there soon :) I’m more than happy to help you plan a trip when you’re ready!
I was lucky enough to visit Yellowstone from the U.K. in 2006 and am returning this October with my wife, sister-in-law and her husband who are going for their first time and obviously looking forward to it.
We are flying in to Denver and taking a somewhat circular road trip to Crazy Horse Monument, Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, 4 Corners, Durango Silverton Railroad, Pikes Peak and a few other stops along the way. This is my wife and I’s umpteenth visit to the States, we tend to pick one State every year and try and get around it as much as possible within 3 weeks. We are very fond of the mid west and Pacific Coastal areas but find the people we have met along our trips to be very charming and interested in our opinion of their homeland.
When I was last at Yellowstone I was fully mobile but alas now I am reliant upon a mobility scooter; are any of the trails suitable for such modes of transport and if not, which viewpoints are nearest to the parking areas?
Hi William,
That’s fantastic that you are getting ready to take such an exciting trip! I actually lived in England (Leicester) a few years back and loved it there…I was always so jealous that you guys take so much time off at a time for traveling :) The good news about Yellowstone is that it is one of the more accessible parks because of all the boardwalks built around the geysers. I think you will find this guide (https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/13Accessibility.pdf) useful to determine where you will be able to go on your mobility scooter. Here is some additional information as well (https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/wheelchairmobility.htm). I hope that helps!
Thank you so much, the info will be most helpful and interesting.
So happy I found your guides to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Is there a best time of year to go as to maximize photo ops? I’ve seen photos of beautiful wildflowers at Grand Teton and wondered what month they were taken. Thanks for your guides and help!
Hi Barb! For wildflowers in Grand Teton I would suggest mid-late July. Sometimes they bloom into August as well depending on the year :)
I just came across your blog via Pinterest! My husband, kids and I are going to Glacier NP and Yellowstone this June. You’re tips are awesome! Just wanted to say thanks!
Thanks Carol! I really appreciate you taking the time to send me a little note. Let me know if I can help with the trip planning!
You really need to have a car in Yellowstone. There isn’t a shuttle service and biking would take hours. In addition the roads don’t have much of a shoulder and there are a large number of rental campers with inexperienced drivers who are looking for wildlife and not concentrating on their extra length mirrors. Maybe you can rent a car in West Yellowstone if you don’t want to “unhook” your RV.
My husband and I are finally retired and have made reservations to stay a whole week in our small RV at Fish Bridge. We do not want to unhook and drive our RV every time we want to explore a different area of the park and we do not tow a vehicle. Can we ride bicycles to most of the attractions? Are there shuttle type transportations available in the park? What would you recommend? Thanks
Hi Marla,
Yellowstone is spread out and there really isn’t a great way to get around without a vehicle. Bikes would be hard because you would have a lot of ground to cover (it’s about 40 miles to Old Faithful from Fishing Bridge)! The park doesn’t have a shuttle system either. You could possibly pay for guided tours which would be pretty expensive. I don’t have any experience with tour companies in that area, but I do know that there are some who will drive you around to look at the sights. The only other thing I can think of is if you wanted to rent a car in Cody, WY for the week to get you around. That is what I would do if you don’t want to drive your RV around — I think you will want your own car to truly see Yellowstone.
This is more a question than a comment…do most of the “trails” (especially the Grand Prismatic/Fairy falls) have benches or any seating areas to rest if need be?
We are going for the first , and most likely only, time this June (2016)
Thank you
Hi Bob! The areas near the geysers and hot pots generally do have places to sit along the way. When you start getting further away from the geysers and hitting the dirt trails, that’s when there really aren’t any man-made places to rest. The Grand Prismatic Boardwalk has a few benches, but the Fairy Falls trail doesn’t (to my recollection). I definitely want to help you make your first trip to Yellowstone a huge success, so be sure to let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for the advice, we will probably get a couple of lightweight tripod stools and put them in the backpacks “just in case”
That’s an awesome idea! How long will you be in Yellowstone?
4 to 5 days. This is our first retirement trip and we are staying in an Airbnb 25 mile from the east entrance and plan to spend 1 day in each of the “quarters, NE,NW,SE,SW” and , at our age, hoping to take a few of the shorter trail hikes, but the 5 miler to Fairy Falls will be a challenge….
That sounds amazing. You will be able to see a lot in that amount of time and there are plenty of shorter trails to keep you busy. I always leave Yellowstone wanting more time…there is just so much to see!
Seeing your blog and learning that you were a park ranger, as the time for our trip (June 10) gets closer i hope i can email if we have a few (dozen?) questions. We are also planning a similar trip in may 2017 to the Grand Canyon and most of the southern Utah National Parks. We hope to spend 2 weeks traveling through North AZ and South UT.
That’s what I’m here for! I hope you will ask me all of your questions :)
Michelle, I have not been able to verify that information anywhere, but I will take the info down until I make sure that it’s not against the rules. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
You can verify it by calling the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center or law enforcement at the ranger station there. Having worked as a ranger in that area, I can verify that it is a huge headache for the park service and results in countless injuries every year (on occasion even death). That being said, it does look like a real trail because it has been frequently traveled and is recommended by countless guidebooks. To be clear though, it is not an official park trail and is not maintained by the park service, making it pretty dangerous and technically illegal. In future years you may be able to include it in your recommendations, as I hear they are going to work on rehabilitating the area and building a boardwalk up the hill. For now though, it is a closed area.
Awesome thank you! It’s true, whenever you look up Grand Prismatic you can almost always find the information for that “trail”. I’m happy to leave it out…I definitely don’t want to encourage people to find it.
Awesome list, so glad I found it! We’re planning on heading to Yellowstone next summer (late June). We’ll be coming from the West (washington) and heading out east (south dakota). We’ll also be traveling with kids (5,10,12). they travel great and can hike about 8 miles before being done. So we’re good on doing/seeing lots. My question is, is it best to stay in West Yellowstone, enter there and then switch to something else North or East side for two nights before heading out? We’ll probably find a hotel outside the part somewhere. Suggestions/towns are great.
Hi Lori! I can’t wait for your family to take your vacation to Yellowstone…your kids will never forget it! We usually stay in West Yellowstone for a few days while we explore the Old Faithful and West Thumb area. Our last trip, we stayed in Gardiner (North Entrance). We also drove to the East Entrance and thought that was a really cool area as well. Either one is great for exploring the Lamar Valley, but Gardiner is closer to Mammoth Hot Springs. Long story short, I would stay a few days in West Yellowstone and then spend a few days in Gardiner or Cooke City to explore the Canyon/Tower/Lamar Valley areas! Please reach out if you have any other questions as you plan your trip.
Hi Ash,
I’m heading out to YEllowstone Oct 10 with my 27 y/o son and his GF. We are flying into SLC n headed to YNP through the west entrance. I booked 6 nights at a cabin in the west area and plan to use that as a base for our trip. I’m wondering in your experience how is mid Oct weather n roads in the park? No prob with us getting up early n starting out but wondering if we will be hindered by the weather. Also, you speak in your blog regarding strenuous hikes….I’m not exactly a “hiker” nor is my son (lol) but consider myself in good shape. How do I gauge myself on what I can and should not do? Am I correct I. assuming there will still be ample ppl in the park even though it is the end of the season? I don’t want to be alone on trails (3 of us) just in case, bears!!!! None of us are experienced at this….sounds like a ton of driving from your blog. The place you lived, the valley with all the wildlife, how far is that from the west entrance? Ty in advance for all your help. I’m excited n nervous! Bear spray, really?
Hi Amy, 6 days is a great amount of time to see Yellowstone! We usually use West Yellowstone as our base camp as well. Yellowstone is a lot of driving and it’s so hard to know what the weather is going to be like. You could have beautiful fall days or snow is also possible. I would bring some warm clothes (and a rain jacket) just in case. Most of the hiking trails people do in and around Yellowstone are along the boardwalks to see the geysers. There are many roadside waterfalls as well. The crowds shouldn’t be too bad but there will still be people in the popular areas of the Park. The hikes that I include on my list of 12 Things can be done by most people (I start out with the basic trails) and will allow you to see some of the best parts of the Park, so I would definitely utilize that list. Lamar Valley is where all of the wildlife is and I would definitely recommend it to you as part of your 6 day trip. You don’t have to get out of the car if you don’t want to, but that was my favorite part of Yellowstone. You can rent bear spray at Canyon Village and I would definitely plan on having it if you want to do some hiking in some areas with fewer crowds. A group of 3 will help with the bears too…just be sure to make noise so that you don’t startle them! Have an awesome trip!
I cannot begin to tell you how much your “be there early” advice helped us on our Yellowstone trip! We made sure to be on the road by a minimum of 7am and it paid off big time. Most attractions and mainly parking lots were not only full but had people waiting in line by 11am. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that! We found that it made a huge difference for us as well, and we really enjoyed ourselves more because of it! I would love to see some pictures from your trip on my Facebook page :)