Yellowstone National Park is a huge area. It spans almost 3,500 miles or 5,600 kilometers across the state of Wyoming and extends into parts of both Montana and Idaho. Established in 1872, it’s America’s first national park, and also remains one of the largest and most popular ones in the country.
In fact, Yellowstone sits on top of a dormant volcano and is home to more hydrothermal features than anywhere else on Earth. On top of that, the park is home to diverse landscapes and activities; from lush valleys with an abundance of wildlife, to spectacular canyons and waterfalls, you can hike to, deep lakes, and rivers for fishing. Here, I have made a list of the 15 best things to do in the park.
There are so many great things to include in this Yellowstone travel guide that it’s impossible to boil it down to the top 15 but I am going to try anyway. those top 15 includes Geysers (Old Faithful), Mammoth Hot springs, Hayden Valley and Bison Alert, The joy of biking, Yellowstone Lake, Random geyser eruptions, Grand Prismatic Geyser Basin, The Grand Canyon, Waterfalls, Yellowstone National Park, Norris Geyser Basin, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Lamar Valley, Old West Cookout, Dunraven Pass, and Mt. Washburn.
Geysers (Old Faithful): Probably one of the most prominent places in Yellowstone National Park. This is the biggest tourist attraction of this Park because of the regular interval eruption here.
Mammoth Hot springs: This place has the most stunning hot Springs in this country and if you’re in Yellowstone, do visit this place.
Hayden Valley and Bison Alert: This Valley is so beautiful, so green and it’s also the first place you will encounter wildlife here. You will also encounter Bison on the roads here which will be a unique experience in itself for you.
The joy of biking : If you’re a biking enthusiast like me, you’re in for a treat. There are so many trails you can cover on your bike which will be fun for you and a little relaxing since you don’t have to hike.
Yellowstone Lake: Yellowstone is the largest lake with the highest elevation and will leave you stunned with its mesmerising beauty.
Random geyser eruptions: One of the most unique phenomena in this park is the 500 geysers. There are only 1000 geysers in this world and 500 of them are in this National park, crazy right?
Grand Prismatic Geyser Basin: Apart from the Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic is one the most popular tourist spots here in this National Park. A small hike leading to you will stun you by its beauty.
The Grand Canyon: My words can never match the beauty of its place. Its Grandeur, larger than life existence will leave you stunned.
Waterfalls, Yellowstone National Park: I have always been a fan of Waterfalls and if you share the same love for waterfalls as me, you will love this place. Yellowstone National Park is filled with gorgeous waterfalls.
Norris Geyser Basin: Another Basin that you must visit is Norris Geyser Basin. This one has no trees surrounding it and it’s unique in its own way.
West Thumb Geyser Basin: Another Geyser that you should visit is this one. There is a trail of geysers on this hike and it’s definitely worth a try.
Lamar Valley: There is something about landscapes where you’re just surrounded by green. This place is stunning, with greenery wherever and how far you see, it leaves you at peace.
Old West Cookout: Historical enthusiasts should def visit this place and this place was visited by Teddy Roosevelt
Dunraven Pass: A long drive with greenery around you and fresh air is a paradise for nature lovers.
Mt. Washburn: There is just something about hiking to the mountain and just looking at the serene view. This one is the most popular hike at Yellowstone National Park.
Geysers (Old Faithful)
Location- Upper Geyser Basin
Best time to visit- Early morning-late evening
There are over 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park, making it the largest concentration of geysers in the world but Old Faithful is one of the Yellowstone attractions. Be sure to check out some of the most popular geysers. Many of these are located at the iconic upper geyser basin such as Old Faithful. One of the most popular things to do in Yellowstone is to watch Old Faithful erupt. This geyser goes off every 35 to 120 minutes, with steaming hot water shooting from 106 to 180 feet high, which is equivalent to between 32 and 55 meters for our non-American viewers.
It’s a true spectacle that cannot be missed, providing evidence of the active volcano that is sitting below your feet. The eruptions are predicted and you can check the forecasted times at the Visitor Education Center. Just a few minutes walk past Old Faithful, the rest of the Upper Geyser Basin also boasts a variety of other geysers that are worth checking out before or after the eruption. Centrally located in Yellowstone, so be sure to check the schedule so you don’t miss it when you visit it.
Mammoth Hot springs
Location- North to Caldera
The best time to visit is in late March
Located to the north of the caldera, Mammoth Hot Springs is a unique site in Yellowstone National Park. It is a large complex of hot springs and travertine terraces. The terraces are formed by water from the hot springs that cools and deposits calcium. You can find travertine terraces here, which are hot springs that rise up through the soft rock of limestone. There are two terrace boardwalks, the upper and lower, taking you to approximately 50 hot springs. Some of the springs look colorful and others look like frozen waterfalls.
The truth is, Yellowstone National Park is home to the most extraordinary collection of hot springs, geysers, and mud pots in the entire world. Over 10,000 hydrothermal features are found here of which more than 500 are geysers. That being said, you can find many others scattered across the park besides the most famous ones. The best time to see the terraces is early morning or late afternoon when the lighting is softer and the crowds thinner.
Hayden Valley and Bison Alert
Location- Near Yellowstone River
Best time to visit- Dawn or Dusk
Hayden Valley is generally the first place to see wildlife in the park. As you drive through the lush valley, you’re likely to see bison, elk, and the occasional bear. The Yellowstone River lies on the east side of the roadway and you can admire the landscape from several overlooks. I visited at sunrise when wildlife tended to be more active.
I hope you’re ready for Yellowstone bison jams. It happens all the time you’re driving down the road to your next destination when some bison walk across the road taking their sweet time even stopping to check out the scenery. Meanwhile the vehicles backup forever. Instead of getting agitated just get out of our vehicle and stretch our legs or throw the ball a little bit sometimes. Honestly, If you haven’t gotten in a buffalo Jam you can’t say you’ve done Yellowstone properly.
The joy of biking
This is something I recently discovered the joy of biking in Yellowstone while not really known as a biking park. There are some great ways to enjoy the park on two wheels. I was there in April when the park was waking from its winter Slumber and the roads are mostly but not completely plowed. One road is open to bikers only for 2 weeks this also happens in the fall with a few more roads as options.
Note: The Northern Road is open year-round to bikers and vehicles.
Second, there are several shorter Trails throughout the park for bikers. What I like about these Trails is. that they get to some sites that might not be worth the hike but are worth the relatively short bike ride. I biked to Natural Bridge which was fun, I also biked to Lower Geyser which was a lovely ride along a river and through some Meadows, seeing the geyser erupt at the end was the perfect reward. Biking is one of my new favourite ways to explore anywhere we are visiting.
Yellowstone Lake
Best time Visit- May- September
According to the park service, this is the largest high elevation Lake in the country with high elevation being defined as over 7,000 F feet the lake is 20 miles long and 14 miles wide. It’s lined with geysers and some geysers can even be found in the lake. It’s also a great place to see wildlife. We’ve seen Bears, Elk and Bison here quite often due to the elevation. It’s always so cold that it freezes over completely in the winter and in the summer it’s about 41°F or 5° C. It has the largest population of wild cutthroat trout in North America but these are being attacked by lake trout which were improperly introduced years ago.
Those who fish here must return the Cutthroat and keep the lake trout. You can see how rough the waters are from the boat. Interestingly we saw a wrecked ship out in the lake which was the result of an early tour guide operator. You can try kayaking on the lake. The Lakehouse with beautiful sunset views of The lake while you scarfed down Delicious food is truly a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
Random geyser eruptions
Did you know that in the entire world, there are about a thousand geysers and that Yellowstone has about half of them? They are found all over the park, they are found along the road, in lakes, in rivers and in something called geyser basins. These are just open areas where some geysers are clumped together. One of the serendipitous joys of Yellowstone is seeing a random geyser erupt. I’ve experienced this almost every time I have visited here, even been sprayed by them several times. Cliff geyser, lion geyser, Fountain geyser and one of our favourites is the Riverside geyser which sprays into the river in summer and in winter. The park service is nice enough to let these run year-round. The most famous of course is Old Faithful.
Grand Prismatic Geyser Basin
Situated at the Midway Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic is Yellowstone’s largest hot spring, measuring 370 feet or 110 meters in diameter. It’s the most photographed thermal feature in the park, thanks to its bright vivid colours and enormous size. In addition, the Basin is also home to the colourful Turquoise Pool and Opal Pool, as well as the gigantic Excelsior Geyser Crater. A short boardwalk takes you past all these features. Standing next to the boiling Grand Prismatic spring is a thrilling experience in itself. But, for an iconic and jaw-dropping aerial view, you have to walk to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook from the Fairy Falls Trail parking lot.
It’s only a 15-minute walk to get to the viewpoint. Once you make it out there, you can easily combine it with a hike to the Fairy Falls, one of Yellowstone’s tallest waterfalls. The trail winds through a forest and is relatively flat. Overall, it’s about 5.5 miles or 8.5 kilometers round-trip and takes about 2.5 hours to complete and it’s totally worth it.
The Grand Canyon
Magnificent Grand Canyon of Yellowstone This canyon merges all that is special about Yellowstone the park, essentially got its name from the yellow walls of the canyon the walls are yellow because they are volcanic ash that currently have geothermal activity basically the walls are on fire from the geyser activity which has tinted them yellow and red the canyon is carved by the Yellowstone River which flows north from Yellowstone Lake and goes over the Upper Falls then takes another right and drops over the lower Falls.
The lower Falls of Yellowstone fall 300 Majestic feet into the canyon. The canyon can be seen from several different viewpoints. Artist Point provides the best straight view of the canyon with the falls in the background. A short but steep hike leads down to the brink of the lower Falls where we can get a good look at the water flowing off the edge with the awesome Canyon Beyond. It also showcases this park’s complex geologic history. Its multi-hued colours and dramatic shape result from the hydrothermally-altered volcanic rock and sediments. The Upper and Lower Falls add to the splendour of this unique natural landscape.
Waterfalls
Yellowstone National Park is also home to hundreds of other beautiful waterfalls. Some of the most scenic falls consist of Lewis Falls, Undine Falls, Gibbon Falls, and Tower Falls. All of these are easy to get to via a short walking trail but located in different corners of the park. You’ll witness several unique waterfalls given falls sprays out wide as it falls into Madison Valley, but my favourite is the Upper Falls of Yellowstone.
Here the Yellowstone River picks up steam as it flows South then it makes a hard right before roaring over the edge and producing a nice little Rainbow for us. This stunning seven is visible from various different places including directly across the waterfall as well as right next to it where you can really feel its power if you like waterfalls.
Norris Geyser Basin
Sitting to the west of Canyon Village, the Norris Geyser Basin is one of Yellowstone’s hottest, oldest, and most acidic hydrothermal areas. The Basin comprises two distinct sections. The Porcelain Basin is the most impressive one as it has no trees and offers a sensory experience in sound, colour, and smell. You can only access this section by boardwalk. In contrast, the Back Basin contains geysers and hot springs in a forest setting. You can find the tallest Geyser in the world here, which is the Steamboat Geyser.
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Overlooking Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin is one worth visiting thanks to its unique location and the road running from Norris Geyser Basin to Old Faithful also has a large concentration of them, including the Black Sand Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, and Biscuit Basin. You can’t leave Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley
Your trip to Yellowstone cannot be complete without visiting the breathtaking Lamar Valley. Located in the northeastern corner, this was our favourite place in the entire park. Often referred to as the American Serengeti, Lamar Valley is known for its wide-open landscape where you can easily spot populations of large animals. We encountered massive herds of bison, pronghorn, grizzly bears, deer, foxes, and even wolves. Many pullouts line the road so keep your eyes open, be patient, and park in the nearest one if you spot any wildlife. Our favourite encounter was seeing a black bear with her two cubs climbing a tree.
The Old West Cookout
Yellow Stage Coach is reminiscent of the early stagecoaches that carried tourists through the park and then headed out into Pelican Valley where Teddy Roosevelt once camped when he visited Yellowstone while president of the United States then enjoyed a steak dinner while enjoying cowboy songs Cowboy Coffee. When the hotel burned down and they built another one nearby did they name it after Roosevelt?
Dunraven Pass
The drive through Dunraven Pass was so serene. This is one of the drives where you’d stop to admire the view. The lush green grasslands beside the road and rocky mountains later on, it’s probably one the best drives I’ve had in a while. The best part about this drive is that through all the hectic schedules of the Yellowstone National Park, this makes your trip feel very calm.
Mt. Washburn
If you want to truly witness the surreal beauty of Yellowstone, you cannot escape hikes, at least not this one. This is also one of the most beautiful and popular hikes out here. Start a little early to escape the crowd and the scorching sun and the view you’ll get to witness is going to be stunning.
Making this list and figuring out which places to add for you from the gorgeous National Park in the USA is definitely a tough task but I hope this will help you in figuring out which places you should add to your bucket list in case you are in Yellowstone National Park.
