Makenna Yellowstone National Park holds the esteemed title of being America’s first national park, established by Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. And let me tell you, there truly is no place like it on Earth. Despite its immense fame, I must confess I was skeptical whether Yellowstone could truly live up to the hype. I’m happy to say that I was proven wrong, and Yellowstone certainly surpassed my expectations.
The park’s vast expanse encompasses an astonishing array of landscapes, geological wonders, and water features, all teeming with an abundance of wildlife. It’s the kind of place that defies expectations and leaves a mark on your soul. While it’s true that one could easily spend weeks exploring every nook and cranny of Yellowstone, our time was limited to just a couple of days. Allow me to share with you our adventures, including our accommodations, highlights, and the experiences that I believe are simply unmissable.
When We Visited
After extensive research on the best time of year to visit this vast National Park, we settled on arriving in early September, which proved to be a wise choice. We were there the week after Labor Day, which afforded less crowds, but still lovely temperatures. It was cool and crisp in the mornings and evenings, but by mid day it was pleasantly warm and sunny. Layers are the name of the game at this time of year! After we completed our stays at Yellowstone, we continued south to visit Grand Teton National Park. I highly recommend combining these two parks into one trip, if your time allows! Visit my blog post here to read all about it!
Where We Stayed
For our journey through Yellowstone, we opted for a North to South route, embarking on a clockwise exploration of the park. Interestingly, we didn’t spend two consecutive nights in one location until we reached Grand Teton National Park, which shows just how large this park truly is. I was very pleased with the convenience of each mini town within the park’s boundaries, which really helped to break up our trip and limit our time spent in the car. This allowed us more time to fully explore each location within Yellowstone.
Our adventure began upon landing at Bozeman airport, where we were greeted by the sprawling landscapes of Montana. Our first night was spent just outside the park in the charming town of Gardiner, MT. Nestled amidst picturesque mountains, Gardiner is graced by the peaceful waters of the Yellowstone River flowing through its heart. Positioned less than one mile north of the Northern Entrance, Gardiner provided us with an ideal starting point for our Yellowstone adventure.
Despite our early afternoon arrival, we wasted no time in immersing ourselves in the wonders of Yellowstone. The evening of our arrival, we ventured into the park to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs area. This sneak peek heightened our anticipation for the journey ahead, setting the stage for an unforgettable experience in America’s first national park.
After waking up on our first full day, we eagerly ventured further into the park to immerse ourselves in the natural wonders of the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Later that evening, we were slated to stay at the Mammoth Hot Springs cabins—a budget-friendly accommodation option in this region of the park. These quaint cabins, nestled at the base of a mountain, offer a cozy retreat equipped with essential amenities such as a bed, closet, sink, and electricity.
While the cabins lack modern conveniences like television and wifi, I found this added to the overall experience with the ability to disconnect to fully enjoy nature. These cabins are not outfitted with their own bathroom, so you may find yourself having flashbacks to college dorm days, where you had to carry your toiletries with you to the shared bathrooms. Our stroke of luck saw us assigned to a cabin conveniently located near the communal bathrooms, sparing us from lengthy nighttime excursions. A flashlight proved to be an invaluable tool for those midnight bathroom runs— you don’t want to find yourself face to face with a bison at 2am, that’s for sure!
On our third night, we opted for a change of pace and indulged in a stay at the Canyon Lodge, nestled within the Canyon Village area of Yellowstone. This marked the pinnacle of luxury during our trip, offering a hotel-style setting with modern amenities. This was the most expensive night of our journey through the park, but unlike the rustic charm of the cabins, our accommodations at the Canyon Lodge provided us with the comfort of our own private bathroom, a much-appreciated coffee maker, and access to wifi.
The convenience of wifi proved to be invaluable, especially considering we were also navigating the purchase of our new home while traveling through the remote wilderness of Montana. There were many a time where we were pulled off the side of the road, where we just had one bar of cell phone service, trying to upload the many documents required for a home loan. Not the way we envisioned, but the convenience of wifi at Canyon Lodge made this much easier!
Continuing our journey around the park, we concluded our stay within the park boundaries with a night at the Old Faithful Lodge cabins—a charming retreat reminiscent of our accommodations at the Mammoth Hot Springs cabins. Much like their counterparts, these cabins offered the same basic amenities and shared bathrooms, providing a rustic yet cozy atmosphere for our final night in Yellowstone.
Once again, luck was on our side as we found ourselves conveniently situated near the communal bathrooms, minimizing late-night excursions. Moreover, our cabin’s prime location next to a small stream lent to peaceful views outside our front door.
What We Did
Yellowstone National Park is truly awe-inspiring, spanning over 3,000 square miles—be prepared to spend a lot of time in the car! Yet, despite the considerable distances covered, the breathtaking scenery that unfolds before you at every turn ensures that time spend in the car is not wasted.
Allow me to guide you through our Yellowstone adventure, breaking it down by how we grouped sections of the park together, and what we did in each.
Roosevelt Arch
The Roosevelt Arch is an iconic landmark of Yellowstone National Park. Rather than me tell you about its history, watch this short video from the National Park Service. It is absolutely worth a stop and photo op at this towering landmark!
Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Geyser Basin
Our first evening in Montana, we spent a few hours exploring the Mammoth Hot Springs area. This area is teeming with geothermal features. Something about Yellowstone that I love most, is how accessible it is. All throughout the park there are boardwalks and ramps, that allow you to walk safely right over top of these breathtaking hydrothermal vents and pools, and the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park is no exception. We spent our first few hours walking through these boardwalks and visiting the many bubbling pools, cascading water, and experiencing the not so pleasant aroma of sulfur.
On the first full day of our trip we were able to delve further into the park and take the scenic drive down to the Norris Geyser Basin area. The highlight of this area of the park is without a doubt the extensive Norris Geyser Basin trails. These trails are a combination of boardwalks, paved and unpaved paths, that wind you through this landscape teeming with geysers, hydrothermal and geothermal features, and breathtaking colors. On our visit here, it was a misty and overcast day, which really added to the overall mistique of the basin. While looking over the landscape pictured below, I felt as if I were on another planet, listening to the steam erupting from steam vents, bubbling of mud pots, and just experiencing things I’ve never even dreamed of.
One of my favorite parts of Yellowstone was the beautifully vibrant colors brought on by a mixture of temperatures and thermophiles, a type of bacteria that thrive in high temperature environments. It was truly unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Lamar Valley
The morning of our second day was centered around wildlife. We had already been fortunate enough to see an elk herd right in the middle of the Mammoth Hot Springs Village area, and some bison along the road. This was just a tasting of what we were going to experience on this day. We woke up well before dawn so that we could drive east to Lamar Valley and arrive before sunrise. Wildlife is most active in the dawn and dusk hours, and we did not want to miss a thing! We packed up the car and headed east.
Now, if you’re not sure where the best places are to stop and look for the wildlife, just follow the guys with the scopes. We pulled off at a section with many cars and people setting up their equipment. Our little binoculars felt like a child’s toy next to these high powered viewing scopes! Thankfully everyone was very kind and let us look through their scopes to really be able to see the wildlife up close, and one kind gentleman, Eddie, even let me take a photo through the scope! Many hours were spent here viewing wildlife up and down the valley. Our luck continued here, as we were able to get to see a wolf pack on the hunt, many herds of bison, pronghorn antelope, and my personal favorite, a grizzly bear.
Canyon Village and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
After spending the morning watching wildlife in Lamar Valley, we headed south towards Canyon Village. I have many favorites from this trip, but the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone might just take the cake. It is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring natural wonders I have seen (yet!). Pictures truly cannot capture the vibrancy of the yellows, reds, and oranges spread throughout the canyon. It was one of the highlights of our trip, so much so that I insisted we go back that evening at sunset, and the next morning before continuing our travel south so that I could see it in all types of light.
There are two rims of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone that you can explore, the north and south rims. Along the south rim, you’ll find trails to view points of the Upper Falls, the famous Artist’s Point, and many other trails that spur off of this road. But don’t skip out on the north rim! This rim offers a completely different vantage point at which to view the canyon. Along this stretch of road, you’ll find the Brink of the Lower Falls trail, Lookout Point, Grand View, and Inspiration Point. We got a great tidbit from a park ranger, who suggested to drive the north rim road around sunset. Not only did this provide gorgeous colors and scenery, the north rim road is a one way road that can get very congested with traffic. Going around sunset, most of the park visitors were at dinner, and we practically had the view points to ourselves!
Canyon Village is another very accessible area of the park, with mostly paved walking trails that are just short walks from parking areas. If you are looking for a more adventurous and strenuous hike, I recommend a hike down the Brink of the Lower Falls trail. It is a short, but very steep hike and should not be taken lightly. The National Park Website does not recommend it for anyone with a heart, lung, or other health conditions. Another great option is the hike to Lookout Point, which offers another vantage point to view the falls.
West Thumb and Old Faithful
On our final full day within Yellowstone National Park, we woke up early to make the drive around the south loop towards the Old Faithful area of the park. This was one of the longer segments of the trip, at approximately 55 miles of driving. We broke up the drive with multiple scenic stops along the way, including stops at the Mud Volcano, Yellowstone Lake, and the West Thumb Geyser Basin.
Yellowstone Lake is a massive body of water situated within the park, and hosts an entire subsect of activities that you could partake in, such as boating and fishing. The crystal clear waters with mountains in the background was gorgeous. We, however, just enjoyed a stop along the way for a picnic lunch on the shoreside before continuing our journey.
The West Thumb geyser basin was absolutely the highlight of this section of the drive, and in my opinion, is one of the most underrated places within Yellowstone National Park. We actually almost didn’t stop, but not wanting to miss a thing, decided to take the time to get out and stroll the boardwalks around these features. It is situated right alongside the Yellowstone Lake, so as you are gazing into these hot pools, your eyes also get the pleasure of the gorgeous backdrop of the lake. There are many hotsprings and pools in this geyser basin, but my favorite has to be the Abyss Pool. The vibrancy of the color of the water is indescribable. Definitely make sure you add this stop to your itinerary!
Old Faitfhul
You cannot make a trip to Yellowstone National Park without seeing the iconic landmark of the Old Faithful Geyser. We spent the last afternoon and evening of our trip exploring this area of the park. And don’t let the markings on the map fool you, there are countless other geysers besides Old Faithful here as well! Old Faitfhul proved to be quite spectacular, shooting boiling water up over 180 feet into the air. What is great about Old Faithful, is that she is aptly named, because, well, she is faithful, erupting an average of every 92 minutes. There is a posted schedule throughout all the lodges and buildings here that will tell you the next eruption time, as well as predicted eruption times of the other nearby geysers. One thing to note about this area of the park, it was much more crowded than anywhere else in the park. We were shocked when we arrived, because for the most part, we felt like we had the park to ourselves! But this makes sense, because it is the most well known part of Yellowstone. Also while you’re here, make sure to take a peek inside the historic Old Faithful Inn. The building and architecture is absolutely beautiful!
Midway Geyser Basin
Our last stop of this section of the trip was up to see the Grand Prismatic Spring, another classic feature of Yellowstone National Park. Prior to our trip, I had read a tip that you want to go see this colorful thermal feature mid day for the best viewing. This is because of the steam that rises off of the spring. In the early morning or late evening hours, the temperatures are cooler, leading to more steam that obstructs the full beauty of the hot spring. So brave the crowds for this one, and visit in the middle of the day! The colors are out of this world beautfiful. Be sure to do the short hike up to the overlook for the best view!
Sample Itinerary
- Day 0:
- Arrive into Bozeman, Montana
- Drive to Gardiner, Montana
- Stop by Roosevelt Arch
- If time permits, enter Yellowstone National Park and explore Mammoth Hot Springs
- Either stay in Mammoth Hot Springs or Gardiner
- Day 1:
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Day 2
- Lamar Valley – don’t forget to arrive early for the best wildlife sighting opportunities!
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
- Day 3
- Lake Yellowstone
- West Thumb
- Old Faithful
- Midway Geyser Basin
- Day 4:
Budget
Below find a breakdown of travel costs associated with this trip:
- 1 night Travelodge Gardiner, MT: $185.86 (Utilized a credit card perk for $50 off, which decreased our total)
- 1 night Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Cabin: $141.49
- 1 night Canyon Lodge: $318.36
- 1 night Old Faitfhul Lodge Cabin: $165.45
- Rental car for 7 days: $364.93
- Note that we had the rental car for longer due to combining our trip with Grand Teton National Park
- Booked through Costco Travel
- Total cost for lodging and transportation: $1,176.09
I was able to utilize credit card points and miles to cover our flights for this trip, but more on that in another post!
All lodging within the park was booked through Yellowstone National Park Lodges.
Final Thoughts
Yellowstone National Park sits atop of a dormant volcano and is home to more geysers and hot springs than any other place on Earth. There are natural wonders around every turn at this truly unique national park. From sights like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Old Faithful Geyser, and Grand Prismatic Spring, you will not be disappointed in the vast diversity this park offers. Yellowstone is also home to America’s largest buffalo herd, wolves, grizzly bears, and countless other species. It is worthy of a place on anyone’s bucket list!
