Both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks have been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. This year, my family decided to explore domestically and with COVID, we thought this would be a safer option!
Yellowstone National Park
Things to See & Do
Fountain Flat Road
This is a road off of Grand Loop Road close to the West Entrance that allows people a better view of wildlife. We were lucky because there was a large herd of bison grazing close to the road when we arrived. This allowed me to get some great up close picture!
Lower Geyser Basin
Lower Geyser Basin includes fountain paint pots, celestine pool, clepsydra geyser, and fountain geyser. In total, starting and ending at the car, it was a 0.7-mile walk.
Midway Geyser Basin
Midway Geyser Basin includes excelsior geyser crater, grand prismatic spring, opal pool, and turquoise pool. It was about a 0.8-mile walk from start to finish, walking along a boardwalk.
Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful geyser erupted right before we got there so we had to wait about another 90 minutes for it to erupt again. There are “estimated” times the geyser will go off, however they’re usually off by 10-15 minutes. The estimated time was 2:22pm for us but the geyser actually went off about 15 minutes later! Watching Old Faithful go off was cool and certainly a once in a lifetime experience – but it was not the most interesting thing I saw in Yellowstone! The lines for the general store and café were very long (looked to be about a 20–30-minute wait to get into the general store) so we did not get to look inside. We all wanted some Yellowstone/Grand Teton apparel (which we later found tons of in Jackson Hole).
Yellowstone Lake
We decided to stop quickly at Yellowstone Lake. Originally our plan was to rent kayaks and kayak a little. It was our last stop of the day and by then we were all tired and hungry so we did not end up doing it. If you have the time I would recommend because it looked beautiful!
Gibbons Falls
There were no major markings of Gibbons Falls, we found it because of the large crowd. There was a small pull-off on the side of the cliff where we parked and walked over. This was the first time we got to see a waterfall on the trip!
Mammoth Hot Springs
The Mammoth Hot Springs were very cool and were a change of pace from the all the geysers. There were multiple places along the road to park, get out, and take pictures! We stopped briefly a few times and then headed onto our next stop. It was not my favorite place – to me I wouldn’t put it on my list for must-sees but if it is convenient to stop there, I would say go for it!
Blacktail Plateau Drive
This is a one way road off Grand Loop Road to see wildlife. I was super excited for this, but unfortunately it was closed. We asked a park ranger why and she said it was because of the winter damage the road had suffered. This was the case with a few other parts of Yellowstone – including part of Grand Loop Road that connects Canyon Village and Tower-Roosevelt and Uncle Tom’s Trail at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was truly one of a kind. My family and I spent a few hours here because there were so many trials all with different views to do! It was easily one of my favorite parts of the trip!
It was clear that many people arrived in Saturday and therefore on Sunday the park would be extra crowded today. We got to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone at about 10:00-10:30 and it was already somewhat busy. There were plenty of trails which allowed us to spread out and get some pictures without people in the way!
I would recommend hiking shoes/comfortable shoes for this as it was a lot of walking and a lot of loose dust that got all over our shoes!
North Rim Road
Off of Grand Park Loop, we took North Rim Road first and parked close to the beginning of the road. We started by going down to the Lower Falls. I couldn’t find the name of the trail on All-Trails but it brings you down to lower falls and offers a beautiful up close view.
Next we took the North Rim Trail all the way to Canyon Lookout Point and Red Rock Point. Each gave a different, beautiful perspective of the Upper Falls and Lower Falls. Red Rock Point is a bit of a walk (my brother and I went down but it was too steep for my parents) – I think its worth the walk if it’s something you’re able to do! If not Canyon Lookout Point is another awesome option.
South Rim Road
After following Grand Loop Road for less than a mile, we crossed the bridge and turned onto South Rim Road. This allowed us to view the canyon and falls from the other side!
Hayden Valley
Similar to Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley is a chance to spot some wildlife. This can include bison, bear, elk, and more. We were able to see all three animals! There is a lot of traffic around here as people will stop and take pictures or pull over and get out of their cars! Often times bison and bear will cross the road which can cause traffic as well.
Bunsen Peak
I wanted to do a hike that was challenging but not incredibly difficult and one that would not take up too much of the day. I decided to do Bunsen Peak, which is one of the most common hikes in Yellowstone, and I was not disappointed. The hike is about 2 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs so we did it before venturing to the Hot Springs. It was about 4.4 miles with an approximate 1,200 foot elevation gain. It was about 8,600 feet high, but we started at about 6,400 feet in elevation.
My brother, dad, and I did the hike. Until this hike, the higher altitude had not bothered us. The higher we went the thinner the air was and therefore the harder it was to breathe. It took us about 2 hours and 51 minutes in total and the average time was 2 hours and 45 minutes. The views throughout the hike were incredible. I would highly recommend the hike! I would recommend wearing hiking shoes with good traction as for the majority of the hike there is about a foot between you and a sheer edge. There is also some loose rock scramble towards the top in a few spots.
Places to Eat
The Slippery Otter
Located in West Yellowstone, outside the West Entrance of the park, is a small town that has a decent selection of restaurants. We stumbled upon the Slippery Otter driving back after our first full day in Yellowstone. They had a large and diverse menu as well as a good drink menu.
The Buffalo Bar
After the third night we wanted to switch things up from the Slippery Otter. The Buffalo Bar had also got good reviews on Yelp so we decided to go there! It was also located in West Yellowstone!
My Tips
- Bring a lunch and snacks inside the park. There are few places to eat in Yellowstone and all were packed. It is easy to eat anywhere and there are many places to stop and eat along the way throughout Yellowstone! I would highly suggest this and throwing it in a cooler with some ice to keep it cool because it’s very easy and practical!
- Wear hiking boots rather than sneakers (or invest in some sneakers with good traction). There are many hikes where good traction is needed to not slip!
- Bring bear spray and know how to use it! For the most part, trails are pretty crowded, but on less crowded trails it is good to have because there is a high number of bears in the park.
- Get there early in the morning to beat the crowds! We left our cabin at 8:30am every morning and were about an hour away from the park. The park was clearly busier on Sunday but significantly less busy on Friday and Saturday.
- Bring plenty of water and sunscreen as it can get hot!
- Overall, I thought three full days in Yellowstone were the perfect amount to see everything!
- There is no service in the park! If possible, bring a GPS to help navigate (this is what we did and it was very helpful).
Em's Blog 