Are you planning a Yellowstone National Park vacation? If so, first, we are so excited for you! Yellowstone is one of our favorite National Parks. It is a vast park on such a huge expanse of land and its filled with so many unique things to do. But before you get planning your Yellowstone vacation, read our article below filled with our favorite things to do, Yellowstone itinerary suggestions, a packing list and all of our best advice for planning your trip to Yellowstone.
Fun Facts About Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is soooooo large. So large it extends into 3 states: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It covers over 3 million square miles of land. This beautiful land encompasses the Yellowstone caldera, the largest super volcano in North America. This dormant volcano is what gives Yellowstone its unique geological features like geysers and hot springs.
Yellowstone is home to more than half of the world’s geysers. So if you are into geysers, there is no better place to go than on a Yellowstone vacation. But be careful. Geysers are delicate ecosystems and are dangerous to humans. So follow the trails, stay on any boardwalks and make sure not to drop any belongings into the geysers.
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park, established in 1972. It is one of the most visited National Parks in the US with over 3 million visitors each year. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We think it is one of the best National Parks to visit as it allows you to see so many different types of things. There are geysers, waterfalls, mountains, canyons, animals, and more.
Top Things To Do
A Note On Wildlife Spotting
One of the best things to do in Yellowstone is spot wildlife. You may have heard of the Yellowstone Big Five. The five species people are always on the lookout for are moose, elk, wolf, bison, and bear. So if you’re anything like us, you want to see them all!
If you go to Yellowstone and don’t spot a bison, you may not have been in Yellowstone. They are everywhere and get to be just an average animal by the end of your Yellowstone vacation. However, some of the other animals, like wolf and bear, are harder to spot. The best times to spot wildlife in Yellowstone are early in the morning and just before evening. So if you can plan your day so that you are in the best wildlife spotting areas at these times, you’ll increase your chances of spotting the rare animals.
The Lamar Valley was by far, our best place for spotting wildlife. Hayden Valley is also supposed to be a great spot but we didn’t have great luck there. But really, you may see wildlife anywhere. So keep your binoculars in your pack so you can animal spot at any time. Also, keep on a lookout for traffic jams. These are some of the best indicators of a rare animal. Just don’t contribute to the traffic jam – find a spot to park and get off the road to look for wildlife.
When to Visit Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is beautiful year round. And you could plan your Yellowstone vacation at any time of year. However there are some things to know before you decide when to visit Yellowstone.
Winter
First, winter is cold and snowy in Yellowstone. Also, a large portion of the park completely closes in the winter, including several roads. For this reason, we’d would strongly recommend not visiting Yellowstone in the winter for your first Yellowstone vacation. However, if you are excited about winter activities like snowshoeing or snowmobiling, winter in Yellowstone is beautiful.
Summer
Next, summer is beautiful in Yellowstone. You’ll see flowers blooming, baby animals (in early summer) and have wonderful weather. However, you probably don’t want to visit in summer if you have the option of visiting in the spring or fall. You may have heard horror stories from fellow travelers’ Yellowstone National Park vacations. We’ve heard them. People tell tales of seeing no wildlife, crowds worse than Disney, and traffic jams to rival LA. And all of this is, unfortunately, true. So moral of the story is summer is beautiful and crowded. If that’s something you can live with, travel in the summer but be prepared to fit fewer things into your days due to the traffic.
Spring and Fall
And now that we’ve explored the mama and papa bear options in our Yellowstone Goldilocks story, let’s find our perfect fit baby bear option. And that option is the fall. The spring is also nice. But we prefer the fall because of the animal activity. This is elk mating season, which is pretty cool. Bears are also super active during this time of year. And who doesn’t love experiencing a good fall color change on you amazing Yellowstone vacation.
A Note on Crowds
First, just accept that when you visit Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful, they’ll be a lot of other people. You can mitigate this by visiting popular places in the early morning and late in the day. The park is busiest between 11 AM and 4 PM. We recommend getting in and out of the Upper Geyser Basin, where Old Faithful is, before 11!!! Best advice we can give you 😉
However, some places really are best seen midday. These are the hot springs. If you visit a hot spring early in the morning [pictured below] or late at night, you’ll see way more steam as the hot water comes in contact with the cool air. So you’re best shot at seeing the colors of hot springs are mid-day. However, you’ll also see huge crowds. So balance out which is more important to you when planning when to visit hot springs.
Getting There and Around
Yellowstone National Park is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming. It’s in a very rural area and airfare directly to the nearby regional airports can be very expensive. The Yellowstone Airport and the Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody are the closest airports to the park. However, you may want to look at international airports farther away to lower cost and increase flight availability. Common airports for visiting Yellowstone are the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (1.5 hours drive time) and the Salt Lake City International Airport (5 hours drive, through Grand Teton).
Lots of people also drive to Yellowstone. This really depends on where you’re driving from. However, you should know that you will NEED a vehicle to visit Yellowstone. So factor in cost and connivence of driving to Yellowstone vs. buying a flight and rental car and choose what works best for you. If you choose to drive to Yellowstone, consider adding on other destinations to your Yellowstone road trip.
Popular nearby destinations to add to your Yellowstone road tip are:
- Grand Teton National Park: 17 miles, .5 hour
- Jackson, Wyoming: 68 miles, 1.5 hours
- Cody, Wyoming: 52 miles, 1 hour
- Glacier National Park: 407 miles, 6.5 hours
- Devils Tower National Monument: 350 miles, 6 hours
- Mount Rushmore National Monument: 423 miles, 7.5 hours
Driving In Yellowstone
However you arrive, you’ll enter Yellowstone via one of five entrance stations. These entrance stations are located all around the park but keep in mind that they are far apart. So when you’re planning your own Yellowstone itinerary, make sure to keep in mind where you’ll be entering and exiting the park so that you can plan your activities according to the route you’ll be driving.
Also, remember that most roads close from November to mid-April or mid-May except the northern road between Gardiner and Cooke City. If you’re planning to visit Yellowstone in the winter, consider doing it via a guided tour.
As you’re driving around Yellowstone, remember that even in slow seasons, you’ll run into traffic jams. This is because the bison really like to use the roads too. So if you run into a traffic jam, expect to see animals as you clear it. However, don’t add to the commotion and cause further delays. If you want to stop and see the animals, find a place to park that is completely off the road and walk to a good viewing area.
What to Budget for your Yellowstone Vacation
Yellowstone can be a very affordable vacation destination if you’re willing to camp and picnic. A Yellowstone vacation can also be incredibly expensive if you plan on staying in high end lodging and eating out for each meal.
The one thing everyone will need is a parks pass. A 7 day pass to Yellowstone National Park will cost $35/vehicle. If you’re planning to visit other National Parks within one year of visiting Yellowstone, consider getting an American the Beautiful Annual National Parks pass for $80/vehicle.
Places to Stay in Yellowstone
Staying in the park is definitely preferable. But it comes with a cost. You’ll pay far more to stay in the park than you would to stay in the surrounding towns but you’ll avoid having to wait in the never ending entry lines each morning. The lines to get in the park are always there but if you don’t think you can make it into the park before 8-9AM each morning, pay the extra money and stay in the park. It will save you tons of time.
There are three centrally located places to stay in the park that we’d recommend based on location. Norris and Madison both have campsite available. And Canyon Village has both camping and lodge accommodations.
Camping in the park costs an average of $30/night.
Additionally, you can stay in the park in one of the very cool lodges. However, you’ll pay a premium for it. Old Faithful Inn is considered by some as a top thing do to in Yellowstone so you may want to consider staying there. However, we think the location isn’t the best so we didn’t decide to splurge to stay here. Lodges in the park cost between $114-$306/night.
If you’re a morning person, you could stay outside of the park to save some money. West Yellowstone and Gardiner are the best places to stay as they’re closest to entrance gates. We stayed our first night at the budget friendly Super 8 in Gardiner and it was a surprisingly amazing stay with some of the best hotel staff we’ve encountered. Hotels in West Yellowstone or Gardiner will cost you an average of $230/night.
Wherever you choose to stay, make sure to book your accommodations early – 6 or more months early. Places in and around Yellowstone book up quickly!
Dining in Yellowstone
Some of the best advice we can give you is to pack a picnic! You can visit grocery stores in Gardiner or West Yellowstone before entering the park. There are also markets within Yellowstone where you can pick up food, but the selection is limited. So grab yourself some picnic food as you enter the park and eat lunch every day from your picnic supplies. We ate PB&J every day when in Yellowstone.
Picnics will help to save you so much time so that you can enjoy your Yellowstone vacation. Here’s why. First, they’ll save you money. Food in the park is fine, but it’s overpriced for what you are getting. Second, and most importantly, you won’t have to worry about being near one of the 6 areas with a restaurant in the park when you get hungry. This is important. You’ll waste so much time traveling to get food around food eating times and you’ll miss out on enjoying the things the park has to offer.
If you want to enjoy eating out on your vacation, treat yourself to some nice dinners either outside of the park or at the park lodges. However, know that if you visit before June 1 or after September 30, dining options in Gardiner and West Yellowstone go down dramatically. We camped, so we had delicious bonfire food each night that we brought into the park and stored in bear safe canisters.
What to Pack for Your Yellowstone Vacation
You’ll want to spot some wildlife during your Yellowstone vacation. So make sure to pack a good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope so that you can get good views of the wildlife. You’re hopefully not going to see a bear or a wolf up close, but with binocs you’ll be able to enjoy watching them prance about from afar.
Make sure to bring a reusable water bottle to use in the park. You won’t find many place to buy water, but you’ll find water fill stations throughout the park. We love bringing our hydration packs so we can carry our water on our backs along with all of our hiking gear.
Yellowstone is at a high elevation and as such, the sun can be strong. Make sure you pack sunscreen, sunglass and a hat even in colder weather.
And lastly, don’t forget to pack your camera. You’ll get some great pictures here so make sure to have it ready at all times. If you’re working with a DSLR, which we recommend, make sure to bring a good zoom lens with you to spot the wildlife.
Clothes to Pack for Your Yellowstone Vacation
You’ll want to wear layers in Yellowstone. Being in the mountains, you’ll often find that the temperatures swing between extremes. So you’ll find chilly temperatures in the morning and warm temperatures during the day, so make sure to pack layered clothing.
Next, make sure to pack a good pair of walking shoes. Even if you aren’t doing any hiking, you’ll still do a lot of walking so make sure your feet are comfortable. Also, lots of trails are muddy or dirty so make sure you aren’t wearing any shoes that you intend on keeping clean.
Safety in the Park
Cell Service in the Park is spotty at best. Make sure to grab a paper map at the entrance gate so that you can navigate when you’re in the park. Also, make sure that you tell someone where you’re going each day if you’re hiking. As you won’t have cell service, it’s a good idea that someone knows where to go looking for you if you get lost.
All National Parks tell you to stay on the path. This helps protect the beautiful ecosystems you’re exploring. However, during your Yellowstone National Park vacation this is even more important. Straying from the paths here could result in death if you fall through the delicate ground and into a hot spring.
Yellowstone National Park staff is very concerned about your safety when it comes to the wildlife, particularly the bears. You need to give wildlife the proper amount of space or you may find that the wildlife will attack you. The park recommends staying 100 yards fro bear and wolves and 25 yards from everything else.
The park also has a large population of bears. This popular really likes to eat people food and anything that smells nice. So make sure to pack your food in bear safe canisters if you are camping. Don’t throw food away anywhere other than where directed or you’re teaching bears to come into people-areas. When you are hiking, make sure to hike in a group and make lots of noise as you hike. You don’t want to sneak up on a bear. If you do, you may want to have bear spray with you to scare them off.
We hope this post has helped you to plan your own Yellowstone vacation. We hope you enjoy the park as much as we did. It truly is one of the best vacations we’ve been on! If you have any questions about Yellowstone or comments to add, please leave them below.
Such a great review and commentary on visiting Yellowstone! I just visited for my first time last month and I wish I read your post prior to my trip! It would’ve helped me alot. Thank you for this.
I hope you still had a great trip to Yellowstone! It really is one of our favorite places.
Super informative post, I enjoyed reading this! I’d love to visit this park in the future and will need all the info I can get my hands on.
Yes! Yellowstone is definitely a place that you need to plan ahead for. I feel like I hear such negative reviews of it from people who don’t adequately plan out their trip.