Yellowstone National Park - A Journey of a Lifetime

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a 3,471sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. The national park spreads into Wyoming as well as some parts of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone National Park is famous for its geysers and hot springs. It is home to more than half of the world’s geysers. The Park has an incredible wildlife and an exceptional concentration of geothermal energy. The park is humongous and there is a lot to explore so bear in mind it might get a little overwhelming! That’s why you need to have a strategy if you are visiting just for a few days so that you can cover all the major spots because it is just magnificent!

We spent three days in Yellowstone and I put this itinerary together so that you guys can plan your trip accordingly and see a little bit of everything the park has to offer.  

Day 1: Arrival & exploring the local spots

To reduce drive time, I highly recommend Looking for a lodging near the West Entrance of the park. We stayed at Yellowstone Inn, a beautiful rustic log cabin setting which was 1 mile away from the West Yellowstone Entrance of the National Park. We got a great deal here and the proximity to the park was incomparable. We landed in Jackson Hole airport and reached our lodge at 4PM after driving for approximately 3 hours. There are different airports in Montana as well that you can choose however we chose Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming to land as it was a beautiful cozy airport with mountains in the background and the drive up to West Yellowstone through the park was memorable as well. Since it was quite late in the afternoon, we decided to explore the local shops in the town of West Yellowstone, MT.  The market was very lively with local vendors/gift shops providing a great variety of souvenirs & some amazing restaurants. Don't forget to try the crème brûlée from the local spanish restaurant Cafe Madriz. We just roamed around the market and called it a day as we had to get up early next morning.

Yellowstone National Park

Day 2: Hot springs & Geysers 

You have to be an early riser if you want to cover all the important spots to avoid traffic. We left at about 7AM to avoid traffic at the entrance because we were informed that the crowd begins to enter the park around 8-9AM. The entrance fee per vehicle is $25 and the pass is good for 7 days so make sure to hold onto the pass which you can use to enter the park multiple times throughout your stay. The exciting part of the journey is when you begin to loose cellphone network as you enter the park and your only source of navigation is a giant map which makes it more adventurous. The early long drive is breathtaking, so make sure you have your camera ready for pictures! If you enter from the west/north entrance, make sure to just follow the blue points on the map as shown below. The numbers I will be describing will be related to the map below. As we were staying at the west entrance, our first stop was the Norris Geyser Basin (2), which has the oldest and hottest thermal area in Yellowstone. This Geyser basin has two trails. We took the shorter trail to Porcelain basin because of the time constraints but got an impressive overlook. After that we drove up to Mammoth Hot springs (1). These travertine formations are the coolest looking thermal areas in the entire park. They look like small staircases with colors ranging from whites to different shades of yellow.

Map of Yellowstone highlighting key spots

Norris Geyser Basin

Mammoth Hot Springs

We then headed towards Tower-Roosevelt area (23) to see the Tower falls. Also, don’t forget to take the Blacktail Plateau drive (24) to scan for deer, elk, and other wildlife on this one-way scenic drive to Tower falls. After that, we headed towards Lamar valley (25) – home for bears, wolves, bison, pronghorn, and many more species. Don’t forget your binoculars to scan across the wide-open valley! 

Antelope at Blacktail Plateau Drive

Lamar Valley

From the scenic Lamar Valley drive, we headed back towards Canyon Village (21) for a short snack break. We then drove to our last spot for the day - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (20) for the impressive finale. This stunning canyon houses 109-foot Upper Falls and 308-foot Lower Falls. Do not miss Uncle Tom’s trail hike to the Lower falls! Once you reach the observatory point YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES! 

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Don’t forget to medicate your legs after the long day by soaking your legs in warm water!

Day 3: The Infamous spots

Get an early start (we were on the road at 6:30 am). We covered the northern part of Yellowstone on Day 2 and had to cover the central part of Yellowstone on Day 3 which has key tourist attractions. There was a lot to cover so don’t forget to pack your lunch beforehand since there are limited restaurants inside the park, most of which has a really long wait during peak travel season. After entering from the west entrance, we turned right and drove towards Lower Geyser Basin (5). It’s a small hike but do not miss the ~100 feet eruptions from the Fountain Geyser in the lower geyser basin. Next stop was the most awaited stop which was the Midway Geyser Basin (6) which has the famous Grand Prismatic Spring. It is the 3rd largest hot spring in the world. It is magnificent with colors ranging from teal blues to bright orange. And if you want some amazing pictures for your Instagram, you’ll need to drive towards Fairy Falls and hike up the hill opposite the parking lot for a good birds-eye view. The trail splits between Fairy Falls and the Grand Prismatic Spring view. The Fairy Falls trail is a longer trail but has an incredible waterfall view. I bet you will stop blinking looking at the view!  

Lower Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring

Next up was what I was most excited for: the Upper Geyser Basin (7). This basin has the world's most famous Old Faithful (8). This Geyser erupts every 60 to 110 minutes for approximately 2 to 5 minutes. The eruptions are predicted with a 90 percent confidence rate for this geyser and hence the name. The Upper Geyser Basin has about 150 geysers packed into one square mile. If you have some time, take a walk up the trail to see the geysers but do keep track of time and make sure you are back well before the show starts so that you can grab front-row seats and enjoy the splendid eruption of the old faithful!

Old Faithful

While you are there do not miss the beautiful and historic Old Faithful Inn. This place is a lodge however the real charm is in its wooden & classic architecture. One of the most sought after places to stay, this lodge comes with a hefty price tag of approximately $500/night during peak season and is sold out most of the time. Enjoy a coffee and some pastries on the comfortable outdoor deck near Old Faithful. We then drove to Grant village (11). When you have a tight schedule, I wouldn’t recommend spending too much time here. We just walked around the visitor center and ate our packed lunch gazing at the beautiful waters of the Yellowstone Lake (It was quite Romantic!).

Old Faithful Inn

We continued our journey just up the road a bit to stop at West Thumb (12). This is a fairly less visited spot, but you shouldn’t miss it; there are hydrothermal vents along the shore of the lake and it has an unbelievable view.  We then drove by Lake Village (14) & Fishing Bridge (15). On our way, we spotted a grizzly bear with her 3 cubs. Always be alert for some unexpected encounters when driving in the park.

West Thumb

Bear spotted en route

There is a mud volcano and a few acid fumaroles in Yellowstone that you don’t want to miss. Mud Volcano is right alongside West Thumb Geyser Basin. Just a little bit away from Mud Volcano is Sulphur Caldron, a must visit spot. This pool of acid is one of the most acidic pools in Yellowstone. The rotten egg smell of sulfur is evident in this area and the temperature of this pool goes up to 190°F. It is a few miles north of the Fishing Bridge. It was time to leave the park and we drove through Hayden Valley (18) just before sunset. Wildlife is best seen at dusk and Hayden valley is known for bison, grizzlies, coyotes, wolves, moose and osprey. As we drove through Hayden valley we spotted more wildlife. This concluded our journey and I have mentioned a few tips below based on our experience in Yellowstone.

Mud Volcano

Dragon's Mouth Spring

Sulphur Caldron

Hayden Valley

Bison at Hayden Valley

Some insider tips:

• Avoid driving late at night because animals are often spotted crossing the road and there is a high possibility of a collision.
• I would recommend renting/driving an SUV or a big car (we had a Chevy Suburban). This will help you drive around comfortably while navigating the rough road patches of Yellowstone. 
• If you see cars pulled over and crowd gathered, definitely look out for some animal wandering in the area.
• Be an early riser to avoid crowds and fighting for parking spots.
• Wildlife is best spotted during dusk and dawn.
• Wear hiking shoes to ensure you have a smooth grip when navigating through Yellowstone.
• Lastly, HAVE FUN because this trip is going to be one of the best trips you've ever experienced.