Yellowstone National Park
NOT FINISHED YET!!!
NOT FINISHED YET!!!
*All work including photos, videos and writing on this page is my own, except the tourism videos freely available on Youtube.
Yellowstone National Park is the world's very first National Park!! This spectacularly unique park was protected and became a National Park in 1872. A massive 2.2 million acres, bursting with wildlife such as deer, elk, black bears, grizzly bears, bison, wolves, coyotes, moose, bobcats, cougars, mountain goats, otters, bald eagles, marmots and cranes. Stay well away from wildlife at all times, never get closer to bison than can be covered by your thumb!
The park itself sits on the caldera of a supervolcano. If this was to fully erupt it would cover most of the US in ash and could potentially block the sun to the whole earth.
It is a high altitude resort with West Yellowstone at 6,666 feet and inside the park 8,000 feet. For this reason I did a road trip there stopping off at Misoula 3,200 feet on the way, rather than flying directly to that altitude, especially if you intend to do a lot of hiking. Take plenty of electrolytes such as coconut water or Gatorade. The most popular road trip is from Seattle in June or July.
As you will probably be visiting several National Parks it is cheaper to buy a pass that includes several parks. Don't forget Yellowstone is massive, covering several states!! You must spend a minimum of 4/5 nights there, preferably a week or more Plus a minimum of two weeks for the road trip. 3-4 weeks in total would be my recommendation, but you can do it in 2 weeks if that is your only opportunity.
When to go there
The most important advice I can give you is, as there is a short summer window to do this trip and it is extremely popular, hotels fill up fast and I recommend booking 8-11 months in advance to get affordable prices on flights and hotels. The park is only fully open to public vehicles June - September!! Road closures outside this window are highly likely due to snow. Here is a guide to what is open and when in Yellowstone.
Wildfires are possible in August and September, so June/July is when I would recommend. The roads around Yellowstone and down to the Grand Teton National Park do not fully open until the end of May, so don't plan to arrive in Yellowstone before the beginning of June. July and August are the peak months in the park with the best weather, but also the busiest time to go. You do have longer days though in June so going to the peak attractions after 4pm is advised in June, July and August. In June you would need to be careful as bears will have cubs with them and you must stay well away from them or they will attack you. Bison are dangerous all year long, so always keep your distance from them. Bear spray is compulsory, but use it responsibly, only if your life is in danger and make sure you know the wind direction to avoid spraying yourselves. The waterfalls are at their best in June and after a heavy rain storm. The main loop roads through the park often close again in November and sometimes October can see road closures.
The average temperature in May is around 12c and the wettest month of the summer season.
June 17c
July 23c
August 22C
September 17c
It is cold at night though any time of year, so take a warm jacket with you. Gardiner is slightly warmer than West Yellowstone by a few degrees. West Yellowstone can go below zero at night even in June.
Where to stay in Yellowstone
Firstly the two main entrance towns to stay in are Gardiner by the north entrance and West Yellowstone by the West entrance. People often ask which one should I chose? Well don't chose, do both. Staying in Gardiner for 2 or more nights gives you time to see the northern loop of this massive park as well as Lamar valley, Chico hot springs etc, which would be a long way from West Yellowstone. Then spend at least a couple of nights in West Yellowstone to be close to the Southern Loop of the park, the most popular area.
You can camp, (All camp sites are not fully open until July), park your RV in designated areas or choose a hotel. We booked hotels in both towns. There isn't a great deal of choice, most are holiday Inn type of hotels, motels, lodges etc. You really need to book these as early as possible as millions of people visit Yellowstone in the summer and accommodation is very limited and can become very expensive when they start to sell out.
The main disadvantage of staying in the park is you are limited to the food in the hotels which is expensive. Maybe a self catering option in the park would be better and stock up on food from outside the park. The biggest advantage though is you don't have to queue at the park entrances more than once. We decided to stay in Gardiner for a couple of days to see the North Loop and then West Yellowstone to see the South Loop rather than staying at more expensive properties inside the park with limited catering options. (Just American food.)
You can fly to West Yellowstone or my advice would be to take a road trip to get there.
Here are some popular accommodation options in each place:
Gardiner:
Dreamcatcher Tipi Hotel
Yellowstone Village Inn
Yellowstone Riverside Cottages
Yellowstone Basin Inn (We are staying here, I will let you know what it's like!)
The Roosevelt Hotel
Yellowstone Gateway Inn
Park Hotel
Inside the Park:
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel for North Loop
Moran Lodge For both north and South Loops
Canyon Lodge and Cabins For both north and south Loops
Old Faithful Inn For South Loop
Old Faithful Snow lodge, for South Loop
Old Faithful Lodge, For South Loop
Lake lodge cabins For South Loop
Lake Yellowstone Hotel For South Loop
Lewis Lake Campground For South Loop
Fishing Bridge RV park For South Loop
West Yellowstone:
Kelly Inn
Explorer Cabins
Lazy G Motel
Best Western Weston Inn
Gray Wolf Inn and Suites ( We are staying here.)
Under canvas
Clubhouse inn
Best Western Desert Inn
Yellowstone Park Hotel
Crosswinds Inn
Yellowstone West Gate Hotel
Holiday Inn
The adventure Inn
Brandin' Iron Inn
Bar N Ranch
From Gardiner drive around the northern loop of Yellowstone National Park, making sure you view these places as a minimum.
Mammoth Hot Springs (The main attraction here!),
Norris Geyser Basin,
Gibbon Falls,
Washburn hot Springs overlook, Mount Washburn ,
Tower Fall
and any of the hikes listed further down this page.
Then also visit Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley which are the best places to see the Bison. Keep your distance as they are very dangerous animals and tourists are killed every year by them, due to getting too close. If you have time you can also visit Chico Hot Springs.
Then drive to West Yellowstone, Montana and spend at least a couple of nights here at the West Entrance to see the South Loop of Yellowstone Park.
There are several petrol stations within Yellowstone Park as well as Canyon Village, so don't worry about running out of fuel or drinks/snacks/lunch and they are handy for toilet stops, but there can be traffic jams in the summer, often caused by wildlife on the road, so I would advise you to keep some drinks and snacks in the car at all times., but well away from bears.
From here you should drive around the South Loop, which is the most popular part of the park and here are the must see places, but there are many, many more places to see and hike here:
Grand Prismatic Spring (The main attraction here! Take the Fairy Falls short hike here for the best view.),
Old Faithful, (Don't miss the hikes to Kepler cascades, Biscuit Basin and Mystic falls!)
Thumb Geyser,
Yellowstone Lake,
upper falls,
lower falls
Beryl Spring
Caldera rim.
As well as any hikes listed further down the page. The drive times are approximate, as wildlife on the roads can cause major delays, but that is what you are here for so be flexible and enjoy the views of the Park and it's wildlife.
Best Hikes in Yellowstone National Park
Artist Point.
Fairy Falls
Upper Geyser Basin
Grand Pirismatic
West Thumb
Midway Geyser Basin trail. This is an easy one.
Upper,Lower and Crystal Falls
Dunraven to mount Washburn
Trout Lake Trail
Osprey Falls Trail
Avalanche Peak Trail
Fairy Falls
Upper Geyser Basin
Grand Pirismatic
West Thumb
Midway Geyser Basin trail. This is an easy one.
Upper,Lower and Crystal Falls
Dunraven to mount Washburn
Trout Lake Trail
Osprey Falls Trail
Avalanche Peak Trail
Food options inside the park
Mammoth General Store - Fast Food
Roosevelt Lodge Dining Room - American
Old Faithful General Store - American
Mammoth Hotel - American
Lake Yellowstone Hotel - American
Obsidian - American
Canyon Village General Store - American
Fishing Bridge General Store - American
Bear Pit Lounge - American
Old Faithful Inn - American fast food
Lake Hotel Deli - American Deli
Canyon Soda Fountain - American
Old Faithful Lodge - Cafe
Lake General Store - Cafe
Wylie's Canteen - American Cafe
Grant Village - American
Tower General Store - American
Grant Village Lake House - American
Canyon Lodge - Italian/American
Roosevelt Lodge Dining Room - American
Old Faithful General Store - American
Mammoth Hotel - American
Lake Yellowstone Hotel - American
Obsidian - American
Canyon Village General Store - American
Fishing Bridge General Store - American
Bear Pit Lounge - American
Old Faithful Inn - American fast food
Lake Hotel Deli - American Deli
Canyon Soda Fountain - American
Old Faithful Lodge - Cafe
Lake General Store - Cafe
Wylie's Canteen - American Cafe
Grant Village - American
Tower General Store - American
Grant Village Lake House - American
Canyon Lodge - Italian/American
When you have seen everything you wish to see in Yellowstone, then head to nearby Grand Teton National Park and stay at Jackson, Wyoming. It's just 31 miles from Yellowstone and well worth a visit or just a drive through it. This road does not open for the summer until the last week of May most years.