Yellowstone National Park Shopping

We bought this really neat sculpture and it is still one of my prized nick-nack:-) It's a scultpure of three howling wolves made from the vulcanic rock from Mount St. Helen, Wa. Do you believe that?....I got the biggest kick out of that because it found itself way over in Yellowstone Park Store in Wyoming. It's part of my southwest collection. This store caught my attention because of its beautiful architeture of the knotty pines logs used to decorate the structure.

It was built in 1897 as a photo studio for F. Jay Haynes and was located at one time in a different spot. They moved it a little closer to the crosswalk, which was nice and a great way to attract visitors. Its one of the oldest buildings in the Old Faith area.

Sept. 4 – Sept. 30: 8AM – 6PM
Oct. 1 – Nov. 4: 9AM – 5PM

Reopens mid-December for winter season

On one of our first days in Yellowstone, we were hit with some really miserable weather. Cold and rainy with pea sized hail, our sweaters were just not cutting it. We stopped over in Canyon Village for some lunch and to check the gift shop for some windbreakers or something. Luckliy, they have an entire Outdoor store at Canyon just across the parking lot from the resturant. They have brands like Columbia and NorthFace, and a small but pretty decent selection. When we were there they were having a sale , 30% off everything Columbia, or was it 20%.... I don't recall. EIther way, Lou and I both ended up with new jackets to keep us toasty. We used them almost every night after that.

What to buy: I was really focused on the coats, but they had other clothing and camping supplies as well.

What to pay: reasonably priced

Shops are located in the main developed areas. You will find five in the Old Faithful area, one in Bridge Bay, three in the Lake area, two in the Fishing Bridge area, three in Grant, two in Mammoth, three in the Tower Roosevelt area, and three in Canyon Village. Some of these are mainly gift shops where you can buy a little something for someone back home, a memento for yourself, jewelry, stuffed animals, toys, or a piece of clothing with various Yellowstone designs. A few shops also have some quality regional carvings and bronzes. Some shops are general stores and include a lunch counter, a small grocery section where you can purchase a few canned or boxed goods, some produce, and a few meats such as hot dogs. The general stores also have souvenirs, shirts, hats, some camping supplies, jewelry, and gifts. In most stores you can also purchase film, but be aware it is quite expensive. Come in oversupplied with film for your camera, and hope you don’t run out. We like the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop located inside the Historic Old Faithful Inn. Besides the gifts that you will find in all the other stores, this one has some fine Native American items such as drums, carvings, artifacts, and Indian made cultural items. Many of these are housed in a small room at one end of the shop. We often stop at the General Store near Fishing Bridge and purchase ice cream cones.

What to pay: Check the prices. Some things are very reasonable, but others are over priced, so shop wisely.

What to buy: This book contains over 300 waterfalls in Yellowstone. On main roads or in the Back country this book has information about it. Well written researched and organized. This is what waterfall books should be like. Each region is made separate and waterfalls are numbered for easy reference. The book also looks at historical discovery and naming of waterfalls which in some cases is very interesting.

What to pay: $25 or less

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This tip isn't to make suggestions as to what to buy in Yellowstone. It's more of a tip where to shop for souveniers. I think the Yellowstone General Store at Canyon Village is the neatest place to shop in the park. Not only do they have a large gift shop and grocery store, but I like what they've done with the interior. They turned it into a sort of 1950's Retro store, complete with a soda fountain lunch counter. I found it a refreshing change of pace from the standard T-Shirt gift shop that you encounter just about everywhere you go.