Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide

 
by Sevsa
 
  •   Yellowstone National Park
    by Sevsa
  •   Yellowstone National Park
    by Dymphna1
  •   Yellowstone National Park
    by neverstoptravel
  • Mother bison and about 1-2 month old baby bison
      Mother bison and about 1-2 month old...
    by Tom_In_Madison
  • Upper falls, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
      Upper falls, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
    by Tom_In_Madison
 

Pro

annk profile photo

  Unbelievable geothermal features, wildlife encounters, beautiful scenery 


Con

kazander profile photo

  Limited variety of food in the park and takes a LONG time to get out 


In a nutshell

Bwana_Brown profile photo

  One of the most amazing places I have visited. So many new natural wonders I had never seen before. 

 

Explore Yellowstone National Park

Things to Do  

Geysers/hot springs

Geysers/hot springs, Yellowstone National Park

 207 Reviews  Our last stop was lower Geyser Basin. My grandson went all around the Fountain Paint Pot trail with the guide and was able to see all five kinds of thermal features - bubbling mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles, and steam vents - and of course geysers. I sat at the beginning of the trail and people... 

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

 83 Reviews  The Lower Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs was our first stop of the day. We arrived early morning, just as the big tour groups were hurrying people back into the buses. It was a nice time to explore, it is a fairly large area with lots of boardwalks and stairs, it wasn't too hot out that it would... 

Old Faithful

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

 55 Reviews  There are many "one must thing to do" points of interest in Yellowstone National Park but the one that is truly faithful and it is surly old has to be the one and only "Old Faithful Geyser". This geyser is one of about 300 in the park, but you can be sure of when this one will erupt. After a short... 

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park

 80 Reviews  The Yellowstone Grand Canyon isn't the same as the other bigger one in Arizona, and the part that most people photograph are the falls, but they will have another review of their own. This Grand Canyon is a bit more comprehensible for a mere human. The river has eaten away at the rock and eroded its... 

Morning Glory Pool

Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park

 16 Reviews  The Morning Glory Pool is only 1.4 miles from the Old Faithful Visitors Center by way of a partial boardwalk partial paved path. Along the way you will pass many of Yellowstone?s notable geysers like Grotto Geyser and Castle Geyser. Morning Glory Pool is a hot spring and was named in the 1880's for... 

Tower Falls

Tower Falls, Yellowstone National Park

 22 Reviews  Seeing so many elk in one place (especially in the middle of the village) was a thrilling treat, but what waited for us on the way to Tower Falls just blew us away. The 24-mile drive takes you along the northern ranges of Yellowstone where you can see lots of geological forces, which helped shape... 

Wildlife

Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park

 94 Reviews  Welcome to VT. I've been traveling to both Yellowstone and GTNP since '92 - sometimes up to 3 times a year to photograph wildlife and enjoy the park. I'll answer some of your questions but would like to know how long you have to visit both parks? Q #1) I would def. go for September. Vacationers... 

Waterfalls

Waterfalls, Yellowstone National Park

 49 Reviews  After we checked into the hotel and had lunch, we drove down toward the Grand Teton National Park. We stopped at the Kepler Cascades and I went and took some photos while my grandmother waited in the car. I actually got to see them twice because we stopped here again on the Circle of Fire tour. It... 

Hotels  

Dunraven Lodge

 60 Opinions

Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Cabins

 7 Reviews and 373 Opinions  We stayed in the Snow Lodge (not cabins) for 3 nights at the end of our weeklong trip. My father,... 

Restaurants  

Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park

 11 Reviews  Built in 1897, this was the first store in the Old Faithful area. Adjacent to the Old Faithful Inn, this store’s unique burl wood highlights, original marble counter and fountain stools represent the National Park’s rustic tradition. On the day we arrived, I called for a dinner reservation, but... 

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Yellowstone National Park

 6 Reviews  Mammoth Hot Springs Dinning Room has great meals in an attractive dinning room. Located near the historic parade grounds of the Mammoth Area, we have never been disappointed with our meals here. The last time we ate lunch here, my husband had bratwurst boiled in beer, then grilled with apple... 

Transportation  

Driving

Driving, Yellowstone National Park

 17 Reviews  North Entrance - Near the gateway community of Gardiner, MT West Entrance - Adjacent to the town of West Yellowstone, MT South Entrance is Jackson, WY East Entrance is Cody, WY Please Check the Road Conditons before you travel Please! Map of Yellowstone 

Bus Tours

Bus Tours, Yellowstone National Park

 6 Reviews  This is a tour run by Xanterra who also run the hotels at the parks. It is not run by the NPS. This is a full day tour, and travels along the lower portion of Yellowstone's figure eight road system. The major sights include the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Canyon of the... 

Local Customs  

Fires

Fires, Yellowstone National Park

 3 Reviews  Since the great fires of 1988, the park has increased the number of animals living in it's confines. The fires opened the forest, allowed for new growth, created more 'edges', where wildlife can live and diversity can florish. The easiest place to see it is along the central road from Norris Geyser... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Wildlife

Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park

 47 Reviews  In every visitor's information packet three things are included a newspaper of current events, a map and of course a warning. It states that Buffalo can weigh 2000 lbs (900 kg) and that they can sprint at 30 miles per hour. In summation do not try their patience. Many visitors have been gored by... 

Driving

Driving, Yellowstone National Park

 14 Reviews  When driving around the park you will undoubtedly see animals. Two problems arise from that. First, many visitors will want to slam on their brakes and take a better look. You may be caught in a traffic jam of people that are just sitting in the middle of the road looking at wildlife. The other... 

Tourist Traps  

Old Faithful

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

 3 Reviews  Waited several hours to see Old Faithful.There are so many other beautiful things to see and do besides wait for it to go off.Once it did,It was not as impressive as I imagined and there are way too many people to make this an enjoyable experience. Go to the Old Faithful Inn and get a seat on the... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Grand Tetons

Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park

 4 Reviews  If you can, fit in a visit to this neighboring national park, even if it is just a day to drive the park road. From Yellowstone’s South Entrance, the road leads directly into Grand Teton National Park. This park offers spectacular mountain scenery of one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the... 

Nevada City

Nevada City, Yellowstone National Park

 7 Reviews  Had a great time peaking into the windows of these buildings.The rustic look of these buildings is so Montana.This area produced more than $30 million dollars in gold in the late 1800's.Some 35,000 people lived in this area at that time. 

Favorites  

Wildlife

Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park

 48 Reviews  Bison clean their hides by rolling in the dust. They often roll in the same location, over and over, killing off the grass in that area, causing a shallow, saucer like depression of dirt or sand. In the early spring, however, the moisture from the snow and early rains may have caused the grass to... 

Geysers/hot springs

Geysers/hot springs, Yellowstone National Park

 22 Reviews  I have a lot of memories of the trip we took in 1948. Yellowstone was one of the most outstanding of them, and one of the places that I liked best was Morning Glory pool. I did not see it in 2010 - it used to be right on the road, but now it requires more walking than I could do. My grandson went to... 

The Place

Plan a Yellowstone National Park vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Yellowstone National Park locals

Experience Yellowstone National Park
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The People

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Our Members Say
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 As we cruised the highways of Yellowstone, we came across many areas of forest that were full of dead trees – some still upright, others leaning and many down... 

1 member lives in Yellowstone National Park

 

Questions and Answers

scabbadoo profile photo

Q:  Dear forumites, My girl and I want to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone next year. Before we book our trip, we would like to... 

travelgourmet profile photo

A: I visited Yellowstone NP and the Grand Tetons. Went at the start of June and saw hundreds of Bison (Buffalo), and many Moose. Not as many visitors in early June. Check... 

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Top Yellowstone National Park Writers

1

Yellowstone National Park, My Neighbor

KimberlyAnn profile photo

 We have lived in the East Gate Community of Cody, Wyoming since 1976, so I have been to the park many times, yet I have never tired of its beauty and variety. Yellowstone is famous for its boiling hot... 

2

Incredible Yellowstone National Park

kazander profile photo

 Before I met my husband, I was not nearly as interested in hiking, camping or National/State parks in general. I always had an interest, but it was eclipsed by my need to discover other countries.... 

3

Yellowstone National Park was fantastic

Bwana_Brown profile photo

 After reading VT member Richiecdisc’s page on the adventures that he and D had experienced in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, my wife Sue and I decided it was high time that we too...... 

4

Yellowstone

Jim_Eliason profile photo

 Yellowstone is the crown jewel in America's National Park System. It has both one of the most active geothermal areas but also the continental US's largest collection of wildlife. 

5

Yellowstone National Park

GuthrieColin profile photo

 Yellowstone National Park was the one that started it all. On march 2, 1872 the US Congress made Yellowstone the first National Park in the world. Each year more than three million people visit the...... 

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Travel Editors for Yellowstone National Park

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