Yellowstone National Park is America’s first national park. Established in the year 1872 it is one of the best national parks in the USA. The park is home to a variety of mammals like grizzly bears, wolves, and bison. A variety of species of birds too; call it their home. The park offers more than 1000 miles of backcountry trails for hiking. You have the option to camp at various camping sites. Well, the park has something to offer for everyone out there. So read along. This is our visit to the Yellowstone National Park.
Travel to Yellowstone
We booked our flights to Salt Lake City as it was cheaper and we had rewards points for Southwest Airlines. SLC to Yellowstone park is a 6-hour drive. We picked the rental car from Avis. On the way to Yellowstone, we picked up grocery, snacks, fruits, bread, juice and few other items.
Other nearby airports are West Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Bozeman, Billings, Cody, and Idaho Falls. If you book well in advance you may find cheaper rates to these airports (depending on your home airport).
Accommodation
We stayed at Canyon Lodge and Cabins and Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins during our visit. If you are interested in camping then head over to the Camping Sites Page. You will need a permit to camp overnight at the park. There is no WiFi available in rooms. There is paid WiFi service available at the business center.
Try to find accomodation inside the park. This saves a lot of travel time. You can camp at designated camping sites or look for lodges, hotels or cabins inside the park. Keep checking the websites every day. There may be cancellations and you may find accomodation inside the park.
First Taste of Yellowstone
We got out first taste of this majestic park when we reached the Mammoth Hot Springs. You will see the Tavertine terraces and Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. Tavertine is a rock made of calcium carbonate. You will also notice colorful stripes on the terraces. These colorful stripes are formed by Thermophiles or heat-loving organisms.
We reached the Mammoth Hot spring in the evening. And I recommend being there at either in the morning or in the evening. The sun’s rays falling on the Terraces make it even more attractive. You can walk on the boardwalks to explore the area. Consider spending around 1 hour if you want to explore the area at a leisurely pace.
Make sure to stay on the boardwalks as the ground may be loose and unstable.
I was the designated cameraman. So Binnie and our friend Mangat had a lot of fun posing for all kinds of pictures. And I loved capturing those moments as well.
The Falls.The Valley.The Drive
We had our breakfast and then head out for exploring more of the park. Our first stop was at Lower Falls. Plan to hike the trail to the brink of the lower falls. If you get there early there won’t be any rush and you can spend a fair amount of time enjoying the falls. It is a fairly easy hike and will take you around 30 – 45 mins round trip. Lower falls is one of our favorite spots in Yellowstone national park. The Lower Falls is near to Canyon Village and that is why chose to stay at the Canyon Village cabins.
Our second stop was at Artist Point. Parking is limited here so get there early. You can view the Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from the Artist Point lookout. The canyon walls are yellow, orange and pink in colors. And it is even more pretty when the sun rays fall on the canyon walls. This point has been an inspiration for many a painters, artists, and photographers. It is a must visit vista point while visiting Yellowstone.
After fulfilling the desire for the breathtaking beauty of the Falls and the Canyons, it was time to head to Lamar Valley. This is one of the most famous drives in the park. You will spot wildlife in Lamar Valley. It is better to drive during the evening or twilight, or early morning. We were able to see bison, deer, beavers and few avian species as well. There are numerous viewpoints in Lamar Valley and you are sure to encounter wildlife somewhere in Lamar Valley.
Slough creek in Lamar Valley is a great spot to watch wild life. Stop at Yellow Stone river and Lamar river bridges as well. Twilight or early morning is the best time to spot wild life.
Next, was one of the best scenic drives ever in US; the Bear Tooth Highway. It is a beautiful drive from Yellowstone to Billings. The road gets pretty narrow and is closed during winter. So check the road conditions before the drive. The high way passes through the Soshone National Forest. Once you get to the summit make sure to park at the viewpoint. You will be able to capture the breathtaking beauty of the winding roads, lakes and the mountains. It is beyond words and we highly recommend driving this highway.
Bear tooth lake is absolutely gorgeous. You can indulge in camping, fishing, and boating. The bear tooth butte is visible from the lake and you can get some really good photographs of the lake and the butte in the horizon.
The Hike. The Valley. The Volcanoes
Hiking the Mount Washburn? Oh yeah, we are up for it. This was our reaction when we planned for this hike. We had planned to start early, but as always we indulged in some really good breakfast. So by the time we got to the trailhead there was no parking available. We had to park further ahead of the road; at a viewpoint and then walk back to the trailhead.
Mount Washburn is a famous hike in Yellowstone. So finding a parking spot is going to be tough. Get there early in the morning. Carry enough water.
The trail is 3 miles in length and is not very steep and it will take you 4 – 5 hours for the round trip. The trail is beautiful and you may encounter wildlife as well. We were lucky to spot mountain goats. There was a rumor about a bear being sighted, however, we were not lucky enough to spot him. There is a ranger residence, restroom, observation deck and look out area at the summit. We spend 1 hour at the summit. The weather was gorgeous and the view from the summit was absolutely gorgeous. Words can only describe so much!!
We head to Hayden Valley after lunch. We were excited after being at the Mount Washburn summit. However, we felt even more awestruck while we were driving through Hayden Valley. It is amazingly beautiful. The rivers, the valley, the tree line, the sunset and the wildlife; everything made it look so much more beautiful. It was as if Mother Nature decided to bless us with her beauty in its full glory. I know, I already told you about Lamar Valley and Bear Tooth Highway. But Hayden Valley is different. I felt so much closer to mother nature when I was in Hayden Valley. I hope you feel the same when you are there. Don’t miss the drive. Be there in the evening/dusk. If you are there for sunset, you will be lucky. Just go there!!
We also spend some time at the Mud Volcano. You will be greeted with a rotten egg smell caused by hydrogen sulfide that escapes from the ground in the Mud Volcano area. There are several viewpoints in this area. And some of the names are pretty funny like Grizzly Fumarole, Sour Lake, Black Dragon’s Caldron, Churning Caldron, Sizzling Basin, and Cooking Hillside. Follow the broad walk to explore this area.
The Old Faithful And The Grand Prismatic
On our last day in the Yellowstone, we decided to the explore the Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic areas. There are plenty of geysers in the Old Faithful area; including Old Faithful, Castle Geyser, and other smaller geysers. Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes and castle geyser erupts every 13.5 hours.
Call the visitor center at Old Faithful to know the exact timings of the Geyser Eruptions.
Grand Prismatic is one of the most famous spots in Yellowstone national park. You can get up close to the geysers. However, there is another way to view the grand prismatic; the Fairy Falls Hike. Hike to the Grand Prismatic viewpoint and you can view it from up top in all its glory. Both viewpoints get pretty crowded and parking is limited at both viewpoints.
Must Visit While Visting Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Prismatic
- Old Faithful
- Hayden Valley & Lamar Valley (Slough Creek in Lamar Valley is a great place to spot wildlife)
- Bear Tooth Highway (It is not in Yellowstone, however, we highly recommend driving it)
- Lower Falls (Hike the trail to the brink of the lower falls), Upper Falls, Artist Point
- Mount Washburn Hike
- Mammoth Hot Springs
There is much more to explore. But don’t miss the above points in Yellowstone.
Helpful Tips
- Try to find accommodation inside the park (We stayed at Canyon Village and Lake Lodge)
- Carry a good binocular with you to spot wildlife
- Foldable chairs will be good to sit down and watch wildlife
- Carry snacks and water with you on the trip
- Think about covering the Grand Tetons National Park
- Above all, let us try to keep the park clean
- Having a good camera will help you capture some amazing moments
Drone usage is prohibited inside the park
Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? What was your favorite spot? Let us know your experience in the comments. Have you spotted wolves and bears while you were in Yellowstone? If you are planning to visit, we wish you the very best.
