Plan your visit
Yellowstone National Park Trip Planner
Tell us how long you have, who's along, and the season. We'll group it by region so you drive less and see more.
This park's open areas fill about 3 days at an easy pace.
Day 1 Mammoth Hot Springs + Tower-Roosevelt / Lamar Valley
-
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
Carbonate-rich water lays down travertine the moment it meets the air. The Lower and Upper boardwalks each take about forty-five minutes; the channels shift season to season, so the pattern is never the one in the postcard.
-
Roosevelt Arch
The stone arch at the only year-round entrance, cornerstone laid by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. The inscription — "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People" — is lifted from the 1872 Yellowstone Act.
-
Lamar Valley wildlife watching
The northeast valley on the year-round Gardiner-to-Cooke-City road, long the place to find wolves. Come early or come late — the wolf-watchers' scopes are usually up before most cars are out of Gardiner, and they'll share a look at the Junction Butte pack if you ask.
-
Trout Lake
A short lollipop through Douglas fir up to a small lake near Pebble Creek. River otters work the inlet in June when the cutthroat spawn; grizzlies frequent the meadow, so bear spray on the hip is not optional.
Day 2 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone + Yellowstone Lake / West Thumb
≈55 min drive from Tower-Roosevelt / Lamar Valley
-
Artist Point
A paved South Rim overlook of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with the canonical angle on the 308-foot Lower Falls — the view Thomas Moran painted in 1872. A short walk from the car.
-
Yellowstone Lake
The largest lake above 7,000 feet in North America, freezing over most winters and thawing in late spring. Walk the Lake Village / Bridge Bay shoreline; the water stays cold enough year-round that swimming isn't recommended.
-
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Hot springs that open directly onto the lakeshore — Abyss Pool and Fishing Cone among them. The NPS removed the campground, cabins, and gas station that used to crowd the basin, so it's a quiet boardwalk loop today.
-
Hayden Valley wildlife watching
Year-round range for the central bison herd and a grizzly corridor in spring and fall, along the Yellowstone River between Canyon and Fishing Bridge. Drive it slowly with the window cracked, early or late.
-
Bridge Bay boat tour
A one-hour cruise out of Bridge Bay Marina across Yellowstone Lake, cold enough that survival time in the water is measured in minutes. Small-boat rentals run from the same dock.
Day 3 Old Faithful & the geyser basins
≈1h 25m drive from Yellowstone Lake / West Thumb
-
Old Faithful
Intervals run about 68 or 94 minutes (give or take 10), depending on how long the last eruption ran — check the whiteboard at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center or the NPS app for the next predicted window, then claim a spot on the paved bench around the cone. Eruptions last 1.5 to 5 minutes and reach 106 to 184 feet.
-
Grand Prismatic Spring
Yellowstone's largest hot spring, 200 to 330 feet across and more than 121 feet deep, its rings of orange, ochre, and green sorted by heat-tolerant bacteria. The boardwalk loop at Midway Geyser Basin runs at ground level; go mid-morning before the steam thickens.
-
Grand Prismatic Overlook
A short out-and-back on the Fairy Falls Trail spur to the only platform that shows the full color ring from above — the difference between the boardwalk view and the postcard view.
-
Norris Geyser Basin
The park's hottest, most acidic thermal ground, and home to Steamboat, the world's tallest active geyser. Two boardwalk loops — Porcelain Basin and Back Basin — cover the ground; features come and go between visits.
If you have more time
-
Guided wolf-watching tour
A six-to-eight-hour guided day in Lamar with high-power spotting scopes set up at the pullouts before most cars are out of Gardiner. No age minimum and no cap on questions; tours depart Gardiner or Cooke City.
-
Upper Geyser Basin loop
Five miles of mostly paved boardwalk past Old Faithful, Castle, Grand, Riverside, Daisy, and Beehive geysers, ending at Morning Glory Pool. Check the Visitor Education Center first and plan the loop around two or three predicted eruptions.
Brink of the Lower Falls
A short, very steep out-and-back on switchbacks that puts you on the lip of the 308-foot Lower Falls. The water leaves the world right under the railing; the climb back is the hard part.
Mount Washburn
Six miles round-trip from Dunraven Pass up to the 10,219-foot fire-lookout summit, with interpretive exhibits inside the old fire lookout and panoramas twenty to fifty miles into the interior. Bighorn sheep on the upper slopes; start early, afternoon lightning builds above treeline in summer.
Plans by trip length
One day in Yellowstone National Park
In one day, Old Faithful & the geyser basins: Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring.
Two days in Yellowstone National Park
Two days adds Mammoth Hot Springs: Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, Roosevelt Arch; Tower-Roosevelt / Lamar Valley: Lamar Valley wildlife watching, Trout Lake; Yellowstone Lake / West Thumb: Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin.
Three days in Yellowstone National Park
Three days adds Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Artist Point.
Best time to visit Yellowstone National Park
The best time to visit Yellowstone National Park is summer and fall, when most of the park is open. In winter, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone closes with snow.
Trails on this plan
Common questions
How many days do you need for Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone National Park fills about 3 days at an easy pace — Mammoth Hot Springs & Tower-Roosevelt / Lamar Valley, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone & Yellowstone Lake / West Thumb, Old Faithful & the geyser basins.
Can you see Yellowstone National Park in one day?
Yes — pick one area: Old Faithful & the geyser basins (Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Prismatic Overlook). You'd skip Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt / Lamar Valley and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake / West Thumb, but it's a full day.
What's the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park?
Aim for summer and fall; that's when its roads and trails are fullest.
Is Yellowstone National Park good with young kids?
Yes — the easier, shorter stops work well with little kids: Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, Roosevelt Arch, Lamar Valley wildlife watching, Artist Point.
Is Yellowstone National Park doable with limited mobility?
Several stops are short and low-effort: Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, Roosevelt Arch, Lamar Valley wildlife watching, Artist Point. Check current trail and road conditions with the park.