Posted: 2/19/2026 3:40:41 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Gewehr3][Edited]
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Hello, I'm planning on taking the family to Yellowstone NP for the first time in late spring. I hope to avoid some of the crowds. We are not camping there. Any advice on what to see. What not to do? Thank you! |
Well the first thing I would do is spell it correctly when you enter it into Maps or you might end up somewhere else.  If you don't stay in the park you should at least stay pretty close to it. Gardener or West Yellowstone have more options. Another place that is much smaller but we have stayed is Cooke City. The park is pretty big so if you want to see more of the park with less driving over the same roads I would move around, perhaps one night in each location. There isn't any place to stay very close to the park on the south entrance up from Jackson but I find that section of the park the most uninteresting anyway. After giving that bit of advice, it sort of depends upon what you wan to do and see. Will this be all driving or are you going to try to do some day hiking? If you are just driving to look for wildlife and getting out at different geological formations and areas then I would hit the Hayden and Lamar valley for wildlife. Old Faithful is quick and easy but you can spend quite a bit of time there if you take the boardwalks to see the other geysers and thermal features or the trail that goes up to the ridge behind the basin which gives great views. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is a must. I would suggest you take the trail down so you can see it from closer to the bottom. Uncle Tom's trail was closed for repairs last time I was there but that was a few years ago so it might be open again. That is up close to the falls. The trail on the other side is farther away but better for photography. Grand Prismatic springs is neat, make sure you go to the overlook so you can actually see it well rather than just walk around it. There is also a great trail out to Fairy falls (and beyond) that leaves from there. Pretty good hike but worth it. Lots of other spots worth going as well. |
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| If you want to see wildlife Lamar Valley through the north (Gardiner) entrance is good. Emigrant cabins are reasonably priced and about 30 minutes north of the park. West Yellowstone is closer to Old Faithfull and the geyser basin. We've been there twice and haven't made it to the lake. the park is huge. |
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How many days are you planning to be in the park? What are your priorities? Hiking? Thermal features? Wildlife? The "commute" sucks. You're driving an hour each way just to get from your hotel into the park. Ourselves, we always focused on the unique geology - geysers, springs, pools, Grand Canyon, mud pots, etc. You can see wildlife anywhere. On our last trip, we spent seven full days sleeping in the park, and still didn't cover everything on our wishlist. |
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Dont cram too much into your itinerary. The park is a lot bigger than it looks on a map, and with the crowds it will take longer than you expect to drive from point to point. When we went the roads were horrible, potholes big enough to swallow cars. Constant road work due to the weather and its effects on the road. We were there in June and it was below freezing due to the altitude and latitude. keep an eye on the forecast. You don't want to be driving if the roads ice over. Idiot tourists will stop in the middle of the road to look at wildlife. They have cops will tell you to keep moving when they see you. Artists point was awesome, Old Faithful was ...underwhelming...and very crowded. There is a lot of great scenery, dont be afraid to stop in a cutout and get out for a bit instead of going with the traffic flow pushing you along. Bring your own food. It was $5 for a 10 oz cup of hot chocolate at Old Faithful. We didn't bother with actual food as we packed sandwiches. |
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Let your dog play with the bison. Jesus Christ, Richard! |
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"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
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Definition of Bear Jam (noun): Road traffic comes to a standstill due to the sighting of a bear. Drivers and occupants abandon their vehicles to jockey and argue in order to get the best photograph of the bear. Get the book 'Death in Yellostown' by Lee H Whittlesey - it will gives one a healthy a appreciation of the geysers. When we visited 10-15 years ago, we were lucky and happened by the Fan and Mortar geyser just before it erupted. Keep an eye out for large groups of 'geyser gazers' (the kids called them geyser geeks). They hang out at geysers waiting for them to erupt. That's what clued me into the Fan and Mortar eruption. There were 40-50 people sitting around this small bubbling geyser, some had walkie talkies, others were taking notes - it was a strange scene until they all started putting on rain gear, folding up their chairs and moving back away from the geyser. One old boy with a German accent told me to get back at least 200 feet or expect to get drenched in hot water, even at 200 feet the mist and water coming down was impressive. Kids had a blast running around in the geyser fall out. Also check out this resource: Geyser Activity |
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I went the end of September to try and avoid some of the crowds. It was pretty good overall with traffic and we hit all the major and many minor attractions within three days. We were up early everyday and moving and also stayed in the park which seemed the better choice. Weather was cold in mornings and in the high 70's during the day. The negative was it was out of season so some things were closed , but we didn't really care we made do with what was there and had a great time. |
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Download the Guide Along App and pay the $20.00 for the Yellowstone Tour. It is worth every penny and then some. The app doesn't require cell service once you have the downloads. It knows where you are in the park with GPS and calls out the "must see" points of interest. It is entertaining and informative. eta: https://guidealong.com |
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| Take a side trip up to Red Lodge, MT. A great side trip or trip of it's own. The views are fantastic, ( maybe not in winter and some of the roads would likely be closed), but the community of Red Lodge is a great place to stay or it was the couple of times I've been there although that has been some time ago. |
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Took the wife about 13 years ago. Four days of our ten day tour of WY were carved out for Yellowstone/Teton. No real plan/agenda. We stayed in a cabin between East Gate and Cody. It was early September. Small cabin was actually reasonable. Also found a reasonable cabin, last minute, between South Gate and Jackon for checking out that town and the Tetons. We packed sammich stuff. Brought warm gear (the mountain west can go from sweating to snow overnight) and kept the gas tanked up. If we saw a pretty place about noon, we'd picnic. Cell service then was practically nonexistent, but I had an Inreach for emergencies. They probably have wall to wall 5G now, but who knows. Enjoy yourselves. It is something to see. The most dangerous close encounters we had were with busses loaded with Chinese. They will stampede over you getting out. |