This national park requires no introduction but let me try to put some words together to describe the beauty and awesomeness of it.
Yellowstone National Park holds the trophy of being the first national park of USA and also the most popular of the lot. It is the most diverse national park I have ever seen, with otherworldly geysers, beautiful canyons, majestic waterfalls, thriving wildlife especially Bison and colorful hot springs.
After exploring the mesmerizing Grand Teton, we were quite
excited to delve into the magical world of Yellowstone.
One of the best parts of Yellowstone other than of course
the natural attractions are the different facilities made available for public.
There are well maintained boardwalks, food courts, souvenir shops, restrooms etc.
for a comfortable visit.
In short, this national park is for everyone and it is also one of our favorite
national parks.
Finally coming to the best part of the post, here are the top
things to do in this iconic national park of USA.
Major attractions in Yellowstone National
Park:
1. Old Faithful Geyser
World’s famous geyser – Old Faithful is at the top of the list
when it comes to famous attractions in Yellowstone. For decades, this geyser
has been erupting at a regular schedule among the 500+ geysers present in the
park, hence it is quite famous.
It erupts normally after an interval of 90 minutes, but you
might have to wait additional 10-15 mins depending on your luck. The eruption
lasts for around 2-5 minutes. Eruption predictions are mentioned on the board
maintained by the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center.
The best way to enjoy the view of the Old Faithful Geyser
eruption is from the front row of the benches surrounding the Old Faithful, but
for that you will have to come atleast 20-30 minutes before the prediction
time.
2. Upper Geyser Basin
Old Faithful is part of Upper Geyser Basin, which is home to
150+ geysers and several hot springs. It is highly recommended to explore Upper
Geyser Basin also on your visit to Old Faithful.
The entire Upper Geyser Basin loop is around 4.5 miles, but
I would recommend you to go till Morning Glory Pool which is about 1.5 miles
from Old Faithful. On the way, you will get to see major geysers like Castle Geyser,
Grotto Geyser and Daisy Geyser. These geysers don’t erupt as frequently as Old
Faithful, but once they start the eruption can even go for hours.
Morning Glory Pool is the prettiest and one of the famous
hot springs in Yellowstone. The colors of the pool are just mesmerizing.
Keep atleast 2-2.5 hours to cover Upper Geyser Basin + Old Faithful.
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| Morning Glory Pool |
3. Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway
Geyser Basin
I think this was my favorite spot in Yellowstone and one of
the most popular pics on internet of the park. This colorful and vibrant hot spring
is the largest hot spring in the USA.
There are boardwalks build at the edge of spring to get a closer
view. The color of the spring changes with season mostly because of the microbial
life present in the spring.
In the middle the color is blue, followed by yellow and orange on the edges.
The colors are most vibrant on a sunny day, so decide to go accordingly.
To get an eagle view of the spring, there is a viewpoint –
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook which can be reached by a hike. I preferred
this point as it gives you a full view of the spring and also the various
colors. The hike is 1.6 miles roundtrip.
Grand Prismatic Spring is located in the Midway Geyser
Basin. Apart from this star attraction, there are other points too like Excelsior
Geyser, Opal Pool and Turquoise Pool.
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| Turquoise Pool |
4. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
You must have seen the pics of majestic waterfalls of Yellowstone
on internet, well they are as grand and beautiful in real too. This is a must
visit point even if you have only one day in Yellowstone.
There are two rims (North and South rim) which have various
lookout points from where you can get amazing views of the Upper and Lower
Falls.
South Rim is more
famous as it is home to Artist Point from where you can take the iconic pics of
Lower Falls. This is the point from where most of the amazing pics on internet
of lowers falls are taken.
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| Artist Point |
The North Rim has
more lookout points of interest:
Brink of lower falls, Inspiration Point, Grand View Point and Lookout Point.
If you are short on time, I would suggest to cover Brink of lower falls and
Lookout Point.
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| Lookout Point |
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| Brink of lower falls |
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| Upper Falls |
5. Lamar Valley
If you not short on time, this is the best place in Yellowstone
to see wildlife. You get to see tons of bison, bears, coyotes, elks, normal deer
and if you are lucky also grizzlies and wolves.
The landscape of the valley is also quite spectacular.
Just keep in mind that Lamar Valley is located in north
Yellowstone and it takes a long drive to reach here if you are staying on the
west side which has proximity to major attractions of the park.
Plan your visit either in the morning or evening hours, when
animals are the most active.
Also, always keep a safe distance from the wildlife.
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| Credit - Reddit |
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| Credit Here |
6. Hayden Valley
Another popular spot in Yellowstone to watch wildlife is
Hayden Valley. Though you might not be able to see wolves and grizzlies here, but
if you are looking for herds of bison, you can get lucky.
The landscape here is equally mesmerizing as that of Lamar Valley.
It is near to the west entrance, so it is more popular among
the tourists.
Plan your visit either in the morning or evening hours, when animals are the most
active.
Also, always keep a safe distance from the wildlife.
7. Mammoth Hot Springs
This is one of the most unique and artistic features of Yellowstone.
You will be enchanted by its terrace structure similar to the one built for tea
farming and diverse colors.
It is divided into two parts – Mammoth Lower Terraces and
Upper Terraces.
All the viewpoints are connected via boardwalk and stairs.
I really liked the Lower terrace and the fact that its not
too big and can be covered mostly in an hour.
8. West Thumb Geyser Basin
This is another great basin to explore, especially because
it is situated right next to Yellowstone Lake.
It is a short visit as you can cover the major points in 30 minutes all
connected by boardwalk.
I loved Abyss pool which is the deepest hydrothermal pool in the park and
fishing cone geyser which is situated right on the lake.
If you have more time, you can also explore the Yellowstone lake by taking guided boat tours or rent boats.
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| Fishing cone geyser |
9. Norris Geyser Basin
This basin is not as impressive as the other basins, but it
is definitely worth a visit.
It is divided into two sections –
Porcelain Basin and Back Basin
Back Basin
I wanted to visit this basin because of one main attraction – Steamboat Geyser which is the tallest
active geyser in the world. When the geyser is active, the water can reach upto
300 feet.
There are also other amazing pools, springs and geysers here.
Porcelain Basin
Porcelain Basin is more beautiful than Back Basin. You can see lot of geothermal
activities happening here round the day. There are numerous hot springs, turquoise
blue thermal pools and geysers here.
If you are short on time, I would suggest to cover Steamboat
Geyser and then Porcelain Basin whose boardwalk trail is 1.1 miles long.
10. Waterfalls
Apart from the Upper and Lower falls, there are other famous
waterfalls in Yellowstone – Tower falls and Fairy falls. Again, depending on
the time you have planned for Yellowstone trip, you can visit these falls.
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| Tower Falls - Pic Credit Here |
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| Fairy Falls - Pic Credit Here |
11. Boiling River Hot Spring
This is a famous swimming spot in Yellowstone which is located
in the vicinity of the Mammoth Hot Springs. It is near the north entrance and open
mostly during the summer times.
12. Mount Washburn
This is a recommended hike if you are not short on time and
love hiking.
There are two ways of doing it, either start from Dunraven Pass or from Chittendon
Road.
As we had only 2 days in Yellowstone, so we were not able to
do this hike.
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| Credit Here |
Tips from our experience and learning
1. If you are just planning to cover the major attractions
listed above till number 9 except Lamar valley, 2 days are good, but if you are
planning on covering all the attractions list above then 3 days or more is recommended.
2. Make sure to keep proper distance from the wildlife, especially while
viewing elk, bears and bison.
3. Best time to visit the park is from mid-May to October when all the roads of
the park are open.
4. The best time for wildlife sighting is dawn and dusk.
5. Yellowstone comprises of many geothermal areas which are quite hot and toxic,
so always be on the boardwalk and never get down from it. Also, never throw anything
in the pools or springs.
6. Parking fills up very quickly, so make sure to check Yellowstone park
official page for parking status.
7. Yellowstone is famous for traffic jams, especially on the entrance and in
the valley areas, so make sure to take that into consideration and plan
accordingly. Keep plenty of water and also some food.
8. Water is the key here during the summer season, as the basins in the park
can get really hot. Make sure to carry ample water with you and also sunscreens
as most of the attractions don’t have a shade.
9. It can snow in the Summer season too, so make sure to take proper
precautions and gear.
Yellowstone National
Park is a great place for people of all ages, so enjoy your visit and let me
know if you have any questions in the comments below.
