Top Things to do in Yellowstone National Park

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

Lookout Point

Brink of lower falls

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.

Credit - Reddit

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.

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.

Tower Falls - Pic Credit Here

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.

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.