One of my favorite trips of 2019 was the trip I made to Yellowstone National Park. My best friend and I hopped on a plane, jumped into a rental car and hit the road to explore every inch of Yellowstone that we could. It included 5 full days of driving, hiking and exploring from 8am to 6pm (when the sun went down). We didn’t do as much hiking as we would have liked – my best friend hurt her ankle a week before we left and was in a cast & on crutches – but we made it work and still had the best time!
ROUTE
This was the exact route we went on. We started at grand teton national park, spent the first day there and then spent 4 days in yellowstone and made our way back to the tetons and spent our final day at the tetons again.
If you would like to hear more about our route and what we did, I am going to go into more depth here. Our first and last night were spent in Jackson Hole, WY. We entered Yellowstone through the south entrance (through grand teton national park). From there we made a couple stops to check out the scenery. We went to Moose Falls, Lewis Falls, Grant Village – which is a great place to stop and use the restroom or get something to eat – passed over the continental divide (8262 feet), stopped to check out the Old Faithful Geyser & then had lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. This is another great spot to stop at because of the food and restrooms. It is also great to stop and stretch the legs if you have been sitting for a while.
After we left Old Faithful, we stopped at Midway Geyser Basin – Grand Prismatic Spring, Gibbon Falls – which is an 84 ft waterfall – Artists Paintpots, Norris Geyser Basin, Golden Gate Viaduct and Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth Hot Springs is another fun area. It is more of a town atmosphere with a lot of wildlife. It you have some time to spend here, check out the Albright Visitor Center for some great history and a visit with the rangers. Once we finished there, we decided to leave the park through the beautiful Roosevelt Arch and dancing the day in Gardiner, Montana and had dinner. We ate at the Cowboy’s Lodge & Grill and had a delicious meal and spent the night at the Hillcrest Cottages. There is some things to do in Gardiner. They have some really cute shops were we did some shopping but they do have different shop times whether they are in season or not.
After a good nights rest we left Gardiner, MT and headed back through the north entrance. Stopped at Tower Roosevelt, Tower Fall, drove through Dunraven’s Pass and made it to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
These are few places you are going to want to see when visiting the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone:
- Lower Falls
- Upper Falls
- Key Stops:
- Lookout Point
- Grand View
- Inspiration Point
- Uncle Tom’s Point
- Artist Point
After making those stops, it was time for lunch at the Canyon Fountain & Grill at Canyon Village. This lunch was so fun! Its like taking a step back in time where everyone sits at 3 big tables and you are elbow to elbow with those sitting with you! The food tasted great and we got to mingle with those who are visiting the park as well.
From there we headed north towards Tower Roosevelt to Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is beautiful… especially in the winter. Covered in snow with views for miles… it is beautiful to drive through. Then we stopped at Soda Butte – which is interesting to walk around and then headed for a hike at Trout Lake. After that, we stopped at Barronette Peak and looked for mountain goats with binoculars. I would definitely suggest bringing some with you on this trip. We saw a mountain goat standing on the ledge of the mountain and it was so cool to watch! After this we headed out of Yellowstone through Northeast Entrance and made our way through Silver Gate, Montana and eventually stopped in Cooke City, Montana. We had the most delicious pizza at the Miners Saloon and stayed the night at the High Country Motel & Cabins.
The next morning we woke up to 3+ inches of snow on the ground and we hit the road down the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway toward Cody, Wyoming. We drove over the Sunlight Bridge which has a great overlook (i captured it in great detail in my youtube vide0) and then up the mountain to the Dead Indian Summit Overlook. This overlook, which is also in the youtube video, was remarkable. You can look down and see every bit of road that you just drove up. But if you are visiting during the winter, it gets very, very cold at the top! We proceeded down this highway and made our way to Cody, Wyoming.
These are few places you are going to want to see when visiting Cody, Wyoming:
- STAY: Best Western Premier
- EAT: Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel & Restaurant
- DO: Buffalo Bill Center of the West
After we finished up in Cody, we headed west out of Cody to the east entrance of Yellowstone. Drove to the Buffalo Bill Dam & Visitor Center on Buffalo Bill Reservoir and entered back through the east entrance of yellowstone national park! We stopped at a great photo op at Nine Mile Post and then drove around Yellowstone Lake before stopping at the Fishing Bridge General Store. From there we made our way to West Thumb.
These are few places you are going to want to see when visiting West Thumb:
- Painted Pool
- Black Pool
- Thumb Geyser
- Seismograph Pool
After we left West Thumb, we made our way back to the south entrance and back into grand teton national park.
WHAT TO DO IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
- Moose Falls
- Lewis Falls
- Old Faithful Geyser
- Midway Geyser Basin – Grand Prismatic Spring
- Artists Paintpots
- Roosevelt Arch
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
- Lamar Valley
- Soda Butte
- Trout Lake Hike
- Barronette Peak
- Yellowstone Lake
- Nine Mile Post
- West Thumb Geyser & Pools
NEED TO KNOW
Airport: Depending on where you are staying, there are a few options to airports. We stayed in Jackson, Wyoming the first night upon arrival so the closest airport was Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) – but it is small and not the cheapest. You can also fly into Idaho Falls Airport or Salt Lake City and drive in.
Lodging: There are several different lodges including Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins, Old Faithful Inn, Lake Lodge Cabins, Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cottages, Grant Village & the Roosevelt Lodge & Cabins. There are also campgrounds throughout the park. If you want to stay outside the park, the closest place to the south entrance is Jackson, WY. The closest place to stay near the north entrance is Gardiner and there are plenty of options there. The closest place to the northeast entrance is Silver Gate or Cooke City. Silver Gate is much smaller but there are a few cabin options. And the closest place to stay near the east entrance is Cody, WY. It is a bit of a drive from the entrance but it also has the most options.
Food: There are limited food options inside the national park but there are some dining options at a couple of the lodges. Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful Inn, Lake Yellowstone, Grant Village & the Roosevelt Lodge are some options but you can also dine wherever you are staying the night. NEVER LEAVE FOOD IN YOUR CAR OVERNIGHT. If you are spending the night somewhere, it is best to completely unpack your car just in case.
Times: Yellowstone National Park is open year round but many services inside the park are only open from May to October. You should also check for road closings depending on where you are going.
Entrance Fees: There is an entry fee to enter the park. It is $35 per vehicle and is valid for 7 days. Or you can purchase a full park pass for $80 and have access to every national park for a full year.
Gas Stations: Yes, there are gas stations in the park but you can expect prices to be higher inside the park. If you are staying outside of the park, I would suggest filling up whenever you can.
Wildlife: There is a lot of wildlife in the park area. Moose, elk, deer, mountain goats, bison and bears live within Yellowstone National Park. For most wildlife, it is best to stay at least 25 yards away. Unless it is a bear… then you should be at least 100 yards away. Let the animals stay wild.
EXPLORING THE NATIONAL PARKS – Yellowstone National Park
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I hope that this was helpful for you! Did you enjoy it? If you have any questions, leave a comment below! And be sure to pin it to refer to later on! Also, check out more travel info here!
xo, Kerri
