Due to reservations we had in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, we only had two days in Yellowstone National Park, which meant we only had time for some of the main attractions. For a first time visitor (or if you haven’t been in years) our itinerary might work for you.
I should add that in that two days, I, alone, took 248 photos! Not only is this park vast (the largest national park in the lower 48 states at 3,472 square miles or over 2.2 million acres) but it’s beauty is unsurpassed which is probably why Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.
To give you some idea of its size here are some interesting facts:
- There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features (geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles). It’s 500 geysers make up more than half of those in the entire world!
- Yellowstone Lake is the largest high elevation lake in North America.
- Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals (67 species) in the lower 48 states and the largest population of wild bison in the world!
- There are over 250 waterfalls in Yellowstone and 1000 miles of hiking trails.
I don’t want you to stop reading, but suffice it to say that there is zero chance that this post will do the park justice. It would be like trying to describe music. Instead, my hope is that our itinerary and a few of the pictures will entice you enough to plan your first trip if you’ve never been or a return trip if it’s been a while as there’s always more to see. Yellowstone is calling.
Cody to Threemile Campground
From Cody, WY take the drive to Threemile Campground so you can get an early start in Yellowstone the next morning. As a bonus, you won’t be disappointed with the scenic ride along North Fork Hwy. We were there in early September 2020 and snow fell that evening. This caused delays at the Yellowstone east entrance as they moved cars that got stuck in the park, but we didn’t care because the blanket of snow made everything in park sparkle and provided a great deal of contrast that was just gorgeous!
STOP#1 YELLOWSTONE LAKE
From the east entrance we just saw the upper portion of this lake. We did not even make it to Fishing Bridge which we saved for our next trip.
STOP#2 MUD VOLCANO TRAIL
This short 0.8 mile loop is a great introduction to Yellowstone’s mudpots, springs and fumaroles.
STOP#3 GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE
Pass through Hayden Valley for some wildlife viewing on your way to the Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Artist Point. This canyon hike is paved and the canyon itself is huge. For some perspective on these photos, lower falls (the second to last photo in the series below) is almost twice as high as Niagra Falls with the river plunging 308 feet below.
STOP#4 NORRIS GEYSER BASIN
Alright, alright, alright! Norris Geyser Basin is the Matthew McConaughey of Yellowstone Park because it’s the hottest geyser basin in the park (measured at 459F at a depth of just 1089ft). This area contains both Porcelain and Emerald Spring. Judging from the number of photos I took in this area, it was one of my favorites!
STOP#5 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS
Mammoth Hot Springs is one of the most unique areas of the park and no matter how many times you’ve been there, you’ll never see the same formation twice because it is ever changing. Why? Hot gases are under the surface of the limestone. Hot spring ground water mixes with these gases and some of the gasses dissolve in it creating a very acidic solution. As the solution rises through the limestone rock it dissolves the calcium carbonate in limestone. At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine. This spring deposits two tons of travertine limestone every day on these shelves. Phenomenal!
OVERNIGHT IN GARDNER
Out the north entrance of the park, past downtown Gardner, we boondocked for the night. Boondocking Bailey gives this area 4 paws up. Pretty, clean, quiet and a quick trip back into the park. I think this is still one of Doug’s favorite spots to boondock as well.
STOP#6 MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN
From the North Entrance (Gardner) we headed south through the park. Go early to get parking, but definitely stop at Grand Prismatic Spring which is the largest single hot spring in Yellowstone and the worlds 3rd largest.
STOP#7 UPPER GEYSER BASIN AND OLD FAITHFUL
You can’t go to Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful erupt. It would be like going to Paris and missing the Eifel Tower. Old Faithful was named for it’s regular eruptions. It has erupted more than a million times since becoming a park in 1872. Water shoots between 100 to 190ft in the air when it erupts and its fun to listen to the crowd leading up to eruption as they ooh and ahh at several of its false starts before it finally builds up enough pressure to really expel.
There’s a great boardwalk trail in this area with other pools, fumaroles, and geysers that’s worth the trek.
SIDE NOTE: Morning glory pool is near this area and used to be multicolored and vibrant but unfortunately, people threw coins and trash into it and over time it plugged up. The pool temp dropped and the bacteria mats around it died. This is sad but also a good reminder that we need to treat our environment with respect if we want future generations to enjoy it. Let’s be kind out there folks…if you take it with you, take it out. There’s nothing that has made me more mad this year than the vast number of wet wipes we’ve found on trails and boondocking sites that are not biodegradable. It’s left us wishing that people would choose nature over convenience!
STOP#8 LEWIS FALLS
We didn’t have time to hike the trail closer to the falls but even from the road it’s a beauty!
Great memories from this trip! I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this park. We’ve received many recommendations from family in Wyoming and Montana about other places within Yellowstone to go, so can’t wait to return! What’s your favorite Yellowstone spot?
