Planning a trip to Yellowstone? Wondering how much time will it take to explore the entire park, or what’s the best Yellowstone itinerary to follow? In this guide, I share some of my personal-based recommendations, curated into different itineraries – ranging from 1 to 5 days. At the end of this post, you’ll get a comprehensive idea of how to plan, which places to visit, and all the essential things required for pre-planning.
Yellowstone, being the largest park outside of Alaska, boasts an incredible number of activities and experiences. From visiting geothermal wonderlands to indulging in hiking trails and exploring nature – the amount of things you can do in Yellowstone is countless.
But, at the same time, tourists often get overwhelmed by so many experiences. Some may prefer a short trip – that can cover only the highlights of Yellowstone. Whilst, some may prefer longer stays – to see the most of the national park. Since, everyone is bound to have their travel preference, style, and desire – I decided to curate Yellowstone itineraries – based on duration. These itineraries are meant to show you – that no matter how short/long you stay – you’ll get the best of Yellowstone National Park in every possible way.
ABOUT YELLOWSTONE ITINERARIES
The itineraries that I’ve curated, works best during the summer months (mid-May to mid-October). That’s the time when all the roads leading to major attractions are open. In winter, (November to April) – most of the park roads will be closed due to either snowfall or maintenance work. Although it’s still possible to visit the national park –it won’t make sense if you’re missing out on important attractions.
Having said that, you should also make a note of crowds during the summer months. Yellowstone is at its peak interval of the year, and most of the places will be jammed with tourists. Along with crowds, expect to face difficulties in finding a parking space. There’s honestly no trick to avoid any of this congestion, but a few ideas can help you around, which I’ll share later in this guide.
PRACTICAL INFO FOR PLANNING A YELLOWSTONE TRIP
Best time to visit Yellowstone: As mentioned before, the summer months are the best travel months for a Yellowstone trip. Many of the attractions are at their prime, and they tend to draw the highest volumes of families to take summer vacations. However, if you want to catch a quieter Yellowstone experience, then plan your trip during early September. You won’t find many road jams, plus there are fewer tourists.
Accommodation – All the below-curated itineraries will depend so much on the location for your choice, that it’s very crucial to plan your stay appropriately. Yellowstone hosts excellent lodges/cabins inside, as well as nearby the park. That being said, getting a reservation inside the park on short notice is extremely difficult. To book any of the Yellowstone lodges, you’ll have to reserve your stay at least 12 before your actual trip. Alternatively, you can look out for hotels & cabins near West Yellowstone and Gardiner.
| To know more about the accommodation in Yellowstone, read – Lodging at Yellowstone: Best Hotels & Locations |
How to avoid crowds – Summer is the busiest phase for Yellowstone, there’s still a way to escape the crowds – and that is to time your travel well. Visiting major attractions of Yellowstone early morning can benefit you from avoiding jam-packed crowds at particular locations. Also, not many visitors who travel to Yellowstone take part in hiking trails. I urge you not to do that! Please explore the trails as much as you can – because they do give you different viewpoints for many of Yellowstone’s geothermal wonders.
HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED IN YELLOWSTONE
When I was planning for my trip to Yellowstone National Park, I realized 1-2 days is just not enough to explore major places within Yellowstone. I tried creating several itineraries, cramming tourists’ places – but it would’ve been hectic to explore all. After some planning, I decided to go for full four days to Yellowstone.
Being one of the most biggest and diverse parks in the US, taking a Yellowstone trip for 4 days is an ideal duration for any type of traveler. It will give you enough time to experience ‘must-see’ activities, along with hiking, fishing, driving the scenic road loop, and spotting wildlife.
Even if you decide to stay any longer in Yellowstone, you wouldn’t get bored. Hence, all my curated itineraries below – extend up to 5 days – so that you can get a proper gist of what to expect while you’re at Yellowstone.
| TIP: If you have long travel plans for Yellowstone National Park, then this ‘19 Best Things to do in Yellowstone‘ will help you list down all the major sights & attractions. You could then, accordingly, craft your own customized itinerary. |
HOW TO REACH YELLOWSTONE
Located in the north-west region of Wyoming – below are the distances and driving times to reach Yellowstone from nearby points:
Glacier National Park – 417 miles, 7 hours 12 minutes
Grand Teton National Park – 29.5 miles, 38 minutes
Devils Tower – 394 miles, 7 hour
Bighorn National Forest – 186 miles, 3 hours 55 minutes
BEST YELLOWSTONE ITINERARIES FOR YOUR TRIP
ONE DAY YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY
If you have only one day to visit Yellowstone National Park, then your focus should be on visiting only the must-see places. Attractions like Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and a part portion of the scenic loop road should be on your travel plan.
Most people who visit Yellowstone National Park, are already on a journey through a U.S road trip. If that’s the case, start from Grand Teton, explore attractions in Yellowstone, and end the day in either one of the lodges inside the park or Gardiner/ West Yellowstone.
The below-suggested itinerary one day Yellowstone itinerary starts in Grand Teton National Park and ends in central/north Yellowstone. You can even reverse this itinerary and travel accordingly.
Here is a sample one day Yellowstone itinerary –
Drive from Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone:
Start from Grand Teton – which is only 29.5 miles drive to the south entrance of Yellowstone. It will approx. take you 35 to 45 minutes to reach.
9.00 A.M. – Old Faithful
You’ll kick off your tour by visiting one of Yellowstone’s most famed geysers – Old Faithful. Erupting more than often, with an interval of 90-minutes – this is a sight you do not want to miss! The timings for each eruption are so reliable and accurate, that you can find its schedule on the internet. Additionally, you can also give a visit to the Upper Geyser Basin. Both these places will approx. take 2 hours to explore.
12.00 P.M. – Grand Prismatic Spring
The rainbow-colored thermal pool is the main highlight of the Yellowstone National Park, which attracts millions of tourists every year. There are two ways you can visit the Great Prismatic Spring – you can either walk the boardwalk trail through Midway Geyser Basin or hike to the overlook point (0.8 miles).
LUNCH BREAK
You can find various options for lunch at Old Faithful Inn. Find out more here.
4.00 P.M. – Hayden Valley
If you want to spot bison or any other wildlife in Yellowstone, then head to Hayden Valley. If you are lucky, then expect to see a herd of bison freely roaming around the roadside.
Note – Make sure you do not step out of your car to watch them close. These species look slow, but they can run fast and tackle you down. Instead, pull off into a turnout and spectate the scenes from your car itself
5.15 P.M. – Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
There are plenty of observation points along the North & South Rim of the canyon. You could visit both to explore the stunning landscape of the park. But if you’re short on time or low on energy, then I’d recommend visiting only the South Rim portion. You can either walk down the Uncle Tom’s Trail or blaze your photography skills at Artist Point at Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Drive back to the hotel. Your exploration for a one-day Yellowstone trip ends here. If you want a convenient location to stay in, then look for reservations at Canyon Village. You could also book accommodation at West Yellowstone or Gardiner.
| TRAVEL TIP – If you do not want to get into the hassle of planning only for a day trip to Yellowstone, then it might be a wise decision to book an organized tour. This could save you more time, and have a schedule to visit the top sights of Yellowstone. Here’s my recommendation for the best Yellowstone day tour (ex – Jackson Hole or Grand Teton). |
For more one-day guided tours, check this website.
YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY FOR 2 DAYS
This Yellowstone itinerary for 2 days is an extension of the previous one-day tour. In the below-suggested travel plan, you visit more geysers and experience a few more activities.
Day One
Morning: Visit Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. You can either watch the geyser eruption from the boardwalk or the observation point. Spend 2-3 hours as you’d like and then assemble for a lunch at Old Faithful Inn.
Afternoon: Explore the Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin.
Late Afternoon: You can find several more geysers around the main geyser area: such as Black Sand Basin, the Fountain Paint Point Trail, and Biscuit Basin. Alternatively, you can also hike to Lone Star Geyser, which erupts every 3 hours. If you’re lucky enough, you can catch the eruption.
Day Two
Morning: Start your day two journey by visiting the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Later, drive through the Hayden Valley to see the herds of bison.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Post your exploration at Hayden Valley, visit the Grand Canyon to explore both the rims (North & South). Finding parking could be difficult, especially during mid-day. So your best option is to walk to some of the viewpoints. For the North Rim section – visit Red Rock Point, Brink of the Lower Falls, and Inspiration Point. For the South Rim portion – hike the Uncle Tom’s Trail and explore Artist Point.
Afternoon: Travel to Norris Geyser Basin. A 22-minute drive from Yellowstone canyon will take you to another famous geyser of the national park. Norris Geyser is divided into basins – Back Basin and Porcelain Basin. The former is a larger section, where the world’s tallest geyser sits – Steamboat Geyser’, whereas the latter one is pumped in action – housing lots of steaming vents, bubbling and boiling geothermal features, and small turquoise hot springs.
Evening: Mammoth Hot Springs. One of the fascinating places in Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs stands apart with its uniqueness. Divided into sections – Mammoth Upper Terraces and Mammoth Lower Terraces – both these areas are connected via a boardwalk trail and the main road.
You can also check this amazing 2-Day Guided Tour of Yellowstone National Park.
YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY FOR 3 DAYS
Similar to the previous Yellowstone itinerary for 2 days, here you can expect a few more additional places to visit, along with the scenic drive to Lamar Valley.
Day One –
Follow the same plan for Day one (as shown above)
Day Two –
Morning: Start early morning, and visit the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Afternoon: Post your exploration, have lunch in Canyon Village and head to Mount Washburn. With excellent hiking trails and paths, you can find plenty of opportunities here. Take the Elephant Trail (3.5 miles) that offers striking views onto Yellowstone Lake.
Late Afternoon/ Evening: Take a trip to the Hayden Valley to spot wildlife. Alternatively, you can opt to visit Mud Volcano or West Thumb Geyser Basin
Day Three –
Morning: Visit Norris Geyser Basin
Afternoon: Mammoth Hot Springs. Then, visit the Boiling River Hot Springs. Being one of the hidden gems of Yellowstone, set between the Mammoth Hot Springs and the Roosevelt Arch – it’s a natural hot tub, where you can go swimming whilst admiring spectacular landscapes
Evening: At dusk, drive through Lamar Valley to soak in splendid views of the landscape.
YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY FOR 4 DAYS
Below is the recommended Yellowstone Itinerary for 4 days:
Day One –
Follow the same plan for Day One (as shown in previous itineraries)
Day Two –
Morning: Visit Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Afternoon: Lunch in Canyon Village, then travel to Mount Washburn to discover hiking trails.
Evening: Exploration of Hayden Valley, with few alternative options like – Mud Volcano and West Thumb Geyser Basin.
Day Three –
Morning: Visit Norris Geyser Basin
Afternoon: Mammoth Hot Springs and Boiling River Hot Springs.
Day Four –
Morning: You can opt for an early morning hike to Bunsen Peak (4.6 miles) for some great views of northern Yellowstone Park. Alternatively, the Beaver Ponds Loop is a good option too.
Afternoon: Relax at your hotel
Evening: Take a trip to Lamar Valley, and then detour to the Black Plateau for a 7-mile scenic drive.
Alternative to the above itinerary, this 4-Day Nature Tour of Yellowstone with Lodging is a top-rated tour. It will complement your travel plan well.
YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY FOR 5 DAYS
With five days in hand, you could pretty much cover every major place in Yellowstone National Park. I suggest you follow the four-day schedule and add a few experiences from the below list –
Go boat riding on Yellowstone Lake
Go hiking
Plan a camping trip at Yellowstone
Plan Ranger Guided Tour
Go horseback riding
| Also, read our in-depth guide on ‘19 Best Things to do in Yellowstone National Park‘ |
OTHER PLANNING TIPS & INFO
LODGING AT YELLOWSTONE
If you plan on staying within Yellowstone National Park, then you need to make your reservations well in advance.
How soon you should you book? 12 months.
I know, it sounds crazy! But that’s how quickly lodges inside Yellowstone get booked. It’s extremely difficult to find any availability on short notice. Let that even be 6 months or so. If you are keen to book any lodges inside the park, or maybe explore some of the nearby accommodation, this guide will surely help you out! With all planning tips, resources and best hotel stays – you’ll get a brief idea on staying inside/nearby to Yellowstone.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK FEE
The cost of a ticket to Yellowstone is $35 per vehicle and is valid for seven days. You can buy the pass at any one of the main entrances to the park.
However, if you’re visiting Yellowstone only for a day, then this day tour which includes an entrance fee is a perfect alternative. You can find more of the all-inclusive packages here.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Yellowstone COVID-19 guidelines – Stay updated on covid-19 cases and important news here.
Park conditions and road closures – Current status of park roads and construction.
Weather update for Yellowstone – Check forecast here.
