Rise and shine early, grab yourself a delicious breakfast, and enjoy a front-row seat of grazing elk and bison from the Mammoth Hotel Dining Room, the only 4-star certified green restaurant in the national parks. They build spectacular travertine terrace formations which have been described as a cave turned inside out.
The area consists of terrace boardwalks and numerous hot springs. The Mammoth boardwalks cover an easy 1. Head south, stopping at Tower Fall, and enjoy the view of 10,foot Mt. Washburn from the highest road in the park, the 8,foot Dunraven Pass. For even better views and more wildlife spotting opportunities, hike the 6.
Be on the lookout for bighorn sheep and in July, the slopes are covered in wildflowers. Twenty miles long, up to 4, feet wide, and 1, feet deep in some spots. Beautiful pastel yellow, pink, and orange canyon walls. Absolutely magnificent views. And three incredible waterfalls where the Yellowstone River encounters the canyon and its magnificent gorge: Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Crystal Falls.
Drive to each of the several overlooks or make use of the trails to explore and appreciate this incredible area. Park at Artist Point for inspiring views of the Lower Falls, the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone feet, more than twice the height of Niagara Falls , and its foot counterpart, Upper Falls. You can also get up close on the platform at the Brink of the Upper Falls or the platform at the Brink of the Lower Falls. There is no shortage of inspiring views.
While not as well-known or dramatic as Upper and Lower Falls, Crystal Falls is certainly no less pretty. From the brink of the Upper Falls, take the short trail to see where the Crystal Creek plunges into the canyon. See it from a different perspective from the Brink of Lower Falls trail. It is simply too vast a landscape. Therefore, we will break down the park into regions. Take a look at the image below depicting the 6 major regions of Yellowstone:.
Within each region, we will discuss the following where appropriate:. Note : At the end of this section, study the interactive map showing all accommodation and sites of interest.
The map will give you an idea about which regions will be top of your wishlist. Mammoth is one of the more built up areas inside Yellowstone National Park and is located just 5 miles from the North entrance. You will find a hotel, cabins, a grand dining hall, post office, gas, campground, shopping and Albright Visitor Center.
Nearby attractions are all within a stones throw of Mammoth village. A spectacular complex of terraces formed by calcium carbonate travertine dominates a hillside just minutes from Mammoth village.
By far the busiest attraction in Mammoth, these terraces are best seen at sunrise to avoid crowds and enjoy the first light of day burn through hazy steam in the morning. That being said, if you have extra time in the area, there are 2 shorter trails worth looking into:.
Although this area is not usually regarded as prime wildlife spotting territory, we saw our fair share around Mammoth. There were around 30 or 40 bison walking through Mammoth village during our second visit in April, which was really cool to see. You will more than likely see mule deer wandering the hotel and dining hall car park when you arrive. We also saw pronghorn and elk but bison are well known to be regular visitors to the area.
Black bears can be found around Mammoth. If you want to find one, look in forested areas around less busy areas away from the travertine terraces. But if you want to avoid bears particularly if you head up to the terraces for sunrise is to make noise, talk and clap intermittently.
Campgrounds — Mammoth campground is the only campground open all year at Yellowstone. More information. We stayed in a Frontier Cabin and it was perfect with a wonderful hot shower. Tower-Roosevelt is located to the Northeast of Yellowstone and is one of the lesser built up areas of the park.
You can find gas, primitive lodging and camping here. This region is best used as a gateway for wildlife spotting in Lamar Valley and hiking Mt Washburn before continuing on to another region for accommodation.
Unfortunately, the section of road between Tower and Canyon has been completely closed for the entirety of both our visits. Therefore we are yet to hike Mount Washburn or see Tower Fall. Mount Washburn is one of the most popular hikes in Yellowstone National Park thanks to its panoramic sweeping views stretching as far as Grand Teton on a clear day. At 10,ft 3,m and with just a 2. Specimen Ridge is a long point to point hike beginning just after turning onto the road into Lamar Valley. It is the perfect trail for those searching for wildlife who want to get away from the main road filled with tourists.
You can hike for 10 minutes or an hour before turning around but you can expect to see wildlife, particularly early in the morning. This area is known as Lamar Valley and it is the place to be if you are visiting Yellowstone for wildlife observation. We strongly recommend you visit early or late if you want a real chance of seeing abundant wildlife. We entered Yellowstone via the Northeast entrance and drove the entire way through Lamar Valley but it was right before midday and snowy!
Note : If you are visiting Yellowstone primarily for wildlife spotting, Tower Fall campground is the closest accommodation to Lamar Valley. Tower Falls is a ft narrow needle-like waterfall. A 4 mile roundtrip trail allows you to see the Yellowstone River flowing powerfully through a gorge. The trail is family friendly but there are steep cliffs for children to be aware of. Canyon is one of the most popular places to set up base in Yellowstone thanks to its central location and volume of accommodation, with over rooms available.
You will also find a good selection of food at Canyon Lodge Eatery, which is more like a canteen than restaurant. Canyon is your best choice if you prefer to stay at just one place for your entire Yellowstone visit.
Right around the corner is Yellowstone Falls. This is one sight you will not forget from your Yellowstone National Park itinerary. We encourage you to visit each and every viewpoint along both North and South rim drive — and do that more than once. For the best photographs, arrive before sunrise to Artist Point.
There are no hikes worth mentioning around Canyon for a Yellowstone itinerary only lasting 4 days. With more time, maybe! Just South of Canyon Village and Yellowstone Falls, you will find Hayden Valley , regarded as the second best part of the park for wildlife spotting. This is the place we saw by far the most wildlife including coyotes, mule deer, bison and our first ever bald eagle.
We saw bald eagles here again the second time we visited so you do stand a good chance of seeing one soaring around this area. Again, it is best to arrive early or late to increase chances of spotting animals but be warned — Grizzlies roam alongside Yellowstone River.
We never saw a grizzly, but we did see a lone Grey Wolf from afar, which was awesome. Campgrounds — Canyon campground is open late May to Mid Sept. Hotel and Cabins — Canyon offers the most accommodation by far at Yellowstone. It is open from the beginning of June until early October. We snagged a free upgrade to Premium Lodge Room from Western Cabin which was a welcome escape from the cold nights! This region is where your Yellowstone geyser hunting experience springs to life and you can witness the tallest active geyser in the world.
At Norris geyser basin you will find several thermal geysers in very close proximity. The area is easy to explore via boardwalk and has to rank as one of the must visit regions on your 4 days in Yellowstone National Park itinerary. Waters around Norris basin are acidic, rather than alkaline, which means bacteria creates those colorful patterns you associate with Yellowstone.
Longer opening times and central location make this one of the most popular campgrounds at Yellowstone. Old Faithful is the iconic Yellowstone geyser everyone knows about before visiting the park.
But the Old Faithful region has much more on offer, including perhaps the most eye catching feature of all: Grand Prismatic Spring. You can find almost all amenities here, except a campground. Midway Geyser Basin — Smaller in area but possibly the most rewarding in terms of natural beauty.
The vibrant colors of Grand Prismatic Spring are difficult to appreciate from its boardwalk, so you will need to climb Fairy Falls Trail for that postcard perfect view. Upper Geyser Basin — The crown Jewel, Old Faithful is located here along with the highest density of geothermal activity in the park. Old Faithful erupts once every minutes for anywhere between minutes.
This trail also offers postcard-perfect views over Grand Prismatic Spring. You will be rewarded with a much more tranquil viewing platform.
Old Faithful Inn — rooms and open from early May to mid October, but get in early as this is the most requested lodge in Yellowstone. Wide range of rooms available at various prices. It is enormous! All amenities can be found at both locations on the lake.
What makes this place unique is stunning views of Yellowstone Lake and snow capped mountains behind geothermal features. A boardwalk loops around West Thumb Basin allowing you to see the most impressive features while enjoying some of the best views in the park. However, there are two easy going walks ending with excellent views over the lake and West Thumb. Lake overlook — Easy to moderate 1. Storm Point — Easy 2. Areas surrounding East entrance road are known to be a favorite of the Grizzly Bear, but you can also expect to see a wider variety of wildlife in this region.
We saw coyotes and mule deer pictured above around Lake Lodge during our visit. It is open late May to early September more information. However, this one is only open mid June to mid September more information.
The RV park is open early May to mid September more information. We always find that spending just a few minutes working out where things are really helps when we arrive. You can begin to construct your plans now you have an idea about each region inside the park. The following example itinerary is 4 days long, which means you can relax and take things slowly but still see and do the best of Yellowstone National Park. Our biggest frustration when first visiting with 3 days was only having enough time to visit each attraction once and having to rush through.
But with that extra fourth day, it means you can re-visit any place you missed, was too busy or you enjoyed the most.
You can start your itinerary at any entrance. The figure 8 road inside the park makes it easy to adapt this itinerary to suit beginning from any direction.
This is the most efficient way to visit because you can drive through Lamar Valley early on your first morning for the best chance of seeing abundant wildlife, see the park and leave without driving back on yourself too much. If you are staying in West Yellowstone or Gardiner for the duration of your visit, or are entering via any other entrance, simply move around the days as we list below. The same things to do still apply, you can just adjust the itinerary to fit. Try to arrive early morning for the best shot as seeing Bison and other animals.
Spend an hour or two stopping at various pull-offs. Tip : By getting away from the road you give yourself a much better chance at seeing animals in the wild. When you arrive at Tower Junction turn left and drive a few miles to see Tower Fall and if time allows, hike to Yellowstone River Overlook. But it is around 50 million years old, which means it is in fact, mightily impressive. Alternatively, Gardiner is the best place to stay outside of the park boundaries on this first night.
After dinner depending on light and time of year , drive a couple minutes up to Mammoth Hot Springs for a quick look around the area. Wake up early. Midday is busy but allows you spend more time walking the boardwalks comfortably and better chance to see the radiant springs.
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