Yellowstone National Park Must See Stops
Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 3,500-sq.-mile area atop an active volcano hot spot. Although the park is mostly in Wyoming, the park stretches into parts of Montana and Idaho as well. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, rivers, lakes, endless forests, hot springs and geysers, including the most famous, Old Faithful. While at Yellowstone, you may run into several different animal species including bears, wolves, bison, elk, antelope and maybe even a big horn sheep.
Where to start
There are 4 entrances to the park. We only used two. The entrance through Gardiner, MT is going to bring you straight to Mammoth Hot Springs. The next day we chose to go in through the West Entrance through West Yellowstone, WY and were only a short drive to the Grand Prismatic Pool and Old Faithful. Using either entrance will get you where you need to go. It really depends on where you stay in the area which entrance you will use. We used Bozeman, MT as our home base and it was great. Bozeman is only 75 miles from Yellowstone and has all of the conveniences you’ll need to make your trip as hassle free as possible.
What to see
A few of the sights we recommend seeing before you leave: Yellowstone Falls (the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone), Gibbon Falls, Old Faithful, The Grand Prismatic, & Yellowstone Lake. These were our favorite stops along the way. There are so many pull offs and viewing overlooks that you will have so many opportunities to view wildlife. Don’t fret if you miss a bison standing in a field, you will see another. Yellowstone is very large and vast. I did a ton of research and read all about the park before we went but until you are there, you cannot grasp its enormity. We spent 2 days exploring and it wasn’t enough.
What to bring
Yellowstone only has a few gas stations, but many gift shops and only a handful of places to eat. These places are good but expensive. If you have a family of 4 or 5, it will cost you a good bit to eat in the park.
- Cooler Items: strawberries, grapes, apple slices, ham or turkey, water, Propel, mayo.
- Snack Bag/Box: Pretzels, Peanut Butter Crackers, Goldfish, & ChexMix (don’t forget bread for sandwiches too)
- Car Essentials: Wet wipes, sunscreen, picnic blanket or a beach towel, bug spray, games, sun shade, trash canister with grocery bags for garbage. Do not leave food or garbage in your car and put in the bear proof containers that are available all over the park.
For other goodies to pack for any day trip check out my post on the 10 Best Road trip Essentials.
Tips
Also, remember that nothing is a quick drive. The speed limit through Yellowstone is 45 and most don’t even go that fast because of wildlife viewing and stops. If you have children a cooler is the only way to go. Plus who wants to be tracking down lunch when you have a gorgeous view at Yellowstone Lake that is an excellent picnic spot.
The most important thing you need if you plan on visiting Yellowstone in the Summer, the busiest time of the year, is patience. There are many road improvements going on in 2017 and traffic can become slow at times. We were there at the end of May and it was very light and not as crowded.
See the link below for the 10 things to know before you go. I also added a list of the items we took with us to the park. The fruit was all easy and no real clean up. Don’t cut the strawberries before, it’s easier to eat with the stem attached and they stay fresher longer.
Top 10 Things to Know Before You Go!
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or email us directly. We would be happy to answer any questions about the park or the area.
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