10 Best Things to do in yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park has so much to offer for all ages. Here are the top 10 things (in no particular order) I would recommend you do! And one MAJOR attraction to skip…
#1 – mammoth Hot springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is a complex of tons of hot springs. We spent about 45 minutes walking all around so I’d suggest wearing comfy shoes while exploring this area. It’s not just a quick, get out of the car and look kind of stop. There’s walkways/paths that take you to all the different hot springs.
#2 – Wildlife
You can’t exactly plan to see wildlife, because well, they’re wild and do what they want. HOWEVER, the two spots we saw major wildlife was driving from Mammoth Springs to Lamar Valley (North side), as well as on the West side between the Grand Prismatic & Biscuit Basin.
#3 – Lamar valley
This is the more mountainous region of Yellowstone and had tons of hiking trails you could pull off the road and do! We did part of the Lamar Valley Trail & the Trout Lake Loop.
#4 – East Entrance
We did a road trip and hit every single one of the entrances to Yellowstone but I would say the road coming in on the East side was the best! The views, the river, the lack of traffic (West side was the worst traffic) all left the East Entrance to be our favorite. If you’re on a time crunch then this might have to be something you skip as it is quite out of the way from everything else!
#5 – Yellowstone lake
Pack a lunch and eat at one of the many picnic tables you can stop at near Yellowstone Lake. Also swing by the Museum & Visitor Center on the North side of the lake for a souvenir & some fun facts about Yellowstone!
#6 – Natural bridge Hike
It’s an easy hike to the Natural Bridge. Once you get there, to get to the top has a little elevation but it’s not bad! Walking out on the bridge is something I would only recommend if you do not experience vertigo. It’s decently wide but it’s still somewhat scary. Trail info here.
#7 – Mud volcano
This bubbling caldron was super cool to see.
#8 – Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was my favorite thing we saw! There are many different viewing spots. “Artist Point” is the busiest but has the best views (picture). We also went to “Grand View” and then hiked the North Rim Trail to “Inspiration Point”. If I did it again I would skip the hiking portion and just drive to each viewpoint.
#9 – Norris Geyser Basin
Another spot like Mammoth Hot Springs where you can walk around and see geysers, springs, mud pools, & more. We were lucky because Steamboat Geyser had just erupted the day before so it was still going crazy.
#10 – Grand Prismatic
The view of the Grand Prismatic is the best from the “Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook”. I would still go check it out up close but also take the .7 mile hike from the “Fairy Falls Parking Lot” to view it from above!
