Yellowstone National Park

Most people call Yellowstone “the crown jewel of the NPS”. Or maybe they call it “the original national park” or some call it “fucking rad”. All of this is true but I prefer to call it “if the NPS had a greatest hits album as good as The Eagles Greatest Hits it would be Yellowstone” (maybe crown jewel is catchier)

I’ll give my same warning that I give in all my national park updates: we did this trip with a 2 and 4 year old. I will say that this park, unlike say Zion, is ideally set up for young kids. Most of the sights in the park are super accessible by car with minimal hiking time required. The park is also set up like a much cooler, funner, cheaper, better, radder version of Disney World — that is, there are main “sections” of the park:

Old Faithful

I mean do I really need to tell you what Old Faithful is? I do? Ok it is a super rad geyser that shoots off every 80-100 minutes. We actually went twice; the first to see the ol girl spout off and the second b/c I had promised my kids a blueberry muffin and it was convenient on our drive. The first day we went at 3pm fully expecting to be turned away by lack of parking but fortunately we were greeted by a parking lot big enough to hold the damn Super Bowl. There’s seating all around the geyser, several restaurants / canteens, and a lodge.

Lamar Valley

Since we were staying nearest the West Entrance of Yellowstone, Lamar Valley felt a bit like we were driving to the East Coast. It’s about a 90 minute drive from the west side of the park and it’s probably the section of the park with the least number of attractions. BUT it is the best place to see wildlife. Scroll down for more info on what to bring and why patience is a virtue.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Did you know there is a Grand Canyon (in Arizona) and then there’s the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone? It’s true and I didn’t find out until a park guide was like “hey, you gotta see the Grand Canyon while you’re here”. I have a feeling this a joke they teach at park ranger academy and it goes over sooooo well to dummies like me. I looked at the ranger like he were speaking Greek to me and then he started laughing and laughing and then finished with “….of Yellowstone!”. He laughed. I laughed. He felt super smart. I felt super dumb. Either way, the Grand Canyon (of Yellowstone) is a series of short hikes, a couple of water falls, a lodge and a general store.

There are 7 total sections but these were the three that we spent the most time in.

We ended up staying in West Yellowstone in a series of motels that should have cost the same as staying in a Motel 6 in Valdosta, GA but ended up costing the same as staying at a Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan. But hey, everyone and their mama had the national park fever so we paid the money (despite being 2 hours away in Driggs, ID) and I’m super glad we did. From the West Yellowstone entrance, it’s about 45 minutes drive to the nearest hike / geyser / cool ass natural wonder.

Getting around

It feels just a bit dirty saying you need a car to get around Yellowstone. It’s a park defined by its natural beauty and here I am telling you that to get around you need to spew exhaust into the lungs of our planet like you’re a cigarette company back in the 60s. But alas, if you’re with small kids, there ain’t much of a better way to get around Yellowstone. Unlike other national parks where there’s shuttles or ebikes or large drones (ok just kidding) that will deposit you throughout the park, Yellowstone is so freakin massive (larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined) that you really need a car to get around. The drive from the west entrance into the main loop that surrounds the park alone takes about 30+ minutes. There’s plenty to see on that drive but just be prepared to drive around a lot.

If you look at the map below, you’ll see an upper and lower loop. We drove the whole damn thing splitting it into the lower loop on the first day where you’ll see most of the sites you’ve heard of (Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Fountain Paint Pots, etc) and then the upper loop will take you to Mammoth and eventually out to Lamar where some of the best wildlife viewing is.

I break down the sites to see, when to get there, etc, etc in the “What to do” section towards the bottom.

Where to stay

We ended up staying in two motels:

• City Center Motel: there is nothing at all luxurious about this place but the staff was super helpful and gave us bunch of good tips on what to see and where to go. And they let us checkin 3 hours early (clutch when you’re with a crabby 2 year old who wants a nap)

• Al’s Westward Ho Motel: i mean, the name alone should have drawn me in. And the fact that they still have OG keys and keychains was pretty cool, right? They’re the last motel before you enter the park so there’s that but the beds feel like you’re sleeping in a camp bunk from the 80s.

Normally in my posts I have a where to eat / spend-too-much-money-on-coffee but we literally spent 10-12 hour days in the park and ate pizza on our motel beds each night. So I ain’t got much for you on this one 🤷🏼‍♂️.

What to do

This happens to be the park we spent the most time in during our trip (8 national parks in all) and is also the park we hiked the least. I think because of the natural wonders and its status as the OG of national parks, Yellowstone attracts a lot of non hikers. We fell into that camp during our trip

Old Faithful

Grand Prismatic Spring

After Old Faithful, I think Grand Prismatic Spring is the most iconic of landmarks in Yellowstone. Personally it was my favorite destination at Yellowstone as there is so much to ogle at with the spring. It’s the third largest hot spring in the world and is so full of vivid colors you would think it was painted into the ground. We ended up visiting the spring twice. The first visit was early in the morning, around 7am. We were able to pull directly into the parking lot and walk right up to the spring. This is great if you want to see the other springs located in the Midway Geyser Basin, Excelsior Spring and Opal Pool. Also note that the parking lot is pretty small and fills up super fast.

Our second visit is how I recommend most people see Grand Prismatic Spring. The viewing platform located at the Fairy Falls trail is about a .6 mile hike that’s slightly uphill that takes you to a vantage point to see down into the spring. This is by far the best way to see the spring. Also, the parking lot isn’t as much of a shitshow as the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot.

Fountain Paint Pots

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Lamar Valley

Mammoth Hot Springs