Traveling to Yellowstone - need advice?

Question

I am looking at taking the family to Yellowstone this summer and was wondering how many days we need to spend there to take in the sights? Also, what are the must sees of Yellowstone? I do have 2 small children (so the long hikes are probably out).
I appreciate any help you can provide.

Answer 1

I just returned from Yellowstone 2 days ago. It was my 3rd trip in 2 years. Everytime I go, I add a few more days to my trip because there is so much to see and do. With young children, I'd allow at least 5 days if possible, so you can take your time and not rush from one place to the next. You can spread out your activities without wearing your kids out. Even in 5 days you may not see and do everything, but you'll have taken in several of the sights.

Expect to do a lot of driving. There are plenty of pullouts along the roads to get out and stretch and see roadside sights. I'd bring plenty of activites for the kids to do in the car and keep your cooler stocked with drinks and snacks. There aren't a lot of places to eat in the park and sometimes it takes a while to get from place to place. Expect animal jams on the roads as everyone stops to take pictures of bears, elk, bison...anything crossing on near the roads and it can tie you up for a little bit sometimes.

There are plenty of activites your kids will enjoy. This link connects to the concessionaire in the park - Xanterra. You may want to contact them to find out what programs are available for kids. There are several for all age groups...ranger talks, crafts, walks, stage coach rides...all led by workers in the park.

http://www.travelyellowstone.com/

There are several short hikes that your kids may enjoy, especailly those with boardwalks. Be sure to read the signs in the geyser basins and near other thremal areas. Stay on the trails and boardwalks so no one gets hurt.

If your family enjoys wildlife there is plenty to see. Elk, bison, coyotes and deer roam freely through the park and can be seen just about anywhere. There are 12 wolf packs in the park currently, but wolves are best seen in Lamar Valley and sometimes in Hayden Valley. Grizzly bears may be spotted in these places too, but Dunraven pass and the Mt. Washburn area are best for both grizzlies and black bears during sping and summer. Grizzlies will also be fishing for trout through the end of June and are frequently seen near the Fishing Bridge. Pay attention to all the warnings about bears and be on the look out for any bear activity. Big horn sheep can be found near Gardiner, MT as well as near Mt. Washburn. Pronghorn are easily spotted near Gardiner as well and sometimes on the way from Mammoth Hot Springs ro the NE entrance. Just inside the NE entrance at Baronette Peak, you can see mountain goats standing on the rocky cliffs. They are pretty easy to spot. Moose are typically spotted between Pebble Creek camp ground and the NE entrance as well as around the Fishing Bridge and Yellowstone Lake. Most often, you can see the resident heard of elk in Mammoth Hot Springs laying or grazing in yards and near the visitor center. Keep in mind if you see a crowd of people with spotting scopes or cameras, there is probably an animal worth stopping to see. If you haven't found an animal that you are hoping to see, ask other visitors. I've found that they are happy to tell you what they saw yesterday or this morning and can usually point you in the right direction better than a ranger can in most cases. Be sure to bring binoculars, you will see much better wildlife.

If you like water sports, you might check into taking a cruise or other water activites at Yellowstone Lake, but the lake can be dangerous at times with sudden changes in weather, storms blow up quickly.

As far as sight to see these are some of my favorites:
Travertine Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs
Norris Geyser Basin - kind of a long walk, but you can just do part of it
Old Faithful and the surrounding geysers - Old Faithful errupts about evey 90-96 minutes and you can find out the next erruption time in the gift shops and hotels at Old Faithful Village
Canyon Visitor's Center
Upper and Lower Geyser basins
Check out Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to see the park's namesake and Artist Point
Tour the Old Faithful Inn or at least go inside just to see it.
Drive the mountain passes - the wild flowers are beautiful in July and August.
If time allows, drive through the Grand Tetons. Your admission to one park will get you into the other as well and is good for 7 days. You will have a better chance at seeing a moose in the Tetons too.

I've attached a webcam page if you'd like to show your kids. Click around on the links, there is all sorts of info you can get from these web pages. You might even spot and elk or bison in the picture.

http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/webcams.htm

Couple other tips:
Keep your camera ready at all times, you'll want to take a picture around every corner.
Read the Yellowstone Newspaper that you receive upon entering the park - it offers several travel and safety tips that will help you in the park.
Gas has always been the lease expensive in Gardiner, MT, just outside the North Entrance.

Enjoy your trip, you won't regret it!

Answer 2

I have been to Yellowstone about 5 or 6 times and entered and exited through all of its portals. The park is huge and the driving times between the sights is easily an hour or more because of distance and traffic. The park road is shaped like a figure 8 with attractions being dispersed all around the figure. The attractions are on the loops of the figure 8 but there are none in the middle, its just a crossover road; so consider the park as one huge loop. Some of the park is mountainous and other parts are flat with either meadows or wooded areas. Here's a link to the park so you can see its features, maps of attractions, etc.:http://www.nps.gov/yell/
Click on the interactive map which shows where things are.

You can easily see all of the attractions in the park in two full days; actually one long day if you want to push it. With two small kids you may want to spend at least two full days. Even if you do not hike most of the attractions have a short trail or boardwalk to negotiate to the best vantage points to see things. And you must keep your kids hands as they can fall and hurt themselves and at the thermal areas there is extremely hot boiling water and steam reduces visibility sometimes as well as makes the boardwalk slippery.

Where to stay: You may be able to get reservations at the lodges inside the park. But if not the most convenient place to stay is in West Yellowstone, Montana which is just a few hundred yards outside the west gate of the park. You drive out of the west gate (which is about at the middle of the figure 8) and the town full of motels, restaurants and souvenir places and gas stations is right there. Here's a link: http://www.westyellowstonechamber.com/

Which Way: It does make a difference how you enter the park because two of the entrances will provide you the most spectacular views. The best way to enter is from the south from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This will bring you right through the Teton National Park and the Teton Mountains will be visible from the road. You will want to stop for photos.

The next most scenic entrance is the northeast entrance from Cooke City, Montana, I-80 and Laurel or Billings, Mt. This entrance will take you across Bear Tooth Gap with is about 12,000 feet high and a very scenic mountain road. When you enter the park this way you will be right at one of the attractions, Tower Falls.

Park Fees: It is a good idea to buy a National Park Service park pass, especially if you plan to visit more than one National Park on your trip. Check out this link: http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

The main attractions of the park are as follows:

Old Faithful, south west side of the loop
The Lower Geyser Basin, near Old Faithful, southwest side
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, east side of the loop.
Tower Falls, northeast side of the loop
The Mammoth Hot Springs, northwest side of the loop
Lake Yellowstone, southeast side of the loop.

Answer 3

Yellowstone has a LOT of things to see, and it's a very big park so everything is miles away from everything else!

First there is Old Faithful. It goes off about once an hour so you'll have to wait around a bit. There's a beautiful old lodge there made out of tree branches that you'll want to walk around. There's a path to walk on to look at lots of other geysers and hot pools. So that's an afternoon.

At the north end of the park are more, smaller geysers (one is continuously erupting. Like a fountain!), and the paint pots--don't want to miss those.

There's the 'Grand Canyon of Yellowstone', a long river canyon with a beautiful waterfall. There are several wonderful museums and visitor centers.

Then you'll be driving on one of the roads and see a bunch of cars parked at the side. You stop and get out and there's a moose or a family of elk or something. We had an enormous bison walk through our campground! He stopped about 10 feet from where my wife was cooking dinner, and just stood there for a while. We tried to just ignore him, but other people were coming over to look at him.

I would say you could easily fill up three days there, or longer if you had longer. That's just to see stuff. If you had more time it would be a nice place just to 'hang out'.

Answer 4

I would suggest staying in a cabin or lodge in the park. I have also stayed at Flagg Ranch, which is between Yellowstone and the Tetons, and we really enjoyed it! To see everything in Yellowstone, you need at least 3 days. The must sees are the Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful and the Geyser area, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Also, I would not call the trip complete without driving down to the Grand Teton National Park. It's just south of Yellowstone, and the mountains are amazing. Have fun!

Answer 5

Yellowstone is set up so that everything is on a circular road. It can be viewed pretty well in one full day. Lodging is very expensive if you stay in the park itself. My suggestion would be too stay in Lewiston which is on the upper edge of the park and offers very reasonable lodging. It is about a 45 min drive form the park itself. Taking long hikes was one of the best things that we did when we were there. While on the hikes we saw all kinds of wildlife (NO BEARS) but elk, deer, badgers, ect. We found that the trails could have been easily negotiated with a stroller in most cases as long as you did not attempt too hike into the back country and stayed on the trails that were basically through meadows.

Answer 6

I'd say 3-4 at a minimum. It's a big place - the outer loop of he figure 8 (the shape of the roads) is a full days drive, with stops. I'm going for a week, next May (my third trip).

I love staying at the lake lodge cabins - the view from the porch of the lodge is out of this world.

If you are at all interested in photography, there is a trip run from the Lake Hotel that goes to various great spots for taking pictures & they use the old propane-powered bus. About a half day trip.

If you are going in Summer it is worth getting off the road, as much as possible, even if you can't walk far - it WILL be busy.

You can get coffee at the general store next to the lake. I like to go out at dawn & then get breakfast & sit outside the store with a coffee to watch the wildlife. I've seen great stuff from there :-)

Have fun !

Answer 7

Since summer is over, your best start planning for next summer. And some kind of transportation to the park would be a good idea.

Answer 8

dont go in the east gate - there are long delays with road work.
definetlly see the Old faithful inn. It is amazing. The work and logs that went into that building are astounding. Old faithful is right there so the kids will like that.
We were there only one day - which isnt enough !
Enjoy..

Answer 9

You should probably plan at least 3 days. And driving through with small kids is an adventure in itself. There is so much to see!