Yellowstone National Park Reviews

there are no adjectives that can describe the beauty of this park, an emblem of American nature and also of the United States. I can only say: go there! I visited the park in
second week of June 2023, a fairy tale

One of the most spectacular places in the world I've ever known.
And impossible not to be impressed with the natural beauty of this park.
From the smoky mud lakes to the lakes of multiple colors, through the mountains, canyons and also the fauna.
And a unique place and that everyone should have the opportunity to know.

The park is magnificent, stupendous and every other adjective that means “superlative.” Unfortunately some of the facilities are not. Woefully inadequate parking particularly at the Grand Prismatic Spring…and this was off season. Food service was also somewhere between disappointing and unavailable. The web sites said most facilities would be open until late October but they were closing on 10/8 and apparently all the staff could think about was not having to work tomorrow. Totally unhelpful/uncaring.

What can you say about Yellowstone National Park other than wow!
We road-tripped through the country to spend 4 days in the park. Even with 4 days to spend, you still are left thinking that there is so much more to see.
We covered the Grand loop and all the various terrains and Yellowstone villages in that time. But it truly isn't enough time to enjoy each section and the exciting features to be found in each. Each area is awe-inspiring.
If you plan on visiting briefly, plan your trip well with maybe one or two areas of the park in mind to fully appreciate where you visit. Each section of the park has a different geological feel as well as attractions specific to the area. To get all attractions done in one day is a daunting task, and it is unlikely to be fulfilled well. You'll do better to pick on or two main attractions that are must sees in that case.
If staying in the park, aim for your main interest. IE, stay near Olf Faithful Inn if you are interested in the geysers and pools. Maybe stay at Canyon Village or the Lake area if your main interest is the waterfalls, water interests, and possibly cruising Hayden Valley for animal (bison...) viewing.
Head to Tower Roosevelt area or stay close if back country woods and higher forests, terrains, interest you. We found that area beautiful, although it is much quieter and it does have steep grades and climbs going to and from.
Mammoth has the hot springs. The West thumbs has both the lake and mud pots, and steaming pools.
The point is that the great geological features/attractions are spread out throughout the park, which is huge! We enjoyed driving around, but it takes time; as the park attractions are usually crowded and slow to get to. To fully appreciate how wonderful each area truly is, you need to spend some time in each.
We hope you are lucky enough to get to visit and have a few days in this most wonderful National Park. Or even better, get to return time and again to discover the natural wonders within.

It's a nature's greatest gift to the human which has painted the view with exotic colours, lights, grace etc., Yellow is the dominant colour with the deepest valleywoth light bluish water running down in the deep shallow. The continous rocky downslides on either sides leaving a wow feeling from various spots. One with the slighter view of falls and further down a lovely sight starting from the falls and as you turn to your left the rocks adding beauty with its yellow shine. Fantastic views

How can anyone "rate" Yellowstone anything less than 5-Stars? It is nothing but beautiful; one of America’s great destinations. No words can truly describe its wonder and magnificence. See for yourself.

Where do you start with Yellowstone/
There is so much to see.
It's worth taking your time.
e found it a fairly busy two days to do the North Loop (Mammoth Sprnigs) one day, and the southern loop (Old Faithful) on a second day.
Truth is, we could easily have taken longer. You certainly will miss out if you only have one day.
The park is pretty well managed, and despite the number of visitors, we were always able to find space in the parking lots and at the main resting points.
It's impossible to describe the geological wonder that is Yellowstone, so I won't even try.
You just have to go ...

The variety of things to see and do here is amazing, and there are ways to see the best parts of the park for those at all levels of fitness. If you venture at all away from the crowds, you'll almost certainly be rewarded with views of some of the many forms of wildlife in the park.

The only downside of our visit was the heavy presence of mosquitoes almost everywhere we went. Strongly suggest carrying your favorite deterrent with you everywhere you go.

This place is always crowded. There are no parking spaces around areas of interest inside this park.

This National Park is a must see and do for everyone. Flew into Bozeman MT, rented a car and stayed in West Yellowstone. Farther than one would think btw… the park is huge! Get an early start as the Gate is crowded and have a driving plan. Take several days to see it all. There are geysers, mud pots, and geothermal areas galore. Elk, deer and bison walk the roads. Pay attention when the road is blocked, it is because critters are in the meadows or in the road!

We had no idea this park is so huge. We have visited other national parks and driven through them in a day. Yellowstone has two loops...north and south. Each loop has areas to see. The northern loop has Mammoth Springs and Tower Junction. The lower loop has Old Faithful and the Lower, middle and upper geyser basins. In the middle of the loops is Norris and Canyon. There is so much to see and do, 3 days was barely enough. If you're a hiker, allow yourself at least 5 days to do it all. We did not hike and still needed 3 days to see everything. Each of the different areas all 15-20 miles apart so you'll do a lot of driving...and hopefully you'll see a bison or two along the road!

Great place, we spent three days and needed it to see all the four corner big attractions. Should see grand prismatic, mammoth springs. Canyon of the yellowstone. Norris basin and mud pots and lower geyser basin. Other than some bone headed drivers it was fun. My other big complaint is NO INTERNET or POOR INTERNET IN THE PARK, inexcusable when the parks service wants you to book your rooms online, How can you do that without
the internet, a fiasco beyond words.

Very interesting park with lots of variety.
The geysers and the pots were colourful and varied.
The wildlife was great.
Only downside was the volume of traffic which in some cases stressed the wildlife

Yellowstone National Park is the most beautiful park in the United States for me personally. From wildlife to geysers and beautiful landscapes, can spend with days/weeks.

However, the park is overflowing beyond measure.

I would rate this park one of the top natural attractions I have seen so far. It is an amazing national park and so easily accessible to all types of tourists and hikers. They have clearly outlined all the possible activités one can do. Great accommodations on site and a variety of places to visit. It was a bucket list item for me and one of the best trips I have made.

It takes at least 5 days to fully enjoy this magnificent national park.
Fishing Bridge is an ideal starting point for exploring all parts of the park.
Prefer to leave early or return late to avoid the crowds...

Incredible features, wildlife and scenery enjoyable for the entire family (3 kids ages 7-12). We used the “GuideAlong” app and couldn’t be more pleased. We were first time visitors and the self guided gps enabled narration was so helpful and educational for the entire family for our Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park adventure.

It’s a great part. Don’t forget to get. “Vehicle registration” via email though or else you will have to enter before 6am!
Also, bring food with you. There are only a few options for a meal in the park. We skipped Touristy Old Faithful to the south and opted for the amazing small geysers and boiling mud baths, and incredible wildlife sightings to the North. We saw so many Bison and elk on the North side near the Roosevelt Lodge (a rustic place to stay as well)!
Get a annual National Park pass and do Glacier Park to the North (6 hr drive) on the same trip!
VictorB

Life is like a song 🎶
Love is like a music 🎵
Fell amazing and relax in the moment and enjoy with the nature environment and feel like in paradise ⛅️💨❄️

What a great experience. Saw all kinds of wildlife including Grizzly bears, bison, elk. This is an experience that can’t be missed. There are several other worthwhile attractions in the area.

We did the upper loop and I have to say it’s a must see. We ended the trip at Old Faithful but all of the springs/geysers are a must see. There are benches at Old Faithful while you’re waiting on it to spew.

Yellowstone National Park is really beautiful and extremely large. Best way to see it is by hiking, but if you aren't up to that then there are short walks you can take and tours by automobile.

Old Faithful is historic, Grand Prismatic Spring is spectacular. Park traffic is HORRENDOUS. Despite numerous warning signs and orange pylons to prevent gawkers from obstructing traffic flow it still occurs frequently. Most egregious is at Elk Park between Madison Junction and Norris Junction. Cars and larger vehicles pull onto both shoulders with wheels and mirrors partially in travel lanes for almost a quarter mile causing northbound and southbound traffic to stop and play dodge-em with oncoming traffic. At 3:30 in the afternoon traffic was bumper to bumper southbound all the way back to Norris Junction creating over an hour long crawl. When we finally got to the obstruction we saw no less than three rangers on the scene but not to remove or ticket the offenders, no they were casually waving their arms trying to encourage traffic flow while making NO effort to minimize the obstruction. This literally sucked all the joy out of our day. We have lodging to stay another day here but will NOT re-enter YNP.

This was a bucket list trip for us. We had been to Yellowstone in the fall but wished to see the park in the winter. Most of all we wanted to see wolves!

The company we have traveled with many times, Off the Beaten Path, (OBP) crafted a custom trip which was all Yellowstone and no other destinations. These are great folks, and we have never been disappointed.

We stayed in Mammoth Lodge for the first part of the trip and Snow Lodge at Old Faithful geyser for the second half. Weather was cold, but not frigid. The Xanterra staff, without exception, were friendly and helpful, and committed to making your experience special. I cannot say more about how nice they were – desk staff, dining room servers, snow coach drivers all were excellent. I will add a note of caution here: The lodges have no television, radio or, in our case, cell reception! Be prepared to be off the grid for a while!

OBP had arranged for a private guide while we were in Mammoth who picked us up in his van Christmas morning and took us on the grand loop around Yellowstone in our pursuit of wild things. Chuck Carroll from Yellowstone Guidelines was one of the best guides we have had in our many visits to national parks. He tailored the expedition to exactly meet our desires. Through snow flurries we went through hill and dale seeking elusive wolves and finding bison blocking the road, coyotes running alongside our van, and elk chowing down in sheltered forests. He took us into Cooke City - whose only winter road is through Yellowstone – to a rare flush toilet midway through the day. He even provided deli sandwiches! The next day we again set off in search of wolves and before the afternoon Chuck found us a pack foraging on a bison carcass! Success! You cannot do better if you are seeking a guide.

We left Mammoth by snow coach – the only way to access the southern sections of Yellowstone. It is a four-hour trip to Old Faithful with narration by the Xanterra driver/guide along the route. Snow coaches are short busses with big snow tires to traverse the snow-covered roads. Our driver was interesting and animated and made a couple of stops at hot springs and waterfalls along the route. Zero traffic! Much better than riding the roads in summer when the roads are clogged with cars!

At Snow Lodge the rooms are similar to Mammoth – small, but comfortable. Again, no radio, TV or cell service. We opted for a snow coach tour of the Firehole region to see more hot springs, geysers, and boiling mud pits. Our driver/guide was very good, and we got to walk boardwalks around several of the features before returning to the lodge. Upon returning we walked to the Old Faithful geyser in time for a scheduled eruption – and were not disappointed in the famed bursts of steam and water!

Meals at both lodges are provided in Xanterra dining rooms. The menus are limited, but the food and service is very good. There are no alternatives for food service at Mammoth but there is a ‘hamburger and fries’ grill at Snow if you choose to ‘dine down’ for dinner. I must commend the breakfast buffet at both lodges as excellent!

We left on a morning snow coach to return to Mammoth to recover our rented car and continue to Bozeman for our flight home. Like the trip down, we had a driver/guide who narrated the journey and made stops at features or if wildlife was seen. Magically, along the route, a large herd of bison was seen and a pack of wolves could be clearly seen stalking them. Our guide pulled over and allowed us a very long time to watch and photograph the pack. Then, even more magically, two wolves crossed the road less than 50 feet from the coach. One even stopped, watched us, raised its head and howled! Just WOW! Our guide, Sian, made out vacation complete.

A few suggestions if you contemplate this trip in winter:
1. Pack for cold and windy. Good snow boots, too.
2. If you have a camera, bring it. Cell phone cameras just do not have the range to catch distant wildlife.
3. Do not worry about bathrooms as you tour the park. There are pit toilets along the roads – even the snow roads and the guides will pull over if you need a bathroom break. They are serviced daily – even in winter.
4. Altitude. The park is ~7000 feet. If your prone to altitude sickness just be aware there is less oxygen and you may need to acclimate.
5. Dry, dry air in the lodges and dry cold air outside.
6. If you fly in or out of Bozeman, between Gardiner and Livingston there is a settlement named Corwin Springs. If you take the turnoff, cross the bridge, and turn right you will see mountain sheep! A whole herd right next to the dirt road. I am told they are always there!
7. We got our car in Bozeman from TURO. Excellent value and service for a four-wheel-drive Waggoneer. Very easy to do, the host was great, and it was an economical and no-hassle way to rent a car. I recommend it for your next trip.
8. Bon Voyage!

The park is very nice. The scenery is so beautiful, even if the higher elevations are covered with snow. You do get to see different animals while driving. The roads are curvey so if you do get car sick, you will need to take medicine before you go

This was a bucket list trip and was beyond our expectations. Highly recommend the lower loop. It was magnificent. The upper loop was worth a visit but if you are short on time, I would spend it on the lower loop. Be sure to visit Old Faithful and the 3 mile loop around it to see other geysers. We stopped everywhere and there is nothing I would miss.

This is a geologist dream come true - so many different kinds of sights and experiences, even for non-geologists. Old Faithful is the main attraction, but don't waste too much time there because there is so much more to the park than this one geyser. It's impossible to recommend one single thing as it is all spectacular. The park is huge, and the crowds are manageable in most places during the high season. Plan to spend at least 3 days, if not an entire week.

The crowds were beyond my expectation. Hundreds of cars and people coming and going everywhere made it much less than the enjoyable place I visited when I was 6 years old. The stores were mobbed with people 10-20 deep waiting to check out. The aisles were much too narrow for two people to meet. There was seating at Old Faithful but hundreds of people were still standing. Park rangers were no where to be found. Signage was difficult to follow. The trails around the geysers were safe and well-built. But, there were crowds there, as well. Yellowstone us just getting into the Internet age, so I had no Internet which made it difficult. Gasoline was readily available. I didn't check out the inns because we were staying elsewhere; however, based upon the cars, they were full, as well. Food was available at several places, but once again, the lines were huge. We saw basically no wildlife. Our visit included 2 elk, 4 deer, and 1 bison. I was hoping for much more.

Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the United States, was founded in 1872, spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Known for its unique geological wonders, magnificent natural views and abundant wildlife, Yellowstone attracts millions of visitors each year to explore the wonders of this nature

The park has the world’s most relaxing springs, magnificent canyons and waterfalls, and a rich ecosystem of fauna and flora, both for adventurous travelers and nature lovers.

⚡ First day route:

Hot Springs Area
Great Meteorite Hot Springs
Siem refers to the middle spring basin
Yellowstone Park Star Sky

⚡ Next day route:

Old Faithful Spring Area
Yellowstone Grand Canyon
Norris Resorts Basin

Amazing country! The wildlife was next level. This time of year has extensive limitations for road travel with most of the park closed, but it was more than enough for a full day of spectacular sight seeing.

Seeing Old Faithful Geyser spouting at a record 30 ft in the air on 09/15/2022. This trip was self-planned and self-driven in an economical vehicle Cheverolet Malibu similar to my Hyundai Elantra of 2019. I have put 300- miles driving through mountainous terrain and also experiencing cattle ranching and potato and apple, harvesting of both Idaho and Washington. We do raise those crops in Ohio and Michigan however of different variety. Also enjoy the valleys of both Snake and Columbia Rivers and the many hydroelectric production similar to Hoover Dam. Did savor Lewis and Clark Expedition as I traveled US 30 which is also I 84 from Cheyenne WY to Portland OR an earth taking cattle ranching interstate and also very smoky atmosphere due to extensive wildfires in which 60 minutes did not mention when they covered the Northern California back in September 2022. While at Yellowstone be sure to allow all day and experience the many mod pots and Geysers the par is famous for. Old Faithful is located near Continental Divide which separates Atlantic and Pic watersheds and also the 46th parallel latitude north. Due to coming winter, some roads there will be restricted to travel.

We arrived at Yellowstone through the west entrance. We then headed to Old Faithful stopping to see the Lower and Midway Geyser Basins. Along the way we saw many bison at rest, and on the road. When we arrived at Old Faithful it was estimated to erupt within 5 minutes. What lucky timing on our part. We then headed toward West Thumb and the Roosevelt Lodge where we saw a couple bears off the side of the road. We then looped around and went to Mammoth and Norris Basin. At this point we were heading back toward the west entrance after exploring the park for a full day. However, shortly after Norris we came to a complete stop due to a herd of bison in the road that refused to move. Traffic was backed up for miles and it took us approximately 1-1/2 hours to go 2 miles. The next day we returned because we failed to see the Upper Geyser Basin that is located by Old Faithful. Believe it or not our timing was great once again because we were able to see Old Faithful erupt within minutes of our arrival. When we were walking back from the Upper Geyser Basin, we were talking to a couple who told us to go on the free tour of Yellowstone Lodge that was starting within 10 minutes. We went on the tour that lasted an hour and it was very informative. The woman that led the tour has been doing this for a very long time and she was very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend the tour. TIP: Take snacks and a cooler of drinks, sandwiches, if possible. We visited at the end of May, and it was much busier than we expected. The lines were long and the prices high. Also, fill up your car with gas before arriving just in case you get caught in a traffic jam due to animals or construction. If you come to the park during the summer, you may want to consider arriving in the park in the late afternoon and checking into one of the hotels near Old Faithful. You can see the sites coming into the park via the West Entrance and then spend time walking around the hotel and doing the Upper Geyser Basin. The next day finish off the loop starting with the Roosevelt Lodge, Mammoth and Norris.

Absolutely amazing place. So much to see, we had 3 days here which still wasn't enough! The visitor centre staff were really helpful and the rangers. Fabulous

Driving cross-country from CA to NC, we made it a point to plan our route to include Yellowstone National Park since we had never been. We stayed in Idaho Falls, ID the night before and entered the Park via the West Gate at 11 a.m. on 7/16/2025. We purchased a single Annual Senior Pass for $20 for my wife, which covered both of us in the car saving us $15. Seemed like a good start, but unlike any other toll gate the bumper-to-bumper traffic leading up to the Gate did not diminish after we paid and drove through.

The traffic was HORRENDOUS from the West Gate to Old Faithful, and despite one bathroom stop at a Visitor Information Station, it took us nearly 3 hours to get to Old Faithful. On the subject of restroom facilities, take care of business before you enter the Park because rest facilities are few and far between. Even at Old Faithful, I could not believe how few restrooms were available for the crowds.

Back to the traffic, the problem appears to be with visitors wanting to stop at geysers on the way to Old Faithful. Each of these spots has very limited parking, so cars are lined up trying to get in and that backs up on the main roadway blocking the rest of us from continuing on our way. At one such stop, cars were parked along the shoulder where they could for up to a half mile. Thankfully, there is plenty of parking at Old Faithful, but as soon as it shoots off and everyone gets their photo op, there's a mass exodus from the parking lot jamming up the traffic flow again. In my opinion, Yellowstone needs to move to a reservation system like Haleakala National Park in Hawaii. The Park in its present state cannot handle the volume of vehicles being allowed in.

The Park overall seems in disrepair. The boardwalk going around Old Faithful is terribly weathered with nails that hold down the planks sticking up in spots waiting for an unsuspecting walker. Signage also is in desperate need of repainting or replacement.

Too make matters worse, if that's possible, we saw ZERO wildlife during our entire visit. I know that's not the Park's fault; Yellowstone is not a zoo. However, I was told by a resident that the 70s temps were cool enough to bring the animals out. If it gets really hot, they will head to higher elevations to stay cool.

One last thing, we never saw any Park Rangers or other types of Law Enforcement on the roads or at the established stops like Old Faithful. I would assume with the crowds there would be a more visible presence of public safety personnel.

TIP: If you are going during peak season, I would recommend entering from the east side of the Park as the westbound traffic was almost non-existent during our visit.

This was my second visit to YNP. The first visit I got sick and ended up at the Old Faithful Clinic. I always wanted to go back and actually enjoy my time in the park and I'm glad to say I finally got there!

This place is unique and amazing and a must see for everyone, you don't necessarily have to be into thermal features or wildlife. There's something for everyone here. This is what I found to be helpful:

-Bring your own food. You'll be miles away from food at lunchtime, and the food you'll find at dinner time will most likely be lousy and expensive. Bring a cooler stocked well. Bring drinks. There is a small grocery store at Fishing Bridge if you need to restock supplies.

-Bring refillable water bottles and drink lots of water! It's very easy to get dehydrated at these altitudes.

-Bring and wear sunscreen and a hat. The sun is very strong here!

-Consider staying at least 4 days and at least in a couple different lodges inside the park. This will help you to cut down on the amount of driving you do each day. The park is HUGE, traffic is slow, and traffic jams happen for all sorts of reasons.

-Bring a first aid kit. Not only for cuts & scrapes, but for upset stomach, headaches, cold symptoms, etc. etc. We were in that kit almost every day getting something.

-Bring layers of clothing because mornings can be very cold, and it can snow at any time of the year.

-Bring the best camera you have, you'll be taking many pictures!

-Bring your patience. I saw people getting super whipped up while driving- passing, cutting people off, making a dash for the last space in the parking lot. I'm surprised I didn't see a collision.

-Bring binoculars if you want to look for more elusive wildlife like wolves and bears

Even with a full week you won't be able to do and see it all, so plan on going back someday :)

Incredible 12 hours spent in the park. Geysers, hot springs, bison, elk were all amazing sights. Once you pay for entry ($35 for a car), your ticket is valid for 7 days. A park ranger advised us to go in as early as possible to see more wildlife.

Despite the cold and occasional sleet and hail in May, we still loved this place. It is truly one of a kind. Out favorite were the travertine terraces ar Mammoth Hot Springs and the porcelain basin at Norris. But it was just breathtakingly beautiful everywhere and the landscape is so different from one area of the park to the next.
One issue we had with the park is that there would be unannounced road closures, we have encountered 2. Given that is is a loop around the park, the closures can pose big challenges as it did for us.

WONDERER IN THE WORLD

Yellow Stine National Park..in yellowstone national park..very nice and wonderful place that I' ve seen. So much impressive..great ambience..beautuful place. Gorgeoys animal surrounding ..Yellow Stone National Park was a wondered place in the world..the mist beauriful spot view greatful mountain park .head diwn to the lake and enjoy..but be careful for the wild animal very dangerous attacking you ..get a guid with you to protect and guide you at vety safe place..nothing to say with this place it might be an excellent place very peaceful.

Sights were awe-inspiring. The tourist population seemed to increase exponentially after 8am. Long lines for parking and restrooms. I will say the Old Faithful area had plenty of parking and restrooms when we were there. If you need to communicate with others in your group take walkie-talkies, cell service is limited.

We bought the America the Beautiful annual pass. Someone else mentioned this, and it more than pays for itself if you go to 3 National Parks in a year from date of purchase. We went here, Grand Teton park, and will some others down south where we are from. Plus it is a souvenir itself.

You could easily spend a week or two here alone. There is something for everyone, really. Wild life, (we were stuck on road only once for 2.5 hours one evening) mountains, canyons, forests, geysers, rivers, rapids, lakes, camping, picnics, etc.

I could wish that we had camped here, but logistics made that difficult for us.

Great place to visit! 2 tips we received made our trips very enjoyable: 1) Don't stay in one place. The park is huge. Our rough itinerary appears below. 2) Plan what you want to see. We used the book "Yellowstone Treasures, The Traveler's Companion to the National Park" by Janet Chapple. Had tips on what you shouldn't miss, etc. Very helpful.

Where we stayed for tip one above:
Day 1- Entered from Cody, WY mid afternoon and stayed at Lake Lodge Cabins.
Day 2 - stopped at sites traveling to Mammoth Hot Springs, including Canyon falls and points and Tower falls. Stayed at Gardiner.
Day 3 - Toured Hot Springs terraces, Ft. Yellowstone, drove to West Yellowstone and visited Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. Stayed in West Yellowstone.
Day 4 - Toured Lower and Midway Geyer Basins, Old Faithful geyser and lodge. Drove to Grant Center, toured geyser basin and stayed in Grant Lodge.
Day 5 - Exited Yellowstone, toured Grand Teton NP. Stayed at Jackson.

Suggestions. You could start at any place and go in either direction. A couple of our days were short. We started about 7 a.m. and arrived at our next lodging stop by 5 p.m. You could save money and time by combining any or all of the following:
+ Arrive at lodging later in the day
+ Combine Grand Teton NP (1/2 day) and Old Faithful (1/2 day)
+ Stay in Cody or Jackson, rather than in the park, on the appropriate day.

Yellowstone National Park is breathtaking! A memorable vacation for sure. What a national treasure. My husband and I recommend staying inside the park. We stayed in the Canyon Village. Specifically in the Canyon Lodge. The room was basic and nice. However it had poor lighting for reading. Very dark and no TV. But they did provide WiFi.
The food in the Eatery (except for the ice cream in the Creamery) was absolutely horrible. Just don't understand why the couldn't improve on that. Lunch (a la carte) at the Old Faithful Inn, an hour away was very good.

Had a wonderful 2 week road trip with friends to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier and Badlands Parks. They are truly remarkable places of natural beauty.
Only complaint is accommodations in Yellowstone are WAY overpriced ($350/night is cheapest in Grant Village). They do tell you cell/internet services are poor. They really mean non existent anywhere in Park). I heard Verizon had some cell connects, TMobile was nada. Dining must be reserved 90 days in advance and food was very poor. You must be prepared to rough it for room and food if you stay in park.

What an amazing vacation! The park is beautiful. Yes, there is construction but they had a horrible flood last year and some roads needed repair. Just plan for some areas with pilot cars. We were able to see grizzly bears, tons of bison, antelope, elk, and deer. The whole experience was life changing!

Highly Recommend! Peaceful Beautiful nature with otherworldly terrain! A Bison walked up to me in a park car, stared at me for a long time, so loving. Then, a lionheart geyser showered me with cool misty water as I walked by. Not all geysers are hot tempered. Traveled before 2023.

I visited here when I was 13 years old. I always wanted to bring my dear wife here to witness it for herself. It took me 56 years to get her here, but we finally made it! She loved it and so did I. America’s first National Park may very well be the best of them all. So much to see, I only made it to about 1/2 of the things on my list. Once we got there, I just knew I wanted to slow down and spend more time at each stop. Take it all in, have some nice meals, meet people from around the world, that’s what we ended up doing. We saw incredible sites, there is no place in the world like this in my humble opinion.

Words cannot describe the beauty of this park - we entered by the West Yellowstone Gate, and only managed to do the lower loop but we saw so much. The waterfalls, of which there are many, are beautiful, not to mention the scenery. Of course the hot water bubbling out of hundreds of holes in the ground is mind boggling, and the strong smell of sulphur. The different colours of the pools alongside each other just gorgeous. The walkways and lookouots are very well done, and well kept. The highlight of course was seeing Old Faithfull-incredible. There were some rude people just pushing in to see it, but they are everywhere. We saw a few bison on the road, they are enormous animals-not bothered by the traffic. The Old Faithful Visitor Centre is very interesting with lots of information. Will definitely visit this Park again to see other parts. Accommodation in the Park is astronomical, even West Yellowstone accommodation is way beyond our budget, so we stayed in Cabin Village a short drive from West Yellowstone.

This place does not really need a review from me - it speaks for itself ! It is an amazing, wonderful place. I loved the South Loop with all the geysers, bison and lakes. My husband loved the North Loop with dramatic scenery of a different kind - more alpine and mountainous. Please don't assume that if you have seen one of the loops that the other one is the same - they are totally different. Both are wonderful !
You really need at least one day for each loop.

We went on spring break and some of the park was closed due to freezing. Our original tour was cancelled, but we found a Trash Pickup guy that worked at the park that gave us a private tour of what he could show us. Had an AMAZING experience and he pointed out so many animals and helped us view the wolves and see waterfalls off the beaten path.

This NP is THE most famous NP for many reasons. You can't visit just in one day. So much to see and to do. The Grand Prismatic Spring is stunning. I stayed 6 days in this parc to cover most of the interests.

It was like another planet. I travelled before to Kamchatka peninsula, where we climbed two volcanos, so I was a bit skeptical about this caldera. But it rewarded us with an unprecedented experience

Wow.. What a wondrous place.. It’s a must see at least once in your lifetime.
We only had 6 hours, so we saw a small part of the park but wow, it left an inspiring feeling nevertheless. Old faithful, grand prismatic and The West thumb geyser basin are amazing. You need to catch geyser eruptions, we saw The Old Faithful and it didn’t disappoint. Grand prismatic pool is so beautiful.
And the wildlife- bison and elk and deer. They were wandering around, we didn’t have to look for them.
The drive around is so scenic. Sadly at the moment there’s a lot of road works happening, so be ready for delays. And unfortunately no wifi at any of the information centres.
But nevertheless it’s an amazing place to visit with many hiking trails, loads of parking places and scenic stops.

With only 1.5 days in Yellowstone, my husband and I started Day 1 entering through the West entrance at 1pm touring the stops along the upper geyser basin, old faithful and a hike to the pragmatic springs overlook. Traffic was heavy, parking congested, and no wildlife or beautiful vistas to be seen. We did get to see old faithful erupt along with 1,000 other tourist. Day 2 was exceptional and made up entirely for my disappointment of Day 1. We started at 7am again through the West entrance with a quick stop at the beautiful Gibbons Falls, hiked the Norris geyser basin which was stunning and then hiked to the upper and lower falls near Canyon Village which was spectacular! We encountered very few people on this trek. We then headed to Yellowstone Lake through Hayden Valley where we ran into a herd of bison and after a couple of small hikes around the Lake, we traveled to Lamar Valley for more bison herds. On to Mamoth Hot springs area and out through the North Entrance with an overnight in Gardiner where we encountered a moose and her baby walking the street in front of our hotel. My advise if you don't like crowds and only have a day or two, bypass the West entrance and steer away from the Upper Geyser area and roadway to Old Faithful. Start early in the morning, and know that Yellowstone is huge and has so much more to offer than Old Faithful! :)

The views and wildlife observed was totally amazing. It was soooo crowded though. I think if we ever went again, we’d find a tour guide because planning a day was very overwhelming even though it’s doable. Even with how crowded and busy it was, we were able to see all of our must see in one day.

Incredible views. Wildlife, waterfalls, rolling meadows etc….
Definitely a must see. One advice!!! Go EARLY. 7 am or 8 am!!!!

There are too many tourists.

WOW!!! We were able to go to Yellowstone National Park for a few days after a business trip. We have been there before, but we came in the North entrance. Loving it especially Hayden Valley. We saw our first GRIZZLY out in nature. The park rangers were awesome. Provided a wealth of information. What a great trip and place to visit

We spent a week at Yellowstone and barely scratched the surface. It is a truly amazing place with a gazillion choices of things to do. We concentrated on thermal features and wildlife viewing and were not disappointed. There are so many places to go and so many things to do that you could literally spend years and not see it all.

We just came back from our Yellowstone/Grand Teton and beyond road trip from Oregon. I don't need to express how amazing these parks are.
My two biggest concerns were bathrooms & mosquitos.
I have to go frequently but was relieved (truly :) that throughout Yellowstone there are pullouts that have bathrooms (vault toilets). Visitor centers typically have flush toilets (a bit nicer and cleaner).

Picnic tables, quite a few but sometimes in our car we ate lunches that we brought in. We also had yogurt and granola most mornings. Some money saved.

Another concern I had was ALL the driving. Strangely in the parks, and scenic driving through Montana and Idaho, it just didn't feel that hard. What normally would feel like a grueling amount of sitting wasn't. Pull over and take in the views while stretching your legs.

Mosquitos- the first part of Sept. =none, I'm typically a mosquito magnet but we never used any of the mosquito sprays that we brought.
Sunscreen- Yes, you are in higher elevations and the sun is more intense. My lightweight flannel shirt was also great for keeping sun off.

Stayed at Cody then went in East entrance of Yellowstone early morning. Did the loop heading toward Mammoth. Saw lots of bison up close and along the route which was super cool. Saw all the geysers and such. Old Faithful was less then what we expected but guess all the hype we just expected more. We thought bigger signs for the major attractions would be nice. The worst was heading out to the South entrance to head to Jackson WY and the construction on the loop. Took us over two hours from Old Faithful on a non busy day there. Realized that construction has to be done but maybe better posting of it around the park.

There was flooding damage that prevented us from touring the Upper Loop of Yellowstone in September 2022. We had already scheduled our trip with Amtrak, so "it was what it was"
In spite of that, we were amazed by Yellowstone's Lower Loop and loved it. We took a bus tour and it was fantastic. We will always cherish our memories of our Amtrak trip and seeing this great Yellowstone National Park that Teddy Roosevelt established.
Thank you, Teddy! ♥

Went from Cody to the Noth West Entrance since the East Entrance was not open. Past Mammoth and went to Old Faithful. Watched it go off and then exited at the Western Entrance. Animals were deer and bison, lots of bison. Some birds.

Enjoy amazing geological features, incredible wildlife and absolutely beautiful scenery in this oldest of our national parks. We went early in May and it was already busy so plan carefully.

Yellowstone is one of a kind. There are the geysers in the south, the fumeroles and mudpots at Norris, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in the middle, and the cascade and wildlife valleys of the north. And it all takes time. The space is so vast that you really need to prioritize what you want to see, so know going in. And allow for 2-3 times the travel time between the sites in the park even though the distances don't seem vast because traffic and wildlife sightings/jams and construction (in the summer) are guaranteed.

We enjoyed a short hike to see the waterfalls and drove through the park on our way to Cody from Twin Falls, Idaho. Met some really nice people people from various places in the USA as well as from other countries which was the most fun part of our shorter visit! We didn't go to Old Faithful or sites such as that as we've spent time here in the past and saw all of those things. This is a gorgeous park and we saw buffalo galore as well as elk and other wild animals.

I have been here two times in my life, and I think it is one of the most beautiful places to exist. Everyone should have the ability to see Yellowstone National Park and all of the nature it has to offer. There are many different species of animals wether you see them driving through the park in your car, or if you are walking down the many nature trails. Make sure you have plenty of time to explore, and you are not in a rush because you never know when a pack of bison want to cross the road you are driving down so you have to stop and wait. Many tourist all year round. I went in the summer and the weather was perfect.

Park was beautiful but the crowds and street construction made it difficult to navigate. Also, the food at the park is expensive and horrible. We saw only two bison and nothing else. We arrived about 11am. I was told to be there about 6a to see the animals.

I think no intro and explanation how amazing it is needs this worldwide unique place.
I am so happy that after 8 great USA road trips over the last 20 years, this year we finally managed to put Yellowstone along with several other remote attractions (Mt. Rushmore, Scotts Bluff, Devil's Tower...) into our itinerary.
I would just like to share some TIPS with future travelers:
- Don't rush it - this place is huge spreading over 3 states but mostly in Wyoming,
- Plan at least 3 days and that applies if you DON'T want to hike around, but to drive, see all attractions and take easy to medium walks around them like we did,
- Lodging is expensive within the park, specially around Old Faithful - try to split lodging locations to minimize driving time forth and back,
- We spent our first night in Billings, MO entering the park from northeastern Beartooth Scenic Bwy, visiting Lamar Valley and the eastern part of YP that day.
- Another two nights we spent in West Yellowstone, exploring western, southern and northern parts of the park,
- West Yellowstone is much closer and has great infrastructure: hotels (I recommend Gray Wolf Inn - great quality/price), bunch of restaurants of all kinds, souvenir shops, museums, entertainment,....
- Buy America the Beautiful Pass (80$) - it's an annual pass and pays of if visiting 3 or more NPs in a year + you have the Fast Pass lane at the park entrance,
- Enter the park as early as possible - the later, the bigger crowds everywhere: at park gates, parking lots, view points,....
- when planning allow significant extra time - you'll spend it finding parking spots at crowded lots, waiting for wildlife to pass or standing at a road standstills when bears are spotted,
- Have at least half a tank - gas stations are few and remote - we filled up every night when coming back to our hotel,
- Respect nature and other visitors - do not pull along side the road for a pic, there're pull outs very, very often.

Absolutely loved our kayaking experience with Jason! We've been on many kayak tours in the past, but none come close to the level of service we received with Prismatic Tours. Highly recommend 11/10!

So many things to do and see. We spent 5 days in the park and still didn’t see everything as there are just so many natural spectacles to see.
It’s a great place for getting that feeling of being at one with nature, also a great place for taking some amazing photographs.
We stayed 3 nights in an air b&b right by the north gate entrance and this allowed us to spend time seeing the bison and other wildlife at the top end of the park.
We then moved to an air b&b in Gardener (right next to the west gate entrance) for the next three nights, this enabled us to see all of the bubbling mud pits, pools and geysers.
Definitely in my top 5 of trips I have ever been on.

My wife and I had been to Yellowstone before but neither of our kids (31 and 34) had. This visit was part of a much longer road trip and we spent between 2 and 3 days there and could have easily spent 4 full days to see it all. The park is huge. There is an upper loop, a lower loop, the grand loop, and entrances from the north, south, west, northeast and southeast. For the most animals, including the huge bison herd, make sure you drive the northeast road. We entered the park from the north and the first day we drove almost to the northeast entrance and saw thousands of bison. And we were there in June and there were lot of calves! Then we drove back on that road to the west and down the east side of the upper loop and across the south side of the upper loop to West Yellowstone where we stayed. The second day we drove back east along the southern side of the upper loop/northern side of the lower loop. We stopped some places we hadn't the day before so it really wasn't redundant driving the same road twice. Then we went south on the eastern side of the lower loop and back west along the southern side of the lower loop and back up to West Yellowstone. The last day we went south along the western side of the lower loop, again, stopping some places we hadn't before and then exited the park on the southern side. So really, the only parts we didn't see were the western side of the upper loop and the southeast entrance road. We chose to miss these based on what one of the rangers at the information desk told us were the parts to miss if we didn't have enough time to see everything. I highly recommend stopping at the first Visitor Center you come to (there are several) and taking to a ranger at the information desk there. They are up to speed on what's going on in the park and the best places to see whatever it is you're looking for. As far as animals, we saw the bison, a couple of black bears, elk and deer. We saw a lot of other smaller game as well. The Columbian Ground Squirrels were a hoot.
Now for the negative...The traffic and parking. Because of construction (Unfortunately, the only time they can work on the roads is the same time of year most tourists visit.) and people stopping in the middle of the road when they see any sort of animal, there are many places where traffic comes to a standstill. And some of those waits, particularly with the rubberneckers can last 10 to 20 minutes. When the park rangers get there, they shoo people along but first they have to find out about it and then they have to get there. And at many of the sights like geysers, mud pots and hot springs, parking was nonexistent. At others, it was fine. We had no problem finding a parking spot at Old Faithful but at some of the other Geyser Basin stops, there literally was no parking and we ended up parking on the side of the road and walking well over a mile.
On this trip we visited Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP and Grand Tetons NP. Grand Tetons were my favorite and Glacier was my least favorite. (See my reviews of those for details.) Yellowstone was right in the middle. It is a must see but allow plenty of time both because it's big and because of traffic and parking problems. And do talk to a ranger and tell them what your priorities are so they can guide you as to how to plan your route based on how much time you have.

What is fabulous experience! what a fabulous treasure we have right here in the United States. everything one could ask for: mountains, wild life, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, geysers, and hot springs. We were truly amazed.

Bison, bear, elk, geysers, hot springs, all in one day. What an amazing experience, fulfilled a lifelong dream to come here. Only criticism is the state of the roads, we had driven 2,000 miles before we arrived here and hadn't seen a single pothole, but the roads in Yellowstone were terrible.

The park is probably the greatest place on the United States. It’s in its natural form and you can see all sorts of animals like rams, elk, bison, and wolves. It’s a fun place to drive around.

Visiting Yellowstone was a check off my bucket list. The park is beyond gigantic, and the immense scope of it can be hard to comprehend.

The park's elevation averages about 8,000 feet, (2,400 meters). So, even in May, you can run into weather changes within the park. But, when the clouds clear and the sun comes out, the landscape is glorious.

Naturally, Yellowstone attracts huge numbers of domestic and international tourism. (I went in mid-May); and, there were people already in the park, but nothing compared to July or August.

I stayed in West Yellowstone which has a slew of eateries and hotels. Not necessarily a cheap area, but the hub sits on the park's western entrance.

For families, bear in mind driving to attractions can take a while. With no traffic, it took me about an hour from the park's west entrance to Old Faithful.

Lastly, if you enter in the spring, not all roads may be open due to snow. Check the park service website for road conditions.

I stood awestruck in America's wilderness heart, Yellowstone National Park. As I wandered through lush forests, alongside crystal lakes, and across vast meadows, I felt nature's majesty. Geysers like Old Faithful thundered to life, their roar echoing through my very being. Hot springs painted vibrant colors on the canvas of the earth. Every step revealed a new wonder: bison roaming free, elk bugling, wolves howling in the distance.

Yellowstone's raw beauty touched my soul. Watching sunrise over the Grand Prismatic Spring, I felt the world awaken. As night fell, stars twinkled like diamonds scattered across the velvet sky. This land pulses with life, a reminder of nature's awe-inspiring power.

With each breathtaking view, I felt tiny yet connected – a thread in the intricate tapestry of our planet. Yellowstone isn't just a park; it's an experience that transforms, humbles, and inspires. It's a testament to the resilience and splendor of our Earth.

Take your time exploring, breathe deeply, and let Yellowstone's ancient wisdom seep into your being. This sacred land will forever hold a piece of my heart – and I know it will claim yours too.

Nothing beats Yellowstone National Park. Spectacular!
Wildlife, Geysers and Thermal Features, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, Old Faithful Inn, Lake Hotel.
Camping, fishing, hiking, swimming.
Our true gem.
It must be on your Bucket List!

Experiencing Yellowstone NP in winter is a MUST do. We booked directly with the Yellowstone concessioner, Xanterra. Everything from the bus pickup at our Bozeman hotel to meal reservations, day tours and Yellowstone hotels were handled in a professional way. The staff and guides are passionate and their training is top notch. I would highly recommend booking directly with Xanterra for this bucket list trip. Visiting in the winter is a quiet time. No crowds, as you must use a snow coach to travel around the park. There is so much to do if you enjoy being outdoors in the winter. Just bring lots of layers to stay warm.

Yellowstone NP is a stunner. Easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The diversity of terrain was overwhelming at times, you just never knew what you were going to get. One day, you're around the part of the park that's spewing volcanic gas and viewing beautiful hot pools (shoutout to YNP for the way Old Faithful has been set up, we expected going there to be WAY more painful than it turned out to be). The next, you are in a forested mountain range, stumbling across waterfalls taller than Niagara, and finding yourself caught in a full Bison jam in Lamar Valley.

I cannot recommend this place enough. Signage is great, they do their best to manage traffic. Wildlife and habitat preservation is very clearly at the forefront of everything they do. Campgrounds and amenities second to none, and the park was so very clean. We had several wildlife encounters just on our way into the park while still hauling our trailer. We entered in the North from Gardner, and what an unbelievably stunning welcome on those rolling hills through that (fuzzy) mountain range. Before you know it, you're in Mammoth and seeing a main geyser attraction right from your car.

Can't say enough about Yellowstone, will remember this trip for the rest of our lives.

Madison Quamme and Dylan Schneider were our guides on this kayak tour. Both the tour and its guides were superlative. Madison and Dylan have a great, laid back but very competent, style..They helped me situate my two daughters (10 and 12) in the kayak; were extremely knowledgeable about the area; and had a great sense of humor. Highly recommended!

I would likely give it a 5 had there been better guidance about how to navigate the park in light of all the construction. The first day we went, we spent more time just sitting in a car at various construction points. As a result, we were limited in what we could do, and we all left tired and frustrated (we even got to the park around 7:30 - sadly, I took us through the heart of construction, I think: seems like they could have advised at the point of entry). The second day we went back and took a different route. It proved beautiful and wonderful.

Only 10 minute wait to get through ticket booth and immediately saw Bison. Ten more minutes in were two white wolves. Came across a field of elk. When the Bison decide they are going to walk down the road in front of you side by side it’s very cool! Slows you down from getting to Old Faithful and their hind ends aren’t attractive to follow but nevertheless they are magnificent animals and we counted close to 180 of them along the trip. The scenery is also just amazing. The animals there have seasons. They have plenty of water, food, grazing grass and roaming area, no wonder they are all such huge animals. Life is so good for them in Yellowstone.

The east entrance to Yellowstone is more than an hour from Cody and where Cody was sunny and relatively warm on May 14th, the East Gate was closed due to the snow plow (the snow plow!) sliding off the road and needed to be rescued! So yeah, it’s way colder at the East Gate than in Cody. We all hung out for a while at East Gate waiting for news and getting to know the travelers from all over the world! The radio station for the park did NOT have updates and only said to go the website—well, there’s no cell reception or internet reception so that didn’t work! Luckily we were camped at the Wapiti Campground about halfway to Cody so we just went back to the RV, had a warm meal and a game of cards and tried a couple hours later—by then the road had reopened. But we were lucky to get back out of the park again—they closed the pass from the Fishing Bridge to the East Gate due to snow again that evening. So YNP can upgrade their radio alerts for sure! For all us adventurers, come prepared and then some! The lodging in the Park had just opened that day so there were no open hotel rooms, no campgrounds were open. It would have been a LONG drive to the West Gate and back to Cody if we had gotten stuck! Eek! Happy to have gotten in to Yellowstone that day and happy to have gotten out!

Cool things we saw: many bighorn sheep, mom bison with last year’s baby and this year’s baby, steam and snow, a snow doughnut (awesome rare).

Yes, there’s a dog in the photo with me at the sign. Dogs are welcome in the park only in the parking lots—which worked just fine for us since the parking lots were the only places where the snow was removed! The walk around Old Faithful and the geyers was open at that time so we left the dogs in the warm car while we went to see the spectacle amid the cold weather.

Glad we went at this time. Seeing Yellowstone in wintery conditions was really amazing. It was a perfect time of year to go—lots of wildlife, barely any people, weather and roads were in great condition (except for the highest passes).

East Gate does accept the National Park Pass for entry.

Awesome sign! Perfect for selfies especially while you are waiting your turn in line to get in.

The Park is magical! Every day we saw bison, and sometimes elk, or big-horn sheep, or black-tail deer in beautiful scenery. Every day experienced different weather — it was snowing in June as we watched Old Faithful!

We've just returned from a three-month, 10,000-mile grand tour of the USA, and amidst the myriad of incredible cities and fascinating locations, Yellowstone National Park stood out as our unequivocal favourite.

Since public transport isn't available, you'll need a car. This means you should expect some traffic queues and encounters with wildlife, such as bison. Therefore, it's important to drive cautiously as there may be stationary traffic just around the corner.

The splendour of Yellowstone National Park lies in its exquisite blend of stunning landscapes and magnificent wildlife. From the herds of bison wandering the plains, to otters playing in the rivers and deer meandering through the woods, all the way to the more reclusive grizzly and black bears – we were incredibly lucky to witness all these creatures and more.

Yellowstone National Park is renowned for its geothermal wonders, mountain ranges, and geysers, providing a window into the volcanic forces that shaped this terrain. Don't forget your binoculars for wildlife spotting, and remember to keep a safe distance from the bison; they might seem like gentle, fluffy cows, but they're big, fast, and unpredictable. Respect the wildlife, especially bears and wolves, and above all, take a moment to unwind, slow down, and savour the views in one of America's premier National Parks.

I went to Yellowstone with high expectations. Usually, when that happens, I get disappointed, because the place doesn't live up to the hype.
Yellowstone was different, though.. Its insanely vast, beautiful, and overwhelingly awe-inspiring.
Here's a tip though.. I don't think it would have been as amazing for me had i not used an app to give more context as I drove. I used "Travel Stories", but I'm sure there are similar apps. It uses your GPS and direction to tell you things about where you are, whats coming up, and what you can see. I literally felt like I didn't miss anything because of this.

Absolutely amazing!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this park. The wildlife and geysers etc were spectacular!!! I highly recommended it. You do need a minimum of 4/5 nights though as it is massive.

Over the past few years Yellowstone has emerged as our favorite national park, and we usually try to find time to visit and explore new places during our annual trips from North Carolina to Washington. There are plenty of activities to explore and wonderful places. Enjoy studying the map received at the entrance. The cottage is approaching the river, so if possible, visit the Lama Valley early in the evening. Over the years, I've witnessed elves, muses, gray bears, black bears, squirrels, wolves, coyotes.

THE View was AMAZING ... DO BRING Your CAMERAS all Charged Up !!
THIS is SUCH ... an ART BEAUTY !!

DO NOT TOUCH THE BURNING / STREAMING ROCKS !!

Absolutely amazing. A bucket list experience for the entire family. Can’t beat the amazing views and activities. Great.

I feel in love with the wonder and beauty of this park! I learned so much from our tour guide and just watching the wild life. The park is 3,472 square miles. A ranger told us it takes about 4 to 7 hours to drive the grand loop. It took us 7.5 hours. I didn’t know that it was a Grand Canyon in Yellowstone. There are lots of restrooms along the way,I would say 1 every 15 minutes. They also have some interactive museums that are great for all ages. The first one is at Mammoth Hot Springs about 5 miles from Gardiner, Montana at North Gate.

My mom and I visited YNP during a 10 day trip from Washington to Florida and were not disappointed!

We started our day early (and I mean early) to drive into Lamar Valley. I wanted to make sure that we had the best chance to see wildlife that we could, especially only having a half a day to explore the park.

When we arrived in Lamar Valley, we were greeted with a foggy, but peacefully breathtaking morning, with multiple bison herds grazing the fields. We got amazing pictures and also saw Pronghorn Antelopes, a coyote, and baby bison; sadly, we did not see any moose, bears, or wolves. Elk are extremely prevalent through the rest of the park, but we did not see any here. We were really thankful to get to the valley early in the morning, because I cannot imagine the car traffic in the valley during the height/busiest time of the day. There are minimal areas to pull off and too many cars looking at the wildlife.

From there, we made a quick stop at Mammoth Hot Springs, just to get a few pictures.

We headed to Grand Prismatic Spring next, stopping at a few other scenic spots/springs alone the way, and ended up doing the boardwalk around GP. The boardwalk was extremely crowded, even for early in the morning, but the view of the spring was not what I had expected. It was more of an eye level view, rather than a higher view (but this one required an uphill walk, which we decided against). Despite this, the view was still really beautiful and it was cool to see bison tracks in the clay beside of the spring.

Next, we headed to Old Faithful and actually got to see two springs go off. This part of the park is well set up, all of the visitors respected each others space/viewing spot for Old Faithful when it went off, and there are lots of gift shops in walking distance as well.

Overall, YNP was really beautiful, but seemed to be overcrowded (with regular cars and HUGE tour buses) compared to other parks we visited in our 10 day trip.

How could anybody do a review of Yellowstone National Park and say anything negative. We were there the third week in October 2022.

The most significant thing I could say, is that if it is at all possible, avoid the months of June, July and August and the first part of September. We went into the park for part of four different days and the second two days after it snowed, it was definitely a transition. It’s a great time to see the park with very few people.

During our time in the park, all of the hotels were closed for the summer season, the restaurants and shops are all closed as well so if you go off-season, make sure that you take your own food and water.

There were very few people in the park which made it much more of an enjoyable visit. We saw all the major geyser basins, the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, and Lamar Valley where they were thousands of animals and multiple waterfalls.

The other suggestion is try not to rush yourself and spend at least 3 full days exploring the park if you really want to see what the park has to offer as far as the different types of geysers, waterfalls, and animals.

From the moment you enter the park you realize that it is a very different place, geysers in many places, some small others very large, expulsions of hot mud, boiling water and some with colors that are very difficult to see in nature, created by the emission of acids

This is an amazing place to visit. We stayed in Gardiner and avoided all the traffic. We used a private guide for 2 days and saw all the features of the park. This is a trip I will remember.

We visited here near the end of a long road trip (Seattle to South Dakota and back). This was definitely one of the highlights of that long trip. As navigator, I take the blame for not noticing that the road from Cooke City was closed so we arrived at the park nearly 2 hours later than expected - but the ride on the Beartooth Highway was worth it!!

We immediately spotted a few bison near the road - there were certainly a lot less in view than when I last visited (about 6 years ago), but always good to see. We also see a moose and deer as we travelled thru towards Old Faithful.

The whole place is enormous. It’s so much more than a few geysers and well worth the entry cost. Highly recommended

We spent 3 days in Yellowstone and saw maybe 1/16 of the park! We went to old faithful and even though we had to wait an hour for the eruption which lasted 5 minutes, it was still worth it! We went to Gibbon Falls which are just gorgeous. The Grand Prism geysers are just beautiful! Even if you go early, you can’t avoid the crowds in June. The best part of our visit we’re all the animals we saw. A bison just walked beside the road. We saw three wolves a little back from the road. Plus a mama grizzly and her two cubs! Yellowstone is our favorite park!

The park is large with some variety of scenery. If you have done the ABC tour of Europe (Another Bloody Cathedral) then you will appreciate my appropriately named EFG tour of Yellowstone. Enough F** Geysers 😀 The lake was ok and Canyon lands has nice waterfalls. We saw some wildlife but way too many people crowding every stop. The worst part of the trip is the hotels and food venues managed by Xanterra which were really poor quality. Best option may be camping where you bring your own food. I would recommend the Snow Lodge for Dinner and Hamiltons for breakfast at Old Faithful. One of the hosts also recommend the Guide Along app which was great and covers National Parks across the US. Hiking here was OK but the scenery doesn’t compare to other parks.

The wild life, scenery, and geysers were all amazing! You get to take in the beautiful scenery while driving around your car or walking around the park with your family, not only that but you also get to take pictures of the wild life! The geysers are beautiful and its amazing to witness them erupt for the first time.

I have traveled many places (50 states, 5 provinces, 42 countries) and STILL consider this the most unique place I've seen. It's got wildlife, mountains, valleys, waterfalls, geothermal energy sources (and the associated wonders), hikes, walks, drives, etc. Growing up (in Montana) I didn't quite appreciate it as much as I do now that I have to travel to get there. Each visit is worth it!!

Experience Yellowstone and you not only see nature, you feel it. Yellowstone bombards the senses in many ways, that can't be described, only experienced.

To enjoy Yellowstone at its best, arrive early before the crowds. Plus, you are more likely to see wildlife at sunrise or sunset.

If you are seeking peace of mind and tranquility visit Yellowstone.

We spent three days exploring Yellowstone. The first day we entered from the northeast, went across the top of Yellowstone, exploring the Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs. The second day we came in from the north west and went down and across to see the Grand Canyon area of Yellowstone, spending the night in Cody. The third day we went down and around the southern end of Yellowstone to see the geysers. Would have loved to have spent more time in the park, but loved every minute that we were there. We did manage to see some moose and a bear, and I think had we gotten to the park earlier in the day each day we would've seen more. It is definitely a must visit!

Last time I was here was when I was a young teenager trailering for the summer with my grandparents. Memories of that trip still stick with me 37 years later and I was looking forward to sharing it with my kids. The place still has the goods, but I did not remember how big the park was. We came in this time from the Montana/north side and it was an entirely different experience. Once we got down to the main loop, You get into the various stops to make for the geysers and vents. Make sure you plan for the time it takes to go slowly as there will be people looking everywhere, stopping suddenly for whatever moved on the side of the road, or because of the gravel road work.

Yellowstone National Park was the best thing I did in my life. One of the coolest thing was that their was thousands of bison everywhere and some would go ride in your car! It is a must you will see so many beautiful things there. It was definitely worth more than 30 hours in the car driving their.

What can I say. It was one of the best road trips. Drove from Florida all the way to Yellowstone, well actually beyond and no regrets (other than a sore bum). It is definitely a bucket list item.

An excellent experience for two days. Went to visit hot springs, geysers and falls. Also spotted grizzly bear, a rare sighting, bison and other animals. Only problem is finding food inside the national park

When we traveled to Yellowstone National Park, we expected to see its abundant and diverse wildlife and hoped for a chance to observe some of North America's most iconic animal species in their natural habitat.

Driving around the park left us stunned by its vastness; it would take days to complete the entire roundtrip. Yet, it's not just big; it's incredibly beautiful and teeming with life.

During our journey, we encountered a variety of wildlife, including bison, elk, birds, and bighorn sheep. Although we didn't spot any wolves or grizzly bears, it was still a truly memorable experience.

Tips for Wildlife Viewing include being respectful and maintaining a safe distance from wildlife. We used binoculars and a telephoto lens to observe them from a distance, allowing us to safely enjoy watching these beautiful creatures without disturbing them.

Beautiful hot pools, mud pools, geysers, and wild animals are a sight to behold. Wild animals come and go at their own schedule, so don't criticize the rangers if you don't see animals. Animals are wild so don't approach them. Bring a camera and binoculars.

Yellowstone was fantastic. Beautiful scenery with Buffalo, fox, Deere, hot springs and of course geysers. We arrived at our resort on Saturday only to be told that the park would be closing for the season on Monday. That was a surprise so naturally we immediately headed for the park expecting traffic in the park would slow our sightseeing down. To our surprise there was virtually no traffic problems in the park. We spent 2 plus days there and just bounced from one attraction to another. The only crowd of any size was at Old Faithful geyser. Old faithful was great but there is another geyser nearby that erupts once every 24 to 30 hours (no set schedule) and I was there to see that. Due to the storms earlier in the year a couple of roads were blocked off but there were so many other places in the park to enjoy. I can say that this was really an above and beyond enjoyable time. Going during the "off season" was a great experience and we will do that with other parks in the future.

Visited the park over Christmas break and stayed for 3 days. We booked accommodations inside the park (Mammoth Lodge) and drove our own car through the Gardiner/Mammoth entrance (entrance was staffed, were able to buy passes there). Most of the park is closed off for the Winter, with Lamar Valley and the Mammoth area being the only places one can see on your own (with own car); for the rest, i.e. Old Faithful, Norris Basin, etc, you need to book shuttles or park snowcoach tours. We found that many tours were fully booked months in advance, and very expensive, so you need to do much advance planning if visiting Yellowstone in the Winter. Some areas were still quite busy, but not as much as in the Summer months, I imagine.
The Mammoth area is quite lovely - would recommend hiking the terraces there (up to 2 hours if taking the upper terrace trails), checking out the exhibits in the Albright Visitor Centre, quick stroll around Fort Yellowstone (old military barracks, now used as residences and administration buildings), checking out the Mammoth General Store (good souvenirs, foods, including local wine, nice clothing, etc); there’s also the Map Room bar inside the lodge and a bar & dining hall right next to it if you want a warm beverage or lunch etc.
We took a half-day snowcoach tour of the Norris Geyser Basin and it was fantastic (it included the Emerald Spring and Steamboat Geyser) - would highly recommend it in the Winter! The Old Faithful tours were already booked fully (weeks in advance), so we had to skip it. We did a self-driving tour of the Lamar Valley, up to Silver Gate and Cooke City towns just outside of the park. The valley was very much worth seeing, plenty of wildlife, beautiful views, some interesting lookout points, but many were so crowded with tour buses that there was nowhere to park (you can see them again on your way back). You can also do some minor trails, though we only attempted one - Forces of the Northern Range which was a short boardwalk, but nice to stretch the legs. Other lodges along the way, i.e. Roosevelt, were closed for the Winter. We stopped for lunch in Cooke City Coffee, a very nice café at the end of the road; there were some restaurants open in Cooke City, they could be a good option for a bite, otherwise you may need your own supplies for the road trip. The Lamar Valley road is paved all the way, winding but it is well maintained. We had winter-weather advisory in place that day and it was still very good to drive with a 4-wheel drive.
All in all, we really enjoyed Yellowstone in Winter, despite the fact that most of the attractions were not accessible. Depending on what you want to see and do, I would recommend a minimum of 2-3 days to see it in the Winter time. Next time I think I would stay and eat in Gardiner, at least in the Winter, as the drive from Gardiner to Mammoth only takes 10 minutes and the roads weren’t busy when we were there. Highly recommend a Winter visit!

This time on our trip through Yellowstone we exited or entered through every entrance but Gardiner. The park is so massive with so many things to see it boggles the mind. Do not try to see it all at once. Select those things that most interest you. And take your time. Even after Labor Day it was busy and some areas had no parking. Just keep going. Do drive the one way scenic drives. The views are worth it. Sometimes you see a lot of wild life and sometimes not.

Would have been 5 out of 5 if not for all the road construction. Yellowstone is just one of those breathtaking place God has given us to ooh and aah about. Old Faithful is as regal as ever and the Grand Prismatic spring is gorgeous. The animals you see make it even better. This time I did not see nearly as much as usual. Still I saw Elk, Buffalo, Bear, Pelican, Goose and terns. (At other times I have seen pronghorn, bighorn sheep and wolves) The rivers and lakes are beautiful and there are several waterfalls to take in. Souvenirs and lodging in and around the park are expecnsive but hey, what do you expect. Would gladly go again.

I have waited my whole life to see Our America the Beautiful National Park Yellowstone.❤️!!! Now I’m a Grandma experiencing the WONDERS with my young Grand children.😍! Old Faithful & all of the miracle pools.. AMAZING!! We saw Bison,Elk, a BEAR🐻❤️bunnies-EVERY Animal that lives in Yellowstone!

We explored Yellowstone National Park in June 2023. You need a minimum of 3 days to see it. We saw a multitude of Bisons, elks and bears. We saw geysers and if course old faithful. The park is huge and you need to plan your day as you cannot see it all. There is quite a lot of driving. Buy an America the beautiful park pass as it will save you money each time you enter the park. The park is magnificent

We stayed at 4 of the 5 entrances to Yellowstone and enjoyed all of them. We used the Guide Along app and found it very helpful. There are so many fantastic things to see
I can't say which is best. Falls, geysers, mud pots are all incredible and don't forget the wildlife!

This is one of my favorite parks to visit. It has everything. There’s a beautiful waterfall, hot springs, geysers and animals everywhere.

We left to do the west us in 3 weeks, we were ambitious to want to climb to the Yellowstone (in van fitted). But what a joy to have done it!! We don't regret the miles. Between earth and fire! The landscapes are completely different from other parks. We spent three wonderful days. We'd go back!

To be done. Beautiful scenery. Bison galore. It's like Africa. Geysers, wildlife, forts, lakes, everything is superb.

It was absolutely STUNNING! I don't think I've enjoyed so much beauty in one place. I loved the geysers and definitely all the wild life. 100% recommend to everyone!

It's hard to evaluate Yellowstone Park as a whole because it's so huge and so versatile. This national park is a world of wildlife, geysers, hot springs and simply beautiful landscapes. By visiting this park I fulfilled a lifelong dream and was not disappointed for a second. A big wish was to see bears and we already saw three on day 1 - and these were not the last. The landscapes are also amazing, but for me it was a Wildlife Wonderland where I saw everything the park has to offer until the end of our holiday. And everything enchanted me.

However, you absolutely have to take enough time. We had an overnight stay in Gardiner, three in West Yellowstone and two nights in the park itself on Yellowstone Lake for the Lower Loop. So we could really visit every corner of the park without stress and also spend some time in Gardiner and West Yellowstone.

A quite lovely national park adventure. We timed it as to seemingly avoid a summer crowd viewing (front row seating) of Old Faithful. I am so thankful the wild animals are forever protected!! I saw a mountain lion gently climbing up a hill, calm bison, a little black bear in a tree, an elk, a little curious marmot & a nice waterfall. I would advise to stop at the original historic visitor’s center, too.

This park is unique, I recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to visit. The park has diverse fauna and flora scenes that make it unique, in addition to being well signposted and easy to get around to see the main attractions.

Immense and beautiful place, it takes several days to see it properly. Numerous animals in their natural habitat. It is advisable to take bear spray and not venture into the woods or untrodden places. It is colder on average than the rest of the USA because of the altitude.

This is arguably the most famous and the crown jewel of the US National Park System. This is a must see, period. Are there some issues to be aware of, yes. Here they are as well as some suggestions on how to deal with them:
- Limited cell phone service. This could be a good thing unless your dependent on Google Maps for navigation.
- Limited eating/hydration options. We stopped at a local supermarket and loaded up on drinks and food before entering the park. We also bought a disposable ice chest to keep everything cool. What restaurants they have, which are not many, tend to be crowded and have long lines.
- Limited overnight accommodations IN THE PARK. You literally have to RSVP a year in advance. No joke. However, most people who don’t, end up staying in Gardiner, Jackson, Cody, or West Yellowstone.
- Parking most of the more popular destinations can be limited (except Old Faithful, there is a ton of parking there).
- Wildlife is unpredictable. Sometimes they are out, and sometimes they are not. And no, you can not feed them.
- Traffic can be heavy. There will likely be a lot of people there in the summer. Make sure you get an early start.

Yellowstone is one of the busiest parks! It’s truly unique unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There are lots of places to stop and pull off to view the pretty sights. There are also lots of bathrooms.

Great time!

It was so cool! Old Faithful was my personal favorite geyser. The Rainbow Geyser is also really cool. DO NOT BRING A HAT IT WILL BLOW AWAY AND THERE IS A BIG FINE

You will need a couple of days to be able to travel to North, South, East and West of the Park. The distances are huge. We visited mid September and it was possible to do this in 2 days as the traffic was not too bad but it was busier on the weekend. Queues build up unexpectedly when people spot an animal and then park up on the road instead of in the lay-bys and there is no way of getting past them. We arrived from Cody to the East and it is quite a long journey before you even get to the park entrance. We bought a America Beautiful pass which covers you for all the national parks for a year and means that you can join a different queue at the entry point - available online by post or on entry to some of the parks. Day one we did the East and North and then day two we did the West and South of the park. My favourite part was the grand prismatic spring. Bring your own food and eat in designated picnic areas as there are not many places to buy food - but plenty of loos! A wonderful experience.

Yellowstone is cool place and it is definately worth seeing.I felt like 2 days was enough to see everything. If you are driving, use extra time to head over to the Black Hills and see Mt. Rushmore while you are road-tripping. You can stop by Devil's Tower on the way across Wyoming.

Yellowstone National Park is an exceptional place to experience the power and beauty of nature first hand. Geysers, hot springs, waterfalls and free-roaming bison create a truly impressive atmosphere. In high season, however, it can get very crowded. Long queues at the entrance, crowded parking lots and clogged hiking trails are not uncommon. Also the cleanliness of some toilets and rest areas leaves something to be desired. Nevertheless, in the early hours of the morning or at sunset, the park offers incredible peace and an unforgettable nature experience. A must for those who love nature.

We went to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton. We flew in to Jackson Hole and stayed at the Headwaters Lodge&Cabins which is only two miles from the South entrance. It was $25 for a week to enter Yellowstone and Grand Teton was free when we were there but is also usually $25. We visited Old Faithful, Canyon Village, Lake Yellowstone and Hayden Valley. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to Lamar Valley because the roads were closed due to the floods.we saw plenty of wildlife such as Bison, Elk, Moose and saw one Grizzly through a rangers scope at Hayden Valley. I will definitely visit again once the north side reopens and will probably go at the same time because the weather was perfect and not very many people.

We've been to Yellowstone twice in the past few years. Go in the 'shoulder seasons' of spring and fall for smaller crowds and ease of access to areas. We just went on the first week of May and it was amazing. The wildlife viewing is spectacular. We saw all the 'top animals' during one trip down from Gardiner, Montana. Our tour included several bears, a bison giving birth, and two different wolves scouting the bison herds. The north end of the park is a tad more difficult to reach and worth the effort.

You can't say anything other than wonderful and beautiful.
Everything you can imagine.
Panoramas, animals that are very easily seen, geysers and fumaroles
All in an immense park and never too crowded despite the number of tourists.
You never get tired

We did a 12 hour trip to Yellowstone with Yellowstonedaytours. Diane and Dustin were great tour guides. Heather in the office is a great help with booking the tours. Not to be missed.

I took a nice drive through the park in early May. I saw a grizzly with two cubs. And a couple of black bears. And a big moose. Tons of bison and elk. A great way to spend some time.

Yellowstone is a scenic wonderland. Don't miss the Grand Prismatic Pool, seen from the overlook position, the hike to Fairy Falls, the various views of the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, particularly the "top of the falls" views at each one, and Artists' Point. When you are at the view from the top of the Upper Falls, take the short walk to Crystal Falls, just outside the parking area. Also very worthwhile - Gibbon Falls, Undine Falls, Kepler Cascades, Tower Fall, and walking around in the geyser fields near Old Faithful and at the Norris Basin. Mammoth Hot Springs is normally beautiful, but is largely dried up this summer, and not really worthwhile as a result. Expect lots of traffic - I was there in 2022 and because lots of people still weren't travelling due to covid, the traffic was less than half what it was this year. Parking can be an issue.

I don't know what else there is to say that has not already been said about this incredible and truly awe inspiring location. I came twice with my parents while growing up then almost 20 years ago with my ex-wife. Even after three times I was more than happy to drive 1,000 miles across the country so my wife and I could visit for her first time. We stayed four nights in the park and enjoyed every minute of every day. Truly an awesome place. My list of "must see" places include Norris Geyser Basin, The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, Old Faithful area, and Mammoth Hot Springs. Our advice, GET UP EARLY AND GET YO THESE SPOTS BEFORE THEY BECOME OVERCROWDED!! I'm talking like set your alarm for no later than 5:30 AM and hit the road.

Would highly recommend, This was one of our best trips. Be sure to get out of your car and do some hiking and kayaking.

Wow, I love this place. Came here a few years back and said we'd always come back. We stayed at West Yellowstone, and this was great. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping to choose from. Easy entry to the park as the West entrance is only minutes from the main street.

Even with 4 full days in the park, be prepared for a lot of driving, we spent anywhere from 7-10hrs each day in the park. Saw plenty of Bison, a bear, and a few Elk. $35 entry that last 7 days was fantastic.

The views were amazing. The hikes were refreshing and it really allowed you to appreciate natural beauty. This is a place that I spent four days at hiking and exploring it was magnificent!! I cannot wait to get another group together to go again. I don’t even have words that can give some of the views an explanation.

Amazing experience in visiting the park. Following some friends’ advices we decided to stay north of the park and drive every day from north entrance. Not a problem for us, but if you don’t like sitting in the car… skip. We mixed our visit in mix of viewing geysers, animals and other natural amazing locations with walks). Some of the visits were dictated by natural events (eg encountering an herd of Bisons which block one driving direction for miles… good we went in the other direction).
Day one: mammoth spring, undine falls, wraith falls, tower falls (walk down to river) and north rim of the canyon (beautiful view of canyon from the brink and from distant locations)
Day two: part of Norris geyser, old faithful and upper basin, grand prismatic from the side and from the fairy falls trail (recommended as it is the only way to see the full grand prismatic as from the side sight is obstructed by smoke).
Day three: south rim of the canyon (rim recommended), Lamar valley (many Bisons, eagle’s nest at beginning of canyon), black bears near junction and near tower falls.
Day four: lower geyser basin, artists potholes, second part of Norris (steamboat geyser had smaller eruptions, note that is called old unpredictable due to very random behavior). Met on north part of the park three grizzly bears: mother and two cubs (2 miles north of grizzly lake).
Day five: we drove at Lamar valley very early morning to meet Bisons and try to watch wolfs
We have seems them from a long distant at the beginning of sourdough creek where the team of wolf project was very nice to help us spotting them, their den and explain those animals’ behavior and history of their introduction in the park.
We skipped the southern part of the park as we wanted to save it for a future vacation at grand Teton
Suggestion: Driving around the park you will encounter slow traffic in certain area, normally it is due to animals close to the road. Just be respectful of animals and other drivers and you will have an amazing experience. We saw
Brown and grizzly bears, elks, a moose, wolfs, wild bunnies, chip monks, prair dogs, and many others, probably missing mainly beavers

Our favorite national park. Recently completed our third trip in the last 36 months. Great scenery, geothermal features, and wildlife.
We stayed in the park to allow more time to see the sights (lots of driving required). Sure, the lodging can be expensive but there are cabins available at a more reasonable price. Check the website often as rooms become available as people cancel regularly.
Boardwalks and/or paved paths allow easy access to many of the popular sights. Longer walks will take you to other nice places/overlooks as well. You can also do extended backwoods hikes but that's not for us.
There are around 8 general stores scattered throughout the park. Some are smaller than others, but all have typical snack and drinks. Many also have items such as bread, sandwich meat, canned goods, and a few fruits and vegetables. Many of the general stores also have a food counter with a few hot selections. There are also a few other eateries, cafes, and restaurants near the lodging areas. We had no issues with the food selections. It's not gourmet but we are in the middle of a park. Do not expect the same amenities as in your hometown. Be sure to check operating times for the eateries and stores as many close early in the evening (example 6pm).
General stores also have typical souvenirs, clothing, and outdoor items.
You can see most of the typical sights in the north and south loops in 3 FULL days. Staying outside the park will require more time driving but people do it all the time. The nearest town outside the park with accommodations is West Yellowstone. Gardiner is another town just outside the North entrance.
To get the most from your trip, do your research ahead of time. There is plenty of information on the internet. You may want to print a map and other travel information as you typically won't have cell service inside the park to look up anything while driving.
Also look into the time of year you plan to travel. Some stores and eateries begin to close for the season sometimes in later September. Many roads are also closed for the winter.
Enjoy!

We had an awesome family vacation to Grant Teton/Yellowstone National Park. There were 8 of us - me, my husband, two boys and both sets of grandparents. After a lot of consideration and research we decided to fly into Salt Lake City. This allowed a hefty savings on both the flights as well as the van rental. We flew Southwest and did not have any issues with our flights coming or going. At the airport, we picked up a Ford Transit, rented through Turo (great experience). We then drove to Star Valley, WY for two nights at our VRBO (very nice).

My biggest recommendation is to purchase the GuideAlong app - this was an incredible addition for our trip and for $19.99, the guide gave us the best tips, background and history on both parks.

Our itinerary was:

Day 1 - travel to SLC, drive to Star Valley, dinner at Salt River Grill in Aston (new location, very good).

Day 2 - drive to Teton for the Snake River Float - 5 star and then to the Bridgewater Gondola - also a great experience (and we loved the waffles at the top). For dinner, we picked up at the drive-in in Afton - very affordable and also good food.

Day 3 - transition to West Yellowstone but we drove through the Tetons, stopping for photos and to admire the scenery. We did not take the look close to the Tetons and Jenny lake but enjoyed the east side of the loop. I wish we would have had time to do the entire loop. We then drove through the South Entrance clockwise on the Yellowstone loop to the West entrance. This was the day the Teton Pass opened back up but I was not aware this had happened until we had already cut through the park. We arrived at or VRBO in West Yellowstone and were worn out so we ordered Wild West Pizza which was delicious.

Day 4 - We drove to Rexburg to do the Bear/ Drive Thru experience and drove through plus did the bus tour (highly recommend and not overly expensive). This was a nice side trip and we then shopped at the Walmart in town. We then fixed breakfast at the house everyday, packed a picnic lunch and then had dinner at the house (unless otherwise noted).

Day 5 - Yellowstone lower loop - absolutely amazing! We did most of the sites (I loved Lake Yellowstone) and skipped Canyon for another day because it was getting late.

Day 6 - trip to Cody - we drove to the Northeast entrance (stopped at the Lower Falls on the way) to Cooke City, took the Beartooth and then Chief Joseph (wonderful drive, very scenic). We walked around the town (ultra cute) and had lunch at the Irma. We then went through the Old Trail Town (impressive collection, very authentic) and then returned through the East entrance to Yellowstone and back to our house.

Day 7 - The upper loop of Yellowstone- Mammoth Hoth Springs, Roosevelt, Lamar Valley. Very nice day.

*I do want to note that I definitely needed jeans and sweatshirts throughout the entire trip - it was in the 40s in the morning and barely 70 in the middle of the day. We saw a lot of animals and pictures do not do justice of the impressive beauty of the park. We needed bug spray (mosquitoes) and sunscreen. It was also very dry so I recommend chapstick and lotion.

Day 8 - this was our planned day to fill in anything we did not do which included the Geyser Basin at Old Faithful (we saw the Old Faithful eruption on Day 5 and toured the lodge but it was thundering and lightening so we waited on the 2 mile path). We also went to Canyon and there was a lot of police activity and they had closed Canyon Village but the sites were all open and they are impressive and should not be missed. I also want to note that the Guide Along app did not mention Black Sands near Old Faithful and this was one of my favorites - we stopped here today. It is also important to note the side roads are all cool and different.

Day 9 - Day trip to Big Sky, MT - wow! If you have the extra day, I highly recommend!!! We went up to the Lodge after walking downtown and rode the ski lifts - they were amazing and a lot of fun. We had a great lunch there and drive back. It was a beautiful, easy drive.

Day 10 - our flight out from SLC was at 10am so we left at 4am and really did not have time to spare for our flight.

Overall a wonderful trip, everyone should include this on their bucket list. It is not cheap at all but it will create memories for a lifetime and is a prime example of what the US has to offer!

Absolutely Gorgeous! All of this park is beautiful!
If you are not huge hikers you would only need 2-3 days. There are 2 main loops. Both of the loops are amazing.
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is by far the most beautiful spot in the park.
If you can take your own food…do it. The food in the park is speedy and not that great.

This place is like no other on Earth!
The amazing beauty and enormity of it all is unexplainable.
This should be on everyone’s bucket list

Wow just wow! Words or pictures cannot even begin to describe the vastness and beauty of this place. My wife and I went to Wyoming with our two adult boys. What a great trip and Yellowstone was a highlight for sure. We were only there a couple of days and could only take in the highlights. You could spends two weeks here and not see it all. Hiking, biking, wildlife, thermal features, I mean the list goes on. It is truly an amazing place. Hopefully we get to go back someday to see more!

What can I say that other travelers haven't said? As you ride, hike or just pull over and take in the sights, ponder. Ask yourself; "How did this come to be"? Yellowstone has it all; wonders, water, woods, waterfalls. Stunning beauty. Plan your route and take your time. Be courteous to those who pull over to take in the sights. Be mindful of animals crossing. Enjoy nature with those around you!

As usual this park is a place of unlimeted beaury and surprises. We entered at the weat entrance and were able to see Old Faithful and the Grand prismatic spring. Lots of people present although a weekday. The trees were beginning to turn onto there fall colors Since we were in the southern part only limited animals to see. This park is the jewel of the system which could be visited everyday and something new would be seen

Encounters with wildlife and geologic treasures will leave lasting memories. October was a great time to visit without crowds and traffic. Yellowstone is for everyone's ability. From the avid hardcore hiker to the seasonal walker - you will enjoy the trails and scenes. Whether in a wheelchair, walker, cane, or like myself (a little heavier than most) explore this park. Even if you can't leave your vehicle you can enjoy many attractions. Discover nature at your own place. There are many places to sit, take a breather and pull off.

Prepare for long car rides. The park needs a major upgrade to the roads. In the meantime a lot of it is one lane each way. Major delays all the time when an animal wants to cross the road. Park rangers stop all the traffic and then people rubberneck just to see a very normal animal that you could see in a zoo. I just don't get it. So, if you think it might take an hour to get somewhere, it could take two.

Absolutely beautiful National park. A must see. Dress in layers. Weather can change quickly. If possible I’d recommend taking a cooler. Food options are minimal in the park. I’d recommend staying in the park because there is a lot to see and a bit of driving. Rangers are very helpful and kind.

Lots of things here:
If you go to the northern eastern side- it’s called Bear alley for a reason. That’s where all the animals are- bears, mountain goats, wolves. Head towards Tower Falls and Lamar Valley. You will see animals there. Lots of driving but traffic isn’t bad at all in June, July and August however; tons of traffic and it’s bumper to bumper. We went at the beginning of June and it wasn’t that crowded. Weather was great. Not too hot or cold. We did have hiking pants and sweatshirts just in case. Hiking shoes help a ton, it’s not necessary but it sure helps a lot. We spent 2 days here but you could spend a month here.

We spent 4 days in Yellowstone before the heavy Summer crowds arrived. There were still traffic situations caused by wildlife making their daily commutes. There was ample parking (except on Friday at Norris Springs, but Saturday the lot was only half full) and many different things to visit in the park.
Food and bathrooms (sometimes primitive) were readily available, and our lunchtime picnics were welcome since we were averaging 20,000 steps/day with all our 'hiking'. Most walks had little elevation change, and were wooden or paved.
Old Faithful was outshined by a geyser behind it and to the right that goes off randomly every 22 hours to 3 days, but we hit it at just the right time. It was spectacular and you were so close to it that you could get soaked !
We saw Elk, Bison, a fox on the hunt, and a Grizzly Mama and her two cubs playing with each other. The Lifetime Senior National Parks Pass saved us the $35 entrance fee at both Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

My sister and I spent 9 days in Yellowstone the first week of June 2022. Why so many days you may ask, because this may be my last trip to Yellowstone and I did not want to leave a stone unturned. We stayed at every location in hotels or cabins. We drove in and out of the West, North east, North and South entrances. Visited Gardiner, Mt and Cooke City, Mt. Saw every animal except moose. We were able to see the remains of ice on Yellowstone Lake, experienced rain, sleet and snow going through Dunraven Pass and rain along the other areas. This was my once in a lifetime trip and was well worth every penny I spent.

By the way three days later is when Yellowsone had that horrendous storm that flooded and closed down areas. Talk about being lucky and seeing what we did prior to the destruction.

Highly recommend going as early as possible the park is open 24 hours the earliest start off the better animals do take over the road so you may have to wait a little or traffic may be backed up didn't have the greatest cell phone reception while in the park highly recommend bringing hand sanitizer toilet paperdrinks and snack snacks

It was very nice to see nature and know more about the park I also really liked the experience of going outdoors

That was a fun and sometimes impressive experience.
You see smoke everywhere.
And the smell wasn't too bad.
Highly recommended.
It is an immense park.
There were quite a few road works and traffic jams, which was a bit annoying at the time, but in retrospect not so bad.

Our first day in Yellowstone, we happened upon a group of visitors photographing a grizzly mama bear with her cubs. We met a wonderful NPS ranger, Harlan Kedrik, who explained about the bears’ travels and informed us that he would next be guiding an easy hike up the road. Luckily, we changed our plans and joined him. Harlan has been with the NPS for 50 years and has an extensive knowledge about the history of the area, the wildlife and the plants. He told great stories and engaged members of our group (especially the kids) in a way that kept everyone interested. You can tell he loves what he does and cares for Yellowstone immensely. We learned so much that we wouldn’t have by just driving through the Park. So if you see Ranger Harlan, join one of his hikes or participate in another Ranger led program. It will be time well spent!

A large park offering hiking, scenic views, geological formations and large herd animals. Amazing and unique scenery not found anywhere else.

We've been to Yellowstone before but during the winter so it was great to see it in the summer! The park is gorgeous and the geysers are hard to put into words. We saw all kinds of wildlife, had great hikes to do & it was nice to have sites in short walking distances, too. There were 2 wrecks within a few miles of each other but park staff struggled with getting things cleared out of the way and traffic moving along. We waited 2 hours for one wreck (single car) and almost 2 hours for another, all in the same evening trying to leave the park. There is NO reason it should take that long to move a small wreck out of the way & get traffic going. It would be nice to also have some type of way to communicate if something is a long term delay or just someone stopping to see a bear. The park has lots of options for hiking, sightseeing, family time, scenic views, etc.

Worst vacation ever. I'm from Colorado. Geysers were anemic, the federal facilities were expensive and terrible. Saw some Bison. Saw some elk, no cougars, no moose, no woofs, no coyotes.

I have seen this in 1982 and coming back was not a disappointment. This was definetly worth coming to see again. Absolutely recommend.

I used the site incessantly and gleaned so much helpful information that I was compelled to offer my own very basic insight on our trip. Hopefully something might be helpful to anyone else planning!

From the UK it is not the easiest place to arrive at. But it's extremely worth the travel! We had the most amazing three days and I cannot speak highly enough of the natural wonder that is the Yellowstone National Park.

We took an international flight from the UK and chose to arrive in San Francisco. Flying directly to Denver perhaps is an alternative option but we liked the idea of spending a few days exploring San Francisco and getting over our jet lag. We then flew to Bozeman on a short internal flight. After which, we hired a car and stayed on a Dude Ranch in Wyoming for a few more days. This was another bucket list experience that we thought fitted perfectly with a trip into this part of America. From the ranch, we drove down into Yellowstone NP.

The amount of time to spend in the park played on our minds greatly. In an ideal world, I'd say stay for as long as you can. However, our time was limited and we allocated 4 days and I still feel we got what we wanted out of the visit. Simplistically, the loop roads run like a figure of 8. We took the north loop one day, then the south loop a second day. I appreciate many won't think this was the best way and there is so much information on this forum to help you decide what works for you ...but for us, it worked perfectly. We saw everything we wanted and on the 3rd day revisited some sites that we liked so much.

What we saw is everything you'll read about. The park did not let us down - it was just amazing. The changes within it as we travelled around were unbelievable - valleys and mesmerising wildlife, cascading waterfalls and canyons as well as almost unearthly like geo thermal features and landscapes. All in one beautiful breathtaking place.

Where we stayed also took much discussion. We were very fortunate to stay at the Old Faithful Inn. Staying in the park has many advantages and one is definitely the quietness that descends once the crowds start to disperse, as well as the earlier start you can have. Also, hearing what we assumed were wolves howling in packs overnight was a thrill as was the ability to venture out and watch Old Faithful with such few people. Sitting with a coffee watching this marvellous landmark with a stillness in the air will stay with us forever.

Some negatives that are already out there but worth noting so as to make an informed decision. Personally, the food choices were very limited inside the park. This site has many suggestions to help with that and I'd recommend making a few contingency plans. The accommodations were also very basic inside the park. These are the only negatives we saw for not staying longer than a few nights or to give more consideration to staying outside. It was a surprise to see the rooms in such an historic landmark not being better maintained. (Before my post upsets, this is not saying modernised or stripped of character... but coming from the UK where much older properties are better preserved it simply seemed a shame). Overall though, Yellowstone is about the nature and where you lay your head is just to rest but it's worth noting nonetheless.

We traveled out from the south of the park and if you decide to head in this direction, we'd definitely recommend spending at least the day in Grand Teton National Park on your way through.

Our trip then saw us drive onto Jackson Hole where we spent a couple of days. We enjoyed the intimate town feel with some great food options and got tickets to a local Rodeo. This was also a fantastic experience and something we really had only ever seen on TV. We finally flew back to the Uk, after a short internal flight, from Denver.

Hope this inspires someone as it really is a must see place in our big world!

Yellowstone is truly amazing place , one minute your looking at geysers and then next minute your driving through park as bison crosses in front of your car . But it’s so beautiful.

Remember park is huge, learn to enjoy every area and respect the animals who live there /

Words can’t describe just how amazing this park is. You could spend days here and still not see everything. The landscape is breathtaking, and there is so much diversity of wildlife and plants. Truly awe-inspiring!

It was like being in a movie, everything is so beautiful it doesn't seem real. We came in the east entrance and made as many stops as possible. We stopped for geysers, animals, waterfalls, and yellowstone Lake (which by the way is a site). We got there around 8am, which for us is key since we don't love crowds. Going early gives you the ability to pull over and stop for photo ops safely, and when there is a parking lot there are actually open spots. After making as many stops as we could we made our way to the upper basin to see Old Faithul. We got there 10 minutes before it erupted, and wow what a show! Again getting there early is key. After viewing old faithful we walked around the walkways there, where we saw some of the most amazing geysers. If you have the time do as many of the walk ways as you can. After site seeing we went to the Cafe and gift store (we avoided the gift store closest to the parking lot as there was a line to get in) and got some souvenirs and drinks. The souvenirs are somewhat pricey, but the drinks and snacks from the Cafe are affordable. On our way out to the west entrance we saw the opposite traffic was lined up jammed for miles, so again DONT go late if you can avoid it.

Awesome trip. Entered through Silver Gate and the Lamar Valley. Amazing. Very green in mid-July, lots of wildlife, not lots of humans. Tower Falls, Lower Falls, very cool. Norris geyser basin also intriguing. Let's active than in past visits.

A trip to Yellowstone will move you in ways you never expected. Every new feature is just as awe inspiring as the one before. Plan for at least one week, but more time allows you fully immerse yourself in this place unlike anywhere else on our planet.

This was our first visit to Yellowstone National Park. As we were staying near the Grand Tetons, we only had one day to explore. We chose three must-see spots on the lower loop (with a few other quick stops) - Old Faithful and Visitors Center to get acclimated, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Lower Falls. Each site was spectacular, showcasing the miraculous beautiful of this National Park. We were fortunate that we only had to wait for 10 minutes to witness Old Faithful dramatically erupt, the Grand Prismatic Springs are a natural phenomenon not to be missed, and the Lower Falls were stunning and the hike down was literally and figuratively breathtaking!! The wildlife within the YNP was plentiful with Bison, Antelope, and even a bear sighting! Though our day-long visit to Yellowstone was brief, we will take memories and great photos with us!!

Beautiful park but lots of driving. Stayed in Canyon Village and Old Faithful Inn to reduce the driving. Have Verizon so we had cell service all over the park. Did several hikes in Grand Canyon and the waterfalls don’t disappoint. The hike to the brink is well worth it. Old Faithful was amazing. Several others also erupted while we were there which was awesome. Saw elk in Mammoth and bison everywhere. Didn’t see any bear which was fine and gave our bear spray to others when we headed out of the park

Yesterday, 5/27/24, I took a drive up through Yellowstone NP. I entered the park at the Moran Park Entrance around 8:30am, stopped at The Old Faithful Inn, parking directly in front of the entrance, and then drove out of the West Entrance. The drive wasn't bad at all and I did see bison. It was chilly (in the 30's). There is a lot of snow up there at the higher elevations. Bring a jacket.
However, I passed MILES of cars heading the other direction (south), some just rolling along and some completely stopped, MILES of them. That did not look like fun to me at all. This was at 11am too. Just so you know, be prepared.

A must see adventure but you will not see everything unless you have a few days. Pick what you really want to see ahead of time. Don’t go in August since the crowds are too big and you will spend more time in traffic than looking at the sights . If you stay in one of the in-park hotels or lodges keep in mind that there is no TV or internet in the rooms except there is free internet for guests in the hotel rooms ( not lodges ) at mammoth springs hotel. Also there is limited or no cell service depending on your carrier. Most hotels have some internet in the common areas but you may have to pay for it.

We came in from the Cody end, stayed at Yellowstone lake hotel , went to old faithful, then exited later at the Gardiner Montana side. We enjoyed the myriad thermal elements, partially frozen Yellowstone lake, Yellowstone canyon, Lamar valley, and a lot more. Meanwhile grizzlies, elk, bison and more could be seen. We were able to get some trail hiking in but not so much, of course brought the bear spray jic. This park is deservedly amazing but we heard the stories of it being packed with tourists in summer. Mid May was still busy enough in places to be an annoyance depending on what area one is visiting. Many pull outs would have a few cars and when we spotted mama grizzly and cubs there were lines of cars along the road side. The Cody entrance was less congested but Yellowstone lake and especially old faithful were the people watching zoo zone. We won’t venture to Yellowstone in mid summer. It’s a beautiful enchanted place and maybe next time will be a backcountry excursion if I can get anyone to go with me!

We traipsed up and down trails and viewing spots all over the park. The lower falls were my favorite followed closely by multi colored pools of very old life forms that predate humans.

There is not a rating high enough for this place. So many amazing things to see - from Old Faithful and the geysers near it, to the Grand Prismatic Spring, to the mudpots, to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (and definitely walk down to the brink of the falls) to the wildlife. Be aware that the park is HUGE and that it takes time to get from one attraction to the next, and allow more time than you think since the roads are single-lane and if someone pulls over to view a bison that will slow things down. We caught Old Faithful in the evening after going to Grand Tetons, and then spent two more days in the park and could have spent more. This is like no other place you will ever go.

Beautiful but needs work on marking restroom areas. When we did get to restrooms they were in dire need of cleaning! NASTY! However, thankful to have them and toilet paper too; just need to be maintained more frequently.
We have been to YNP before and it did not seem this bad.
Yellowstone NP a definitely a place of God’s creation and beauty all the sites to see.
People working in the stores/gift shops were so helpful and friendly!!

Sites are spectacular. Drivers are terrible. Too slow and stopping at every bird sighting or crossing the double lines. Especially the campers.

It was very fun! We saw lots of cool places like the springs and the waterfall! They have a cool museum with diagrams that explain how and when Old Faithful works!

it was amazinghello I went with my familly it's so good we went to this beach and we had a good timehello I went with my familly it's so good we went to this beach and we had a good timehello I went with my familly it's so good we went to this beach and we had a good time

Yellowstone is an experience with nature I can not believe you will get anywhere else. Nature at its best with geysers, water falls, rock formations and animals roaming about freely. As with any wild animals I would strongly suggest you respect them and keep your distance. This is no joke and a word to the wise should be sufficient. Note that if you are staying in any National Park the food is ok. Don't expect anything special.

We stayed at Big Sky for a conference and did a full day guided tour of Yellowstone. The tour was good, the guide was great, but the price was way too high. Now for the park. We got lucky that the line into the park wasn't that long, we got in quickly. Now for the driving, all the driving... We basically saw no wildlife for the first 30-40m, i mean, not even roadkill, not even blood on the road to signify there was roadkill. We finally got to part of the park where we saw a nice herd of 30 or so Bison, and an Elk later on. We needed a high powered scope to see a lone wolf in the distance. That's it. I mean, on my block in sussex county, NJ, I have deer, possums, groundhogs, rabbits, chipmunks, hawks, frogs, the occasional black bear... literally more wildlife per square acre then what I saw in Yellowstone National park. I couldn't believe how many wide open spaces we drove past, I mean huge swaths of land with not a single animal or even bird for that matter, to be seen. There's 6000 bison in the park and the government is trying to reduce it to 3000. If that passes, you won't even see the bison. Back in the day (before 'we' showed up and killed everything) there were 77 million bison, 35 million elk, etc... so to see all this open land was, to be honest, depressing when viewed in the context of what this landscape must have looked like about 150 years ago. Our main interest was wildlife, so this wasn't exactly what we thought we'd be seeing.
Old faithful was pretty much what you would think it would be. The prismatic flats were pretty interesting.
Overall, this is a 3 star kind of visit. The park only cost $20 per person so i guess it was worth $20 per person, problem is, people travel from all over the world to see this park. Expectations may be somewhat elevated versus the reality experienced.
I would advise against any tours as there is one road in a figure of 8 pattern and you really can see everything you need to see all by yourself. I mean, there's literally only a couple of things to see there. Bring binoculars for each person in the car with you.

Yellowstone is a great place for families, a friend group, couples, or even one person. There are many animals — our family saw two bears! The hot springs and the geysers are amazing, especially the Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful. We used an online guide, which helped us find our way through the park and gain information about this wonderful place. I recommend this place for anyone!

We entered the Park, three days after the east entrance first opened for the season; and entered again 4 days later, on the first day the south entrance had its delayed opening due to a late snow fall.
Though high snow drifts often obstructed viewing, the roads were quite clear; except for a couple stretches in the higher elevations.
Overall traffic was fairly light, excluding some of the obvious exceptions like Old Faithful; though even there, it was quite manageable, and nothing like it apparently becomes a few weeks later.
The most fascinating aspect, for us, was seeing the Park emerging from winter; and preparing for the seasonal onslaught.
A thousand other reviews have used all the words: amazing, incredible, grand, magnificent, awe-inspiring, etc. over and over. And, all of them, and more, apply.
And, all of them, are insufficient.
This iconic national treasure needs to be experienced, to truly understand its impact.
If one's time here is limited, realistic planning and goals are essential. If one has the opportunity, however, it can be rewarding allowing some time, to let the Park take one where it will.
We look forward to returning in the fall; when the crowds have lessened again, and the Park begins settling in for the winter.

The bus tours, though expensive, are a terrific way to learn why the park is unique, orient the newcomer, and save loads of time minimizing parking problems.

This National Park like so many is a wonderful place to see the beauty of American wildlife and scenery. We were told we were luck this year as visitor numbers were down. The wildlife is abundant and truly amazing to watch. It’s all been said before. I would just finish by saying go. It you can go and see for yourself.

Magical trip of a lifetime! Yellowstone is sensory overload!! From the beautiful park itself, the colorful pools and hot springs, geysers, fantastic hiking and rock climbing and don't get me started on the bison!! Plan ahead and go early!! You will avoid the line to enter park if you do so! We are early birds and entered the North side of the park at 5:30am. We were able to take pictures at the North archway all by ourselves and truly felt like we were alone in the park most of the time! Bring snacks! There are not a lot of places to eat so plan accordingly.

🏞️🌋 Yellowstone National Park is a breathtaking wonderland that left me in awe! 🤩 As the world's first national park, Yellowstone boasts an incredible array of geothermal features, including Old Faithful, hot springs, and vibrant multicolored pools. 🌈 The park's diverse landscapes, from lush forests to vast meadows and towering mountain peaks, are home to an abundance of wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, and bison. 🦌🐺 The park's unique geology and rich cultural history make it a fascinating destination for nature lovers, scientists, and anyone seeking an unforgettable adventure. 🌟 Must-visit attractions include the Grand Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. 🌊🏞️

Yellowstone National Park is awesome! Wildlife, Geysers and Thermal Features and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was concerned that I won’t get a campsite but once I reached the park (july 2023). I was able to get a campsite inside the park (go around 12:00 PM). Just ask them for a available campsite inside the park. If you are flexible, you can easily find one spot. But please note that campsite may not have shower or hot water. I love to have these basic needs included on all campsites. There is no cell coverage or free wifi. So, ensure to bring GPS don’t rely on your smartphone. The park should bring cell coverage for more interactive connected experience.

Impossible to give less than 5 stars to a park so complete from a naturalistic point of view. I mention only the Hayden Valley, a magnificent place

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So many people have written so much about it, I will just post some photos, hopefully unseen before. We start the morning with Lamar Valley, then on to Hayden Valley. A short list of the wildlife we see includes black wolf, several herds of bison (BTW there is no difference between buffalo and bison), pronghorns, bold eagles fishing in the Yellowstone River, ospreys, blue herons, ducks and more ducks, elk, deer, and, of course, the crowds of tourists looking at the animals looking at the tourists… Very early in the morning (1 hr before and after sunrise) is not that bad.

When my wife was alive, we came here in June, 2008. We saw Old Faithful with very few other people, while it snowed lightly, but not dangerously.
This time was August 8th. I would recommend June over August based upon this trip.
It was crowed and traffic at times was bumper to bumper. I had anticipated this, so I had allowed extra time to see things, but even so, by the time I finally got to Old Faithful, I didn't feel like fighting crowds and trying to find parking, so I skipped it, since I had already seen it once. Also tried to see West Thumb, but after five times slowly around the parking lot, my frustration won out, and I skipped that too.
What I did see was of course just as beautiful and wonderful as all of the brochures and pictures one has seen. Since it is such a popular park, of course everyone wants to see it.
Even West Yellowstone, Montana was crowded. If you are into "trinkets" and exploring quaint towns, it would be worth your while.
As for the things I did see, I followed highway 191 from the west entrance just past West Yellowstone, Montana, and exited at the southern entrance, just north of Grand Teton National Park. Last time I came in from the north and exited on the east entrance. Different experiences.
Plan on doing a lot of walking this time of year. I walked about a block from the entrance to the parking lot to Grand Prismatic Spring. They allowed parking along both sides of the road near there, since the parking lot was full.
Overall, I'm glad I stopped, but if you go this time of year, be prepared for traffic and crowds.

Yellowstone isn’t just a national park — it feels like another world entirely. One moment you’re walking past steaming geysers and boiling mud pots, and the next you’re watching bison wander across the road like they own it (because they do). Every corner of the park feels different. In the south you’ll find towering waterfalls, in the west you’ll find some of the most active thermal features on Earth, and in between you’ll spot wildlife everywhere you look.

The colors at Grand Prismatic are absolutely unreal — like nature decided to paint with the brightest palette it had. And the size of the park genuinely surprised me. You can drive for hours and still be inside Yellowstone. It’s huge, and trying to “see it all” in a single day is a recipe for exhaustion.

My biggest tip: choose one area per day and explore it fully.
It makes the entire trip more enjoyable and far less rushed.

Yellowstone absolutely lives up to the hype — and then some.

If you have any questions while planning your trip, feel free to send me a message here on TripAdvisor. I’m always happy to help fellow travelers.

The scenic spot is truly breathtaking with its stunning natural beauty and captivating landscapes. The picturesque views and serene atmosphere make it a perfect getaway for nature lovers.

Our best trip ever. I only wish I had planned to spend more time there. Its truly a magical place. From fairy falls to the geysers its all stunning

WOW! A MUST see for nature lovers!!!! We did a 12 day trip and saw not only Yellowstone but also took a trip south into the Grand Teton National Park and a day trip east to see Cody Wyoming (if you're going to Cody make sure you eat at Irma's - it's an authentic old-west place with Great food!). I would absolutely recommend no less than a week for Yellowstone. Also, if you're wanting to make sure you really see things and understand the 'workings' make sure you get some guided tours....we did one each of the upper and lower loops. Having the knowledge from good guides allowed us to go off on our own and 're-see' some things. We also got a spotting scope....another must for seeing wildlife up close and personal. We thought we would rent one but found it was cheaper just to buy it for the 10 days. Granted, the scope wasn't the best quality, but it really helped once we figured out how to dial in what we were seeing.
All in all a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won't want to miss.

Love it here.

Drive the loop. Get out and hike. And take in the sights.

Such a beautiful place! I can’t wait to go back and see more.

Trip advisor a year ago posted a deal which put us with Gate1travel Tour Agency. Now we look for their offered trips. In June we signed up for their 8 day trip to see such sights as Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Cody, Wyoming, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and a few other stops. It is all on a luxurious motor coach. All of the stops and lodging are made by them. All you have to do is enjoy it.

Just wonderful one of a kind there’s so much to see and to explore the world. Love is fantastic. You see Albert’s order Eagle and the nature is absolutely stunning. Go to the geezer and go to the hot pot. Something you won’t forget.

Being nearby had to pay a visit to Yellowstone National Park. Did not have too much time. The weather was against us, so did the best we could. Started off with sun, rain and snow at Craig Pass and then sun again when leaving. Achieved all seasons in one day. Saw Bears and Bisons. Stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin, crossed Craig Pass onto Old Faithful. Failed to see Old Faithful blow as I would have become an Ice block if i stayed there for too long. Very good, btu you need time to see this place.

Don't be the next idiot gone viral! Read the rules and follow them! There is wildlife everywhere, and you will have your chance to see them. Drive safe and be mindful of who or what is around you.

It will get crowded so I recommend picking your highlight points and start early!

We spent 3 days camping, and our first day we literally just drove around the park stopping at overlooks and getting familiar with the roads. 2nd day we hiked a lot and it was so crowded, it like I was waiting in line for the woman's bathroom at some spots. You make due!

Bring more water than you think you will need! If you are worried, at least 1 person in your group should carry bear mace - we never used it and ended up donating it (you can not fly home with it!).

SHAME....SHAME....SHAME.....SHAME.....SHAME......SHAME Yellowstone needs to highly consider NOT renewing or cutting their ties with the contract with Xanterra Corporation and calling it a loss. This is the problem with the Federal government. They are in charge of things and someone is clearly NOT doing their job. This National park is for all of us to enjoy and it needs many people to oversee it, yes, however, the contract that was given to operate the lodging and the eateries are beyond terrible. This corporation is Xanterra. Do you own research on this corporation and you will see how much they operate. They have a contract for 20 years, ( who gives someone this long to operate something this large) This corporation oversees a lot of National Parks and Yellowstone lodging IS TERRIBLY OPERATED... OVERPRICED, DIRTY, FOOD DISGUSTING. Those are all 3 to explain my experience as well as many I spoke with at the park.
FIRST--- I paid over $350.00 a night to stay in the park, thinking I needed to in order to see the park, it was best to stay in the park- but that is NOT true. You can start at south end and drive through the park in about 2 hours to the north end, but to stop along the way and see some things, you can still do that in about 5 -7 hours, then stay OUTSIDE the park in a hotel in Wyoming or Montana. Then wake up in the next day and go back into the park and go to the west side and go through the park and do the same thing, go out the park and stay in a hotel in either Idaho or Wyoming. Your not there to watch TV. So I am not faulting the lodges for not having a TV. However, the reception is terrible, so if you have family, children or a reason to be in touch with the outside world, this makes it worrisome, if they cant reach you. ( another reason to stay out of the park to sleep)
NEXT--- Another reason to NOT STAY in the park, is the food. You would think if you paid $360. to sleep in a bed, you would either get a complimentary coffee, or a muffin. NOPE!! You would think if you stayed in a particular lodge for that price, you would get complimentary breakfast. NOPE!!
My lodging -Canyon Lodge- grounds are not beautiful or welcoming at all. I mean geez, put some wild flowers in the grounds at least by the lobby door, get rid of weeds everywhere. So to walk around and enjoy the beauty of the place is to look at the trees and sky, because the grounds are weeds.
NEXT---FOOD is literally disgusting and if you want to go to country store to get fruit or a packaged food, or snacks, the price is beyond terrible. But lets get back to the food in the dining areas. First thing it is cafeteria style eating, you get a tray and tell the person what you want. The choices are few, but the taste is terrible. I had "rotisserie chicken" with white or fried rice. I literally spit it out. The chicken tasted fake. I spoke with manager in charge, and his words. " I am sorry, but please write a review because upper management doesn't listen to us." He then said, he gets complaints like mine everyday and he feels bad that he cannot change it. Well, sir, here is my complaint and I hope everyone speaks up. This park is ours... This is our earth and our country to enjoy. If the federal govt want to decide on their own to give a contract to a company to operate these parks, then they will lose a lot , I mean a lot of money because i will leave reviews on many websites and I encouraged a lot of people I met to do the same.
If people like me are willing to spend that kind of money to stay for a bed, then at least offer a type of dining that has the same food quality.
I went to Lakeside Dining. again, the food was terrible. I spend $49.00 for a steak that tasted fake. I cant explain it but it was tough, no taste and had fat all the way through the steak. I did not eat it. I paid $ 17.00 for a side salad, but it was the size of a saucer plate. Breakfast was fake eggs that is a liquid egg. No taste. I can go on and on. I am appalled at the lack of quality food, overprices and the unkept rooms.
If I wanted cabin camping style lodging, then charge a reasonable price for it. I expected more for my price. It is advertised and photos like it is somewhat luxury. The food is advertised as "fine dining, quality food, best local area beef'. You would think you are supporting the farmers and getting good quality food. NOPE!!

I believe this would be a great place to have college kids come work for the summer, especially starter chefs. This would a great place to start, cook food with quality ingredients and flavor. You are working in a National Park, advertised for tranquil, seeing and enjoying nature and its beauty, advertising the cleanliness of the parks, enjoying the beauty of nature yet there is no beauty in the room I was in, as it was old, dirty and so much dust by the bed, around he bed floor, it was disgusting. It made me feel the bed was dirty and I could not sleep. Rug needs replacing or have no rug at all, just a runner so it can be cleaned and replaced in few years.
There is no relaxing and beauty of the food either. Support the farmers and get in fresh eggs at least. Get fresh chickens and beef. All around you saw chips and cookies and junk. Not even a package salad to choose from. I had to go into the country store to even think about purchasing a packaged salad, but didn't because it did not look appealing.
YES--we are supporting the Park to be upkept etc. However, you are also supporting and giving your money to Xanterra for lodging and eateries and they do NOT deserve our money...

Reservation rep from Xanterra was a bit rough and callous in his tone and words. I was a bit taken back on that. AND the supervisor I spoke to at the lodge, agreed and said she gets these complaints all the time. WELL, why are they still in charge of lodging and eateries in OUR PARKS???? GET RID OF XANTERRA FROM OVERSEEING OUR PARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET RID OF XANTERRA from overseeing anyting. I will NEVER go anywhere or stay anywhere that XANTERRA is in charge of or operating. THEY SHOULD BE SHAMED SHAMED SHAMED...

It’s once in a life experience! Everywhere you go is a different experience and story. If you have limited time to do your own tour it’s better take the whole day tour so you can enjoy the scenery and not waiting time driving and finding where to park. We went end of July and did 4 nights just perfect time.

It is one of the best park I ever been. It has thousands of geysers, rapids, lake n canyon.the geysers are of different colors n shapes.

Amazing national park.
A once in a lifetime experience.
Beware of the weather so unpredictable.
Amazing experiences at every turn. Entrance less than $50 for 3 days.

We camped in the north of the park at Tower Fall Campground! Reservation strongly recommended!
Simple and small campground but very nice camphosts who gave us lots of tips! Campground is close to Lamar Valley where we could see bears relatively close. Many wildlife watchers can be found there watching wolves through their “spotting scopes” and also letting visitors look through their lens! In addition, these spotters are well connected by radio and know where to find special wildlife.

Recommended are the famous Old Faithful and Falls as well as the potholes on West Lake. In addition, behind the Old Faithful are other geysers worth seeing.

Saw a lot of wildlife and the countryside was awe inspiring. People really need to observe distance between bears and bison. Local people were attacked by bears and one died.

Went to Yellowstone National Park from Australia as it was somewhere on our interest list with no expectations of seeing much wildlife.
We spent 4 nights and 5 days there staying in the park based mainly around the recent flood areas. We wanted to ensure we had access to the park since we had come so far. Well they have fixed up most of the roads except access to Gardiner. A great credit to the local workforce.
I think you could do most of the park in 3 days, unless you enjoy Bison jams (more to follow on that).
We really enjoyed the thermal areas as there was a vast diversity of geological activity right across the park. Stay on the boardwalks unless you enjoy 3rd degree burns. The Geysers were great and going off all over the park. Old Faithful was true to its name. We saw it go twice. We drove down every part of the park we could that was open so saw everything, nothing disappointed. If renting a car, try and get one with a sliding sunroof - makes for safe & great photography opportunities.
We were told you might get lucky to see some Bison and maybe some Elk
What we saw:
Bison, hundreds of them and up close
Elk
Mule Deer
Chip monks
Marmots
Eagles
Grizzly Bear with cubs!!
This was well worth the cost of the holiday.
The local law is Bison get right of way and they like walking down the roads. This is known as a Bison Jam. We got stuck in one and using the sunroof got some great shots as we slowly drove through them. We thought it was great so after dinner we went looking for a Bison jam every night. Got stuck in 4 of them, great fun.
We headed to Grand Teton on one day and came across a Grizzly bear and 2 cubs on the side of the road. Spent 20 minutes watching them parked in the middle of the road with about 7 cars. Sunroof came in handy once again.

Yellowstone National park is a huge park , stunning scenery around every corner . There was lots of road work whilst we were there , didn’t influence our experience . Lost of stops with great views . Lots of wild life to be spotted . Amazing park to explore

The Park closed the West Entrance at approximately 3:25PM on August 30, 2024, for an hour without any warning leaving hundreds of cars stranded in West Yellowstone. We were already staying in the park and got stuck when we briefly visited West Yellowstone with the intent to return. This has caused us to miss various opportunities to view the landscapes and wildlife. The Rangers allowed a UPS truck to enter and several other unmarked cars to enter so it was obviously possible for the vehicles to drive into the park.

A beautiful National Park. Highly recommend a visit if you have not been. It was my first time and it was lovely. We had many sightings of wildlife, enjoyed beautiful scenic drives.
They do a wonderful job of caring for this park.
We stayed in 3 different campgrounds to experience the different areas.

I have mixed feelings about Yellowstone. It’s a spectacular place, you’re literally on top of a super volcano with the ground steaming beneath your feet and the water around you boiling. In some areas, like Mammoth Springs, it feels like you’re in an alien world. Plus, there’s an abundance of wildlife. I was even driving directly behind a buffalo that was in my lane for quite some time. There’s soooooo much to see and it’s all very impressive. My issue was with the crowds, it is beyond ridiculously packed with people and very touristy. Parking anywhere was a nightmare. I got lucky and it poured down rain. I don’t mind rain hikes, but luckily most people do so it cleared a lot of people out…which I was very thankful for. It’s a beautiful place and well worth a visit IF you take the trails and avoid the people.

As we visited in off season we could only visit a couple of parts of Yellowstone but it was awesome, breathtaking scenary and incredible snow. We'll hopefully be back to do the rest of the park in the future as it was truly incredible.

Yellowstone far exceeded my expectations. What an incredible experience ! We saw buffalos, elk, a wolf, and a bear. The geothermal features are world class.

Amazing! The views are impressive, the delight of any photographer and nature lover. Very exhausting, you can walk by car and on horseback, carrying a full tank of the car for long distances, within the park. You must pay attention to the safety instructions, as wild animals live there and tend to appear suddenly. Bring hiking shoes, warm clothing for the mornings and afternoons and light clothing for midday, also covering for the rain. Plenty of water and light foods. Hotels offer free ice for coolers.

Yellowstone is a must visit US National park. Many places to go, too little time to experience them all. HOWEVER…it can be very difficult to find parking during the peak season. Plan accordingly!

The park, itself, is amazing. However - it takes hours to drive between attractions. I strongly advise multi-day visitors to hire a guide.

If you like the majesty of nature, wildlife, history or falls and geysers, then this is on your bucket list! Me and my son visited in May and a few snowflakes flew while waiting on Old Faithfully. It is vast country so pack your patience, sometimes wildlife cause traffic jams. bears , bison , antelopes, elk, maybe a wolf, take binoculars! I recommend entering through the easier to drive west entrance . The east is very adventurous in snow. Entrance fee of$35 is well worth it, but I recommend the annual National Park Pass if visiting various parks, is well worth the $75. Cody, WY and St Anthony, ID or areas surround park for restaurants. There's gas and food in the park as well. Sit back and just let nature take on a ride.

What was my favorite part of the park? That's impossible. There ate just SO MANY. I have been to Yellowstone Park at least 25 times over many years, starting when i was in the third grade (1953, but who's counting). We've been fortunate to live near enough most of the time to see the Park often (Butte,and Kalispell, Montana; Seattle, Washington).
And that's why it has been so difficult to think of a favorite thing in the Park. I was there with my parents, by myself, with my wife and daughter, with my step-son and his family, with my college roommates, with my cousin, with a hiking buddy from Alaska and other friends over the last 60+ years. Summer and winter, clouds and rain, sunny days, heavy snow, it's all wonderful! Yellowstone Park is always a true experience if one is open to it and gives it some TIME.

I'm not going to have anything earth shattering to say that hasn't already been said about the park. My recommendations are below:
1. Go as early as you can. We saw most of our wildlife between 6-10 and it was also the least busy.
2. Have a general idea of what you want to see and the order you want to do things so you are not wasting time doubling back.
3. Don't try to do everything in one day. You will miss a lot.
4. FWIW, We enjoyed the upper loop more so than the lower loop. More animals, open spaces and things to see.

This is a must do. Beware of its size- there is a lot of driving to do if you want to see everything, and it's important you take the time to relax in one place and enjoy nature at its finest.

We loved Yellowstone National Park! We came in the west entrance and experience elk and moose wading in the Madison River. We went to Old Faithful, Norris Geyser, Grand Prismatic, Yellowstone Lake and Falls, and saw so much to describe. Wide array of wildlife awaits you with so many photo opportunities.

Yellowstone is absolutely breathtaking. Every corner has something different and magnificent to view! Plan on taking a few days to see most sites with keep in mind large amounts of visitors. Pack patience and enjoy this spectacular experience! Loved it..

We stayed at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone. I recommend flying there. We are from So Cal. I cannot imagine having to drive all the way there because the entire vacation is driving around all day everyday. We saw a lot of animals right from the road...bears from the side of the road. We hiked with lots of people around so we didn't see any bears while hiking. I highly recommend getting the Shaka guide...app. There is an itinerary on there and you don't have to worry about what you're gonna do....It'll tell you everything you need to know. We rented a Toyota 2025 Camery Hybrid. 50 miles to the gallon. We bought an annual park pass. Only 1 persons name can be on it but good for the whole car. We are so glad that we went when school was still in because memorial weekend was a nightmare trying to get into the park and luckily we were flying out that Sat. Get up really early and start getting in line and hang out in your car an hour before it open or you will be in a ton of traffic just getting into the park. Bring all your food . There isn't many places to get even bottled water. South Yellowstone lake was kind of dead and boring. The best city to stay in is West Yellowstone. There are a lot of cheap scary looking motels...beware Our room at the Holiday Inn was good...their breakfast deal is not thay great you will have more fun finding cute places to eat all over town.

Yellowstone must be on everyone’s bucket list, but do it while you can walk. This summer crowds were about half of what we expected. Other than the north entrance from Gardiner all roads were accessible. Plan a 4 or 5 day trip for the park if you don’t have any hikes planned in your schedule. If you are traveling with kids tell them all you can about staying on the boardwalks, keeping away from animals and stupid tourists who want to take a selfie in the most dangerous ways. Other than that the park is a National treasure and easily enjoyable even for wheelchair bound. There is ample food and restrooms inside the park, though some rest rooms are a hole in the ground. But the park provides ample hand sanitizers. Will do it again anytime.

Everything about the Park is amazing. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Artist Point, Norris Geyser Basin and Old Faithful were awesome. The traffic and crowds were just a near total hassle. Ignorant tourists trying to get close to bison is just massive idiocy, with multiple warning signs around. A great park, for sure.

This was probably the most beautiful national park we have ever visited, as even bears and moose have seen. In total we were in the park for 12 hours and visited all the highlights and went on small hikes.

Amazing experience. Go early (7:00) for the best access and be prepared to spend time gawking! A lot of visitors and early is better if you go to Old Faithful. Check times at the ranger station and plan accordingly. Do see the prismatic springs and mammoth hot springs. Take time to visit the Old Faithful Inn, it is remarkable. You ca go later in the day and have less traffic if you want to go toward the Lamar Valley. Bo prepared for traffic stops allowing Bison to cross or for photos of bears! Saw brown, grizzly, and black bears. Pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Go to Gibbons falls and the south rim drive to Lookout point, and canyon village. So much to see and way too much area to cover. It will require another trip!

Beautiful scenery, well mapped out, many animals. Park gates stay open to come and go 24/7. Bathrooms available throughout. Lots of picnic tables and scenic pulloffs

Yellowstone part of our Caravan Bus tour and a great place to stop. Matt Manuel was the Caravan Tour Guide and he made the visit so much better with his knowledge of the geology, history and safety cautions. There is so much to see that you could spend 2 or 3 days there to see it all - though some areas are very similar to other areas - Geyser is a Geyser etc. We spent about 10 hours in the different areas of Yellowstone seeing the Falls, Geysers, Mud Pots, Hot Springs etc. The visitor's center was also part of the stop. If possible and you can afford it - GET A PROFESSIONAL GUIDE. We had one with a tour so can't recommend one.

An absolutely unforgettable trip to Yellowstone National Park, probably the most beautiful we’ve ever made!

Between the spectacular geysers, the unrealistically colored hot springs and the grandiose landscapes, we caught plenty of eyes at every moment.

As for wildlife, it is a real sanctuary: majestic bison crossing the road, elk, and even wolves observed in their natural habitat. A waking dream for nature and wildlife lovers.

This park is simply unique in the world, a wonder to visit at least once in a lifetime. We leave with memories engraved forever

We visited friends nearby and they gave us a nice two day tour of Yellowstone. It was the first National Park. I had purchased a life pass for senior citizens years ago and used it again on this trip. We saw Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, hot water pools, some other waterfalls, mountains and Lamar Valley. We saw many buffalo in Lamar Valley- they are large, magnificent creatures. I love the beauty of nature out west...

We went in the first week of October, and the weather was actually pretty good, not too cold. The park is huge! We drove the Upper and Lower loops and each took a full day. The views are amazing!! People only talk about Old Faithful, but there's so much more!

Amazing place. Out of this world. Nature at its best. Nicely preserved natural process. Best place to watch natures behavior closely.

I am not a National Park person, but I loved Yellowstone. I think that everyone who can should visit at least once. There is so much to see. It does require a lot of driving because the park is huge. The gas is more expensive in the park so try and buy gas before going into the park. My cell phone did not work while I was in the park and so make sure you take a map or two with you. Be careful while driving a lot of people drive pretty fast in the park.

You really have to see it to believe it.

Yellowstone never gets old although it is more and more crowded and parking difficult or impossible during the day at the hot spots. We have visited before and still enjoy driving through and taking less popular roads and visiting sites and areas with less people. We took Fire Hole Canyon Road, stopped at Fountain Paint Pots & Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful and stayed overnight at Lake Lewis Campground.

Third trip to Yellowstone and keep finding hidden gems that I'd never run across before and I don't hike. Just pulloffs that I've not see and check out to find a fabulous wall of calcite or flowing waterfall. Mud pots with buffalos warming up by them (even through it was 90 degrees), but you just don't know what you will see here. A mother bear with 2 cubs running up a tree. It has it all. The best!! Went in July and was concerned about crowds, but not bad at all. Try the north or northeast entrances, both easy to get in with no wait.

Yellowstone has become our favorite NP over the last few years and we always try to make it a point going and exploring new places on our drives from NC to WA and back every year. So many beautiful places to see and so many things to do. Study the map you get at the entrance and have fun. If you can, be in Lamar Valley around early evening; the bison are coming to the river. We have seen elk, Moose, Grizzlies, black bear, Bison, wolves and coyote over the years. Mammoth Hot Springs is a must! Plan on plenty of time...like days, if you can and be prepared for lots of traffic.

Spent 2 days exploring this incredible and massive park. There is so much to see. You could have much more time than we had and yet not see it all.
Every few miles reveals different terrain. We managed to drive
big chunks & stopped in between to see places of interest.
A lot of walking & climbing but absolutely worth the hikes to be rewarded by
astonishing views.
We were lucky enough to see bison, elk, deer & most of all a sleeping bear.
I had been lucky enough to have visited different national & state parks in the US, I like Yellowstone the most.
My only gripe is that too much time is wasted due to the many road works in the park.

Now that we are retired, we have been able to visit to a number of national parks and we would say if you were going to visit one this would be the one we would recommend seeing. The park is huge, so much so, we spent three full days here, almost entirely just driving around and stopping at the many sights. We did almost no hiking, that would have added days to our trip. My wife loved seeing the great many animals on our visit. We spent $400 a night to stay at a hotel just outside the park and it was nothing special and eating isn’t cheap either. Having a national park pass saved us a lot these past years. When you drive into the park there is a special lane for such passes, ignore it, as it is the one that gets backed up, while the other lanes move much faster and all you have to do is flash your card. Three days gave us a good taste of this huge park. Last year, we visited four national parks in Utah, spending one day in each. We both felt thankful that these parks were preserved for generations of people to see. We hope it stays this way in the future.

There are plenty of things to see here. There are restaurants, places to stay, and gift shops. We saw a lot of animals. We only spent two days but felt like we could have stayed longer.

What an amazing experience. If you haven't put this on your travel list, do so, right now! The scenery was breathtaking and the driving was easy. I went at the end of August, so it wasn't too crowded. The bison traffic jams are comical, as the bison give absolutely no regard for the vehicles on the road. The hiking trails were well marked for the most part and incredibly well maintained. I would go back tomorrow, if I could. Devote several days to this beautiful National Park. You won't regret it!

The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone scenery was beyond our expectations, we loved every minute of our 4 day tour. Kyle ( Kybo) our guide was endlessly enthusiastic about spotting wildlife for us. The accommodations were satisfactory and the geo thermal areas we saw almost unbelievable, like alien landscapes. We loved the tour and would recommend this company to anyone.
We really enjoyed extra time in Jackson Hole, the galleries there are world class.

On May 16, 2025 heading out of Madison towards Gibbon Falls at about 4pm there was a huge traffic jam. Which we thought was due primarily from the bison on the road but it turned out to be more the fault of these two older (JR) rangers. They had traffic at a halt trying to hurry the bison off the road. First and foremost we have the utmost respect for the individuals who work and volunteer for our National Parks. Their jobs are not to be taken lightly. However, my husband and me frequent travel to the Tetons and Yellowstone yearly. We can honestly say we had not witnessed the chaos caused by a SR adult woman and a man wildlife management workers. I actually worried the woman would be gored as she ran out to chase the bison off the road waving what looked to be a white towel. As a bystander watching from the safety of my vehicle, I believe if the individual workers would have left the herd to their own devices they would have cleared the road a lot sooner. Not complaining, I just felt strongly someone should know before an untrained ranger gets gored to death.

Before I close I would like to say that overall Yellowstones National Park is and will remain my favorite place to vacation. I appreciate all the people who work under challenging conditions between weather, language barriers and daily rude people. We travel to the Tetons and Yellowstone yearly staying a month at a time. Hats off to all that continue to keep our National Parks a safe place to enjoy the outdoors.

Had the opportunity to come back as an adult and actually enjoy the United States‘s first National Park. Family friendly opportunities with events and hikes. Got to see a couple of Bison while on my hike after viewing Old Faithful erupt. Weather was on the warm side but wasn’t unbearable. Will go back to take the opportunity to camp and hike other trails.

What a great place to visit. Kids loved it. The roadwork was annoying but 50% was due to flooding in the spring. Staff was warm and friendly. Sites were clean and organized.

Five stars just isn't enough for America's first national park! I spent 11 hours in the park yesterday and barely scratched the surface! Everywhere you look there is something new to see and discover. The largest volcano on Earth sits under Yellowstone. As a result, there are geysers all over the place. Many are accessible for viewing. I recommend stopping at every one, as each one offers something different. Animals abound! I saw deer, elk, bears and bison. But there is more to see! This is not a park you visit once and check off the list. Every day offers visitors a new experience. If you are a hiker, there are trailheads throughout the park of varying length and difficulty. If you are into camping, there are lots of grounds scattered throughout the park, but spots fill up months in advance, so planning is key. This is a MUST DO attraction!
HINT: maps and GPS are deceiving. It may say it's 20 miles to Old Faithful from West Yellowstone entrance, but that is a TWO HOUR drive! You need a full tank of gas and car snacks. You will spend lots of time in your car going 24-35mph.
HINT: Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring are everyone's "must do". Parking can be impossible. If this is on your list, get to the park entrance when they open (6am or so) and head straight there. OR, wait until the end of your day. This way crowds may have dispersed.
HINT: Planning is key. If you want to stay anywhere close to any of the park entrances, be prepared to book early and pay for the privilege. But after long days in the park, you'll be ready to get to your hotel for rest without another long drive.

I've been to Yellowstone every year of my life. (46 yo)
It's a fun visit if you've never been there, but if you're familiar with it, it's nothing like it used to be.
Before the '88 fire, it was the most gorgeous place on earth.
After the '88 fire, the only real reason to return was the game animals; and since the reintroduction of wolves - the big game has been eradicated (only the buffaloes remain).
If you've already seen old faithful and the mud pots - there is ZERO reason to ever go back.
For me personally, it's now a 1 star, but I'm putting 3 - because I don't want to turn people off from seeing it at least once.

I had always wanted to drive through Yellowstone National Park. Today was the opportunity of a lifetime. There are entrances to the park from each point of the compass. I came from the north. The day started badly because the American Highways people were running a convoy system between Livingston and Gardiner. There was no apparent reason for this, and it unnecessarily imposed at least a half hour delay on arriving at the park. The other irritating problem is that although notices request that you don't stop on the roads, but use the abundant pull offs. Yet, many were stopping on the carriageway, again causing delays. Everyone can have a lovely day provided a little consideration for others is shown.
If it's bears you want to see, you will probably be disappointed if you arrive in late May. I can't speak for other times. My understanding is that by late May the bears are out of hibernation and are hungry. I saw none. There were bear warning signs and an outfit profiting from selling bear spray. The only thing missing was bears. In contrast there were hundreds of buffalo. Contrary to the suggestion that they are dangerous and aggressive, all of them were contentedly grazing. Some of the young calves were playing. While not advocating walking up to them, I believe that provided they are allowed to do what they want, and that's eat grass, they aren't going to bother you.
It is possible to buy gas inside the park, but it's a lot more expensive than outside. I suggest you fill up before entry. Lodging within or close by the park is very expensive. I suggest that you book at Cody which is 55 miles due east of the park. Here, you can find sensibly priced accommodation, only an hour away from the park. I find that staff pay rates, laundry of bed linen, and other charges associated with accommodation rental are similar inside or outside the park. You can save a lot of money by commuting in from Cody rather than fuelling the price ramping of properties within or close by the park.⁸
The scenery within, and near the park, is stunningly beautiful. The white tipped peaks in most directions are particularly photogenic. There are lots of hot springs, geysers, and blow holes. You can't actually go to them. You have to watch from a distance from behind barriers. Apparently, some people have ventured up to the hot source, tumbled in and died. They seem to believe we are dense enough to need keeping a good distance away. Despite the restrictions, the springs can still be appreciated, though not felt.
Old Faithful geyser is reliable, but goes off about once per hour. It's worth waiting for, and my wait was half an hour. Despite arriving at a busy time, there were plenty of car parking spaces.
The America is Beautiful Annual Pass works here, provided you have photo identity to back it up. That pass can be purchased here, ir any of the other national parks. Some parks are not included, but many are, and if you are visiting three or more, the annual pass is much cheaper at $80 than paying $35 for each site, especially if you want to spend more than a day at each site.

Such a blast - The lake was gorgeous, and it was so amazing to see the geysers from the water. My husband and I are beginner/intermediate kayakers, and our guide was very kind in giving us pointers, checking in to make sure we were having a good time. He was also very knowledgeable about the local ecology, geology, and the area as a whole! We can’t wait to come back with the whole family.

Always fantastic no matter how many times you visit! You could spend so much time here and still not see it all! We were there to witness the front of a part of the Mammoth Hot Springs formation falling off. It was crazy and the ranger that was there that witnessed it with us said that he'd never seen that happen as long as he'd been there. See the before and after photo! Getting to see the buffalo, elk and antelope so close was such a treat!

We had the most incredible experience exploring Yellowstone National Park thanks to our amazing tour guide Harry Sun and driver Q!

From the moment the tour began, Harry impressed us with his deep knowledge of the park’s geology, wildlife, and history. He shared fascinating stories and facts at every stop, bringing places like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone vividly to life. His passion for nature and love for the park were infectious — you could tell he truly cared about giving us a meaningful and unforgettable experience.

Harry was also incredibly organized, friendly, and accommodating. He made sure everyone felt included, kept us on schedule without rushing, and even offered great tips for photography and safety. His calm, engaging style made the long days feel easy and enjoyable.

Our driver Q was equally impressive — calm, courteous, and an absolute professional on the road. He navigated Yellowstone’s winding roads with ease and ensured we had a smooth, safe, and comfortable ride throughout the trip. His friendly demeanor and teamwork with Harry added to the warm, relaxed vibe of the group.

We left Yellowstone not only with stunning photos and memories, but with a deeper appreciation for the park — all thanks to Harry and Q’s outstanding teamwork. If you’re lucky enough to tour with them, you’re in for a treat. Highly recommended!

We felt we could do the Geyser basin in less than one day. Big mistake. The geyser basins require at least one very full day. We learned a hard lesson that to really get the most of the day to explore the geyser basin you need to stay in one of the Old Faithful lodges. Pricey yes, but we stayed in ID and it was a 3 hr drive there.

Once we got there parking was extremely hard to find for the lower geyser basin. Lots of cars alongside the road, lots were full and much congestion. It became a lost cause. So we continued on to Old Faithful. There was plenty of parking at Old Faithful but you will do a lot of walking if you're at the far end of the parking lot.

In end of August temps were very comfortable, not chilly. The paths around the upper basin offer much to explore but we didn't have time. We left to go back to lower basin and encountered the same issues. We finally found a spot at Fairy Falls but it was a very long walk to get to the prismatic pool.

The volcanic features are absolutely worth going to see and explore. We decided we underestimated the time needed so we would have to return another time and stay in the park so that we are right there and can take the day.

You will also need to include in that day the west thumb geyser basic about 30 mins or so away on the way to Jackson. We did not stop there due to time. It just needs to be a long day, plan it if you really want to see the grandiose scenery and features, this place was incredible.

My family (me, my wife and 13, 10, 6yo children) spent 5 days in Yellowstone National Park in June, 2023. We stayed in and mostly ate in the park, but this review will be of the natural attractions and overall experience (facilities reviewed separately).

As a general assessment, we found Yellowstone to be an amazing experience. We visit National Parks quite regularly, and there can be little doubt that Yellowstone is unique, stunning, and almost otherwordly. The vistas are amazing and gorgeous. The volcanic features (geysers, vents, pools, mud pots) are just weird and beautiful in unexpected ways. The wildlife is epic: we saw bison, brown bears, wolves, deer, elk, a variety of small cute rodents and lagomorphs, and too many species of bird to list (and we're not sneaking up on anything).

Our adventures in the park included: the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, Grand Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace, South Rim Trail of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (also some of the North Rim Trail), West Thumb area, Monument Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, and many shorter adventures. Honestly, I can't think of one that wasn't beautiful, unusual, and well worth the time.

As far as for children, the abundance of very short, near roadside adventures makes this park ideal in many ways for them. However, there are many much more meaty adventures also for older people. Thus, Yellowstone really has something to offer nearly every envisionable age range.

We went in early June, and the park felt fairly crowded in the visitor centers (there are at least 7, each with many services), but we rarely felt this way on the trails (Grand Prismatic Springs was the exception here). Rangers assured us that the park gets much, much busier as the season progresses.

In sum, this trip was breathtaking both in the quality of the natural experiences and in the breadth of features. I definitely recommend it for a family vacation, even though the atmosphere in the Visitor's Centers can be almost Disney-esque at times.

Yellowstone blew me away! From the geysers and hot springs to the herds of bison and elk, every corner of the park felt like a scene out of a nature documentary. I especially loved the Grand Prismatic Spring—absolutely surreal. The park is massive, so give yourself enough time to really explore. Coming from Florida, the cool mountain air was a refreshing change.

Can’t wait to come back with the family!

I guess the hype of Yellowstone lead to expecting more, but it was just okay. We took a tour with Brushbuck (which I HIGHLY Recommend), but the park itself while we saw a lot of it is kind of underwhelming. We went to Yellowstone after Grand Teton, and the experience was okay. One "neat thing" was being caught in a Bison Traffic Jam, amd we saw plenty of wildlife, including a Grizzly, and being in a Volcanic Crater is neat. The hype of Yellowstone made it underwhelming.

Be sure to budget several days to see the park. Hard to get all the sites in. Time your visits to more popular sites, although it’s hard to avoid crowds. Recommend trying more in the off season (now), although some attractions start to close for the season.

We spent a week there and still didn't see everything. Everyday was different as there is so much diversity. Geysers, springs, canyons., wildlife.

We stayed in Big Sky but did a day trip to Yellowstone. It was so beautiful and a must see if ever out that way. We saw Bison, Geese, a fox. The stops at the hot springs were very cool to see and of course, Old Faithful!

Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park established by Congress (1872). You need several days to see the highlights. We saw lots of animals, including fox, lots of bison, a coyote, both Grizzly and Black bears, and elk. In addition, there were three bison in the middle of the road and cars were backed up for a long time.

There are also many beautiful waterfalls. It was nice to see the falls from different angles by walking along the paths.

One highlight was the long hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, but the beautiful colors made it worthwhile.

The geothermal features are a must-see. I enjoyed Mammoth Hot Springs and the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Of course, the most well known is Old Faithful. This geyser erupts at roughly 90 minutes intervals. I saw two eruptions. The first came 15 minutes after the predicted time, but the second made up for it by being 8 minutes early.

The park is big and there is a lot to see. Take your time and savor the beauty.

We have visited Yellowstone many times. We have also visited many national parks; however, this one remains my favorite. It is an outstanding and amazing park. For hiking, natural beauty, viewing wildlife (bears were my favorite), and seeing geothermal activity, this park rocks! I always look forward to our next visit.

Second time in 2 yearsxthat we wete here. This year we did not see the geysers but focused on the wildlife. And wow. We saw quite some grizzly s,.(twice), with cubs, not too far away, between Canyon and Roosevelt. Wow. And a wolf. And many many many bisons. Wow. Stay in the park, preferably 3 nights and get up early (6 o clock or so). It s worth the money. Take a break end of morning. Staying in Canyon or Lake Lodge results in a very central location. Roosevelt provides direct access to the Lamar Valley with herds of bisons. Enjoy the sunnrise. In particular in Hayden Valkey. Apart from the wildlife, the surroundings ate beautiful. Views, geysers, rivers, rocks, watetfalls, meadows. Wow.

We took 2 full days and experienced just under half of the sights. The area we covered were the 2 western loops. The sights were amazing. Lots of pictures with no rush.

For us, it was just amazing what nature provides. Mostly, for me, grasping the understanding of the magma layer, which is so close to the surface.

The drive was easy. There was a small area of road construction with some traffic backup.

Road south from Biscut Basin to Yellowstone Lake is undergoing repaving. Only one lane road so if you get stuck behind a slow driver, a long rider is an even longer ride because there is no opportunity to pass until you get to the lake. If you are staying in the park and driving this section at night, there are no lights on the road signs so easy to miss the turnoff to the lake.

We visited Yellowstone for our first time. It was $35 per car. And the line to get in was not very long on Saturday morning in October. this park is immense. And we didn't get to see everything in 1 day. There are animals that you'll see when everyone is stopping on the road, taking pictures. But we only got to see Buffalo and elk, there were no other animals around . the geysers, and all of the different water pools were really interesting and lots of different colors. I really appreciate that the boardwalks they had built so that you could go into the area and really get close to all of the different things. And of course, it was nice to walk after being in the car driving around. You have to watch out for animals, so don't go over the speed limit and stay alert on the sides of the road.

We had a really good experience and ended up staying in the park until 9 or 10 at night. If you stay that late, you can see the stars really clearly and that was beautiful.

The only negative was the bathrooms that were not in the main visitor area. they were built-in porta potties that were nasty and did not have any place to wash your hands anywhere. It was completely gross, and they need to get water run to those or at least have a portable water station where you can wash your hands with soap and water after using these nasty bathrooms..

The views were amazing, and the Grand Pristmantic Spring was full of color. No idea if I spelled that right, but anyways, I would recommend this place if you're traveling here with family, friends, or just going solo.

Those of us who have been able to make multiple visits and sometimes stay for days or weeks at a time tend to feel sorry for those who only have a day or two to visit Yellowstone. If a day or two are all that you can spend - do it anyway.

This National Park almost defies description. My expectations were way off. The Park is huge, far larger than imagined, and the views around every corner are incredible. The eastern side of the Park is more wooded, with waterfalls and beaches. The western side has the geysers and hot springs. Definitely make time to see both sides. It can easily take a whole day to see each side. My only complaint is the lack of bathrooms. There are absolutely not enough for the volume of people who visit every day. My advice - every time you find a bathroom, use it. It could be a few hours before you see another one.

Huge and beautiful park, superb, magical...
We spent 4 days sleeping in lodges inside the park: grant, old faithful, west yellowstone, mammoth hotspring then jackson hole.
Access: the nearest airport is jackson hole. Trip Tip: avoid delta airlines which does not hesitate to change schedules and arrive very late...results, closed car rental agency. With all our Reservations already closed we had to land in Salt Lake City and drive 570 km to the park.
Some reviews and tips:
– Teton Park, very close to the south of yellowstone deserves a detour – in my review a day – to visit in my opinion before going to yellowstone because even though the landscapes are superb, Yellowstone is breathtaking,
Contrary to what we often read, traffic is quite fluid (at least at the end of August) and we have always been able to park. It must be said that everything is perfectly organized, and the roads excellent
- hotels inside the park are expensive but this avoids long drives. That said, they are nothing extraordinary.
everything is superb and impossible to see everything anyway so there are choices to make. I suggest in the south: west thumb, old faithful, upper geyser, grand prismatic. To the west, norris and porcelain basin. To the north: mammoth hot spring. To the east: the yellowstone canyon. 4 days seems like a minimum.
Finally, don’t hesitate to take a 1/2 day tour to Jackson hole: very nice little town.

We loved the park and hated the Xanterra operated Lake Yellowstone Hotel. We were in the park for 6 days. I believe we drove every mile of paved or improved vehicle road inside the park. Hiked out to the view many things. Beautiful.

What can I say about this wonderful place. Between the greenery and the Soufrières that are the Jeyser spaces, everything is magical, surprising and above all impressive to see what nature produces. 2/3 days to visit seems the good compromise.
Don't miss Mammoth Spring, Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park is the 2nd biggest and oldest park in the United States. It is full of wonderous landscapes and cool animals to enjoy year-round and will take several trips to explore it all! From the hot springs and geysers to the high mountains and waterfalls, it has something for every nature lover to enjoy! Over 1,000 miles of hiking trails and lots of fascinating places to discover! Highly recommended:)

Yellowstone national park is an extraordinary tourist spot with an enchanting natural colours, waters and lush greenery. Natural geysers and bison are the toast for your demanding eyes. Barring the smell geysers are main attraction for the tourists.

Just like retina the shape of Yellowstone natural geysers are jawdropping wow feeling inducers

The whole place is crowded with small small natural streams flowing all the way down and creating a fabulous atmosphere over there

We went on a sunny day and the climate was very helpful to visit those places ( right time to visit is between april to September

Go and enjoy the nature

Yellowstone never fails to amaze! We loved Old Faithful, the Bison and a particular favorite was the Prismatic Lake. Add in hikes and picnics by the river and we fell in love again with this superstar national park.

We live in Montana, and try to visit Yellowstone once a year. We never get tired of it, even though we've been visiting since 1967. The thermal areas, the wildlife, the canyons, the rivers, the historic buildings. However, in the summer the most popular sites in Yellowstone get crowded and a certain percentage of visitors are rude and violate the laws. So here are some "locals tips": First, stay inside the park if you can. The "gateway communities' are nowhere as pleasant or authentic as the park itself. Second, get to the popular sites (like Old Faithful or Norris Geyser Basin) early in the morning (like before 8 am) to avoid the worst crowds. Third, take a hike. Even on the craziest, most crowded summer weekends, the backcountry tends to be peaceful, with plenty of elbow room. And finally, read up on park regulations and follow them. If you are looking for a low-key place to eat and/or stay, try Roosevelt Lodge. Unfortunately, some lodging within the park books up almost a year in advance!!!

My husband.
Has had yellowstone on a bucket list for a while. So glad we were able to take this trip and see all of the beauty God has created!

Yellowstone National Park is an amazing place. I enjoyed my time so much with many beautiful sights to see and many places to go within the park. I spent two full days there and that still wasn't enough to observe all the amazing spots. It was truly a great experience being able to see all the geysers and there were hundreds of people all gathered to see the most famous geyser as it exploded. I cannot wait to go again, and really recommend going there.

Having spent 30 years visiting South African National Parks, which are consistently excellent, we decided to try somewhere different. Sadly Yellowstone is very far below that standard in every way. It is far too crowded. Drivers behave as if it is a racetrack, and behave aggresively to people watching wildlife. The noise from Harleys is constant, with some of them also playing loud music. We even encountered drivers nudging bison out of the way. Very large crowds gather at famous sites, unloading from busses to get the instagram selfie. The accomodation is basic, well below Sanparks high standard, with only very bssic facilities, not even a kettle or microwave. They say that is because they are historic cottages, but Sanparks has well equipped histotic cottages. The price and quality of food in the restaurants is outragous.

The scenery is great, but not worth the trouble and expense.

We'll be heading back to Africa.

Yellowstone is still magnificent. With geysers, water falls, wildlife, mountains and lake, it is impossible to find any better.
The only problem is: TOO MANY PEOPLE! One exit to the falls viewing had to be closed due to too many cars. Get there early!

I took a Yellowstone tour with TripAdvisor on August 25th with driver John. He was an awesome tour guide. He was well informed and made sure we were able to take pictures from the bus and outside the bus when it was allowed. His personality clicked with a bunch of older women who wanted to have fun, laugh at corny jokes and enjoy themselves.

I recommend requesting John if you take a tour.

The park is amazing. The scenery is incredible. It was amazing to see so many animals in their natural environment. We were fortunate to be on the road when a huge herd of bison was on the move. We were surrounded by animals on both sides of the road, and they were passing between cars. It was easily a thousand bison. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us. It was really neat to check out the geysers and thermal features through the park. With all of the natural splendor of the park there were definitely some downsides.

We were there mid-June. It was crazy busy. There were long lines to enter the park in the morning. It was nearly impossible to find parking to see any of the popular sites. We often waited in long lines to get into parking lots, as cars waited until they saw a spot open before proceeding around the lot. There should be someone in the major lots to direct people further into the lots, so spots out of site don’t remain empty. We learned after the first day, if you enter after lunch there were no lines to get in the park, and by 6 a lot of the parking lots had parking available without long waits. Between 6-10, the park was amazing. It was as if everyone had left.

We ate at the Old Faithful lodge restaurant. The food was mediocre. There really wasn’t a wide selection of food. The worst part of the experience of that building was the stench that came from the restrooms. It smelled like raw sewage. My husband said there was urine all over the men’s room.

We attempted to eat at the Mammoth Grill, hoping to find grilled food for the kids. Nothing grilled. Just sandwiches.

Be warned, the smaller bathrooms that are not in actual facilities will have pit toilets. While they’re never great, these were bad. Really bad. Clearly a lot of people don’t understand the concept of among for the hole. There were lines for those too at times, so don’t wait until the last minute to go.

Be warned- internet service is pretty much non existent within the park.

Make sure you take a jacket and pants in case it’s cool. We needed those in June.

We stayed in West Yellowstone and we’re very happy with accommodations and food options.

My kids are teens- the perfect age for the park. I really wouldn’t want to take little kids to the park-there’s would be limited to boardwalks and lots of dangers to watch for.

Again, despite the complaints above that could easily be addressed by the park administration- the park is AMAZING. It’s a must see!

Even after the floods, the Park was accessible on the lower loop. There wasn’t as many people as I remembered when I went with my parents years ago. We were able to go 2 days and enjoyed everything. Old Faithful was the only spot we were around people. Saw lots of wildlife. Facilities were clean. Great time with the family.

Did a 4 day backpacking trip with Jesse in Yellowstone. There were 6 of us (all amateurs) and we found Jesse to be an excellent guide. He answered all pre-hike questions promptly, was very well organized, and knowledgeable. He took care of all the details and made the experience very enjoyable - could not have done it without him. Would highly recommend Lamplighters.

This was the first time I visited Yellowstone Nat'l Park and would go again in a heartbeat. We encountered elk, deer, eagles and hundreds of bison! Didn't get to see any bear or gray wolf...maybe next time. There are so many geysers, hot springs and mud pots throughout the park. Everyone should visit here at least once in their lifetime.

Came in through the south entrance of the Tetons on Sunday May 28th to a young 20’s
Acne faced white male who was the most rude, condescending employee I’ve ever encountered in 60 years. If you have any questions when you get there he will mock and ridicule you for not reading the signs as you approached the booth. He obviously hates his job and the public. Entrance into the Yellowstone was a wonderful, helpful and friendly experience by comparison. Saw Buffalo, moose, and white tailed deer. Several hikes to choose from. Plan on a few days at least.

Like so many national parks now, Yellowstone has become too crowded to enjoy in the summer. We have visited several times in June in past decades and found it busy but not overcrowded. This visit we could not enjoy the major sights for the extreme crowds and traffic.

Yellowstone is very interesting, a lot to see! Do not take a bus tour you will see minimal particularly if it is through Our State Magazine-Trafalgar Tours. There is a local company that has yellow green cars that can accommodate 8 to 10 people that will give you a fantastic day tour of the park. Or you can just drive around the park and stop as you go.

This was my first trip to Yellowstone National Park and it was fantastic. We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn which was a great experience. The location allowed us to maximize our time in the park although we still did a lot of driving. We visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Upper Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Springs and Mammoth Hot Springs areas of the park. Would absolutely love to visit again.

Amazing national park that needs to be visited regularly throughout one's life -- so much to experience and learn. Wildlife, geology, forests and plants, rivers, lakes, geothermal mysteries, and so much beauty.

My wife and I spent 3.5 days exploring the park. A hotel in West Yellowstone was our temporary home base. If you want to stay in only one place while visiting Yellowstone National Park, West Yellowstone is by far the best choice. We found the driving time to whatever we wanted to see on any give day was tolerable. It will also likely work out to be less expensive and/or you will enjoy better amenities than staying at most lodgings in the park.

Yellowstone is one of the best national parks we have ever visited. We saw amazing things every day: Spectacular geo-thermal features (the best of which was the Grand Prismatic Spring), stunning canyons and waterfalls and more than a few wild animals. We saw elk on two days, including the very first morning of our first day, white-tail deer on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, mountain goats in Dunraven Pass, bison in Hayden Valley and yet more bison in other places, including one in the middle of the road barring our path (we didn't mind) near Old Faithful on our last day. No bears, moose or wolves, unfortunately.

We knew before we went that 3.5 days was not going to be enough time to see all of the park and every natural attraction in it worth seeing and indeed it was not. But it was enough time for a good introduction and leaves us with an excuse for a repeat visit.

(Note: Major natural attractions we visited I have reviewed on TripAdvisor separately, with photos. The photos attached to this review of the park as a whole are unrelated.)

My favorite part is just the beauty of the park and animals. Most of the roads are in good shape, there is road construction in parts that you are sitting for 10 minutes or more. There seems to be a staff shortage in most of the restaurants. Alot of places don't start serving till 9 a.m. which was bad for us because we got up early to try to get pictures of bears and wolves. But it was a very good adventure for our adult children that had never been there.

Going to Yellowstone National Park is something I’ve always wanted to do, so when I was nearby in Montana for work, I arranged to stay for a few extra days in order to visit the park. It turned out two things worked in my favor for this visit. It was the first Saturday of the season the road to Old Faithful was open, which is the one thing I desperately wanted to see. And it was the first day of National Park Week so the entrance fee was waived. I got to the park extra early and was able to see a few things without a crowd. I saw numerous geysers all over the park and even got stuck in two Bison jams when moving from location to location. I will state I didn’t go to see every geyser at every stop, just the more popular ones, especially as the day was winding down. I spent all day there and was able to see almost everything I wanted to (a few roads were closed, so I was unable to access a handful of them). It was an awesome experience. I even saw a wild Turkey, a snowshoe hare, lots of bison (one was six feet from my car, which I stayed in) and as I was leaving the park, a bunch of juvenile moose. Can’t recommend it enough.

For me the most beautiful thing I have seen so far in the USA. The diversity, the nature, the animals. Simply unbelievable. I would recommend it to everyone!

Park was closed due to flooding. We were one of the first visitors back in the park. only the south side of the park was open, but it was still nice to be back.

A great park where you could wander for weeks without getting bored. There are so many beautiful valleys, vistas, rivers, animals and so on. We really saw a lot of things and walked in the 6 days. I would recommend this at all times definitely, hayden and lamar valley

We were so excited to finally be able to go to Yellowstone. We got one of the last accommodations in the park for when we could go. The choices for one night were limited with only $300 without a bathroom, $1000 for a room, or a different location within the park. During our trip a health challenge occurred and food restriction became an issue. We found we had to go out of the park to eat each night because we couldn't get reservations at the couple of places that "might" be able to accommodate us. The geological features are incredible, but accommodations aren't worth the price we paid.

Yellowstone is great! We ended a little national park circle of our trip here as this park is more accessible and more driving/maintained paths. (Obviously they have great other hikes- we hiked and backpackers in glacier and grand tetons so wanted a more chill experience for our last stop) which is very doable in yellowstone. I applaud them for the amount of trails that elderly and disabled can access. Its wonderful! There is SO much to see. Id love to come back and do some of the other harder off the cut trails some day. Yellowstone is huge. We saw elk and bison (my first time we saw way more but- its wildlife. They do what they want!) They had the most restroom stops at all their picnic areas and everything. I was surprised! I always have to pee and it was never an issue here.
Naturally there was lots of traffic and at the hits there was backups but it was never that bad considering. This is a park that accessible to many that otherwise dont get the opportunity to do much at others so I always anticipate bigger crowds. Just go in understanding that and youll be golden. Stop and look around when ur in lines in traffic- not a bad waiting view!!!
Thanks Yellowstone!

Yellowstone lives up to its reputation. The scenery and wildlife are spectacular. It is very crowded and parking can be difficult in some places, but it is well worth the time and effort. Reservations for entry into the park were not required.

Yellowstone is an amazing place to visit with diverse locations filled with wildlife, geothermal activity, and breathtaking sites. The park is massive and you can stay in a variety of areas outside of the park as well as several places inside the park. We opted to stay near the original entrance at the north end of the park and we really enjoyed coming from this direction. The nice thing about staying here is that it's a bit less busy than anywhere near West Yellowstone or the Old Faithful area, which gets extremely busy in the peak summer months. The roads in Yellowstone have two loops connected by a connecting road so it resembles a figure 8. Since we stayed at the north entrance, we were able to drive clockwise around the loop and it made for a quieter trip. We also then got to go to Lamar Valley, which was filled with herds of bison and is something you don't want to miss.

There's so much to see here that you definitely need multiple days and be prepared for cooler weather as the elevation is high here. We came at the beginning of August and there was a cold front and storm that came through so it was only a high of mid-50s during the day. Each area in the park is so different than the last and you'll be shocked that this is all the same National Park. We loved visiting each area as they each had something unique and we really, really enjoyed our time here.

Make sure your vehicle is gassed up so you don't have to worry about finding a gas station within the park. Also, be prepared to smell sulfur everywhere you go as the whole park sits atop a super volcano and has geothermal activity everywhere. Also make sure to be kind to your fellow tourists; people come here from all over the world and everyone's trying to see the same things. Give yourself time and make sure to be courteous to one another so that everyone can enjoy it. It's a blast coming here and it's definitely something that we're so glad that we got to experience!

We stayed in Gardiner so we could enter the park with our guide from Wolf Tracker. We had two full days with our guide (no private cars allowed in the north entrance following the floods). I would not attempt entering the park without a guide because he was amazing and was able to find grizzlies, black bear, wolves, bison etc. This was the highlight of our month in USA National Parks.

Wow, just wow, slow start, weather a bit disappointing hazy. Old Faithful amazing, then just after that the trip got better. Bears crossed the road in front of the car then so did some Bison after scaring us when they started running towards the car.
We saw so much wildlife it was great.

This park is very large with several distinct sections. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to each section. So it is difficult to see in one day or a couple hours. The western sections have geothermal activity. The eastern has lakes, canyons, waterfalls. Lodging is expensive. We saw bison all over. The park gets quite crowded in the middle of the day. It takes a long time to get in and out of the park. But beautiful

We spent 3 nights and 4 days in Yellowstone and loved every minute of it. It was not what I would call laid back or relaxing because we put in long days trying to see as much as possible BUT you could take it easy and have relaxing days if you chose to. We stayed in the park at the Canyon Village campground and loved its location within the park. We were both amazed at all there was to see, it is all sooo incredible! I can’t imagine someone visiting and being disappointed, it just wouldn’t be possible.