National Park Trekkers
Grand Prismatic Spring with rainbow-colored mats beside forested hills
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WY · MT · ID. Established 1872.

Yellowstone

Geysers, hot springs and the densest wildlife viewing in the lower 48.

Grand Prismatic Spring, the park's largest hot spring.Photo by Iryna Marienko on Unsplash
Hours
Open 24 hours, all year
Entry
$35 per car
Reservations
Not required
Size
2.2 million acres

Yellowstone Weather Now

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Yellowstone became the world's first national park in 1872, and it still feels like a place that runs on its own terms. The park sits on top of a volcanic hotspot, and that heat powers more than 10,000 hydrothermal features: steaming terraces, boiling mud pots, rainbow-ringed hot springs and roughly half of all the active geysers on Earth.

Away from the boardwalks, Yellowstone is a vast high plateau of lodgepole forest, river valleys and open sage. Herds of bison graze the Hayden and Lamar Valleys much as they did centuries ago, and wolves have roamed here again since their reintroduction in 1995. The 142-mile Grand Loop Road ties the main sights together in a figure eight, but the best moments often come from pulling over and simply waiting.

The park and surrounding area

Grand Teton National ParkWest YellowstoneGardinerCooke CityYellowstone
  • Park boundary
  • Other parks
  • Major highway
  • Road
  • Rivers and lakes
  • Town

Watch

Old Faithful erupting. Eruptions last a few minutes and can reach well over 100 feet. Check predicted times at the visitor center. Video © Volt Grid Media, LLC
A small geyser at work. Smaller geysers and steam vents erupt all around the basins. Stay on the boardwalk. Video © Volt Grid Media, LLC
Lewis Falls. The Lewis River drops about 30 feet just off the South Entrance Road, an easy roadside stop. Video © Volt Grid Media, LLC

Plan your trip

Best time to go
Late May through September for full road access. September brings fewer crowds, rutting elk and crisp mornings. In winter, the interior is reached only by snowcoach or guided snowmobile.
How long to stay
3 to 4 days to see both loops without rushing.
Getting there
Bozeman (BZN) is about 90 minutes from the North and West Entrances. Jackson Hole (JAC) and Cody (COD) also work well.
Wildlife
Bison, elk, grizzly and black bears, gray wolves, pronghorn, moose and bald eagles.

Plan and book

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Where to stay

Tours and activities

What to pack for Yellowstone

A first day, start to finish

  1. Old Faithful at mid-morning, then the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks
  2. Grand Prismatic Spring from the Fairy Falls overlook
  3. Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest in the park
  4. Artist Point and the Brink of the Lower Falls
  5. Hayden Valley at dusk for bison and maybe a bear

Don't miss

  • Old FaithfulErupts roughly every 60 to 110 minutes; predictions are posted at the visitor center.
  • Grand Prismatic SpringThe largest hot spring in the US. The Fairy Falls trail overlook shows its full color.
  • Grand Canyon of the YellowstoneLower Falls drops 308 feet; see it from Artist Point.
  • Lamar ValleyBest place to spot wolves and bison at dawn and dusk.
  • Yellowstone LakeHigh-elevation lake with boating, fishing and shoreline drives.

Know before you go

Do

  • Stay on boardwalks in thermal areas; the crust can be thin over scalding water.
  • Keep 100 yards from bears and wolves, 25 yards from all other animals.
  • Carry bear spray on trails and know how to use it.

Don't

  • Touch or throw anything into hot springs.
  • Approach bison for photos; they injure more visitors than any other animal here.
  • Fly drones anywhere in the park.

Open 24 hours, all year. Most park roads close to cars from early November to mid-April; only the North-to-Northeast Entrance road stays open in winter.

Plan for long drive times. The Grand Loop is 142 miles and wildlife jams are common.Trekker's tip