Yellowstone National Park
Lower Falls
To Do
Old Faithful, Old Faithful Inn, Observation Point, Boardwalks around the hot springs going as far as the Morning Glory Pool - These are all in the same area. I think it took us 4 hours to walk all of this. If you have the time, do all of them. Observation point is a quick 0.5 mile loop to an overlook of all of the geysers in the area. The trails/boardwalks allow you to safely see the geysers & unique terrane around Old Faithful. Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes, I don’t recommend waiting to see it. There are tourists EVERYWHERE waiting near it, plus you can see it erupt from multiple view points. If you have time, walk through the Old Faithful Inn. It’s such a unique hotel with a really interesting history (There are free 45 minute walking tours that tell you the history of the park, hotels & Old Faithful. The nerdy history buff in me loved it so you like history, stay for it.)
Grand Prismatic Springs - Get here early or late. This place is FULL of tour buses. You can walk around the boardwalks that surround the few prismatic springs, but the best place to see it is to hike to the overlook on the back side of the springs. (Grand Prismatic Springs Overlook Hike) If you have to choose, I 100% recommend the overlook over the boardwalks. It’s an easy hike. If you want to continue on to another easy hike, after you do the overlook you can continue onto Fairy Creek Trail to Imperial Geyser. (This was our hike where we literally walked past a tree and ran into 3 buffalo and we were MUCH closer than the suggested 25ft. We just walked past & prayed they didn’t mind that we were there.)
Mammoth Hot Springs Area Trail - This is all of the travertine terraces. It’s just other worldly! I’ve never seen anything like it. All walking is on boardwalks. Another touristy place in the park, so expect crowds. Beaver Ponds Loop is a really popular hike with he locals. We weren't able to fit this one in, but multiple rangers said this was one of their favorite hikes in the whole park. The trailhead is right near the Mammoth Hot Springs Area. If you need cell service, you’re near the Roosevelt Arch near the north entrance of the park. The gate is a cool thing to see & you can make a call or two while you're there.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - This is the most photographed landscape in Yellowstone. It. Is. Stunning! The colors are just breathtaking! There are multiple areas that you can view the canyon and I suggest going to a few of them. We hiked to a couple of overlooks and assuming they’re open, absolutely do them. Uncle Tom’s Trail-if you’re afraid of heights, don’t do this one. It’s 328 metal steps going down the side a mountain to overlook the falls. You can see the steps when you look across the gorge from Brink of the Lower Falls Trail. Both of these hikes are relatively quick, they just have a steep elevation gain/loss over a short trail. Artist’s Point is a must see, but be warned there are probably a ton of tourist, but it’s worth the wait. There are quite a few trails around this area, but a lot of them were still closed due to snow &/or construction when we were there in May.
Lamar Valley - When they say it’s the Serengeti of Yellowstone, they aren’t kidding. We saw a herd (hundreds upon hundreds) of bison go from grazing to an all out sprinting migration across a valley. Breathtaking!
Hayden Valley - Another beautiful drive, but I’d choose Lamar over Hayden. We saw much more wildlife in Lamar.
To Eat
If you’re a foodie, go in with LOW exceptions. Your best meals will be in Jackson Hole. Every casual dining restaurant in each hotel has food delivered from the same delivery service so the selection is the similar no matter where you stop in the entire park.
Here are a few places that do offer a little more and would recommend stopping here.
The Lake Hotel Dinning room at Yellowstone Lodge - This was the best meal we had for the week were in the park. The is one of the “fine dinning” restaurants in Yellowstone (but take fine dinning with a grain of salt, you’re still in a national park). Great charcuterie pate with local cheese and meats. Delicious main courses with locally sourced beef.
Lake Hotel Deli at Yellowstone Lodge - This is the only place you can get custom made deli sandwich in the park, the rest are all prepackaged. We didn’t eat here, but it came highly recommended by all the park staff
Canyon Lodge - The largest convenient store & grocery store with multiple casual dining restaurants at this location. It was a great place to pick up snacks, drinks, even fruit. (Fresh fruit & veggies are a rarity. Also, keep in mind most of these restaurants have the same menu as everywhere else)
Tips
Bear spray - If you’re going to be hiking, keep it with you. It’s kind of like insurance. You hate spending money on it until you need it. The wildlife is plentiful and something large can come up on you at a moments notice.
Look for the expensive camera equipment - Seriously. I saw more expensive gear in Yellowstone than I’ve seen on set. If the cameras are out, stop the car and ask what they’re looking at. 9 times out of 10 they’re using their camera as a telescope and letting people look into it. This was the only way I saw a Bald Eagle & a wolf.
On that note, have your camera ready at all times - There’s so much to photograph and wildlife can just pop out at any time so be ready to shoot.
Check with the rangers at the ranger stations - They always have at the most up to date trail info. Even though we knew most of the trails we wanted to hike, the rangers had great info about bear, elk sightings, closures, construction, etc. Also, read the trail reviews on All Trails before you get into the park. Usually that has some good info too.
There is NO cell service - Call your mama & all the important people before you go through any of the park gates. I do not know the last time I was this disconnected. It was lovely, except that you need physical maps unless you’ve downloaded them to your phone before you enter the park. The ranger stations have maps too so another good reason to check in at one of their stations.