5 Memorable Sights in Yellowstone National Park that Everyone Talks About

• Instagram
• Pinterest

This post is about Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park is the oldest park in the United States (1872), but I also learned that Yellowstone is the second oldest park in the whole world! Although the park is large enough to cross into the three states of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, the largest park in the US goes to Wrangell–St. Elias National Park in Alaska. However, at 2.2 million acres, this park holds the largest number of geysers in the world!

Now that I’ve thrown all that daunting information at you, let’s get into what you need to put at the top of your to do list when visiting Yellowstone.

What to Know before You Go to Yellowstone National Park:

You could easily get lost in this park for weeks or even months with the number of trails and sites. But I spent roughly a day and a half in the park. With that small amount of time, I saw all the main stops and more. 

I highly recommend looking at the park’s website for any road or trail closures. You can also find this information in the newspapers given out at the park entrances. Due to the closures, I faced on my trip, I lost precious time having to turn around or take alternate routes.

Where to Stay in Yellowstone National Park?

Because this trip was more than a day’s adventure, I decided to glamp for the first time ever! About twenty minutes from the west entrance of Yellowstone is a stunning Airbnb glamping campground called Camp Wanderlust. Stay tuned for an article on my magical evening.

If running toilets and hot showers are more your style, there are plenty of places to stay outside of the park. You will have so many options to pick from whether it’s an Airbnb or a local hotel. You can also stay inside the park near Old Faithful or Mammoth Hot Springs!

Coming from the Grand Tetons National Park, I drove the John D. Rockefeller Scenic Highway that connects the two parks. I recommend entering the park from the south or west because these are where most of the park attractions are located.

Like in every other post I have on the national parks, I highly recommend getting the America The Beautiful annual pass if you plan on visiting any of the other 63 parks within a year. I have been to four with my pass and have saved over $60 so far.

But now it’s time to dig into the sights! Here are my top five things to see in Yellowstone.

Old Faithful – Yellowstone National Park Geysers

The most well know geyser in the park, Old Faithful, is one of the only geysers in the park that regularly erupts every ninety. Hence the name, “Old Faithful.” 

In all honesty, this was probably my least favorite spot out of the five simply because of how built up the surrounding area is. They have tons of benches around the geyser as well as an entire resort and little town. This is a great place to stock up on snacks or any camping gear you may need. But you can easily get trapped in long lines at the fast-food spots and waste your day away.

I suggest timing your visit when the next eruption is scheduled because there is only so much you can do there while waiting for it to go off. You can check when the next eruption is on their website or inside any of the stores around Old Faithful. There is a nice trail behind the geyser which shows off some hot springs and smaller geysers.

Funny enough I complain about how developed the place is when it’s actually the closest encounter I had with a bison! This bison walked right onto the trail behind Old Faithful and parked itself for an entire hour! The park rangers were on top of the situation, blocking people from walking too close to the bison. But I was trapped on the wrong side of the trail when Old Faithful erupted. Thankfully, I still got a beautiful view by back tracking up the trail. Thank the gods for long lenses!

Grand Prismatic Spring: 

This was one of my favorite parts of the park. You are probably planning your trip to Yellowstone because you’ve seen pictures of this spot. And I am here to tell you, the spring does not disappoint!

A word of warning though: it is also a favored spot among all tourists. So be prepared to park a half mile down the road to get a look at the springs. Trust me, they’re worth it. 

Mammoth Hot Springs: 

This is a beautiful spot and very different from the rest of the springs in the park. It is however, very out of the way. Very far north. And trust me, I am all for a scenic drive, but there aren’t any big look out points along the way except for a waterfall. 

I suggest taking a trail here even though it may be tempting to just jump out of your car and snap a few pictures from a distance. You’ll be amazed by the change in landscape from the parking lot to the first steps on the trail. It kind of reminded me of a winter wonderland!

Another bonus: there is a small town nearby where you can refuel and recharge. Another more built-up area, but it is less crowded than Old Faithful. I stopped for lunch here because they had vegetarian options! (the holy grail when you are out in the middle of nowhere!)

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone: 

If you do anything in the park, you must go here! My favorite part of the park by far. I started day two early and drove straight here. Completely empty at 7:30am on a Sunday, I wandered around here for an hour. You can easily spend a whole day here, but unfortunately, the trail I wanted to do was closed due to the amount of bear sightings. (Make sure you look at trail closures, so you don’t get your heart broken like me!)

Instead of following the main road, I drove North Rim Drive which has three stopping points. What I was not expecting to see was a giant waterfall! All of these stopping points are connected by a trail, so you can either walk or drive to each lookout. This place was stunning, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about it. Another plus about North Rim Drive is the connecting road to Inspiration Point, which was yet again, another jaw dropping view of the Grand Canyon.

And another reminder to check for road closures! My easy drive from the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to Lamar Valley turned into the annoyance of an added two hours to my drive. So please, if not for your sanity, then for mine, do not make this mistake.

Lamar Valley – Grizzly Bears!

Talk about a traffic jam! This is THE place to see your bison. And up close too! Other than the bison though, this was probably the most scenic drive you will get in the whole park. I drove through the valley west to east, exiting at the north entrance and continuing onto Beartooth Scenic Highway (an article coming soon on the wonders of this road).

This is also where I saw my first bear! Definitely keep your eyes peeled for all wildlife throughout the park. You are bound to see something! Since Lamar Valley was my last stop, I was getting worried I wouldn’t see a bear. But, with some kind of dark magic I saw three! A mama and her two cubs. There were a whole bunch of cars stopped in the middle of the road as everyone jumped out of their cars to get a look. 

Unlike the bison incident at Old Faithful, there were no park rangers to keep people a safe distance away. So please be smart about how close you get to wildlife. Especially when it’s a mama bear and her cubs. You do not want her to misunderstand you as a threat to her babies. Do not be like the lady in this picture!

Another note: the park highly recommends you carry bear spray with you on hikes. Even if you are only walking a short distance, it is better to have it then not if an emergency arises. You can buy this online before your visit or in any of the shops inside the park.

And there you have it! Five must see spots in Yellowstone National Park! 

This post is all about Yellowstone National Park.