Wyoming, Montana and Idaho · United States
The world's first national park, sitting on an active supervolcano, with half the planet's geysers and the densest concentration of large wildlife in the lower 48.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
Yellowstone became the world's first national park in 1872, which means the entire global idea of protected wilderness starts here. It covers nearly 9,000 square kilometres of high plateau — most of it above 2,400 metres — spread across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and it is essentially the top of an active supervolcano. The last full-scale eruption was 640,000 years ago and the magma chamber beneath is still driving everything you see.
That geology produces more than 10,000 thermal features, roughly half the world's geysers, and hot springs coloured by heat-loving bacteria in bands of orange, yellow and green. Grand Prismatic Spring is 110 metres across and deeper than a ten-storey building. Old Faithful erupts every 60 to 110 minutes and has done so, more or less reliably, since it was named in 1870.
The wildlife is the other half of the case, and for many visitors the better half. Yellowstone holds around 5,000 bison — the only place in the United States where they have lived continuously since prehistoric times — plus grizzly and black bears, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and the wolves reintroduced in 1995 after a seventy-year absence. In the Lamar Valley at dawn you can see several of these in an hour without leaving the roadside.
Why visit
Yellowstone is two extraordinary things in one place — a volcanic thermal landscape and a functioning large-mammal ecosystem — and there is nowhere else in the temperate world that combines them.
Over 500 active geysers and more than 10,000 thermal features, in a park that contains roughly half of all the geysers on earth. Old Faithful is the famous one; the Upper Geyser Basin around it holds the greatest concentration anywhere.
Around 5,000 bison, several hundred wolves in the wider ecosystem, grizzlies, black bears, elk, moose and bighorn sheep. The Lamar Valley at dawn is regularly called the Serengeti of North America and the comparison is not absurd.
Grand Prismatic Spring's bands of orange, yellow and green come from thermophilic bacteria living at different temperatures, ringing a centre of deep blue water at 70°C. Photographs look enhanced and are not.
Designated in 1872, before Wyoming was even a state, and the direct model for every national park system in the world since. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve.
A completely different landscape — a 4,200 m mountain range rising abruptly from a flat valley floor with no foothills — and the two parks are almost always visited together.
Main attractions
The park's roads form a figure of eight about 230 km around. Distances are long and bison jams are frequent, so plan two areas a day at most.
The largest hot spring in the United States at 110 metres across, ringed with bacterial mats in orange, yellow and green around a deep blue centre. The boardwalk crosses it at ground level; the overlook trail from Fairy Falls gives the aerial view.
Tip The boardwalk shows you steam; the Fairy Falls overlook, a 1.6 km walk, shows you the colours. Do the overlook, in the middle of the day when the sun is high.
The densest concentration of geysers on earth, with about 150 in one square mile. Old Faithful erupts every 60 to 110 minutes to 30–55 metres; Grand, Riverside and Castle geysers nearby are less predictable and arguably more impressive.
Tip Predicted eruption times for several geysers are posted at the visitor centre and on the park app. Walk the boardwalk loop rather than only watching Old Faithful.
A wide glacial valley in the park's northeast, and the best wildlife viewing in the lower 48 states. Bison herds in the hundreds, plus wolves, bears, pronghorn and coyotes, most reliably seen at dawn and dusk.
Tip Be there before sunrise. Bring binoculars or a spotting scope — the wolf watchers parked along the road are usually happy to share a view.
A 32 km canyon of yellow rhyolite up to 370 metres deep, with the Lower Falls dropping 94 metres — twice the height of Niagara. Artist Point on the south rim is the classic view.
Tip Artist Point for the falls, Uncle Tom's and Lookout Point for different angles. Early morning gives the best light on the yellow rock.
Terraces of white travertine built up by hot water depositing limestone, forming stepped pools that shift and dry out over years as the plumbing changes. Elk graze on the lawns of the historic fort at the base.
Tip The formations change constantly — sections that were flowing a decade ago are now dry. The upper terrace loop can be driven.
The hottest and most changeable thermal area in the park, with acidic springs and Steamboat Geyser — the tallest active geyser in the world at up to 120 metres, though it erupts unpredictably, sometimes years apart.
Tip The Back Basin trail is quieter than Porcelain Basin and equally strange. The ground here is unstable — stay on the boardwalk.
The park's other great wildlife valley, in the centre, with large bison herds and frequent grizzly sightings. Yellowstone Lake beyond it is the largest high-altitude lake in North America at 2,357 m.
Tip West Thumb Geyser Basin on the lake shore has thermal features running into the water, including cones that were once fished from.
An hour south, where the Teton range rises 2,100 metres straight out of the valley floor with no foothills. Jenny Lake, Schwabacher Landing and the Snake River overlook are the classic viewpoints.
Tip Almost always visited alongside Yellowstone, and worth two or three days of its own. The two share an entrance road.
Things to do
The park rewards early starts more than almost anywhere. Wildlife moves at dawn and dusk, and the geyser basins are best before the coaches.
Be in the Lamar or Hayden Valley before sunrise with binoculars. Bison, elk and pronghorn are near-certain; wolves and bears are realistic. This is the single best thing the park offers and it is free.
Tip The wolf-watching community gathers at known pull-outs with spotting scopes and is generally welcoming. Ask politely and you will usually get a look.
Upper, Midway, Lower and Norris basins each have several kilometres of boardwalk over ground too hot and fragile to stand on. Doing all four across two days shows you the full range of thermal behaviour.
Tip Stay on the boardwalk without exception. The crust is thin, the water is above boiling, and people have died stepping off.
Over 1,600 km of trails, and the vast majority of visitors never leave the tarmac. Mount Washburn, Fairy Falls, Mystic Falls and the Bunsen Peak trail are all half-day walks with a fraction of the crowds.
Tip Carry bear spray, know how to use it, and make noise on blind corners. This is genuine grizzly country.
An hour south on the John D. Rockefeller Parkway, into a completely different landscape of sharp granite peaks rising abruptly from a flat sagebrush plain.
Tip Schwabacher Landing at dawn, with the range reflected in the Snake River, is one of the great American views.
From December to March the interior roads close and access is by snowcoach or snowmobile only. Geysers steam against snow, wolves are easier to spot against white ground, and visitor numbers collapse.
Tip Only the north road from Gardiner to Cooke City stays open to cars. Winter trips need booking well ahead through park concessioners.
Where a hot spring runoff meets the cold Gardner River near Mammoth, creating a natural bathing spot. Access varies year to year with river conditions and flood damage.
Tip Check whether it is currently open before planning around it. Swimming in thermal features themselves is illegal and lethal.
Local food
Yellowstone is a remote wilderness park and its food is functional. The good eating is in the gateway towns, and Montana and Wyoming have their own solid regional traditions.
Leaner and slightly sweeter than beef, served as steak, burger or chilli throughout the region. Sourced from ranch herds rather than the park's wild population.
Where to try it Restaurants in Jackson, Bozeman, Gardiner and West Yellowstone, and the park lodges.
Cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout from the rivers of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, usually pan-fried whole or grilled. The region is one of the world's great fly-fishing destinations.
Where to try it Gateway town restaurants. The Madison, Gallatin and Yellowstone rivers are the famous waters.
Elk steak, sausage and jerky appear across Wyoming and Montana menus, alongside venison and occasionally antelope. Distinctly regional and largely unavailable elsewhere in the country.
Where to try it Jackson and Cody in particular, where the ranching and hunting culture is strongest.
A wild mountain berry, impossible to farm commercially, harvested in late summer and turned into jam, pie, ice cream and syrup across the northern Rockies.
Where to try it Roadside shops and cafés across Montana and Wyoming, best from late July onwards.
Old Faithful Inn's timber dining hall and the Lake Yellowstone Hotel are the two worth eating in for the buildings alone — the Inn is a 1904 log structure with a 23-metre lobby.
Where to try it Inside the park. Dinner reservations are required and open months ahead.
Bozeman, Jackson and Cody all have serious craft brewing scenes, and a post-hike beer at altitude is a regional institution.
Where to try it Bozeman has the strongest scene and the best restaurants within reach of the park.
Accommodation
Staying inside the park is transformative because wildlife viewing happens at dawn and the drives are long — but in-park lodging opens 13 months ahead and fills within days.
Transport
Yellowstone is remote and every route involves a drive. Three small regional airports serve it, all with connections through larger hubs.
You need a car. Yellowstone has no public transport, no shuttle system, and 230 km of road in a figure of eight with long distances between attractions.
When to go
Yellowstone sits above 2,400 metres and has a short season. Snow closes most roads from November to May, and the summer window is correspondingly busy.
Roads open progressively from late April into May. Bison and elk calves are born, bears emerge with cubs, and waterfalls run at their fullest. Cold at 5–17°C, with some areas still snowbound and facilities opening in stages.
All roads and facilities open, temperatures of 20–27°C by day and near freezing at night. Also the busiest period by a wide margin, with full car parks by 09:00 and lodging booked out a year ahead.
The best time to come. Crowds drop sharply after the Labor Day weekend, the elk rut begins with bulls bugling across the valleys, and the light is superb. Facilities start closing through October and snow can arrive any time.
Most roads close. The interior is reachable only by snowcoach or snowmobile, and the park is transformed — steaming geysers against snow, wolves visible against white ground, and almost nobody there. Expensive and exceptional.
Worth planning around: Assuming the roads are open. Yellowstone's opening and closing dates shift by weeks depending on snowfall, and a trip planned for mid-May or late October can find half the park inaccessible. Check the official road status page before booking.
Itinerary
Organised geographically rather than by attraction, because the driving distances are the constraint. Each day starts before sunrise, which is the price of the wildlife.
The thermal half of the park, from a west or south base.
Waterfalls in the morning, wildlife at either end of the day.
The best wildlife day, and it starts in the dark.
An hour south into a completely different landscape.
Travel tips
Two of these are genuine safety items and the rest will save you hours.
FAQ
Four to five, or more with Grand Teton included. The park is nearly 9,000 square kilometres with 230 km of loop road, and driving between areas takes far longer than the map suggests — Lamar Valley to Old Faithful is about 2h30. Three days covers the geyser basins and the canyon; four lets you add proper wildlife mornings in the Lamar Valley.
The interior roads open progressively from late April into May and close from early November, with exact dates shifting by weeks depending on snowfall. Only the north road between Gardiner and Cooke City stays open to cars year-round. From mid-December to mid-March the interior is reachable only by guided snowcoach or snowmobile. Always check the official road status page before booking.
The Lamar Valley in the northeast, before sunrise, with binoculars — bison herds in the hundreds, plus wolves, bears, pronghorn and coyotes. Hayden Valley in the centre is the other great spot, particularly for grizzlies. Both are best in the first and last hour of daylight; in the middle of the day the animals are inactive and hard to find.
It has two genuine risks that visitors underestimate. Bison injure more people than bears do — they look docile, weigh a tonne and run at 50 km/h, and the required distance is 25 metres. And thermal areas have thin crust over water above boiling point, which is why the boardwalks exist and why people who step off them have died. Both risks are entirely avoidable by following the posted rules.
For the in-park lodges, very much so: the booking window opens 13 months out and the good dates are gone within days. It is worth the effort, because the wildlife viewing happens at dawn and staying inside saves a long drive in the dark. Gateway towns — Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Cooke City and Jackson — are easier to book but still fill for July and August.
Almost everyone does, and it makes sense — they share an entrance road and are about an hour apart. Grand Teton is a completely different landscape, with a 4,200 m granite range rising straight from a flat valley with no foothills. Allow two or three days for it on top of your Yellowstone time; flying into Jackson and out of Bozeman lets you do both without backtracking.
September. The crowds fall away after the Labor Day weekend, the elk rut begins with bulls bugling across the valleys, the light is at its best and the weather is still workable. June is excellent for newborn animals and full waterfalls but colder and partly snowbound. July and August have everything open and the heaviest crowds of the year.
Keep exploring
Places that pair well with Yellowstone, whether you have a few spare days or are building a longer route.
Arizona, United States
The single most overwhelming landscape in North America: a canyon so large the eye cannot process it, with a river a vertical mile below and rock at the bottom half as old as the earth.
Don't miss Sunrise or sunset from the rim, when shadow moves across the buttes and the whole thing stops looking flat.
Explore Destination — Grand Canyon National ParkUtah, United States
A concentration of canyon country unmatched anywhere: Zion's sheer red walls, Bryce's hoodoos, Arches' sandstone spans and Canyonlands' mesas, within a few hours of each other.
Don't miss The Narrows — wading up the Virgin River between sandstone walls 300 metres high and, in places, ten metres apart.
Explore Destination — Zion & Southern UtahCalifornia, United States
The most walkable major city on the American West Coast, with cable cars, Victorian terraces and a food culture built on Californian produce — plus redwoods, wine country and Highway 1 within two hours.
Don't miss Walking or cycling the Golden Gate Bridge, with the fog moving through the towers beneath you.
Explore Destination — San Francisco & the California CoastDenizli, Aegean, Turkey
Calcium-rich springs have been depositing white travertine down a 200-metre hillside for millennia, creating stepped pools that the Romans built a city above and bathed in.
Don't miss Walking barefoot up the travertines at opening, with the terraces to yourself and the water still warm.
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