Ultimate Guide to Planning a Trip to Yellowstone National Park

Are you planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park? This article may be the most important ten minutes you spend on the internet. I’ve compiled a list of essential tips and tricks that I wish I had known before my own trip.

This summer we visited Yellowstone National Park. As you know, I revel in planning trips. In preparation for this trip, I scoured the internet reading at least two hundred blog posts and guides digesting as many tips and tricks as I could. From my research, I learned some great travel strategies, however after traveling to Yellowstone myself there is so much I want to share with you.

Book Early

Start planning your trip at least a year in advance, especially if you hope to stay within the park. Lodging inside Yellowstone fills up quickly, so securing a room or cabin early is crucial. The same goes for car rentals—book those well in advance.

Stay Outside of Yellowstone

While many advise staying within the park, I found that booking a cabin or hotel outside, like in West Yellowstone, offers better value and convenience. We saved money and enjoyed modern amenities like air conditioning and a full kitchen, which are often lacking in park accommodations.

We stayed in West Yellowstone. Only a five minute drive to the west entrance of Yellowstone, this was not only convenient to our travels within the par but also offered options for restaurants and stores close by.

The multi-bedroom cabin with a full kitchen in West Yellowstone had air conditioning and cost about a third of what a tiny two bed, hot (not air conditioned), basic room costs within the park. The money savings did not stop there. Staying outside of the park allowed us to eat at a minimum breakfast in the room as well as heat up leftovers and have snacks in our fridge. If we had wanted to cook, we could have done that as well. The rooms in the lodges within the park are basic and do not have refrigerators or microwaves.

The drive to Old Faithful Inn (the closest lodge to West Yellowstone) took 45 minutes one way. If we had stayed at this lodge we would have needed to eat all our meals within the park or drive at least an hour one way to get dinner. Instead, we could spend the full day in the park exploring, but exit for dinner and be only minutes from our cabin.

Split Your Stay Across Multiple Locations

To maximize the experience of Yellowstone National Park, consider staying in different locations near various park entrances. For instance, staying near Lamar Valley would have saved us hours of driving time when exploring wildlife-rich areas.

For our entire visit to Yellowstone, we stayed in the cabin in West Yellowstone. This was a mistake. If I had it to do all over, I would have booked at least one night in Silver Gate or Gardiner. These cities are closer to Lamar Valley which is where we saw the most wild animals. The drive to Lamar Valley from West Yellowstone was over two hours one way!

Plan At Least Three Days To See Everything

There is a whole lot to see. Depending on the time of year you are planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park, there will be a whole lot of people trying to see the same things you are trying to see. In many cases there could be construction, traffic jams, or even animal jams on the roads. For this reason, I recommend at least a three day itinerary to see everything. If you have extra time, I also highly recommend adding Grand Teton National Park and Glacier National Park making your trip itinerary at least 7 days.

Rent A Car

Yellowstone National Park is 3,471 square miles. To see all there is to see, you will need to rent a car. We met several couples who did not have a car and had to book tour companies to take them within the park.

As mentioned above, make sure to book your car rental at least a year in advance especially if you plan to travel to Yellowstone National Park during the summer months.

It should be noted if you plan to visit the park in the winter, they do not plow the roads so renting a car would not be necessary.

Airport Options

When planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park, you may be shocked by the prices of rooms and rental cars. Because your budget may already be stretched, you may be tempted to book a flight to and from Salt Lake City for less money.

For proximity, fly into airports like Jackson Hole, Bozeman Yellowstone International, or Yellowstone Airport. While Salt Lake City may be cheaper, the drive to Yellowstone is long (almost 5 hours), potentially cutting into your vacation time.

Here are some recommendations:

We flew into the Jackson Hole Airport because we were visiting the Grand Tetons National Park as well as Yellowstone. This airport is about 2 hours from Yellowstone.

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport near Bozeman, Montana is about an hour and a half from Yellowstone’s North Entrance. This airport is convenient if you are planning to visit both Yellowstone and Glacier National parks.

The closest airport to the West Entrance is the Yellowstone Airport near West Yellowstone, Montana. It’s a smaller airport but is only 10 minutes from the park entrance.

Download the Guide Along App

The Guide Along App is free to download onto your cell phone. You will need to pay for the Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Park tour. This costs $19.99. Make sure to download it prior to entering the park as there is no cell phone service.

The Guide Along app follows your location within the park. The narrator gives background information on what you are seeing and recommends must see stops, even telling you when to turn.

I cannot recommend the Guide Along App any more. In fact, I booked a tour through Xanterra and the Guide Along App had already taken us on the exact tour for a heck of a lot less money!

Best Time to Visit Yellowstone National Park

What is the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park? The answer to this question could vary depending on a few factors.

Typically, the summer months are the time most people visit Yellowstone National Park. In 2022, over 3 millions visitors awed at the beauty of the park with the summer months being the peak season. The weather is the best, however the parking lots at main attractions will be full. In addition, as the temperatures warm, there is a good chance the wildlife will move North.

We went at the end of July. In the mornings it was cool and the afternoons were warm. The traffic and parking lots at the popular attractions such as the Grand Prismatic Spring and the geyser and thermal features in the Upper Geyser Basin were full. We saw little to no wildlife until we traveled to Lamar Valley.

When planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park, the following information is helpful:

West Entrance:

Yellowstone National Park’s West Entrance opens to the public on the 3rd (third) Friday of April at 8:00 am (unless weather or other conditions do not allow).The West entrance closes normally the 1st (first) Monday of November at 9:00 pm.

North Entrance:

The only Entrance OPEN Year Round is the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana.

The Northeast entrance, West entrance, South entrance and East Entrance all Open generally mid-April to mid-May and close the beginning of November to wheeled vehicle travel.

Winter season:

During the winter, you CANNOT travel east of Cooke City, Montana via wheeled vehicles. The road is closed for the winter and is not maintained. You must travel back through the park to the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana. You can travel to Silver Gate, Montana and Cooke City, Montana year-round.

Join A Social Media Group

I highly recommend joining a social media group for travelers going to Yellowstone before you travel. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums written by people who live in the area, business owners, as well as great questions from people planning to visit. I learned so much to include the best place to see wildlife, must do hikes, great restaurant recommendations, etc.

Plan To See Hot Springs and Hot Mud Pots In The Afternoon

The Grand Prismatic Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park — Grand Prismatic Hot Spring in the afternoon with warmer temperatures allowing the view of the colors

Almost every single blog post and social media forum I read recommended to get an early morning start to your days to avoid crowds and waits at the entrances. I took this to heart and several days we entered the park before 6 a.m.

The forums were not lying when they said there would be no wait times at the entrances at that time or the fact there was little to no traffic on park roads. On the other hand, little to nothing was said about the zero visibility we would have at any of the thermal features in the park in the morning hours.

At the end of July it was in the 30s and 40s in the morning. Temperatures would warm up to the 70s and 80s by the afternoon. In the morning, the heat from the heated thermal features hitting the cold air created so much steam, you could not see anything! For this reason, when attempting to see hot thermal features, I recommend planning your itinerary to save those for the afternoon.

Instead, if getting an early start, it would be a great time to drive all the way in to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone or make the long drive into Lamar Valley or Hayden Valley to get a glimpse of grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, or bison from a safe distance.

Bear Spray

Do you need Bear spray when visiting Yellowstone National Park? The short answer is yes, however I will tell you I did not purchase it and felt completely safe.

My family and I are not avid hikers. We stayed on the main road and followed the directions given to us by the Guide Along App. We went on a short hike, but nothing that would take us into a desolate, wooded area where we would run into bears.

Having said this, having bear spray on you is not a bad idea. You can rent it locally for less than $25. In addition, many tourists who have purchased it and were fortunate to not have not use it, leave their bear spray at the hotel front desk for others to have when they depart.

Make note: you cannot take bear spray on an airplane so there is no need to purchase it in advance if you are flying.

Food Options

There are several places within the park to purchase food. There are restaurants at the lodges however the wait times to be seated can be quite lengthy which takes away time from exploring the park.

We tended to eat a large breakfast in our cabin and then pick up snacks at a general store or gift shop while in the park. We packed sandwiches in the soft cooler we packed from home. There are gas stations within the park.

Try Huckleberry Everything

If you have not tried a Huckleberry, do it! There is huckleberry ice cream, huckleberry cheesecake, huckleberry cobbler, even Huckleberry whiskey and vodka. All of it was wonderful and a must try when staying visiting Yellowstone.

Review Predicted Geyser Times Online

Old Faithful geyser from our trip to Yellowstone National Park

There are over 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park. Some geysers erupt continuously, while others have predicted eruptions. I recommend downloading the National Park Service app on your cell phone before entering the park. They have geyser eruption predictions listed. Make sure you check out the times before entering the park while you have cell phone service.

In addition to the geyser eruption predictions, this app has maps as well as self guided park tours. You can download content for offline use. It’s especially handy if you’re exploring remote areas in parks or concerned about data limits.

Wildlife Viewing

Bison during a trip to Yellowstone National Park

For the best wildlife, I recommend the Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley area of Yellowstone.

As mentioned before, we stayed in West Yellowstone. To get to Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley was a several hour drive one way. The best time to spot animals is in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening timeframe.

We saw zero wildlife except in this area when we traveled in July. It was totally worth the drive! We saw bison, got into a bison jam, saw a grizzly bear and three cubs, elk, and a coyote in this area.

Wildlife in captivity

On a side note, if you have time to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, it is a great opportunity to see bears, wolves, even otters in captivity.

The animals are in captivity because they are unable to survive in the wild and serve as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. We spent about 3 hours enjoying these majestic animals.

Bo, the grizzly bear, at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone

Best Places in Yellowstone National Park

When planning a trip to Yellowstone, you must add these major attractions to your Yellowstone itinerary.

My favorite location was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You can see the amazing waterfall and canyons from a variety of viewpoints. The Yellowstone River has carved down more than 1,000 feet to create the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

In addition to Old Faithful Geyser, there are 500 geysers in Yellowstone. Most of the best ones can be seen by visiting the Upper Geyser Basin. I also recommend seeing the Norris Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and the West Thumb Geyser Basin.

Packing Tips For Yellowstone National Park Trip

The weather in Yellowstone can be unpredictable. For that reason alone, I found it very difficult to pack. In addition to the general idea to pack for fluctuations in temperatures, here is a list of items that are must have and a couple that really were not important at all.

Comfortable shoes are a must, however hiking boots or hiking shoes are not necessary. Unless you are planning on a backpacking trip on rough trails, tennis shoes are fine.
A cooler is super helpful. I packed a small soft sided cooler in my luggage. Many tourist purchase a Styrofoam cooler. I recommend joining Facebook forums where travelers are passing on their coolers purchased instead of wasting money on a brand new one.
Pack sunscreen. Much of the boardwalks are in direct sun. The cooler weather can fool you into thinking you are not getting a sunburn.
You will need binoculars to see the wildlife in the distance.
It is helpful to bring a refillable water bottle so you can stay hydrated on hikes. It was also helpful to have snack such as trail mix in our car. I purchased these items before we left and packed them in my luggage.
In July I did not need winter clothes such as jackets and jeans. I packed them but did not wear them. Instead, I wore shorts, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. This was warm enough for me.
I used my raincoat/poncho several times on the trip.

In Summary

Planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park can be overwhelming. I wish I had known these tips and tricks while making my reservations and packing my bags. Did I miss anything? If you have a tip or trick I missed, drop me a comment. I’d love to add it to my list.

Are you planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park? Reading this article may be the most important ten minutes you spend on the internet. I have compiled a list of the most important tips and tricks for planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park that I wish I would have known.

Book Early

Start planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park at least a year in advance especially if you have hopes of staying in a lodge within the park. I started planning our trip to Yellowstone National Park a year in advance and there was limited availability for rooms within the park.

In addition to booking accommodations, make sure you secure a car rental at least a year in advance as well.

Stay Outside of Yellowstone

I recommend booking a hotel or cabin outside of Yellowstone National Park. I know this is a controversial opinion. You will read other bloggers advise to stay within the park.

There are pros and cons to both options. Personally, I found staying outside of the park as a better option. A great spot to book a room or cabin is in West Yellowstone. This was very convenient to the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park (only a 5 minute drive). In addition, there were a lot of great restaurants and stores in this little town.

The drive to Old Faithful Inn (the closest lodge to West Yellowstone) took 45 minutes one way. If we had stayed at this lodge we would have needed to eat all our meals within the park or drive at least an hour one way to get dinner. Instead, we could spend the full day in the park exploring but exit for dinner and be only minutes from our cabin.

Book Hotels/Rooms In Different Locations

Though I recommend staying outside of the park for your Yellowstone vacation, its a good idea to book hotel rooms in different locations in cities within a short distance to different Yellowstone Park entrances..